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IMDb > Bell Book and Candle (1958)
Bell Book and Candle
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Bell Book and Candle (1958) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   3,202 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
John Van Druten (play)
Daniel Taradash (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Bell Book and Candle on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
January 1959 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
A bewitching comedy about an enchanting subject!
Plot:
A modern-day witch likes her neighbor but despises his fiancee, so she enchants him to love her instead... only to fall in love with him for real. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
User Reviews:
A Lesson In Chemistry . . . And Moviemaking more (66 total)
US TV Schedule:

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

James Stewart ... Shepherd 'Shep' Henderson

Kim Novak ... Gillian 'Gil' Holroyd

Jack Lemmon ... Nicky Holroyd

Ernie Kovacs ... Sidney Redlitch
Hermione Gingold ... Bianca de Passe

Elsa Lanchester ... Aunt Queenie Holroyd
Janice Rule ... Merle Kittridge
Philippe Clay ... French Singer at the Zodiac Club
Bek Nelson ... Tina - Shep's Secretary
Howard McNear ... Andy White - Shep's Co-Publisher
The Brothers Candoli ... Musicians at the Zodiac Club
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Bell, Book and Candle (USA) (poster title)
more
Runtime:
106 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)
Certification:
Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #19072) | USA:PG (TV rating) | Finland:S | UK:U | West Germany:12

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The title "Bell, Book and Candle" is a reference to excommunication, which is performed by bell, book and candle. It is opened with "Ring the bell, open the book, light the candle," and closed with "Ring the bell, close the book, quench the candle." more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In the Zodiac Club, when the Candoli Brothers begin playing "Stormy Weather", the soundtrack features trumpets with cup mutes, but the performance on screen is without mutes. more
Quotes:
Shepherd 'Shep' Henderson: That girl you know, Gillian Holroyd, she's one.
Merle Kittridge: A witch?
Shepherd 'Shep' Henderson: Yes!
Merle Kittridge: Shep, you just never learned to spell.
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Deck the Halls more

FAQ

Was "Bell Book and Candle" the inspiration for the TV series "Bewitched"?
Any recommendations for other movies that feature witches in the romantic lead?
Is the soundtrack for this movie available?
more
31 out of 48 people found the following review useful.
A Lesson In Chemistry . . . And Moviemaking, 21 December 2001
Author: Paul Dana (bigpurplebear@aol.com) from San Francisco, CA USA

"Bell, Book and Candle," one of two 1958 pairings of James Stewart and Kim Novak, may or may not be a great movie. I've long since given up caring about that question; these days, at the umpty-umpteenth viewing of the film (which dates back to the first time I ever caught it in its "secondary," or "neighborhood release" at San Francisco's Castro Theatre), I find myself still enjoying it as though I were seeing it for that first time.

On the surface, this should rightly be only one among many so-called, and largely formulaic, "sophisticated comedies" of the late-50s era. Wrong!

For one thing, you can't cast James Stewart in such a film and expect it to run true to form! More to the point, you shouldn't expect him to appear opposite Kim Novak (and 'opposite' here is the key word, in that his aura of decency and groundedness were diametrically contrary to the glacial other-worldliness which she personified), and not expect strange sparks to fly. (Hitchcock, after all, relied on this dichotomy, for different purposes, in "Vertigo.")

Add to this mixture certain key scenes which rely upon the comic chemistry between Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs --already well-established in the previous year's "Operation Mad Ball" (and catch this overlooked gem, if you can, if only to see Kovacs at his absolute cinematic best) -- and you're well on your way to understanding why "Bell, Book and Candle" still turns up regularly on such venues as American Movie Classics, to say nothing of its "shelf life" in video rental outlets.

Were that not enough, you get BOTH Elsa Lanchester and Hermione Gingold, a first-rate score by George Duning ("Picnic"), superior production values and -- oh, yeah, by the way -- a storyline that can both make you laugh and pluck at the errant heartstring or two (if you don't watch out!) . ..

You get a lesson in cinematic chemistry. Maybe even . . . alchemy!

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