Chance at Heaven

The Depression is a tough time to fall in love, but young Marje Harris (Ginger Rogers) and her gas-jockey beau Blacky Gorman (Joel McCrea) take their chance at heaven. The two plan a future together until a spoiled society girl (Marian Nixon) moves to town, flips over handsome Blacky and dazzles the hapless chump. Marje stands aside - then stands up when the new Mr. and Mrs. Gorman need a friend. Rogers was two months away from her star making debut as Fred Astaire's dance partner in Flying Down to Rio when this pre-Code drama hit the Bijous. In a performance touched with humor and gallantry, the actress on her way to becoming an icon of Golden Age musicals showed she would also be one of the era's finest dramatic stars.

A spoiled rich girl marries a gas station owner in this dated romance starring Joel McCrea, Ginger Rogers, and Marion Nixon. It is love at first sight when debutante Glory Franklyn (Nixon) spots handsome grease monkey Blacky Gorman (McCrea), who promptly dumps faithful girlfriend Marje Harris (Rogers) to marry the heiress. Wedded bliss, however, quickly gives way to everyday worries and Glory even fails at cooking a dinner. Because she still loves Blacky, Marje nobly gives her rival a crash course in good housekeeping, but the spoiled Glory discovers that she is expecting and high tails it back to Mama (Virginia Hammond), who never approved of the marriage and is only too happy to see it fail. Fearing that his wife will obtain an abortion, Blacky hurries to New York, but is too late. Divorced and heartbroken, the young gas station owner finds solace in the arms of the loyal Marje.