Bell Book and Candle (1958)

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

John Van Druten (play)
Daniel Taradash (screenplay)

Release Date:

January 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Fantasy

Tagline:

A bewitching comedy about an enchanting subject!

Plot:

A modern-day witch likes her neighbor but despises his fiancee, so she enchants him to love her instead... only to fall in love with him for real.

Plot Keywords:

Witch | Neighbor | Publisher | Spell | Skyscraper

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Jan. 1

6:45 AM

TCM

Cast

James Stewart	...	Shepherd 'Shep' Henderson
Kim Novak	...	Gillian 'Gil' Holroyd
Jack Lemmon	...	Nicky Holroyd
Ernie Kovacs	...	Sidney Redlitch
Hermione Gingold	...	Bianca de Passe
Elsa Lanchester	...	Aunt Queenie Holroyd
Janice Rule	...	Merle Kittridge
Philippe Clay	...	French Singer at the Zodiac Club
Bek Nelson	...	Tina - Shep's Secretary
Howard McNear	...	Andy White - Shep's Co-Publisher
The Brothers Candoli	...	Musicians at the Zodiac Club

Also Known As:

Bell, Book and Candle (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #19072) | USA:PG (TV rating) | Finland:S | UK:U | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Julian Blaustein Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

The title "Bell, Book and Candle" is a reference to excommunication, which is performed by bell, book and candle. It is opened with "Ring the bell, open the book, light the candle," and closed with "Ring the bell, close the book, quench the candle."

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the Zodiac Club, when the Candoli Brothers begin playing "Stormy Weather", the soundtrack features trumpets with cup mutes, but the performance on screen is without mutes.

Quotes:

Shepherd 'Shep' Henderson: That girl you know, Gillian Holroyd, she's one.
Merle Kittridge: A witch?
Shepherd 'Shep' Henderson: Yes!
Merle Kittridge: Shep, you just never learned to spell.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Jack Benny Program: Ernie Kovacs Show (#9.10)" (1959)

Soundtrack:

Deck the Halls

Kim Novak at her best (looking)

Bell Book and Candle is not a great movie by any means (it's fair), but it's worth checking out for a couple of reasons. First, it's almost hard to believe this is the same Kim Novak that graced the screen in Vertigo the same year. The combination of her manner in this film, and her incredibly striking natural good looks make her almost hypnotic. She wears little or no makeup throughout the film, and looks infinitely better than being slathered in makeup in all her other films. Sharon Stone wishes she looked this good.

The second reason this film is worth checking out is Jimmy Stewart. Now, while I consider Stewart my favorite actor of all time, there were many instances where he was just not effective in the role he was playing. He's at his best when he's playing the naive sap (Mr. Smith, Destry, Harvey), the everyday man (Made for each other, Philadelphia story), or the straight nose who is thrust into unusual situations (this film, You Can't Take it with you) where he can play off of what's happening to him. His weaker performances, I felt, were in his straight forward dramatic roles (liberty valance, man who knew too much, even Vertigo). This film is a chance to see his everyman thrust into wacky situations.

This film is a little too tame to be considered screwball, but as with any good screwball, the supporting cast is as important as the leads. Elsa Lanchester, AKA Bride of Frankenstein, is hilarious. Ernie Kovacs, as Sidney Redlitch, is an absolute riot. I had to pause the film when he goes looking for a little "post holiday cheer", I was laughing so hard. Then, of course, there's a pre-The Apartment Jack Lemmon in a supporting role, as well.

Bell Book and Candle isn't great, and it never really seems sure of what kind of film it's trying to be, but it's pretty funny and worth seeing for the performances alone.