Jimmy Stewart in the move, “Bell, Book and Candle” with Kim Novak as his co-star.
Based on the 1950 theater production of the same title. The movie starts on Christmas eve, set in New York, but the Christmas magic here is of an unusual sort, coming from witches. Kim Novak plays Gillian Holroyd, the beautiful enchantress who takes an interest in her new neighbor, Shep Henderson (Jimmy Stewart) a publisher who is already engaged to someone else. Shep of course (being of James Stewart) is stoic and incorruptible by normal feminine wiles, so Gillian casts a spell on him. This is Jimmy Stewart’s last true romantic lead because he was twice the age of his costars. Supporting actors include Hermione Gingold, Ernie Kovacs, Elsa Lanchester (Bride of Frankenstein) Jack Lemmon (Odd Couple), and Janice Rule.
This Jimmy Stewart movie was the inspiration for the TV show Bewitched, was taken in part from Bell Book and Candle. But where the TV series always saw Samantha being denied the use of her witchcraft, the film tells us that falling in love will erase a witch’s magic completely. This adds a level to the boy meets girl story, because while Gillain has an interest in Shep, at first she sees him as a play thing, a diversion, not someone she has any true romantic interest in. He, in response to discovering that she is a witch who has cast a spell on him, does what any sane man would do. He separates himself from the attractive vixen, seeking higher help to break the enchantment. He sees her abuse of power as a callousness towards mere mortals and can ignore any lingering feelings because of this. She on the other hand ends up falling for this man of integrity and loses her powers, changing her personality as she is no longer able to manipulate people.
Trivia and/or nostalgia
A bell, book and candle are key ingredients for an exorcism. Ring a bell, open a book and light a candle….then reverse the process when all is done. This makes me wonder if Jimmy Stewart would return to life if we played the movie backwards? Regardless, if you’re an old movie buff you might want to check out the Blondie and Dagwood movies.
