The Bishop’s Wife
As mentioned in a previous post, It’s a Wonderful Life was originally designed as a vehicle for Cary Grant but Grant was working on another project. That other project was this sweet 1947 film, The Bishop’s Wife. The Bishop’s Wife was released in December of 1947 and was directed by German-born director Henry Koster. Koster’s film won the Academy Award for Sound. It was also nominated for Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Best Score, and Best Picture. The Bishop’s Wife was remade in 1996 as The Preacher’s Wife, a film that starred Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston.
Originally, William A. Seiter was the intended director of The Bishop’s Wife. Producer Samuel Goldwyn was unhappy with Seiter’s work early on in production, however, and asked that he be replaced. Koster was brought in to create an entirely new film from the ground up. David Niven was originally cast as the angel and Cary Grant was originally cast as the bishop, but Koster switched the roles. As the film took to early previews, audiences did not respond well. As a result, Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett were brought in to make a few uncredited touch-ups to the script.
