LeonLouisRicci This Sometimes Charming Movie is Almost Ruined by the Bombastic, Over the Top Irritations by Jack Oakie. He is Insufferable Most of the Time and is Saved Only by the Beauty of Linda Darnell, Dick Powell's Engaging Performance, and a Good Story.It's Been Done Quite Often, this "knowing the future will do you no good" Plot in Countless Books, TV Shows, and Movies, but it is Almost Always Intriguing. Just What Would You Do? Of Course, Those Lottery Numbers and Race Results are Surely Going to Bring in Lots of Cash Quickly and Just as Quickly...POOF!.Overall, the Movie is Worth a Watch because it is Lively, Funny At Times, and Well Done. But Only if You Can Stand the Buffoonery and Over Ripe Slapstick and Yelling of One Jack Oakie.

Irie212 Playing with time in marvelous ways, this sparkling comedy defies the very idea of "spoilers." Not only do the first five minutes foretell the ending by showing Powell and Darnell celebrating their 50th anniversary (the rest is flashback), but every single sequence begins with a revelation of how it will end.The witty screenplay, credited to seven writers, is drenched in references to time. Oakie and Darnell are music hall clairvoyants (bad ones who predict Bryan will be president, meaning the story is probably set in 1899). The key character, Powell, is an obituary writer who is handed tomorrow's newspaper by the spectral archivist who tells him, "Time is only an illusion." So, time after time, we know tomorrow's headlines, and time after time, they turn out to be accurate-- but all are cleverly set up as conundrums. Each time, the headline seems impossible or illogical given the preceding circumstances, so our curiosity is repeatedly piqued — and never disappointed. We can't wait to see how it plays out, because the script is so smartly written that what really matters—in this film and in life-- is not simply what happens to us, but how it happens.Time is the subject, but this movie also plays brilliantly with space. It compares with films like "The Third Man" and "Alexander Nevsky" in the way it makes use of maximum depth of field. Busy backgrounds remain in focus for a reason: action is going on, contributing to the sense of a whole world in motion. The screen has to be watched closely, ever inch of it; in fact, the film needs to be watched twice (time and again?) to really appreciate all the talent behind it.

mrmikel-2 In 1932 John Buchan the English author wrote A Gap in the Curtain. In it the participants in the event are asked to visualize a newspaper page one year ahead. Several stories are told of what happens to these people. Several of the events seem to be part of this movie. Did Dunsany get the story from Buchan or vice versa?Dunsany was a science fiction author and Buchan was known for his interest in the occult. The last story in this book is very similar in some ways to the movie, but the focus is different, since it focuses on comedy in the move, but the books reflects the inner struggle of a man who sees that he is going to die according to the newspaper. In both, the ending is happy.

mojo2004 I bought the DVD and watched this film because I am a huge fan of the TV show "Early Edition" not "Evening Edition" as mentioned in an earlier post.I mention that show because the idea for it came from this wonderful movie and I'm surprised no where on any website for the show do the creators mention this movie as the inspiration for the show.Dick Powell and Linda Darnell star along with Jack Oakie.I will combine both and let the reader be the judge.*spoiler info comparing "It Happened Tomorrow" and "Early Edition"Larry(in movie) and Gary(TV show) both start getting tomorrow's newspaper. Larry gets his from the old man who also works at the paper(he's dead but Larry doesn't know it). Gary gets his from the cat who belonged to the old man who worked at the newspaper who's long dead but will visit Gary and talk to him in later shows. Both use the paper to get a large sum of money quick by betting at the track. Both have 2 companions(a man & woman) who know about the paper. Both save people from accidents after reading in the paper about their deaths.Both read their own obituary in the paper and have to change the headline. Both have a noted connection to a hotel in town.Lastly both the movie and the show have someone answer a want-ad that's in tomorrow's paper for an opening that doesn't exist/but an employee gets fired right in front of them,the boss then says to put an ad in tomorrow's paper which Larry/Garry have already read.Mojo2004 Wash DC