# Oh, God! (film series)

The Oh, God! film series consists of American comedy films, which explore Christianity in a contemporary setting. The plot, which is based on the novel of the same name by Avery Corman, centers around various characters as they encounter God and are asked to share their experiences with society, only for their sanity to be questioned by society. The movies star George Burns in the recurring role of the Supreme Being, and feature a different supporting cast in each installment.
Upon the release of each film, the installments were met with a range of critical reception. The original received critical acknowledgement, including accolades through becoming the recipient of multiple Saturn Awards, a Writers Guild of America Award, and a nomination for an Academy Award. The movie earned $51 million, turning a profit at the box office. Its success overshadowed the performance of its sequel however, as the second film was deemed by various analyses as inferior, while its financial gains were also lower in profit. The third installment, earned praise from a number of critics deeming its status as superior to its predecessor, with praise given to Burns in his dual-role. Christian analysis found that the premise of the series ranged between questioning the intentions of the product, and praising the moral of the story through the lens of contemporary comedy.
The Oh, God! films were later released in a Blu-ray collection through Shout! Factory's Shout Select label.

## Development

The original novel, Oh, God! by Avery Corman, serves as the basic premise for the film series, and was originally published by Bantam Books on January 1, 1971. With a plot similar to the film, the story follows a struggling journalist who receives an offer in the mail to interview God. Though he initially believes this invitation to be a hoax, he pursues his curiosity and is pleasantly surprised to find the opportunity legitimate. Through a series of comedic circumstances, the value of Christianity in the modern-world is discussed, while God reveals that through various forms he is always present in mankind's lives.

## Film

| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Story | Producer |
| Oh, God! | October 7, 1977 (1977-10-07) | Carl Reiner | Larry Gelbart | Larry Gelbart | Jerry Weintraub |
| Oh, God! Book II | October 3, 1980 (1980-10-03) | Gilbert Cates | Josh Greenfeld and Hal Goldman and Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs and Melissa Miller | Josh Greenfeld | Gilbert Cates |
| Oh, God! You Devil | November 7, 1984 (1984-11-07) | Paul Bogart | Andrew Bergman | Andrew Bergman | Robert M. Sherman |

### Oh, God! (1977)

Jerry Landers works tirelessly as the assistant manager at a local supermarket. One day while he works, God appears to him in the form of an unsuspecting elderly man, and informs Jerry that after repeated attempts of contact the former has been chosen become a modern-day messenger in the vein of Moses from the Old Testament era of The Bible. Though initially reluctant, Jerry ultimately agrees to the assignment of telling the world about the visit from the Almighty Creator of all things. As Jerry begins to tell the people he comes into however, including his wife Bobbie, he discovers to his dismay that his sanity comes into question. Continuing to receive visits from God and asked to convey additional messages, Jerry continues to fulfill his calling as best as he can. After conducting an interview with a religious report for the Los Angeles Times, Jerry finds himself confronted with legal action and must prove himself in a court of law that he is innocent of the accusations from his accusers. Jerry prays earnestly that God will be with him throughout the trial.

### Oh, God! Book II (1980)

One day while a child named Tracy Richards is at a restaurant with her parents, she meets God in the form of an elderly man. Excited by her encounter and deeply impressed by the interaction she had, Tracy determines to start an advertisement campaign with the slogan of "Think God" spread throughout her city. While her intentions are for all of society to focus on God and shift their daily focus towards spiritual influences of their religion, she is surprised to receive a negative response from adults around her who believe that as a child she is inexperienced and doesn't understand life as they do. Refusing to state that her experience was a figment of her imagination, her divorced parents Don and Paula become concerned for her mental state and take her to see a doctor. As a panel of medical experts led by the psychiatrist Dr. Jerome Newell gives their extreme diagnosis and her parents pray for her, divine intervention comes to her aid when God reenters her life.

### Oh, God! You Devil (1984)

Bobby Shelton is an amateur musician, who despite every effort of his own can't attain the professional success that he and his family needs. One day after a particularly discouraging performance, he offhandedly states that he would sell his soul to be in a better situation. Later while performing at a client's wedding, Shelton is approached with a proposition by a man who introduces himself as a producer named Harry O. Tophet. Tophet states that Bobby will have seven years of fame and stardom, if he will sign a contract which sells his eternal destiny. Desperate to make ends meet Shelton signs the document, but immediately realizes his mistake as his signature transforms into something different the man reveals that he is actually the devil Satan. The devil explains that through his demonic powers Bobby Shelton is now a world renown rockstar named Billy Wayne, a celebrity he is familiar with. As he initially enjoys the success he has attained Shelton is horrified to discover that he and Wayne have traded lives when his wife, and his children do not recognize him. Learning that prior to these events, Wendy had become pregnant with a baby, Shelton calls out to a higher power through a prayer. Immediately approached by God in the form of an elderly man, Shelton is initially hesitant to find a physical resemblance of this form and the previously presented Tophet. Learning through a parable that he must be weary of those around him that may be wolves in sheep's clothing, Shelton is relieved that God has come to save his soul. As the devil reappears to keep the contract intact however, God agrees to a climatic poker game where the deceived man's eternal destiny is at stake.

