Heaven Can Wait and Racing with the Moon nce upon a time there was a play by film’s composer, Dave Grusin. For a comedy to The story was simple – two friends who are Harry Segall called Heaven Can Wait , receive nine nominations was amazing – but it about to start serving in the military during Owritten in 1938 and not produced on was, as usual, the year’s dramas (they included World War II have some things to learn about Broadway. Nevertheless, the film rights were The Deer Hunter and Coming Home) that took life before they leave, and learn they do. Penn bought and the resulting 1941 film, retitled Here most of the prizes that year, and Heaven Can meets McGovern and falls in love with her, and Comes Mr. Jordan , was a hit. This was followed Wait ended up with only one win: for Best Art Cage has to deal with a girl he got in “trouble.” by a 1943 Ernst Lubitsch film called Heaven Direction-Set Decoration (Paul Sylbert, Edwin The film never overplays its hand, keeping Can Wait that had nothing to do with Mr. Segall, O’Donovan and George Gaines). things moving along towards its sweet and his play or Here Comes Mr. Jordan . Then came touching conclusion. Vincent Canby’s review in Down to Earth (1947), starring Rita Hayworth, One of the key elements of the film that makes The New York Times summed it all up in its first which was a sort of sequel to Here Comes Mr. it work so well is Dave Grusin’s score. Com - paragraph: “Racing With the Moon , directed by Jordan , bringing back the characters played by posers and directors have to decide how much Richard Benjamin from an original screenplay Edward Everett Horton and James Gleason, but music any film should have. What is the right by a fine new writer named Steve Kloves, is an not the central characters. That same year, the amount for it to do its job? Sometimes the an - exceptionally appealing movie about subjects Segall play finally made it to Broadway but swer changes as the film goes through the ed - you may think you’ve already had enough of – under a different title, Wonderful Journey – a iting process. The composer and director will growing up, first love and the shouldering of production that ran only nine performances. spot the film, deciding on where music should arms and other responsibilities. However, Rac - Flash forward to 1978 – Paramount Pictures go; then the composer writes for those se - ing With the Moon demonstrates such intelli - and Warren Beatty remake Here Comes Mr. quences and records the cues. But at that point, gence and wit that the result is an unexpected Jordan but change the title back to Segall’s orig - things can and sometimes do change and the pleasure.” inal title, Heaven Can Wait . Two years later director may want more or may want less. In the comes Xanadu , starring Olivia Newton-John, case of Heaven Can Wait , Grusin wrote a short As with Heaven Can Wait , the score was by which was a sort of remake of Down to Earth , score – Beatty clearly didn’t want the film Dave Grusin and it’s a beauty. Its tender themes the sequel to Here Comes Mr. Jordan . Now loaded with music from start to finish. Since glow with an incandescent beauty – one is pe - jump to 2001 when Segall’s Heaven Can Wait Beatty’s character, Joe Pendleton, plays the so - riod-flavored, while the other is more timeless is remade again, this time as Down to Earth , prano saxophone in the film, it was natural for in feel. Those themes alternate throughout the starring Chris Rock – and having nothing to do Grusin to make that the key instrument of his score, along with an infectious “Moon Boogie” with Down to Earth , the sort of sequel to Here score. In the end, there were only about fifteen and “Mendocino Station.” In addition to Grusin’s Comes Mr. Jordan . minutes of original Grusin music used, but what stunning work, there are several big-band music it is! It’s a testament to what Grusin wrote 1940s source music cues that are very much a Heaven Can Wait , the 1978 version, received that it seems like there’s much more music in part of the fabric of the film; those cues were glowing reviews and was a huge hit for Para - the film than there actually is. His main theme, arranged and conducted by the amazing Billy mount, Beatty, and all involved. Beatty, in addi - the jaunty and captivating “Heaven Walk,” is one May. tion to starring as football player Joe Pendleton of Grusin’s most memorable melodies – it’s (whose life ends unexpectedly and by mistake used throughout and every time it appears it’s A soundtrack LP prepared at the time of the when he’s involved in an accident he shouldn’t like having an old friend say hello. And then film’s release was never issued. This is the have been involved in) co-directed (with Buck there is the gorgeous, simple, but hugely touch - score’s world premiere release, and it includes Henry, who plays The Escort, the person re - ing music for the romance of the Beatty and the complete Grusin score, along with all the sponsible for the mistaken accident) and co- Christie characters, Joe Pendleton and Betty big band source music cues, all taken from the wrote the screenplay (with Elaine May). An Logan. original stereo session tapes housed in the absolutely first-rate, perfect cast was assembled Paramount vaults. – in addition to Beatty and Buck Henry, the film This is the world premiere release for Heaven also starred Julie Christie, Charles Grodin, Can Wait . In addition to what ended up in the Dave Grusin was and is a unique voice in film Dyan Cannon, Jack Warden, Joseph Maher, film, we present the unused cues as well as music. He has written a large number of iconic and James Mason as Mr. Jordan. As great as some alternates as bonus tracks. This release and brilliant scores, including Divorce, Ameri - Mason is in the part, it is fun to play the “what was mixed from the original multi-track tapes can Style, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, The if” game and imagine the person Mr. Beatty housed in the Paramount vaults. Yakuza, Three Days of the Condor, Murder by courted for the role but who ultimately wouldn’t Death, Bobby Deerfield, The Goodbye Girl, The come out of retirement to do it – Cary Grant. Champ, And Justice for All, My Bodyguard, Ab - sence of Malice, On Golden Pond, Tootsie, The Beatty and Elaine May’s screenplay did every - ix years later, Paramount made Racing Goonies, The Milagro Beanfield War, The Fab - thing a great script should – made you care With the Moon , a film directed by actor ulous Baker Boys, The Firm, Hope Floats , and about the lead characters, made you howl with SRichard Benjamin, who’d had a huge crit - that’s only scratching the surface of his incred - laughter at the farcical elements, and then ical and audience success two years earlier ible output. He’s been nominated for eight Acad - touched you as the film’s simple-yet-emotional with his first film, My Favorite Year . The cast fea - emy Awards and won the prize for The Milagro final scene played out. Everything about the tured three actors who had made their screen Beanfield War . He is also a multiple Grammy film’s direction, script, cast, photography, music debuts not too long before this film, and who Award nominee and winner, not only for his and design – even its iconic poster – was per - were all on the cusp of stardom – Sean Penn, soundtracks, but also his arrangements for fect. At Academy Awards time, Heaven Can Elizabeth McGovern and Nicholas Cage, each singers and many jazz albums on his label GRP Wait received nine Oscar nominations, includ - of whom gives an incredibly appealing perform - Records. ing Best Picture, Best Writing, Screenplay ance. Racing With the Moon was the first pro - Based on Material from Another Medium, Best duced screenplay for writer Steve Kloves, who’d Heaven Can Wait and Racing With the Moon – Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actor go on to write the screenplays for The Fabulous two never-before-released Dave Grusin scores. (Beatty), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (War - Baker Boys, Wonder Boys , and all the Harry Heaven indeed. den), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Can - Potter films except for Harry Potter and the — Bruce Kimmel non), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, and a Order of the Phoenix . Best Music, Original Score nomination for the.