Oh, God! You Devil
Encyclopedia
Oh, God! You Devil is a black comedy
/fantasy
film starring George Burns
, Ted Wass
, Ron Silver
and Roxanne Hart
.
Directed by Paul Bogart
and produced by Robert M. Sherman. The screenplay
was adapted by Andrew Bergman
.
Oh, God! You Devil is the third and final installment in the Oh, God!
series
, based on the novel
of the same title by Avery Corman
.
The film was #1 at the box office and George Burns received a Saturn Award
nomination
for Best Actor
.
s of both God
and the Devil
. The Devil — Harry O. Tophet — is a lively character, taking pleasure in petty acts of PG-rated malice (such as making a waiter fall into a pool).
The story tells of a struggling rock
singer/musician, Bobby Shelton (played by Wass), who cannot get a break. His wife, Wendy (Hart), is going to have a baby, and Bobby, desperate to support his family, announces that he would sell his soul to the Devil to get ahead. The Devil suddenly appears, calling himself "Harry O. Tophet" and offers Shelton a deal — seven years of unprecedented fame and fortune in exchange for his soul. Shelton balks at the deal and so Tophet renegotiates claiming that it will be for a "trial period." Shelton signs the document, but his signature transforms into that of Billy Wayne, the last person to whom Tophet offered this deal.
Shelton discovers that, though he now has the fame he wanted, he has lost his identity — he is now Billy Wayne. As such, his family is now someone else's — the former Billy Wayne, whose life Tophet now controls. Realizing that he is trapped, Bobby Shelton asks for help from God, who has been watching over him. God appears and offers to help.
During a climactic poker game between God and the Devil, God offers to stop protecting all those on "his list" in exchange for Bobby's soul.(Meanwhile, Bobby has become so despondent, that he is in his dressing room attempting suicide by liquor and pills) If God wins, the Devil would be prevented from meddling with any of those on the list, even if they request his assistance. Considering the loss too high, Tophet folds, and finds that God had been bluffing, telling Tophet that he folded because "I put the fear of Me in you."
Bobby rises from the floor of the dressing room, leaving behind the corpse of Billy Wayne who had committed suicide. The Devil will have to come up with a new scam to hustle unsuspecting souls. In the end, God meets with Bobby and tells him about how his father once prayed for him when he was a sick child, and that since then, God has had a eye on him. After warning Bobby that next time, he will not bail him out, Shelton returns to happiness in a simple life with his loving wife and daughter.
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
/fantasy
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
film starring George Burns
George Burns
George Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
, Ted Wass
Ted Wass (actor)
Ted Wass , is an American actor and director. Goodman School of Drama graduate Wass made his Broadway debut in the 1976 production Grease...
, Ron Silver
Ron Silver
Ronald Arthur "Ron" Silver was an American actor, director, producer, radio host and political activist.-Early life:...
and Roxanne Hart
Roxanne Hart
Roxanne Hart is an American television, film and stage actress. She may be best known for her role as Brenda Wyatt in the 1986 film Highlander. She is also known for the role of Nurse Camille Shutt on the Medical drama Chicago Hope....
.
Directed by Paul Bogart
Paul Bogart
Paul Bogart is an American television and film director. He directed episodes of the television series "Coronet Blue" in 1967 Get Smart and All In The Family from 1976 to 1979...
and produced by Robert M. Sherman. The screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
was adapted by Andrew Bergman
Andrew Bergman
Andrew Bergman is an American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. New York magazine in 1985 dubbed him "The Unknown King of Comedy".He graduated from Binghamton University and earned a Ph.D...
.
Oh, God! You Devil is the third and final installment in the Oh, God!
Oh, God!
Oh, God! is a 1977 comedy film starring George Burns and John Denver. Based on a novel by Avery Corman, the film was directed by Carl Reiner from a screenplay written by Larry Gelbart...
series
Film series
A film series is a collection of related films in succession. Their relationship is not fixed, but generally share a common diegetic world. Sometimes the work is conceived as a multiple-film work, for example the Three Colours series, but in most cases the success of the original film inspires...
, based on the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
of the same title by Avery Corman
Avery Corman
Avery Corman is an American novelist.He is the author of the novel Kramer vs. Kramer which created a sea change in attitudes toward child custody with the public and in the courts in the United States and internationally. Robert Benton wrote the screenplay and directed the movie of the same name...
.
The film was #1 at the box office and George Burns received a Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
nomination
Nomination
Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...
for Best Actor
Saturn Award for Best Actor
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed, who felt that films within those genres...
.
Plot
Burns plays the dual roleDual role
Dual role refers to one actor playing two or more roles, which may be deliberately scripted in a play or film, or merely be a by-product of a low budget. In a theatrical production where more than one actor plays multiple characters, it is sometimes referred to as an "Ironman" cast...
s of both God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
. The Devil — Harry O. Tophet — is a lively character, taking pleasure in petty acts of PG-rated malice (such as making a waiter fall into a pool).
