Thehibikiew Not even bad in a good way

Supelice Dreadfully Boring

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

jacobs-greenwood This unique, Musical fantasy was the first film directed by Vincente Minnelli. It stars Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson as Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson, a man with a gambling problem whose wife Petunia, played by Ethel Waters, is so strong in her faith that her prayers enable her husband to receive a second chance. Little Joe's dealing with nefarious characters like Domino Johnson (John William Sublett) gets him shot, which leads to a scene in which the Devil's son Lucifer Jr. (Rex Ingram) is ready to take his soul to Hell before the Lord's General (Kenneth Spencer) intervenes and gives the gambler 6 months to reform. Ingram and Spencer also play characters in Little Joe's "real" life, a fellow gambler and Petunia's Reverend Greene, respectively. Ernest Whitman appears as one of Little Joe's creditors, and a club owner.Petunia represents one of Waters' few on-screen roles; she would go on to earn a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in Pinky (1949). She sings the film's Academy Award nominated Song - "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe". On the other, Anderson, whose gravelly voice is as recognizable as Eugene Palette's, had already appeared in more than 50 films at this point in his career which spanned nearly 70 roles, most of which were stereotypical for Black actors of his era. Lena Horne, whose character also sings, plays the femme fatale, Georgia Brown, who Lucifer Jr. uses to tempt Little Joe during his reprieve. Louis Armstrong plays (his trumpet and) a minor role as one of Lucifer Jr.'s idea men, as does Mantan Moreland and shaky voiced Willie Best. Butterfly McQueen plays one of Petunia's friends and Duke Ellington appears (with his band) as himself; Cab Calloway also appears.

utgard14 Fun, lively musical about an angel and a devil fighting for the soul of shiftless gambler Little Joe Jackson (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson). Historically important for being the first mainstream Hollywood film with an all-black cast and for being the directorial debut of Vincente Minnelli. The cast is wonderful and the musical numbers are amazing. Rochester, Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, Rex Ingram, and Kenneth Spencer are all excellent, with many more likable actors in supporting roles.You're going to hear certain types bashing the movie and, if they do praise it, they do so with backhanded compliments. Avoid the politically correct windbags and see it for yourself. I think you'll find that it's a first-rate musical with lots of heart, warmth, and vigor. Everyone involved with the making of it should be proud. If you get a chance, check out That's Entertainment! III, which features Lena Horne's sexy bubble bath performance of "Ain't It the Truth," which was cut from the original film.

vincentlynch-moonoi I had never seen this film, perhaps because years ago I began to watch it on television, and the print was in horrible condition. But, I caught it recently on TCM, and I can honestly say that this film borders on brilliance. Vincente Minelli deserves a great deal of credit here, because he realized the impact of an allegorical film so brilliantly.But, for me, the real gem of the film is the performance of Ethel Waters! What a treasure! Eddie "Rochester" Anderson is fine as Little Joe, but I will always remember him best as Jack Benny's manservant. Don't think that's a racial put down. As the family used to watch the Benny program, Rochester was always the character we looked forward to. We loved him.It's interesting to watch Lena Horne in this film, compared to her performance in other films (such as "Stormy Weather"). Let's face it, in many films she was very light complected, but in this film the opposite seemed to be true. Here she plays the evil seductress in league with the devil, and is quite impressive. It was also a treat to finally see John Bubbles.

MartinHafer This is the sort of film that you'd certainly NOT see being made today and I am sure that "Cabin in the Sky" might make a few out there cringe--with its rather stereotypical characters--including several quite shiftless folks. However, if you can hold on to the politically correct voice welling up inside and just accept the film for what it is, then it's well worth seeing.This is a highly unusual film for its time. Despite the leading character being a dice-shooting no account, the fact that White Hollywood would produce a film with an all-Black cast is amazing--even if the characters are all either non-threatening "good Negroes" and the rest are "shiftless"--a rather two-dimensional view (at best). Still, if this film hadn't been made, performances by such greats as Ethel Waters, Lena Horne and Louis Armstrong never would have been seen and appreciated by a wider audience. Sadly, when you watch and see Kenneth Spencer in the film, you think of what a loss it was that Hollywood never gave him much of a chance and that he died so young--he had an absolutely beautiful voice.The film's plot is highly unusual. It's a religious allegory about the soul of one particular shiftless fool (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson). Anderson is given one last chance by God and the angels try to steer him towards good while the devils try to lead him down the path of destruction. And even more unusual is that the film is a singing and dancing musical. Some of the more hilarious performances are by Lucifer, Jr.'s imps. Sure, they are walking stereotypes, but seeing Louis Armstrong, Mantan Moreland and Willie Best acting is very entertaining--the dialog is very funny and original.Overall, the film is very entertaining and a wonderful showcase for some of the best Black entertainers of the day. Well made and certainly not a movie you'll soon forget.