The Bishop's Wife (1947)

 "...it is Cary Grant’s playing that rescues the role of the angel named Dudley from the ultimate peril..."

With Loretta Young.

The Bishop's Wife - Review is taken from 'The Films of Cary Grant' by Donald Deschner (1973):

"Robert Nathan’s early novel (1928), The Bishop’s Wife, has been revived by Samuel Goldwyn (with help on the script from Robert Sherwood and Leonardo Bercovici) to honor the current boom in cinema angels.  Unlike the majority of his predecessors, however, Mr. Nathan’s angel is not beyond descending to diabolical methods to achieve his heavenly purposes, and the gleam in his eye is scarcely seraphic. 

If the angel is considerably less tedious than most, it is, first of all, because the miracles he is called upon to perform are onerous neither to him nor to his audience.  A flick of the hand and a bottle of brandy refills perpetually; a smile and every woman within its range feels divinely beautiful.  Certain other of his feats, conceived with a heavier hand, are retrieved from disaster by the direction of Henry Koster who wisely refrains from bearing down full weight on the script.  But it is Cary Grant’s playing that rescues the role of the angel named Dudley from the ultimate peril of coyness.  With nothing more than a beaming countenance and an air of relaxation that is certainly not of this world, he achieves a celestial manner without so much of a hint of wings on his dark blue suit.  An expert cast is on hand to show by reflection what Cary Grant has refrained from making irksomely explicit.  David Niven’s prelate is a wistful and absent-minded character who is scarcely a match for Dudley.  As the Bishops’ wife, Loretta Young is sufficiently lovely to make even an angel fall; and in lesser roles Monty Woolley, James Gleason and Elsa Lanchester react to Dudley’s miraculous passage with characteristic gaiety.

The Bishop had prayed to God for guidance in how to separate Mrs. Hamilton, a rich parishioner, from sufficient money to build a cathedral.  God sent him Dudley and Dudley had soon resolved his dilemma by threatening Mrs. Hamilton with the name of her long-lost lover.  Now, Dudley convinces both her and the Bishop that God could better be served by abandoning the cathedral project in favor of helping the needy.  This is a refreshingly practical notion and comes with the lure of novelty from a screen which has heretofore thrown its weight – in the manner of The Bells of St. Mary’s – in favor of building churches.  For this reason alone The Bishop’s Wife should commend itself to the public." 

- Hermine Rich Isaacs, Theatre Arts Magazine

New Artwork by Rebekah Hawley at Studio36 -
Number 51 - The Bishop's Wife (Lobby Card Style)

Part Of

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Quote From Today - 13 November 2022

On This Day - 13 November 2021

On This Day - 13 November 2020

Night and Day (1946)

      "...the score of Night and Day, a radiant web woven tight of Cole Porter's melodies..."

With Monty Woolley and Jane Wyman (The film was released both in Black and White and Colourised).

Night and Day - Review is taken from 'The Films of Cary Grant' by Donald Deschner (1973):

"In Hollywood they are acclaiming the twentieth anniversary of the talkies.  The Warners with a proprietary interest in the event have designated Night and Day, their motion picture biography of Cole Porter, as the anniversary film.  If they planned to celebrate some of the incredible inanities that have been perpetrated in the name of talk during the past two decades, they could not have chosen a better film with which to do it.  But the sound track was designed to carry a load of music as well as words, and it must be admitted that the score of Night and Day, a radiant web woven tight of Cole Porter's melodies, makes it seem well worth having struggled through the first twenty years."

- Theatre Arts Magazine

New Artwork by Rebekah Hawley at Studio36 -
Number  48 - Night and Day(Lobby Card Style)

Part Of

For more, see also:

Quote From Today 2 July 2022

On This Day 01 July 2021

On This Day 2 July 2020

Quote From Today... Night and Day (1946)

    "Thanks for all the flowers."

With Monty Woolley.

Night and Day was Cary Grant's 48th full length feature film.

Cole Porter: Thanks for all the flowers.

Monty Woolley: Yes, one can only send them to a man when he's flat on his back.

On This Day...The Bishop's Wife(1947)

On this day, in 1947, The Bishop's Wife was released, and was Cary Grant's 51st full length feature film.

Synopsis:

An Episcopal Bishop, Henry Brougham (David Niven), has been working for months on the plans for an elaborate new cathedral which he hopes will be paid for primarily by a wealthy, stubborn widow. He is losing sight of his family and of why he became a churchman in the first place.

 Enter Dudley (Cary Grant), an angel sent to help him. Dudley does help everyone he meets, but not necessarily in the way they would have preferred. With the exception of Henry, everyone loves him, but Henry begins to believe that Dudley is there to replace him, both at work and in his family's affections, as Christmas approaches.

Official Trailer Non-Trailer!!!!

With David Niven.

