Eddie Ain’t Around Any More

Angel On My Shoulder (1946) – A mobster’s soul returns to Earth in the body of a crusading judge as part of a plot by the Devil to destroy the judge. Turns out the Devil isn’t as clever as he thought.

Directed by Archie Mayo

Starring Claude Rains, Paul Muni, Anne Baxter

Why I Liked It – It’s a bit of fun with a solid cast.

I had never heard of this movie before, but the fact that Paul Muni and Claude Rains were the leads was more than enough for me to take the chance. Rains is a perennial favorite of mine. He perfected the sophisticated, polished man of dubious moral character. His smirk lets you know he knows just how naughty he’s being. It’s always fun to watch. Muni is an actor largely forgotten by most movie fans under the age of 50. In his day, he was renowned for his brilliant, in-depth characterizations. He wasn’t willing to pigeon-holed and chose roles that weren’t in the accepted mold for a star. Beyond that, Paul Muni earned a reputation as someone who was hard to work with on set. His personal shortcomings resulted in a career that never launched the way people expected, thus resulting in his near anonymity today.

In this movie, we have Eddie, a brutish criminal (Muni). His lack of education and poor decisions limit his worldview, to his detriment. When he’s double-crossed by an underling, he ends up in Hell. His refusal to play along even there brings him to the attention of Mephistopheles, or as he introduces himself, “Nick” (Rains). Nick has an idea that lets Eddie seek revenge and help the Devil take out a troublesome do-gooder. Between Eddie’s natural rebelliousness and the love of a beautiful woman (Baxter), Nick’s plan doesn’t run the way he’d like.

The story plays on the idea that everyone has a doppelgänger, an exact physical double somewhere in the world. Eddie can see and hear Nick, but no one else. It all results in the mix-ups and horseplay we’ve come to expect, but it’s still fun in the hands of experienced actors. That’s not to say there’s nothing unexpected here. I’d give the ending a bit of a surprise rating.

Overall, this is a fun movie with solid performances. It comes with the advantage of a short runtime at only 100 minutes. On the whole, a movie that will not wow you but won’t make you regret the time you spent.

Rating – **** Recommended