### Potential future

In August 2004, a remake was announced to be in development by Warner Bros. Pictures, with Ellen DeGeneres cast as God. Based on an original pitch from DeGeneres, where the titular Christian deity would take the form of a female talk show host. Jerry Weintraub said he was to return in his role as producer, while acknowledging that he had green-lit the concept, after being impressed with the story that DeGeneres conceived; while also saying that Reiner and Gelbart had given their blessing towards realizing the modern film adaptation. Weintraub had intended for DeGeneres assist with writing the film. While the studio searched for a director; principal photography was planned to start during the hiatus of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2005.
Though the project continued through various development stages and production delays, Weintraub continued to try to develop a new Oh, God! film. In July 2010, Weintraub had pitched the film to studios, with the filmmaker suggesting Betty White as God alongside Paul Rudd as the mortal man character. The project entered development hell, and later Weintraub died in July 2015.

## Main cast and characters

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.
* An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
* $^V$ indicates a voice-only role.
| Character | Films | Films | Films |
| Character | Oh, God! | Oh, God! Book II | Oh, God! You Devil |
| God | George Burns | George Burns | George Burns |
| the Devil "Harry O. Tophet" | | | George Burns |
| Jerry Landers | John Denver | | |
| Bobbi Landers | Teri Garr | | |
| Adam Landers | Moosie Drier | | |
| Becky Landers | Rachel Longaker | | |
| Dr. Harmon | Donald Pleasence | | |
| Sam Raven | Ralph Bellamy | | |
| George Summers | William Daniels | | |
| Judge Baker | Barnard Hughes | | |
| Tracy Richards | | Louanne Sirota | |
| Don Richards | | David Birney | |
| Paula Richards | | Suzanne Pleshette | |
| Judge Thomas Miller | | Wilfrid Hyde-White | |
| Charles Benson | | Conrad Janis | |
| Dr. Barnes | | Hans Conried | |
| Bobby Shelton "Billy Wayne" | | | Ted Wass |
| Wendy Shelton | | | Roxanne Hart |
| Bobby's daughter | | Brandy Gold |
| Arthur Shelton | | | John Doolittle |
| Bea Shelton | | | Julie Lloyd |
| Billy Wayne "Bobby Shelton" | | | Robert Desiderio |
| Charlie Gray | | | Eugene Roche |

## Additional crew and production details

| Title | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail | Crew/Detail |
| Title | Composer | Cinematographer | Editor | Production companies | Distributing company | Running time |
| Oh, God! | Jack Elliott | Victor J. Kemper | Bud Molin | Warner Bros. Pictures | Warner Bros. | 1 hr 38 mins |
| Oh, God! Book II | Charles Fox | Ralph Woolsey | Peter E. Berger | Warner Bros. Pictures | Warner Bros. | 1 hr 34 mins |
| Oh, God! You Devil | David Shire | King Baggot | Andy Zall | Warner Bros. Pictures | Warner Bros. | 1 hr 37 mins |

## Reception
### Box office and financial performance

| Film | Box office gross | Box office gross | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Box office ranking | Total home video sales | Worldwide gross total income | Budget | Worldwide net total income | Ref. |
| Film | North America | Other territories | Worldwide | All-time North America | All-time worldwide | Total home video sales | Worldwide gross total income | Budget | Worldwide net total income | Ref. |
| Oh, God! | $51,061,196 | — | $51,061,196 | #1,830 | #3,033 | Information not publicly available | >$51,061,196 | $2,100,000 | >$48,961,196 | |
| Oh, God! Book II | $14,504,277 | — | $14,504,277 | #4,582 | #6,464 | Information not publicly available | >$14,504,277 | Information not publicly available | ≤$14,504,277 | |
| Oh, God! You Devil | $21,538,850 | — | $21,538,850 | #3,665 | #5,254 | Information not publicly available | >$21,538,850 | Information not publicly available | ≤$21,538,850 | |
| Totals | $87,104,323 | — | $87,104,323 | x̄ #6,718 | x̄ #4,917 | >$0 | >$87,104,323 | >$2,100,000 | ≤$28,334,774 | |

### Critical and public response

| Title | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
| Oh, God! | 75% (28 reviews) | 56/100 (9 reviews) |
| Oh, God! Book II | 43% (7 reviews) | 35/100 (6 reviews) |
| Oh, God! You Devil | 36% (11 reviews) | 49/100 (7 reviews) |