Immaculately cast and filmed in part on glorious Maine locations, this is a marvellous screen version of what is arguably Rodgers and Hammerstein's finest Broadway show. Some may find this tale of a reprobate's return to Earth to look out for his daughter arch in the extreme, but it is a tribute to the superb score and sensitive handling of the material that the film is moving. Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, reunited after Oklahoma!, have the roles of their lives as Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan, with their performance of If I Loved You a highlight, though they're done no favours by Henry King's static direction. However, the spirited June Is Bustin' Out All Over more than compensates.

Billy Bigelow has been dead for 15 years. Now outside the pearly gates, he long ago waived his right to go back to Earth for a day. He has heard that there is a problem with his family: namely with his wife Julie Bigelow, née Jordan, and his child he hasn't met. He would now like to head back to Earth to assist in rectifying the problem; but before he may go, he has to get permission from the gatekeeper by telling him his story. Adapted from the Rodgers and Hammerstein hit Broadway musical.