Bishop's Wife, The (1947)

The Bishop's Wife (1947), directed by Henry Koster.

quote

Professor: Let's face it, Henry. This Dudley is no mortal man like the rest of us. Is he?

Bishop: How did you know?

Professor: Well, I can't tell. Who is he? What is he?

Bishop: He says he's an angel.

Professor: An angel? From heaven?

Bishop: That I'm not sure about.

A debonair angel helps a troubled bishop through a tough Christmas season. He spends more time with the bishop's wife.

This is a well-liked if lesser known Christmas film. We see it as part of our holiday rotation, but I have problems that keep it from being a Christmas classic for me:

A nice subplot has the radical, jovial, free-thinking Professor (who looks a lot like Kris Kringle), to his own amazement, showing up at church on Christmas Eve. A nudge from the angel, a good story and a minor miracle was all it took.

We have two kids from It's a Wonderful Life (1946).

Photographed by Gregg Toland.

Remade in 1996 as The Preacher's Wife with Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston.

Available on Blu-ray.

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