Bell Book and Candle (1958)

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

John Van Druten (play)
Daniel Taradash (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 December 1958 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Fantasy

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.

Plot Keywords:

Witch | Spell | Neighbor | Publisher | Photograph

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Monty Ash	...	Herb Store Owner (uncredited)
Joe Barry	...	Exterminator (uncredited)
Wolfe Barzell	...	Zodiac Club Proprietor (uncredited)
William Bloom	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Gail Bonney	...	Betty - Merle's Maid (uncredited)
Don Brodie	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
Conte Candoli	...	Musician - A Candoli Brother (uncredited)
Pete Candoli	...	Musician - A Candoli Brother (uncredited)
Dick Crockett	...	Ad-lib Bit (uncredited)
James Lanphier	...	Waldo (uncredited)
Ted Mapes	...	Gillian's Customer (uncredited)
Maurice Marks	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Ollie O'Toole	...	Elevator Operator (uncredited)
Joe Palma	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Pyewacket	...	The Cat (uncredited)
John Truax	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Quine

Writing credits
John Van Druten		(play "Bell, Book and Candle")
Daniel Taradash		(screenplay)

Produced by
Julian Blaustein	....	producer

Original Music by
George Duning

Cinematography by
James Wong Howe

Film Editing by
Charles Nelson

Art Direction by
Cary Odell

Set Decoration by
Louis Diage

Costume Design by
Jean Louis		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist
Ben Lane	....	makeup artist
Rhoda Donaldson	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Irving J. Moore	....	assistant director (as Irving Moore)
Max Stein	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Jack Carter	....	props (uncredited)
Jim Meehan	....	lead man (uncredited)
Robert Pearl	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Franklin Hansen Jr.	....	sound
John P. Livadary	....	recording supervisor (as John Livadary)
Win Hancock	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Sol Jaffe	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Andy Payne	....	cable person (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Albert Bettcher	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Robert Coburn	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Johnny Cook	....	best boy (uncredited)
John Field	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Charles Franklin	....	grip (uncredited)
Richard H. Kline	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Val O'Malley	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Pat Sutherland	....	grip (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Eliot Elisofon	....	special color consultant
Ralph James Hall	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Henri Jaffa	....	technicolor color consultant
Irene Mayer Selznick	....	producer: play, New York
Robert E. Blair	....	cat trainer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Julian Blaustein Productions Ltd. (as Phoenix Productions Inc.)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1958) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Columbia International Films (1958) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1984) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1991) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (The Kim Novak Collection)
• Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (????) (USA) (TV) (a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company)

Other Companies

• Carlebach Gallery, New York  native primitive art
• N. Teitelbaum Co.  furs (as Teitelbaum)

Also Known As:

"Bell, Book and Candle" - USA (poster title)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | UK:U | West Germany:12 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #19072) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) (2002) | Netherlands:14 (original rating) (1958) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Julian Blaustein Productions Ltd.

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."

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Queenie throws back the curtain to join Gillian in the back room for the "summoning" scene, you can see the thread that keeps the curtain back so that the camera can follow Quuenie.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Gillian 'Gil' Holroyd:Oh, Pye, Pye, Pyewacket. What's the matter with me? Why do I feel this way? It's such a rut. The same old thing day after day. Same old people. I know I'm feeling sorry for myself but it's true. Why don't you give me something for Christmas, Pye?
The Cat:Meow.
Gillian 'Gil' Holroyd:What would I like?
The Cat:Meow.
Gillian 'Gil' Holroyd:I'd like to do something different. I'd like to meet something different.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Bunheads: Next (#1.18)" (2013)

Soundtrack:

Jingle Bells

Do You Believe in Magic in a Young Girl's Heart? Jimmy Stewart sure does.

It took Bell, Book, and Candle almost a decade to get from Broadway to the screen. John Van Druten's play ran for 233 performances during the 1950-1951 season and served as a starring vehicle for the then married Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer. I'm sure that the Shepherd Henderson that Harrison portrayed must have been light years different than Jimmy Stewart. Also the entire play took place in the Holroyd apartment and a whole lot of characters were added for the screen.

A good job was done in transferring this stage work for the screen, it barely betrays it's stage origin. Stewart is very good as the puzzled publisher who gets ensnared in a witch's spell because Kim Novak takes a fancy to him.

Novak was quoted as saying that her favorite leading man during her career was Jimmy Stewart and her two favorite films, Vertigo and Bell Book and Candle are the ones she did with him.

Hermione Gingold is absolutely brilliant as the head witch, Mrs. DePass, and watching Stewart drink that concoction she mixed up to kill Kim Novak's spell was a scream.

Jack Lemmon plays Novak's brother and by this time he was doing leads and carrying films on his own. He's good, but I do wonder why he accepted a supporting part here.

One thing I am curious about. How did they manage to get Pyewacket the cat to act on stage for 233 performances?