All That Money Can Buy (aka The Devil And Daniel Webster) (1941)

A hard working farmer (James Craig) is trying to make an honest living but a streak of bad luck tempts him to do the unthinkable bargain with the Devil (Walter Huston) himself. In exchange for seven years of good fortune, he sells his soul to Satan. Based on the classic short story by Stephen Vincent Benet (who co-wrote the screenplay) and directed by William Dieterle (STORY OF LOUIS PASTEUR). While there's some rustic charm to the movie, ultimately I found it a heavy handed morality tale. The "good" characters aren't all that interesting, notably Anne Shirley as the goody two shoes wife and Jane Darwell's bible spouting mother. Much more fun are Walter Huston's sly and wicked Devil and Simone Simon as the seductress who steals Craig away from his wife. The two give the best performances in the film. The Oscar winning score is by Bernard Herrmann. With Edward Arnold as Daniel Webster, Gene Lockhart, H.B. Warner and Jeff Corey.