Directed by Harold S. Bucquet, based on a play by Paul Osborn, with a screenplay co-written by Claudine West, this above average fantasy drama with comedic elements features a recognizable cast that includes wheelchair-bound Lionel Barrymore, Cedric Hardwicke, two time Supporting Actress nominee Beulah Bondi, Una Merkel, Nat Pendleton, Henry Travers, Grant Mitchell, Eily Malyon, James Burke, and Ian Wolfe.The story is most compelling, about a man and his grandson who trap "Death" up a tree in their yard, so that no one can die until he's let down. Its execution is also very good, with excellent characterizations all the way around. Barrymore's loving relationship with child actor Bobs Watson, who plays his character's devoted grandson, and Hardwicke's calm and confident, soft spoken Death are particularly noteworthy.Dr. James Northrup (Truman Bradley) and his wife (Barbara Bedford, uncredited) pick up a passenger on their way home to their son, who's staying with his grandparents Julian (Barrymore) and Nellie (Bondi) Northrup. Unbeknownst to them, their passenger is Death (Hardwicke), and the car soon drives through a guard rail and crashes, killing both. So, their son John, nicknamed 'Pud' (Bobs Watson) by his grandfather who spoils him, must stay with 'Gramps' and Nellie. Town gossip and John's Aunt Demetria Riffle (Malyon) hears that Dr. Northrup had a large life insurance policy, and schemes to figure out she can gain custody of John to control the $50,000 he was left.Meanwhile, Gramps and Pud do everything together, including avoiding going to church when they can go fishing instead. However, Julian does give a significant donation from the inheritance money to Reverend Murdock (Charles Waldron) with which to help others. Ian Wolfe plays the Reverend's assistant. On their way home, Pud tells Gramps he's entitled to a wish for his good deed, per something he'd heard said. Later, when Gramps chases a boy out of his large backyard apple tree, he wishes that he could keep whomever climbs the tree to steal one of his apples would have to stay there until he decides to let them get down - Pud tells him that he's made his wish. But Gramps doesn't think anymore about it until another boy (Dickie Jones, uncredited), and then Pud, gets stuck and are unable to climb down until he gives them permission.After Aunt Riffle fails to succeed in getting Nellie to sign custody of Pud over to her, Death (who calls himself Mr. Brink) visits John's grandmother and, tired, she goes with him willingly. Gramps meets with his lawyer Ben Pilbeam (Mitchell), but is unable to assign custody of Pud to their maid Marcia (Merkel, playing a much younger woman than her 35 years), who Demetria had earlier accused of scandalously kissing her beau Bill (Phillip Terry) in a public park! When Mr. Brink visits Gramps, a second time actually, in Pud's presence, the two conspire to get him to climb the tree to get an apple. Of course, he is now unable to get down to "take" Gramps without his permission. Gramps learns that anything that touches the tree will die instantly, so he hires some men to build a fence around it that very day. Demetria hears of this, and the reason for it, and brings Dr. Evans (Travers) and Ben to witness Julian's "insanity". Gramps, and Pud, can talk to, hear and even see Mr. Brinks, but no one else can.Later, Dr. Evans returns with an assistant (Pendleton) to take Gramps to an asylum, but Gramps proves quite dramatically that nothing can die while Death is treed in his backyard. Dr. Evans comes to believe what Gramps has said, but then urges Julian to let him down lest the natural order of things be disrupted. In fact, he tries to force Gramps to allow Mr. Brink to come out of the tree. James Burke plays the Sheriff. Without spoiling the ending, one should know that Death will eventually be invited to come down out of the tree by Julian/Gramps.

SPOILER ALERT !!I thought the end should have been, Mr. Brink agrees to let Pud live if Julian goes with him, and Julian sees to it that Pud gets to be with Marcia and Bill. When he scares off the Sheriff and Demetria, that would be the time to fix it for Pud. The Sheriff tears up the court order, and he could have made them agree to let Marcia and Bill have Pud right then. Also, he could have gotten rid of Demetria earlier, before anyone believed the tree held Death, by getting her to touch it or pick an apple.All else is wonderful, Lionel Barrymore is a treat, the dialogue is fun and colorful, Nellie and Marcia are as lovable as Demetria is despicable. The scene where Mr. Brink is first trapped in the tree and he makes the wind blow, makes you think he could have easily made the tree die too, or break up, get hit by lightning.

This is quite an impressive little film dating from 1939. Set in a small-town there are quite a few stereotypes here, but not bad ones. You've got Lionel Barrymore as the grandfather of Bobs Watson, raising the boy after both parents died in a car accident. You've got the wonderful Beulah Bondi as the grandmother, and way older than her years here...even more so than in most of her films. And, you've got death -- Sir Cedric Hardwicke -- not unlike the role in "Death Takes A Holiday" or "Meet Joe Black".One day Death comes for Gramps, who orders Death off the property, not knowing who he is. So, Death takes Granny. But Gramps has also made a wish that anyone who climbs in his apple tree will be stuck up there until he wishes him down...and that's where Death finds himself.Meanwhile, Bobs Watson's aunt has designs on the money left him by his parents, and Gramps must fend off the aunt's efforts to adopt Watson.Death is now stuck in a tree and can't take anyone...even those who are suffering. So, how does Death get down from the tree? And who dies? And is it bad? There really is lots to think about here in what was actually a rather minor film. I guess if there's anything a little annoying in the film it's Bobs Watson. He's a good little actor, but a little Bobs Watson goes a long way...especially for well over 90 minutes.Nevertheless, this film is worth watching. As I said, lots to think about, and Lionel Barrymore is simply fascinating to watch, here though he was so crippled that they had to fake his walking in the scenes at the very end of the movie. There are some swell performances by supporting actors as well -- Henry Travers (as always) and Una Merkel, particularly.Well worth watching, although the pace could have been slightly quicker.

I often times like to look at reviews of movies that I truly enjoy. On Borrowed Time has been a long time favorite because it has charm, a good story, excellent acting and brings out an emotion in the watcher. I found it odd that some people had serious issues with this movie so I did a little research on them. I have no idea why someone like BaronBl00d would bother with this movie since he likes the nasty chop em up, blood and gore horror flicks. Of course he brings down the rating as do other snobs of his ilk. Just double check what the nay sayers are watching and what they like. I could personally hop on every horror movie and rate it a zero.