Not, Not, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

Dearer, My God, To Thee

George Burns and John Denver in the film `Oh, God!'

The feedback was so swift on the post God Forsaken a few hours ago that my thoughts turned to the Oscar-nominated 1977 movie Oh, God!.

The comedy/fantasy was directed by Carl Reiner and starred the late George Burns as a plaid-shirted, cigar-smoking, plain-speaking God. I’ve always had time for gentle humour and this movie certainly had it in spades. One of God’s more memorable lines in this film was: ``Moses had such a bad memory I had to give him tablets."

The film had an interesting cast, with the late John Denver as the none-too-religious supermarket assistant manager Jerry Landers, Dinah Shore as herself and even Donald Pleasance, whose role was a mere two lines.

One of the many dry quips delivered by Burns in the title role comes when Jerry Landers objects, ``I don’t even go to church.’’ God replies, ``Neither do I’’. And there’s even a sporting reference - ``The last miracle I did was the 1969 Mets. Before that, I think you have to go back to the Red Sea.’’

And when God takes the stand, he takes the oath in memorable fashion - ``I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me, me.’’