''The Bishop Misbehaves'' is a 1935 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

crime film directed by E. A. Dupont and starring

Edmund Gwenn Edmund Gwenn (born Edmund John Kellaway; 26 September 1877 – 6 September 1959) was an English actor. On film, he is best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the Christmas film ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947), for which he won t ...

Maureen O'Sullivan Maureen O'Sullivan (17 May 1911 – 23 June 1998) was an Irish-American actress, who played Jane in the ''Tarzan'' series of films during the era of Johnny Weissmuller. She performed with such actors as Laurence Olivier, Greta Garbo, William ...

and

Lucile Watson Lucile Watson (May 27, 1879 – June 24, 1962) was a Canadian actress, long based in the United States. She was "famous for her roles of formidable dowagers." Early years Watson was born in Quebec and raised in Ottawa, the daughter of an off ...

. It was based on the 1934 play of the same title by

Frederick J. Jackson Frederick J. Jackson, also known professionally as Fred Jackson and Frederick Jackson and under the pseudonym Victor Thorne, (September 21, 1886 – May 22, 1953) was an American author, playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and producer fo ...

. Dupont made the film after signing a one-film contract with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

, having made his first American

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

the year before with

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

. It is also known by the

alternative title An alternative title is a media sales device most prominently used in film distribution. Books and films are commonly released under a different title when they are screened or sold in a different country. This can vary from small change to the ...

''The Bishop's Misadventures''.

Plot

American photographer Donald Meadows is touring Britain to take photos of cathedrals. He sees Hester Grantham attending services at a cathedral and flirts with her. She isn’t interested until she talks to him and finds that he is an American from Chicago. She figures a man from Chicago knows about crime. She asks if he has a gun. He says yes. She tells him she needs his help in committing a robbery. Thinking she is joking, he gets roped into her scheme to retrieve documents that prove that Guy Waller stole documents from her father. The documents prove that her father should have been awarded a patent that Waller claimed and made a fortune from. With the help of a local pub owner, and some criminals from

Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through ...

, Waller’s car is sabotaged near the pub. Daniel, disguised as a highwayman, pulls a gun on Waller and his wife. They are tied up and locked in a closet with the pub owner. Jewels stolen from Mrs. Waller are left in a container on the shelf of the pub. Daniel takes Waller’s wallet which contain the documents. The Bishop of Broadminster and his sister are out on an adventure and go to the pub. They find the three people tied up and hear their story. The Bishop, a fan of detective fiction, is thrilled with the situation and decides to solve the crime. The criminals manage to get the jewels and the wallet. The Bishop, Donald and Hester all end up at

. Donald and Hester are abducted by the criminals but they talk them into blackmailing Waller for the document and splitting the money. Waller shows up with his wife. The Bishop tries to get help from the police but they don’t believe his story. He is able is to get a crowd from the local pub to break in and rescue Donald and Hester. In the ensuing melee, Waller is able to grab the documents and throw them in the fire. The Bishop regrets his interference and apologizes to Donald and Hester. He is so ashamed of what has happened as a result of his thirst for adventure that he vows to confess all to his congregation. Waller’s wife, already feeling like a social outcast due to her humble background, tells Waller he better pay the 10,000 pounds or she’ll leave him. Waller gives Hester the money. The Bishop vows to give up reading mysteries.

Cast

as Bishop *

as Hester *

as Lady Emily *

Reginald Owen John Reginald Owen (5 August 1887 – 5 November 1972) was a British actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American films and television programs. Career The son of Joseph and Frances Owen, Reginald Owen studied at Sir Herbert ...

as Guy Waller *

Dudley Digges Sir Dudley Digges (19 May 1583 – 18 March 1639) was an English diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1610 and 1629. Digges was also a "Virginia adventurer," an investor who ventured his capital in the Virginia ...

as 'Red' *

Norman Foster Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Nor ...

as Donald *

Lilian Bond Lilian Bond (January 18, 1908 – January 25, 1991) was an English-American actress based in the United States. Life and career Bond was born in London and made her first professional stage appearance at the age of 14 in the pantomime ''Dic ...

as Mrs. Waller *

Melville Cooper George Melville Cooper (15 October 1896 – 13 March 1973) was an English actor. His many notable screen roles include the High Sheriff of Nottingham in ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938), Mr. Collins in ''Pride and Prejudice'' (1940) and ...

as Collins *

Robert Greig Robert Greig (December 27, 1879 – June 27, 1958) was an Australian-American actor who appeared in more than 100 films between 1930 and 1949, usually as the dutiful butler. Born Arthur Alfred Bede Greig, he was the nephew of Australian pol ...

as Rosalind *Charles McNaughton as 'Frenchy' *

Etienne Girardot Etienne Girardot (22 February 1856 – 10 November 1939) was a diminutive stage and film actor of Anglo-French parentage born in London, England. Biography The son of French painter Ernest Gustave Girardot, he studied at an art school, but le ...

as Brooke *

Ivan F. Simpson Ivan F. Simpson (8 February 1875 – 12 October 1951) was a Scottish film and stage actor. Life and career Simpson was born on 8 February 1875 in Glasgow, Scotland, and went as a young man to New York City, where he worked for four dec ...

as Mr. Grantham *

Lumsden Hare Francis Lumsden Hare (17 October 1874 – 28 August 1964) was an Irish-born film and theatre actor. He was also a theatre director and theatrical producer. Early years Hare studied at St. Dunstan's College in London. Career Hare appeare ...

as Constable

Radio adaptation

''The Bishop Misbehaves'' was presented on ''

Theatre Guild on the Air ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the U.S. Steel, United States Steel Corpor ...

'' May 25, 1952. The one-hour adaptation starred Charles Laughton,

Vanessa Brown Vanessa Brown (born Smylla Brind, March 24, 1928 – May 21, 1999) was an Austrian-born American actress who worked in radio, film, theater, and television. Early life Born in Vienna, Austria, to Jewish parents (Nah Brind, a language teacher, a ...

Josephine Hull Marie Josephine Hull (née Sherwood; January 3, 1877 – March 12, 1957) was an American stage and film actress who also was a director of plays. She had a successful 50-year career on stage while taking some of her better known roles to film. Sh ...

, and Michael Evans.

References

Bibliography

* Glancy, H. Mark. ''When Hollywood Loved Britain: The Hollywood 'British' Film 1939-1945''. Manchester University Press, 1999.

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop Misbehaves, The 1930s crime comedy films American crime comedy films Films directed by E. A. Dupont Films set in England Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American films based on plays American black-and-white films Films set in London 1935 comedy films Films scored by Edward Ward (composer) 1930s American films 1930s English-language films