The movie's title comes from the Irish toast, "May you be in Heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you're dead." Unfortunately, everyone in the film is running about 35 minutes late.

The title of Sidney Lumet's emotionally hyper-charged melodrama is taken from an old Irish toast - "may you be in heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you're dead" - the point being that few ...

Title comes from the Irish toast: “May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead.” ...