The Next Voice You Hear...

What can you say about a movie that opens by insisting that a guy named Joe Smith is an American. Like maybe we're going to think he's French or maybe Chinese. Actually, the best part of this genuine movie oddity are the parts showing how the Smith's are in fact a typical American family.

For example, note the several amusing little episodes that could be expected from a typical day in 1950's suburbia. Dad (Whitmore) mutters the whole time he's getting not one, but two traffic tickets for wrestling with his balky old car. Or young Johnny's (Gray) perfect pantomime of Dad's all-too-predictable motions starting up that balky car. Or Dad's explaining to bemused neighbors why he's doing junior's paper route and getting it wrong. Now these are the kind of homespun little episodes that Hollywood never had much time for. But here they're both telling and skillfully done. Ditto other telling aspects, such as the locker room byplay at the factory where Dad works. Or Mom's (Davis) wrestling with her very expectant condition.

Now, had the film developed a story around these type episodes, we might have had an amusing little programmer to fill a slow Sunday evening. But this is, after all, 1950, and communism is on the apparent march in Korea, while McCarthyism is aiming at lefty screenwriters in Hollywood. So what we get instead of a programmer is something like Pat Robertson meets The Twilight Zone. After all, when we turned on the radio in those days, we expected maybe the voice of Edward R. Murrow, but certainly not—dare it be said—the voice of The Big Guy Himself. It's as though Robertson had finally arranged it. Wisely, of course, we never hear the actual divine voice, rather the messages are repeated to us by the various characters.

So what we get instead of the usual Hollywood product is a scarcely veiled religious parable. But not an ordinary one. Instead, it's a combination of Creation and The Second Coming all rolled into one b&w movie. And in case we don't get the meaning, Creation is conveyed by the portentious countdown going from The First Day to The Seventh Day, while a Second Coming is signaled by the child born in humble surroundings to Joseph and Mary Smith. At the same time, even Satan puts in a surrogate appearance in the form of Mitch, Joe's wartime buddy, who tempts him with drink and loose women when Joe should be home with wife and family.

So what's the point of this darn heavy load where God actually speaks and the Bible's big events are replicated in—of all places—1950's suburbia. Looks to me like Hollywood got caught up in the emerging Cold War, so MGM decided to enlist God and the Bible on our side. After all, the struggle is against the godless commies. And what better way to show them who's boss than having The Big Guy Himself put in an appearance.

Now, that Cold War conjecture makes a lot of sense given the time frame. But consider what God's message boils down to according to the movie. It's something like, "Do your homework and be nice to one another". Okay, sure, but who could be against that. I'll bet even the bad old Soviets, or the Humanists, or other assorted skeptics would agree with such a soft message. So why do we need God or MGM's screenwriters to tell us something so obvious.

Well, consider again Hollywood and the emerging Cold War with the Soviet bloc. Now that congressional hearings have exposed so many com-symps in their midst, the industry needs a more patriotic image. So what better way to demonstrate patriotic loyalty than to cozy up to a dominant Christianity that feels threatened by the spread of atheistic Marxism.

But certainly the message can't be done in a way that offends other religions or potential allies. So if God speaks, it's got to be general enough to offend no one. But, at the same time, the message should also reference Christian belief if only in a covert way. Looks to me like the writers met the first challenge with the platitude to be nice to others, and the second with the directive about homework, which in context really means to go back and read the Bible. Maybe that combination seems awkward and a little sophomoric, especially coming from God, but it does solve the script's most urgent problem.

Of course, much of this is conjecture on my part. Nonetheless, the movie's a really weird mix, which encourages some type of explanation.

The film itself is not as bad as I expected. Most importantly, it doesn't overload with smarm, always a risk for religiously themed movies. Wisely too, the screenplay avoids any specific mention of Cold War politics, relying instead on apparent moral rearmament to meet the Soviet challenge. Then too, Whitmore and Davis, along with Gray, make a very ordinary, unHollywood type family, appropriate for the purpose. Also, I can't help noticing head production honcho Dore Schary produced the film and brought prestige director William Wellman on board to direct. This suggests the production was not viewed as just another low-budget b&w.

