Trailer
Plot summary
Henry Brougham, an Episcopal bishop, has spent months on plans for a new cathedral, and the money must come from Agnes Hamilton, a wealthy widow who chairs the committee and wants the building to honor her late husband. The work has taken Henry away from his wife Julia and their daughter Debby. When he prays for guidance, a man named Dudley appears in his study and says he is an angel. Dudley charms the household, including Julia, while Henry cannot persuade anyone of what Dudley claims to be. He begins to believe that Dudley means to take his place at the cathedral and in his family.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Bishop's Wife (1947)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Niven was originally cast as the angel, Dana Andrews as the bishop and Teresa Wright as his wife, but Wright had to bow out due to pregnancy. Koster then brought in Cary Grant, who wanted to play the angel, so the role of the bishop was given to Niven.
- The premiere was acclaimed by critics but the film did not initially perform well, because market research showed moviegoers avoided it thinking it was religious. Goldwyn retitled it Cary and the Bishop's Wife in certain US markets, and adding Grant's first name increased business by as much as 25 percent.
- Producer Samuel Goldwyn replaced director William A. Seiter with Henry Koster to create a completely new film, and after early previews in which audiences disliked it, Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett made uncredited rewrites.