"But it is Cary Grant's playing that rescues the role of the angel named Dudley from the ultimate peril of coyness.  With nothing more than a beaming countenance and an air of relaxation that is certainly not of this world, he achieves a celestial manner without so much as a hint of wings on his dark blue suit.  An expert cast is on hand to show by reflection what Cary Grant has refrained from making irksomely explicit.  David Niven's prelate is a wistful and absent-minded character who is scarcely a match for Dudley.  As the Bishop's wife, Loretta Young is sufficiently lovely to make even an angel fall; and in lesser roles Monty Woolley, James Gleason and Elsa Lanchester react to Dudley's miraculous passage with characteristic gaiety." - Hermine Rich Isaacs, Theatre Arts Magazine.

With Monty Woolley.

"After a talky start, Director Henry Koster weaves a picture that is at times quite lovely; and in the skating scene it gets as close to poetry as movies ever do.  The argument bogs down occasionally and can hardly be considered orthodox.  But as a sophisticated Christmas carol, The Bishop's Wife comes through nicely and should please adults who like their movies off the beaten track." - Philip T Hartung, Commonweal.

With David Niven and Loretta Young.

Did You Know?

Over Cary Grant's protests, a skating double wearing a mask with Grant's features was used in the long shots of the complex skating routine. A skating double was also used for Loretta Young on all long shots.

In Britain the film was selected for that year's Royal Command Film Performance screening. Princess Margaret and her sister, Queen Elizabeth, both attended the screening of 'The Bishop's Wife' on November 25 at the Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square. According to David Niven, "The audience loved every second of it, and the Queen and Princess Margaret told me afterwards and at great length how much they had enjoyed it." Although most of the critics at the time sneered when it was released in time for Christmas 1947, the public audiences loved it as well.

One scene shows Cary Grant and Loretta Young in a conversation. Director Henry Koster staged this with the two facing each other, but both complained that this showed the "wrong" side of their faces. In order to show the "right" side, they both had to be looking screen left, which made a face-to-face talk impossible to film. Koster had a window set piece brought in, and he filmed it from outside, with both looking out in the same direction, Grant behind Young. The next day, producer Samuel Goldwyn visited the set after seeing dailies and berated Koster for shooting the scene in that manner. Koster replied by asking Young and Grant to explain why the scene was shot that way. After both told Goldwyn about the "right" and "wrong" sides of their faces, Goldwyn said "Look, if I'm only getting half a face, you're only getting half a salary!" and stormed off the set. The subject of "right" and "wrong" sides never came up again.

With Loretta Young.

Cast:

 Cary Grant ... Dudley
 Loretta Young ... Julia Brougham
 David Niven ... Henry Brougham
 Monty Woolley ... Professor 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 (as Ann O'Neal)
 Ben Erway ... Mr. Perry

Lobby Cards:

International Artwork:

"Hate Whoever Thinks Badly About It" - Translation.

Directed by Henry Koster.

Produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions.

Running time: 105 minutes.

With Loretta Young and David Niven.

On This Day...Night and Day(1946) and An Affair to Remember(1957)

Two of Cary Grant's films were released on this date...11 years apart.

Night and Day was Cary Grant's 48th full length feature film and, An Affair to Remember was his 62nd.

Night and Day (1946)

Grant plays Cole Porter in this bio-pic, celebrating not only Porter's music but also the 20th anniversary of "Talking Pictures".

Grant appeared alongside Alexis Smith as Linda Lee Porter.

For Warner Brothers big anniversary film, most reviews seemed to agree that it was the music that was the main attraction.

The Commonweal wrote - "Cary Grant so underplaying the role that he's always Cary Grant."

Monty Wolley, pictured above with Grant, played himself as he was a very close friend of Cole Porter and went to Yale together. He later became his advisor.

Songs included, "What Is This Thing Called Love?," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "Begin the Beguine," and "I Get a Kick Out of You."

Lobby Cards:

Directed by Michael Curtiz.

Produced and distributed by Warner Bros., Inc.

Running time: 132 minutes

An Affair to Remember (1957)

Cary Grant stars alongside Deborah Kerr, in their 2nd film together, in a remake of  Love Affair (1939), which starred Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer.

Grant plays bachelor, Nickie Ferrante. Whilst returning to New York via Naples, to marry a wealthy heiress, he meets Terry McKay (Kerr) who is also returning to her partner.

Time commented - "Only sensitive acting by Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant saves this saccharine trifle from suffocating in its sentimental wrapping." - Bit harsh!!

With Deborah Kerr and Cathleen Nesbitt.

"To bring back to the screen within twenty years an enormously appealing picture subject, and cause it to appear as effective, if not even better than the original, is a true achievement in film-making.

Leo McCarey...has accomplished this both movingly and impressively...". - Los Angeles Times.

Lobby Cards:

Directed by Leo McCarey.

Distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Running time: 114 minutes.