Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941)

Dedicated Midwestern teacher Ella Bishop is distressed when her fiancé runs off with her vixenish cousin Amy. After Amy dies in childbirth, Ella is left to care for Amy's daughter Hope.

Director:

Tay Garnett

Writers:

Bess Streeter Aldrich (novel), Stephen Vincent Benet (screen adaptation),

Stars:

Martha Scott, William Gargan, Edmund Gwenn

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martha Scott	...	Ella Bishop
William Gargan	...	Sam Peters
Edmund Gwenn	...	President Corcoran
Sterling Holloway	...	Chris Jensen
Dorothy Peterson	...	Mrs. Bishop
Sidney Blackmer	...	John Stevens
Mary Anderson	...	Amy Saunders
Donald Douglas	...	Delbert Thompson
Marsha Hunt	...	Hope Thompson
John Archer	...	Richard Clark (as Ralph Bowman)
Lois Ranson	...	Gretchen Clark
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Minna Fields
Knox Manning	...	Anton Radcheck
John Arledge	...	'Snapper' MacRae
Jack Mulhall	...	Professor Carter

Storyline

Ella Bishop is an inhibited girl whose frustrations grow as she approaches womanhood. As a women, her ambitions to teach cause her to lose her only opportunity for true love. Ella's life becomes one of missed chances and wrong choices. As she reaches old age, she reflects back and realizes she allowed the years to go by without achieving what she believes to be her true fulfillment. However, her years have not been without glory, and her moment of triumph arrives when her numerous now-famous students from over the years, return to honor their beloved Miss Bishop.

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Plot Keywords:

student | teacher | teaching | retirement | college | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 February 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dona de Seu Destino

Filming Locations:

Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Richard A. Rowland Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on March 17, 1941 with Martha Scott and William Gargan reprising their film roles.

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Quotes

Ella Bishop: [Slowly rising from her seat] President Corcoran, do you mean... Well, of course I know you couldn't mean... But I can't help thinking that you might mean... President Corcoran, do you mean I...
James Corcoran, Midwestern U. President: Oh dear dear dear. There's a heap of repetition in that sentence... for a teacher of freshman English!
Ella Bishop: Oh...
James Corcoran, Midwestern U. President: I take it you're going to accept?
Ella Bishop: Accept? Accept? Well, if I could... If I could only... Well, President Corcoran!
[Kisses him on the forehead then runs away]

User Reviews

This all seems a bit recycled

I am a teacher, so it might seem a bit surprising that I felt rather indifferent to this film about an English professor. While Martha Scott is competent in the lead role, the film offers nothing particularly new or compelling--especially since the film seems an awful lot like a mediocre re-working of GOODBYE MR. CHIPS. However, unlike CHIPS, this film offers no particularly interesting insights into Miss Bishop and other than teaching for a very long time, I can't think of how this character merits a film. Sure, she sacrifices her love life for teaching, there really is no reason for this to have happened--other than it was a plot device and fit the formula of the film. Please understand, I am not saying the film is bad or not worth seeing--its just that CHIPS and THE CORN IS GREEN and many other films cover the same type material in a much better and more interesting way.