Okay, so maybe we didn't get the new age the movie's big events portend. Still, the movie's a really strange one-of-a-kind that should be seen if only for curiosity's sake.

When I turned the channel to this movie on TCM, I had no idea what to expect but as so often happens with this station, I was not disappointed with this captivating period movie from 1950 (directed by Robert Wellman) that seemed to be the cinematic equivalent of a Norman Rockwell illustration. The plot was unusual by today's standards but in 1950, we can imagine this movie would have had great appeal to a mass audience, who took religion more seriously than they do today. The acting was excellent and the on location background locales were evocative of the time -- the golf green lawns of the suburbs, the husband and father cranking up the engine of the family car before going off to his factory job, the couple and school age child eating their roast beef dinner. This family is what we used to call salt of the earth people who work hard, enjoy their home life and have time to joke and laugh. Of course this ideal image doesn't change even as the circumstances evolve. It is such a family that the voice of God coming over the radio would have had great appeal in 1950 as they look for inspiration to deal with the problems of work, a pregnancy,raising their child or just the daily frustrations of life. I was very impressed with James Whitmore as the father and the delightful young actor who played the son. Nancy Davis as the pregnant wife and mother played a patient and good humoured anchor for the family. I would really look forward to viewing this movie again.

This is an unusual picture. The idea of God speaking to the whole world over the radio, is sure to provoke conversation. Whitmore is great(as always!)as the average 'joe', just too busy to stop and consider what he is really doing in his life/with his family and friends. Considering this one was made during the height of the cold-war, I'm sure it reflects the fears and anxieties of the times. Know what? It's just as timely now.

The Next Voice You Hear is about Almighty God interrupting all the radio broadcasts on all frequencies on planet Earth at exactly 8:30 pm Pacific Standard Time. He does this for one week.

The film shows the affect hearing from the Almighty on one American family, the Smith family of Los Angeles. The Smiths are played by James Whitmore, Nancy Davis, and Gary Gray. Whitmore is an aircraft worker and Davis is quite pregnant with their second child.

Of course the film is made through an American Christian filter so to speak, that was the targeted audience back in the day. Yet it avoids any direct reference to Christianity or any other faith for that matter. It even says God is speaking to the ears listening behind the Iron Curtain, to places where His existence isn't acknowledged.

James Whitmore was supposed to be another Spencer Tracy for MGM and while his career never quite got that far it certainly has been lengthy and honorable. Nancy Davis of course opted for another career along with her husband. Both play well the parts of Mr.&Mrs. Average American, you'd never know there was a future First Lady in the cast.

The reactions to hearing from the Almighty himself run the gamut, in fact it does take a week to convince most it isn't some kind of gigantic hoax. Significant in 1950 that God uses the radio as His media outlet. Most families still did not have televisions. Good thing to because then the film would have had one huge casting problem.

Of course we never actually hear the Voice. When the first broadcast comes Davis and Gray are in the kitchen and Whitmore hears it in the living room. He comes back reporting on the strange thing that just happened and Davis remarks did it sound like Lionel Barrymore. I remember on All in the Family Archie Bunker once remarking God would sound like Bing Crosby. I suppose there are an infinite number of schools of thought there. We always get a report second hand on what the Voice has said.

The final message is I guess what encapsulates the interfaith message of the film is about. What this old world needs in equal measure is love, freedom, peace, and faith. Equal measure is important because a lack of any one of these causes problems. And it's not up to just nations to practice this, but more so for individuals.

This is a really odd little film starring some of MGM's secondary players, including James Whitmore and Nancy Davis in the leads. I really can't compare it to any other film because it's THAT unusual. After a suitable buildup, God contacts Earth to tell us he'll be making an announcement and we should stand by. Most of the film takes place at this time and it centers on everyone's reactions to the knowledge that something HUGE must be coming. Is it apocalyptic or what--no one knows and so people start to get very nervous. All this stuff is actually the best part of the movie. The problem, though, is that with this buildup, NOTHING can provide a fitting conclusion to make the film all fit together. In other words, the audience's expectations are probably too high, as no matter WHAT MGM did at the end, it would seem a let-down.

All-in-all, a fascinating and unusual film that dares to be different.