The Next Voice You Hear...
The Next Voice You Hear... is a 1950 drama film in which a voice claiming to be that of God preempts all radio programs for days all over the world. It stars James Whitmore and Nancy Davis (who later became Nancy Reagan) as Joe and Mary Smith, a typical American couple.[2] It was based on a short story of the same name by George Sumner Albee.[3] The voice is never heard by the (film) audience.[4] The six messages (one for each day, Tuesday through Sunday, but "on the seventh day He rested.") God speaks on the radio are read aloud, for benefit of the film audience, by different characters in the film.
| The Next Voice You Hear... | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | William A. Wellman |
| Produced by | Dore Schary |
| Written by | Charles Schnee (screenplay) |
| Based on | The Next Voice You Hear 1948 Hearst's International-Cosmopolitan by George Sumner Albee |
| Starring | James Whitmore Nancy Davis |
| Music by | David Raksin |
| Cinematography | William C. Mellor |
| Edited by | John Dunning |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $421,000[1] |
| Box office | $788,000[1] |
The production of the film, from script stage to screen, was extensively covered as the subject of producer Dore Schary's 1950 book (with Charles Palmer) Case History of a Movie.
Cast
- James Whitmore as Joe Smith
- Nancy Davis as Mary Smith
- Gary Gray as Johnny Smith
- Lillian Bronson as Aunt Ethel
- Art Smith as Fred Brannan
- Tom D'Andrea as Harry "Hap" Magee
- Jeff Corey as Freddie Dibson
- Billy Bletcher as Newspaper Subscriber (uncredited)
- Cecil Brown as Himself – Radio Announcer (uncredited)
- Frank Cady as Baldy – Plant Worker in Locker Room (uncredited)
- George Chandler as Motorcycle Officer (uncredited)
- Thomas Browne Henry as Doctor (uncredited)
- Chet Huntley as Radio News Broadcaster (voice) (uncredited)
- Sherry Jackson as Girl in Church (uncredited)
- Douglas Kennedy as Mitch (uncredited)
- Frank Mills as Man in Church (uncredited)
Music
The score for the film was composed by David Raksin and conducted by Raksin and Johnny Green. The "hymn-like" theme used for the main and end titles would later be published as "Hasten the Day", with lyrics by Norman Corwin.[5]
Surviving portions of Raksin's score, excluding some source music, were released on compact disc in 2009 on the Film Score Monthly label.
Reception
The New York Times review wrote "...this is not an intellectual film. It is strictly and candidly emotional." and ending "we suggest that you, too, will find it difficult to hold out long against "The Next Voice You Hear . . .""[6]
According to MGM records the film earned $668,000 in the US and Canada and $120,000 overseas, resulting in a loss to the studio of $65,000.[1]
Singer/songwriter Jackson Browne later utilized the title for both a song and an album titled "The Next Voice You Hear [...]"
References
- The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- THOMAS F. BRADY (Feb 17, 1950). "METRO IS TESTING LOW-BUDGET PLAN: STUDIO ALLOWING $600,000 FOR NEW DORE SCHARY PICTURE, 'NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR' OF LOCAL ORIGIN ADMISSION TO PLAY: CAN OF FOOD". New York Times. p. 29.
- "George Sumner Albee – Summary Bibliography". isfdb.org. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- Hughes, Scott (June 20, 2003). "God – The Hollywood Years". The Guardian (arts.guardian.co.uk). London. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
- Kaplan, Alexander (2009). David Raksin. "David Raksin at MGM (1950–1957)". Film Score Monthly (CD online notes). Los Angeles. 12 (2).
- "Movie Reviews". Sep 24, 2020. Retrieved Sep 28, 2020 – via NYTimes.com.