The Bishop's Wife (1947)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Henry Koster

Writers:

Leonardo Bercovici (writer)
Robert Nathan (book)

Release Date:

16 February 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Plot:

A bishop trying to get a new cathedral built prays for guidance. An angel (Cary Grant) arrives, but his guidance isn't about fundraising.

Plot Keywords:

Bishop | Angel | Christmas | Ice Skating | Benefactor

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Dudley
Loretta Young	...	Julia Brougham
David Niven	...	Bishop Henry Brougham
Monty Woolley	...	Prof. Wutheridge
James Gleason	...	Sylvester
Gladys Cooper	...	Mrs. Hamilton
Elsa Lanchester	...	Matilda
Sara Haden	...	Mildred Cassaway
Karolyn Grimes	...	Debby Brougham
Tito Vuolo	...	Maggenti
Regis Toomey	...	Mr. Miller
Sarah Edwards	...	Mrs. Duffy
Margaret McWade	...	Miss Trumbull
Anne O'Neal	...	Mrs. Ward
Ben Erway	...	Mr. Perry

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:G (Ontario) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | UK:U

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

In the version of the Christmas sermon dictated to the typewriter by Dudley, the following is shown typed onto the paper: "You give me a tie. I give you a book." However, in the pulpit on Christmas morning the Bishop reverses these two sentences when he reads, "I give you a book. You give me a tie."

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Obvious stunt double when Dudley shows Julia how he can spin on the ice; he appears shorter.

Quotes:

Henry Brougham: Are you expecting a letter?
Dudley: Well, you never know. If I did get one, the stamp would certainly be worth saving.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1990) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Noël

When An Angel Envies The People He's Helping, It's Time To Leave

The year before this film came out another heavenly visitor in the person of Henry Travers visited earth after getting a complete and thorough briefing on his client James Stewart in It's A Wonderful Life. But other than learning that Travers liked a flaming rum punch we didn't learn too much about him.

Just as James Stewart prayed for guidance, David Niven who's a man of the cloth prays for it in The Bishop's Wife. Instead of lovable old Henry Travers, Niven gets as his aide, Cary Grant.

Niven proves to be a difficult client, but rather than expose him to an alternate universe, Grant does what he can in this world. Of course the woman who plays the title role, Loretta Young, is quite the distraction and Cary's having difficulty focusing.

Niven's a good man who's been raised to the post of bishop due to rich parishioner Gladys Cooper. He's to do her bidding and she bids that a cathedral be raised as a monument to her late husband. The burden of his conscience and dealing with Cooper has caused Niven to lose sight of what's really important in the world.

This is a Christmas season film so you know that everything will work itself out. If Cary Grant were an angel than I imagine he's very much like Dudley this minute. If I had a problem this Yuletide season, I'd kind of like Cary Grant to help me out, if I couldn't get Bing Crosby.

Loretta Young is radiant as the woman who causes Cary's halo to slip and David Niven is as charming as he always is. I also liked Monty Woolley as the professor and James Gleason as the cabdriver.

Make The Bishop's Wife a must for the Yuletide season. And see it back to back with the version that stars Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance.