The Bishop's Wife

Premiered December 9, 1947 in New York City, February 16, 1948 nationwide.

"Oscar Takes A Holiday" continues with a film that features contributions from multiple Academy Award-winners.

Loretta Young plays the titular "bishop's wife."  She won the Best Actress Oscar for the 1947 movie The Farmer's Daughter.

David Niven, won his Best Actor Oscar for Separate Tables in 1958.

The Bishop's Wife was produced by Samuel Goldwyn.  He won the Best Picture Oscar for producing The Best Years Of Our Lives in 1946.  At the same Oscars ceremony, Goldwyn won the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award which is presented to "creative producers, whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production."  In the photo below, Goldwyn is holding both the Thalberg award and his Oscar.

Robert E. Sherwood co-wrote The Bishop's Wife and won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for the aforementioned The Best Years Of Our Lives.

Last, but definitely not least, The Bishop's Wife is an Academy Award-winning film.  It won an Oscar for Best Sound Recording, with the statuette going to the film's sound director Gordan Sawyer.  He won two other Academy Awards for sound recordings for his work on The Alamo and West Side Story.  Sawyer also has an honorary Oscar named for him that is given to people in the motion picture industry "whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry.”

Gordon Sawyer, holding the Oscar he won for West Side Story.

While we normally discuss Academy Award Winners, not nominees during "Oscar Takes A Holiday," it's worth noting that The Bishop's Wife was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing.  

It might come as a surprise to some, but while Cary Grant was one of the biggest movie stars of all time, he never won an Oscar.  He was only nominated twice for Best Actor.

Now that we've discussed this film's strong Oscars pedigree, here's our review:

As Christmas approaches, Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven) is having trouble raising money to pay for a new cathedral and prays for guidance.  

His prayers are answered by a charming and handsome angel named Dudley (Cary Grant).

The bishop's fundraising efforts have also created tension between Henry and his wife, Julia (Loretta Young).  She feels like Henry has little time for her and fears he may be overtaxing himself with the cathedral plans.

Dudley's good deeds manage to enchant most everybody in town -- a curmudgeon-y professor (Monty Woolley), the bishop's secretary (Sara Haden) and maid (Elsa Lanchester), his daughter Debby (Karolyn Grimes), a taxi driver (James Gleason), and a snobbish, materialistic potential donor (Gladys Cooper).  

However, the bishop himself begins to wonder if Dudley is really as angelic as he claims to be.  Henry suspects the angel is taking a romantic interest in his wife!

Will the cathedral get built?  Will the bishop and Julia's marital troubles be resolved?  Will Dudley manage to bring peace on earth and goodwill to all and earn his wings?

RigbyMel says: 

I first encountered The Bishop's Wife on cable during the holiday season when I was in high school.  I had been on a bit of a Cary Grant kick at the time and found the movie to be quite charming.   It became a regular part of my holiday viewing and has remained so.   

The story is sweet without being cloying and the cast is absolutely top-notch.

David Niven makes the bishop a sympathetic character who is so focused on getting the cathedral built that he's missing out on what's really important.   Niven's starchy British-ness and comedic chops are deployed to excellent effect -- for instance, take a look at the scene where he becomes literally stuck to a chair at a snooty donor's residence!

Cary Grant is delightful as Dudley -- one can see why he would appeal to pretty much everyone he meets and I enjoy his low key "miracles" throughout the film -- particularly a bit involving a locked door.  There are also some great stop motion animated bits where Dudley gets to quickly sort thru some mail and even decorate a Christmas tree with a wave of his hand.

Interestingly, when the production for this film began, Niven and Grant's roles were reversed!  It's hard to imagine this reversal working quite as well had the director gone through with it.

Loretta Young is lovely in the important (but ever so slightly thankless) role of Julia.  She manages to imbue her just a bit too perfect character with heart. 

And the supporting actors are fun as well -- particularly Elsa Lanchester (whose best known role today is as the Bride of Frankenstein) in the role of the family's maid.

The Bishop's Wife's classic holiday movie bona fides are also very strong.

Monty Woolley - who also appears in The Man Who Came To Dinner - is amusing as the cynical Professor Wutheridge, who also is the recipient of some angelic help from Dudley. 

And two young actors that appear in the beloved 1946 classic It's A Wonderful Life  have small but important roles in the movie.   Keep an eye out in the snowball fight scene for Robert J. Anderson (who also played the young George Bailey in IAWL).  

Robert J. Anderson (right) plays the captain of the "defending" team in the snowball fight.

The bishop's young daughter Debby is played by Karolyn Grimes (who also plays George's daughter Zuzu in IAWL).

The Bishop's Wife is an underappreciated holiday classic and most definitely is worthy of adding to your regular Yuletide film rotation.

RigbyMel's rating:

4 candy canes!

J.A. Morris says:

Unlike my co-blogger, I hadn't seen The Bishop's Wife until she introduced it to me in the last decade.  It's a good Christmas movie that features excellent performances by some of Classic Hollywood's best actors.  

Cary Grant is one of my favorite actors and it's nice to have an excuse to watch him every December, he makes Dudley believable.  Loretta Young is also solid as Julia.  

However, David Niven has the toughest role of The Bishop's Wife and he delivers.  Henry isn't a bad person, he's just going through a rough patch and isn't sure how to go about financing the cathedral's construction while simultaneously trying to be a decent husband and father.  

I'm sure some moviegoers 1947 found themselves rooting for Julia and Dudley to fall in love, since on the surface, they're more likable than the bishop.  I won't spoil the ending, but let's just say when the movie ends on Christmas morning, Henry has grown and changed for the better.  Niven makes Henry's growth very plausible.  

Monty Woolley is also great as Julia and Henry's old friend Professor Wutheridge.  As RigbyMel mentioned, Woolley played the rude and bombastic Sheridan Woodside in another Christmas movie, The Man Who Came To Dinner.  The Bishop's Wife gives holiday film fans a chance to see Woolley play a much nicer character.  

If I have any problems with The Bishop's Wife, it's that its pacing could've been a little better.  It's nearly two hours long and I think it could've told its story in a slightly shorter running time.  

The Bishop's Wife is an enjoyable Christmas movie and I recommended it to fans of Hollywood's Golden Age and everyone who loves Yuletide movies.  If you're not a fan of David Niven's acting, this film will make you one.  

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 candy canes!  

Coming up tomorrow:
We continue our Oscars tribute with a review of a remake of The Bishop's Wife!  See you then!

The Man Who Came To Dinner

Premiered January 12, 1942, went into wide release on January 24.

"Christmas is Mr. Whiteside's personal property, he invented it, it belongs to him.  Tomorrow morning , very first thing, Mr. Whiteside will open each and every present and he'll raise the biggest stink you've ever seen in your life."
-Maggie Cutler

Famous (and famously acid-tongued) radio personality and man of letters Sheridan "Sherry" Whiteside (Monty Woolley) travels to Mesalia, Ohio to give a lecture.

Upon arrival, he immediately starts belittling everyone he meets.  Sherry has been invited to dine at the upper middle-class home of Daisy (Billie Burke) and Grant Stanley (Grant Mitchell).  He attempts to get out of it saying, "I simply will not sit down to dinner with midwestern barbarians, I think too highly of my digestive system."

As it happens, Whiteside slips on the front steps of the Stanley home and suffers an injury, leaving him unable to walk, but certainly able to exercise his acerbic wit.

Sherry cannot leave the Stanleys' house and threatens to sue them for a large sum of money.

Newspaper gossip column item about Sherry's unscheduled stopover in Mesalia, OH

We also meet Whiteside's unflappable travelling secretary Maggie Cutler (Bette Davis) who has been suffering in her boss' shadow for years.  Sherry takes her for granted and denies her a life of her own.

Maggie: "When I finally leave this job, I may write a book about it ... Through the Years with Prince Charming."

Enter Bert Jefferson (Richard Travis), owner of the local newspaper who visits Sherry and requests an interview.  Bert is rebuffed by Whiteside, but he and Maggie are attracted to each other.

They spend time together ice skating and sharing hot sweet potatoes.

Maggie: "I've been skating for the first time in my life! I'm told I'm the only person to do a figure eight from the sitting position!"

Bert even reads Maggie a play he's written.  She is impressed enough with the play and with Bert that she recommends that Sherry shop it.

Bert shares his play with Maggie

In the days that follow, Sherry meddles in the affairs of the Stanleys and drives everyone crazy.

The house is constantly visited by various friends, fans and townspeople.

Whiteside continues to treat all the locals like they're idiots.  He receives telephone calls from around the world (billed to the Stanleys, of course) and assorted strange parcels and presents like a live octopus,...

 four penguins, a baby seal ...

and an Egyptian sarcophagus (!) from well-wishers.

Maggie tells Sherry that she wants to marry Bert.  Whiteside decides to sabotage Maggie's budding romance by inviting his friend, actress Lorraine Sheldon (Ann Sheridan) to Mesalia.

Lorraine and her lady's maid Cosette (Nanette Vallon)

Sherry figures she will distract Bert, thus preventing his marriage to Maggie.

Maiden Aunt Harriet Stanely

During his stay, Whiteside is visited several times by Mr. Stanley's sister Harriet (Ruth Vivian) , who seems to be a bit ... eccentric.  She is very friendly to Sherry, who thinks he recognizes her from somewhere, but can't quite place her.

Christmas arrives, and so does Sherry's friend Banjo (Jimmy Durante).

It's obvious to Banjo that Sherry is trying to break up Maggie and Bert, so Banjo tries to discourage his efforts.  But is it too late?  And what mystery lurks behind the smile of Harriet Stanley?


J.A. Morris says:
(Some minor SPOILERS below)
This is a great adaptation of a classic play.  It's written by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, two of the greatest playwrights of their time, and this story holds up pretty well today.  Even though it contains 1940s popular culture references, the dialogue still feels fresh.  It doesn't hurt that it was adapted for the screen by Julius and Phillip Epstein (who won an Oscar for Casablanca).

Lorraine arrives in Mesalia.

Monty Woolley (reprising his Broadway role) is great here as the imperious Mr. Whiteside.  Bette Davis was a major star in the 1940s, but she gives a great, understated performance in a supporting role.  Billie Burke (best known today for playing Glinda, the Good Witch in The Wizard Of Oz) is very funny as Whiteside's starstruck fan, remaining almost willfully oblivious to Sherry's insults.  Near the end, I worried that it was losing steam...but then Jimmy Durante shows up and nearly steals the picture from Woolley in the last act! Durante is hilarious here.

Christmas is talked about throughout the movie, but doesn't rear its head in force until the last act. We're given the impression that Whiteside exploits the holiday sentiments simply to make himself look better, while abusing everyone in sight.

Mrs. Stanley receives a call from a famous American woman.

If I have any problem, it's that Whiteside's "redemption" seems to happen very quickly.  And Bert comes off a bit dense about Lorraine's actions.  But that's a minor issue.  Maybe Whiteside's change of heart was a "Christmas Miracle"?

Banjo manhandles Nurse Preen

It should be noted, some of the characters here are based on Kaufman's friends.  Banjo's name (and behavior towards women) is based on Harpo Marx.  Whiteside is a stand-in for legendary New York theater critic Alexander Woollcott.

Two members of the cast also appear in other Christmas features:  Durante is famous among my age group for narrating the animated adaptation of Frosty The Snowman.  Mary Wickes, who plays Nurse Preen here, portrayed housekeeper Emma Allen in White Christmas.

The Man Who Came To Dinner is  highly recommended, especially for fans of classic theater.  And if you only know Durante from Frosty, this film is a great way to "discover" his talent.

J.A. Morris' rating:

Four Candy Canes!

RigbyMel says:

If you enjoy classic screwball comedies, you will enjoy The Man Who Came To Dinner.   The snappy patter works even though some references are dated and might go over the heads of a modern audience.

Sherry delivers his Christmas Eve radio commentary:"On this eve of eves, my heart is overflowing with peace and kindness".  Meanwhile, he declares war on Maggie's happiness and the citizens of  Mesalia.

Monty Woolley's portrayal of the acerbic Sheridan Whiteside is worth seeing all by itself.   However, I like that all the characters are interesting and are made more so because of the talented actors portraying them.   Jimmy Durante and Mary Wickes are standouts in supporting roles.  It's also fun to see Bette Davis in a comedic/romantic role.

For the record,  Jimmy Durante's song "Did You Ever Have The Feeling That You Wanted To Go?" was actually written by Durante himself.

"A penguin bit me!"

The Christmas setting provides an interesting backdrop for the action.

A boys' choir participates in Whiteside's Christmas radio broadcast 

The traditional peace and joy of the Christmas season is upset by Sherry's chaotic asperity.

Harriet gives Sherry a Christmas present 

Plus, there are penguins.  Penguins!

Penguins!

It is also interesting to note that Monty Woolley has another Christmas film in his list of credits,  he plays Professor Wutheridge in the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife.

Spoiled actress Lorraine Sheldon explores a possible new role

The Man Who Came To Dinner was a popular hit on Broadway in 1939 and you can spot its roots in that most of the action takes place in a single room.   The dialogue is so sharp and funny that this is not really a problem, though.

Banjo adds his hat to the Christmas decorations

The film seems to have been viewed positively when it was released in 1942, but has been, I think, a bit forgotten in recent years.   It's well worth seeing!

RigbyMel's rating:

3 and a half candy canes