The story tells of a struggling rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
singer/musician, Bobby Shelton (played by Wass), who cannot get a break. His wife, Wendy (Hart), is going to have a baby, and Bobby, desperate to support his family, announces that he would sell his soul to the Devil to get ahead. The Devil suddenly appears, calling himself "Harry O. Tophet" and offers Shelton a deal — seven years of unprecedented fame and fortune in exchange for his soul. Shelton balks at the deal and so Tophet renegotiates claiming that it will be for a "trial period." Shelton signs the document, but his signature transforms into that of Billy Wayne, the last person to whom Tophet offered this deal.
Shelton discovers that, though he now has the fame he wanted, he has lost his identity — he is now Billy Wayne. As such, his family is now someone else's — the former Billy Wayne, whose life Tophet now controls. Realizing that he is trapped, Bobby Shelton asks for help from God, who has been watching over him. God appears and offers to help.
During a climactic poker game between God and the Devil, God offers to stop protecting all those on "his list" in exchange for Bobby's soul.(Meanwhile, Bobby has become so despondent, that he is in his dressing room attempting suicide by liquor and pills) If God wins, the Devil would be prevented from meddling with any of those on the list, even if they request his assistance. Considering the loss too high, Tophet folds, and finds that God had been bluffing, telling Tophet that he folded because "I put the fear of Me in you."
Bobby rises from the floor of the dressing room, leaving behind the corpse of Billy Wayne who had committed suicide. The Devil will have to come up with a new scam to hustle unsuspecting souls. In the end, God meets with Bobby and tells him about how his father once prayed for him when he was a sick child, and that since then, God has had a eye on him. After warning Bobby that next time, he will not bail him out, Shelton returns to happiness in a simple life with his loving wife and daughter.
Cast
- George BurnsGeorge BurnsGeorge Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
as God and the Devil (Harry O. Tophet) - Ted WassTed Wass (actor)Ted Wass , is an American actor and director. Goodman School of Drama graduate Wass made his Broadway debut in the 1976 production Grease...
as Bobby Shelton - Ron SilverRon SilverRonald Arthur "Ron" Silver was an American actor, director, producer, radio host and political activist.-Early life:...
as Gary Frantz - Roxanne HartRoxanne HartRoxanne Hart is an American television, film and stage actress. She may be best known for her role as Brenda Wyatt in the 1986 film Highlander. She is also known for the role of Nurse Camille Shutt on the Medical drama Chicago Hope....
as Wendy Shelton - Eugene RocheEugene RocheEugene Harrison Roche was an American actor . He was the original "Ajax Man" in 1970s television commercials.-Personal life:...
as Charlie Gray - Janet Brandt as Mrs. K
- Robert DesiderioRobert DesiderioRobert Desiderio is an American actor best known for his television roles.Desiderio was born in New York City, New York, the son of Mary and Anthony J. Desiderio. He first came to prominence in soap opera, with parts in daytime dramas such as Search for Tomorrow, Ryan's Hope and One Life to Live...
as Billy Wayne - John Doolittle as Arthur Shelton
- Julie Lloyd as Bea Shelton
- Belita Moreno as Mrs. Vega
- Jason WingreenJason WingreenJason Wingreen is an American actor.-Biography:Born in 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, he grew up in Howard Beach, Queens, attended John Adams High School, and graduated from Brooklyn College in 1941. Wingreen lent his voice to Boba Fett in the original and 1997 theatrical versions of The Empire...
as Hotel Manager - Susan PeretzSusan PeretzSusan Peretz was an American actress, best known for her performances in film and on television. Among others, she appeared in Dog Day Afternoon, Melvin and Howard, Swing Shift, and Oh, God! You Devil....
as Louise - Robert PicardoRobert PicardoRobert Picardo is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of Dr. Dick Richards on ABC's China Beach, the Emergency Medical Hologram , also known as The Doctor, on UPN's Star Trek: Voyager, The Cowboy in Innerspace, Coach Cutlip on The Wonder Years , Ben Wheeler in Wagons East, and as...
as Joe Ortiz - Arthur MaletArthur MaletArthur Malet is an English actor.Arthur Malet was born in Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, England in 1927. He emigrated to the United States in the 1950s, starting out onstage and winning two Drama Desk Awards in 1957. He came to some prominence in the 1960s, starring in films playing characters much...
as Houseman - James CromwellJames CromwellJames Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
as Priest - Arnold JohnsonArnold Johnson (actor)Arnold Johnson was an actor who played the lead role in the film Putney Swope. In the film his voice was dubbed by Robert Downey Sr. because Johnson could never remember his lines. He also had a recurring role as one of Fred Sanford's tenants in Sanford and Son...
as Preacher - Brandy Gold as Bobby's Daughter
- Lois WildeLois WildeLois Wilde was an American actress most famous for appearing in B-Western and Action movies.-External links:...
as Casino Patron (uncredited)