''Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence'' is a 1939 drama film written by

Dalton Trumbo James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including ''Roman Holiday'' (1953), ''Exodus'', ''Spartacus'' (both 1960), and ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) ...

, directed by Ricardo Cortez, and starring

Jean Rogers Jean Rogers (born Eleanor Dorothy Lovegren, March 25, 1916 – February 24, 1991) was an American actress who starred in serial films in the 1930s and low–budget feature films in the 1940s as a leading lady. She is best remembered for ...

Raymond Walburn Raymond Walburn (September 9, 1887 – July 26, 1969) was an American character actor of stage and screen who appeared in dozens of Hollywood movie comedies and an occasional dramatic role during the 1930s and 1940s. Life and career Born i ...

Marjorie Rambeau Marjorie Burnet Rambeau (July 15, 1889 – July 6, 1970) was an American film and stage actress. She began her stage career at age 12, and appeared in several silent films before debuting in her first sound film, '' Her Man'' (1930). She was t ...

and

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...

. This was the first major screen role for both Ford and

Richard Conte Nicholas Peter Conte (March 24, 1910 – April 15, 1975), known professionally as Richard Conte, was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from the 1940s through 1970s, including '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'', ''Ocean's 11'', and ''Th ...

, and Ford was billed fourth.

Plot

Joe Riley has worked six long years in New York City to save enough money to buy 20 acres in Arizona. With no money left, he has to travel to his new home by hitchhiking and sneaking aboard freight trains and trucks. Riley ends up meeting and travelling with illegal immigrant Anita Santos, vagabond Tony Casseli and Tony's educated friend "the Professor". During their travels, Tony is shot in the leg with buckshot, so the trio have to leave him behind at the hospital. At a bar, they encounter Mamie, an old flame of the Professor's and the establishment's owner. While there, Sheriff Clem Diggers takes Anita into custody for the immigration authorities. When Joe tries to intervene, he blurts out enough to get himself in trouble, charged first for aiding and abetting, then for traveling with her across the country, and finally for Anita being underage (19). The Professor comes to the rescue: if they get married, all the legal trouble will go away. Staring at 15 years in prison, Joe has no choice but to go along. Stung by his reluctance, Anita slips away after the ceremony. The Professor decides to settle down with Mamie, so Joe arrives at his property alone. He is shocked to discover that the land is nothing like what the advertisement showed. Then Anita shows up with a truckload of household goods. At first, Joe is hostile, but Anita tells him the land is good for growing oranges, grapes and olives. She knows because she grew up in a village where they did just that. Soon, she has infected him with her dreams for the place, and Joe admits he loves her.

Cast

as Anita *

as The Professor *

as Mamie *

as Joe *

(billed as "Nicholas Conte") as Tony * Eddie Collins as Bill * Ward Bond as Hunk * Irving Bacon as Sheriff *

Kay Linaker Mary Katherine Linaker (July 19, 1913 – April 18, 2008) was an American actress and screenwriter who appeared in many B movies during the 1930s and 1940s, most notably ''Kitty Foyle'' (1940) starring Ginger Rogers. Linaker used her married nam ...

as Nurse

Reception

The ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' magazine review described it as "No hit story, it does manage to maintain a fair shake of audience interest." The reviewer complemented Walburn's performance in particular, as well as Rambeau's and Rogers'. However, "Ford doesn't have any particular luster, but Conte shows okay."

References

* Motion picture review digest, Vol 4-5, by H.W. Wilson Co.

External links

* * * {{Rotten Tomatoes 1939 films 1939 drama films 20th Century Fox films American drama films Films with screenplays by Dalton Trumbo American black-and-white films Films scored by Samuel Kaylin Films directed by Ricardo Cortez 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language drama films