The Bishop's Wife
| The Bishop's Wife (Cary and the Bishop's Wife) |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Henry Koster |
| Produced by | Samuel Goldwyn |
| Screenplay by |
Leonardo Bercovici Robert E. Sherwood Billy Wilder (uncredited) Charles Brackett (uncredited) |
| Based on |
The Bishop's Wife by Robert Nathan |
| Starring |
Cary Grant Loretta Young David Niven |
| Music by | Hugo Friedhofer |
| Cinematography | Gregg Toland |
| Edited by | Monica Collingwood |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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109 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3 million (US rentals) |
The Bishop's Wife, also known as Cary and the Bishop's Wife, is a Samuel Goldwyn romantic comedy feature film from 1947, starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven in a story about an angel who helps a bishop with his problems. The film was adapted by Leonardo Bercovici and Robert E. Sherwood from the 1928 novel of the same name by Robert Nathan, and was directed by Henry Koster.
It was remade in 1996 as The Preacher's Wife starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance.
Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven), troubled with funding the building of a new cathedral, prays for divine guidance. His plea is seemingly answered by a suave angel named Dudley (Cary Grant), who reveals his identity only to the clergyman.
However, Dudley's mission is not to help construct a cathedral, but to spiritually guide Henry and the people around him. Henry has become obsessed with raising funds, to the detriment of his family life. His relationships with Julia (Loretta Young) and their young daughter are strained by his focus on the cathedral.
Everyone, except for Henry, is charmed by Dudley, even the non-religious Professor Wutheridge (Monty Woolley). Dudley persuades the wealthy parishioners, particularly widowed Agnes Hamilton (Gladys Cooper), to contribute needed funds, but not to build the cathedral. He coaxes Mrs. Hamilton to donate her money to feed and clothe the needy — much to Henry's chagrin. To save time, Dudley also redecorates the Broughams' Christmas tree in a few seconds, saves an old church by restoring interest in the boys' choir, and dictates to a typewriter to magically produce Henry's new sermon — without Henry's knowledge.
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Wikipedia