December 8: The Bishop's Wife (1947)
The Bishop's Wife is about an answer to a prayer and his name is Dudley (Cary Grant). He shows up at the door of Bishop Henry Brougham's (David Niven) home a few days before Christmas to give his assistance to Henry. The Bishop has set about for years to raise the funds necessary for building a new, large, showplace Church for the parish and he is not getting what he wants. Along comes Dudley, who makes a favorable impression to everyone -- everyone except Henry. Henry is very skeptical of Dudley's motives.
Dudley is there to give help to all, first and foremost to the bishop's wife, Julia (Loretta Young), for it is her unspoken prayer that holds the key to solving Henry's dilemma.
Watch for: Keep in mind the state of the world in 1947, after years of war and the populations ruined by destruction and loss. Rebuilding was in order - but is it the rebuilding of structures or lives?
Reprinted from December 2017