One Foot in Heaven

One Foot in Heaven
original promo poster
Directed by	Irving Rapper
Produced by	Irving Rapper
Written by	Hartzell Spence (book)
Screenplay by	Casey Robinson
Based on	One Foot in Heaven (1940 book)
Starring	Fredric March Martha Scott Beulah Bondi Gene Lockhart
Music by	Max Steiner
Cinematography	Charles Rosher
Edited by	Warren Low
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	October 2, 1941 (1941-10-02)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

One Foot in Heaven is a 1941 American biographical film starring Fredric March, Martha Scott, Beulah Bondi, Gene Lockhart and Elisabeth Fraser. The film was adapted by Casey Robinson from the autobiography by Hartzell Spence. It was directed by Irving Rapper.

It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

In Stratford, Ontario in 1904, William Spence (Fredric March), a medical student on the verge of becoming a doctor, receives "The Call" while passing a Methodist church one Sunday. His bride-to-be, Hope Morris (Martha Scott), accepts his decision to enter the ministry with a whole heart despite the disappointment of her prominent and affluent parents. Will "dives right in," but with no vacancies in Canada, is posted as a circuit minister to a small town in rural Iowa, beginning a life for them of frequent moves around the district, dingy parsonages, and scraping a living from poor boxes and performing weddings. Hope yearns for a decent parsonage and a sense of permanence for their children, but uncomplainingly provides them a good life and a supportive home for Will. For his part, Will understands his own nature and laughs at his own foibles, bending where he can in good conscience. He often enters situations in anger or to instruct but leaves humbled and renewed in spirit. While Will sincerely lives by and teaches by example (which includes his family) the tenets of the Methodist Discipline, he also learns from his congregations to be flexible and change with the times.