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    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1950s
    Movies - 1950s Movies - B 2 Mins Read

    Bell, Book and Candle (1958)

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    Based on John Van Druten’s hit play, this adroit romantic comedy stars Kim Novak as Gil Holroyd – a witch living in modern Manhattan.

    Gil wants to fall in love but fights the impulse as it would mean the loss of her powers. Enter Jimmy Stewart as handsome publisher Shep Henderson.

    At first, the role of Gil calls for Novak to be emotionless and this suits her down to the ground. But when she has to play a woman in love, she changes so little it’s impossible to tell which is witch. Under her spell, Shep stumbles around looking vaguely blissful and resembling nothing as much as Dagwood after a hard day with Blondie.

    Fortunately, the rest of the cast has the magic the stars lack.

    Jack Lemmon is Novak’s mischievous brother, Nicky, a whimsical warlock who moonlights as a bongo player in a beatnik nightclub, Elsa Lanchester is their batty old aunt Queenie, and Ernie Kovacs is Sidney Redlitch – a self-obsessed author and supernaturalist who thinks he’s onto something.

    Lovingly directed by Richard Quine, scripted by Daniel Taradash and beautifully filmed in New York by James Wong Howe, the film treats the world of magic with a straight face, making it all the more believable.

    This was the Jimmy Stewart’s last film as a romantic leading man.

    Shepherd ‘Shep’ Henderson
    James Stewart
    Gillian ‘Gil’ Holroyd
    Kim Novak
    Nicky Holroyd
    Jack Lemmon
    Sidney Redlitch
    Ernie Kovacs
    Bianca de Passe
    Hermione Gingold
    Aunt Queenie Holroyd
    Elsa Lanchester
    Merle Kittridge
    Janice Rule
    Tina 
    Bek Nelson

    Director
    Richard Quine

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