A Little Bit of Heaven (1940 film)

87 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

A Little Bit of Heaven is a 1940 musical film starring teenage soprano singer Gloria Jean.

The film's title comes from a traditional Irish song that Gloria Jean sings at a family gathering. Her 2005 biography is similarly titled: Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven. The film is an unofficial sequel to 1939's The Under-Pup, featuring several cast members from that film, but as different characters. The group of girls in The Under-Pup was called "The Penguins", and Gloria Jean sings the group's song early in this film.

Midge Loring is a young member of a large Irish working-class family who becomes a singing sensation on a local radio station. The family's new-found wealth causes some discord until the family realizes that their closeness is what they value the most.

• Gloria Jean as Midge Loring
• Robert Stack as Bob Terry
• Hugh Herbert as Pop Loring
• C. Aubrey Smith as Grandpa
• Stuart Erwin as Cotton
• Nan Grey as Janet Loring
• Eugene Pallette as Herrington
• Billy Gilbert as Tony
• Kenneth Brown as Tony's son
• Billy Lenhart as Tony's son
• Nana Bryant as Mom Loring
• Tommy Bond as Jerry
• Charles Previn as Radio Conductor
• Kitty O'Neil as Mrs. Mitchell
• Helen Brown as Herrington's secretary

In January 1940 Universal announced that Gloria Jean's third movie would be Our City, the tale of two sisters, based on a story by Grover Jones. Loretta Young was to play the sister and the cast would include Robert Cummings, Eugene Pallette, Lewis Howard and Billy Gilbert.^[1]

By May the title had been changed to Straight from the Heart and Young was replaced by Nan Grey.^[2] Then it became A Little Bit of Heaven and Cummings was replaced by Robert Stack. Filming began in June.^[3]

• A Little Bit of Heaven at IMDb