Following in the footsteps of It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Henry Koster’s The Bishop’s Wife is another classic Christmas miracle fantasy film.
Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven) has a mission to raise funds for a new cathedral in town. However, his obsession is all-encompassing, leading him to neglect his wife, Julia (Loretta Young) and daughter (Karolyn Grimes). While Henry prays for guidance, he suddenly finds his prayers answered by an angel, Dudley (played by Cary Grant). But the heavenly Dudley only reveals his true identity to Henry while charming everyone else around him, much to Henry’s annoyance. To add to the confusion, Dudley also finds himself strongly attracted to Julia; yep, that’s right, the angel has the hots for the Bishop’s Wife!
Rumour has it that Niven was cast as Dudley and Grant as Henry; their roles switched at the last minute. If true, it is quite possibly the best thing that could have happened to Koster’s film. But let me explain why; many knew Cary Grant for his debonair leading roles in Hitchcock’s suspense dramas. But these sophisticated roles were also complemented by his brilliant comic timing in screwball comedies such as Bringing Up Baby (1938) and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). Here, Dudley’s role allows The Bishop’s Wife to mix his two on-screen personas into a perfectly balanced concoction. The result is a sophisticated, inherently humorous character that showcases Grant’s range and on-screen magnetism.
While achieving critical success upon release, Koster’s film failed to ignite at the box office, with many finding it overtly religious. Given its title, it’s no wonder many expected a religious story, yet the film regularly subverts that expectation. For example, as Julia and Dudley slowly fall in love, Dudley expresses a willingness to remain on Earth and admits he envies mortals. While the story never goes any further than this, the film suggests the angel is more than willing to abandon his mission for his own selfish reasons. Moreover, Julia reasons with him and changes his mind rather than giving any godly instruction on self-regulation. I think you will agree that this is a bold detour for an apparently overly religious film.
Producer Samuel Goldwyn was well aware of this religious problem and therefore proposed retitling the film—his suggestion: Cary and The Bishop’s Wife. Unbelievably, this proved a huge success, and the film’s popularity increased by 25% after its initial release. This only shows the sheer marketing power Cary Grant could wield, and one can’t help but wonder whether any star today would have a similar ability.
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