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5.0 out of 5 stars "Nobody expects him be normal... he's a bishop.", November 4, 2008

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Annie Van Auken (Planet Earth) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bishop's Wife (Classic Collection) (VHS Tape)

Samuel Goldwyn's THE BISHOP'S WIFE (1947) was released a year after Frank Capra's IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, and the picture is in a way related to it. Both are Christmastime stories of angels sent to help someone, and both feature little Karolyn Grimes as the main characters' child. ("Look, Daddy! Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.")

"The Bishop's Wife" is Loretta Young. Her husband, Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven) is trying to raise funds for a cathedral, but he's confounded by Mrs. Hamilton (Gladys Cooper), a curt, wealthy widow and primary donor who wants the edifice to be a memorial to the late Mr. Hamilton. When Henry prays for Divine guidance, an angel named Dudley (Cary Grant) appears.

A side story concerns Prof. Wutheridge, delightfully portrayed by Monty Woolley. He's an aging, atheistic historian with a severe case of writer's block (been working on the same history of Rome for 20 years).

Dudley gets involved in everyone's life, bringing joy to all he comes in contact with except the man who conjured him up, the bishop. Partially scripted by Billy Wilder and Robert Sherwood, this is a story filled with magic, a few neat special effects, and lots of love. Highest recommendation!


THE BISHOP'S WIFE is also available in DVD, as is IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.


Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.

(7.5) The Bishop's Wife (1947) - Cary Grant/Loretta Young/David Niven/Monty Woolley/James Gleason/Gladys Cooper/Elsa Lanchester/Karolyn Grimes/Regis Toomey