(Years later, when Weintraub produced the remake of Ocean's 11, he cast Arkin in the part of Saul, another sage, funny old man, but just before production was set to begin, Arkin required surgery and had to bow out. Arkin agreed to step aside, and Burns went on to cement his comeback in American popular culture. But when The Sunshine Boys was released, Geffen, Reiner and Weintraub realized that George Burns would in fact be the ideal choice. Geffen was right: Variety called Denver "sensational in screen debut."įor the role of God, Mel Brooks and Woody Allen were considered before the part was offered to Alan Arkin. Denver had done very little acting, but Geffen gambled that his popularity with young people-for his records and his television specials-would mesh with his "Everyman" quality to make him perfect for the part. He assigned Gelbart to write, Jerry Weintraub to produce and Carl Reiner to direct, and in an inspired bit of thinking decided upon folk singer John Denver for the role of Jerry. David Geffen, then in a yearlong stint as vice chairman of Warner Brothers Pictures, finally picked up the option and set the project into motion. Gelbart's script was based on a 1971 novel by Avery Corman that had kicked around Hollywood for years, having been optioned several times. I didn't look on it as a morality play, but I suppose it's there." Part of the movie's charm is in the way it surprises us by treating its subject matter with affection and respect." Screenwriter Larry Gelbart later said he "saw it as a lovely chance to make comments about how we are and how we might be. The film's laughs and entertainment value impressed audiences and critics, with Roger Ebert deeming it "a treasure of a movie: A sly, civilized, quietly funny speculation on what might happen if God endeavored to present himself in the flesh yet once again to forgetful Man. He sends a message to an agnostic, southern-California grocery store manager, Jerry Landers (John Denver), to meet him in an ordinary office building where God instructs Jerry to spread the word of God's existence.
It's a warm comedy in which Burns plays God-in the form of an old Jewish man with a New York accent. His next movie, Oh, God! (1977), was another hit that surprised even its makers with its popularity and box-office longevity. It also launched the remarkable final act of his life and career, both of which would continue for two more decades.
#Watch oh god full movie movie#
Now, at age 79, the role of Al Lewis won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and turned him into a bona fide movie star. For decades he had been a comedy star of television, radio and the stage, but he hadn't appeared in a feature film since 1939. Share The Sunshine Boys (1975) revitalized the career of George Burns.