The Bishop Misbehaves

steal this neat little film from "stars" Maureen O'Sullivan and Norman Foster, although they aren't bad. Edmund Gwenn has the title role and is wonderful.

Lucile Watson is his daffy sister, and she's been less stuffy. Etienne Girardot is hilarious as the parish priest who clicks and clucks at everything. Also good are Reginald Owen, Robert Greig, Melville Cooper, Lillian Bond, Iris Lee, Dudley

Digges, and Charles McNaughton as Frenchy (why he is Frenchy no one knows). Fun all around.

Maureen O'Sullivan recruits Norman Foster to rob Reginald Owens. Owens had cheated her father out of a patent and now they are facing ruin; since Foster is from Chicago, obviously he is a gangster (he isn't). After assembling a gang -- including an improbably cast Robert Greig as a Cockney spiv who does needlepoint -- they carry out a well-planned heist. At this point, Edmund Gwenn and Lucille Watson enter as a bishop and his sister. They are mad for mystery books and take great delight in inserting themselves into what they see as an adventure.

E.A. DuPont's second American movie is a lively mystery from a stage play by Frederick J. Jackson, full of Hollywood's English colony acting against type (except for Gwenn's woolly-minded geniality), with more than a slight touch of screwball in it. Although it subsides into slightly more somber tones in the final third, it roars along at a great pace and shows that MGM's gloss could be well applied to lighter subjects without overwhelming them.

You'd think that having lured Edmund Gwenn from British Gaumont, MGM would have heralded the arrival of their new star with a big splash, maybe putting him in something special....but no, just this puerile B movie.

You'd think that when MGM lured Ewald DuPont, a director acknowledged to have revolutionised German cinema in the 1920s, they'd herald the arrival of their new artist with a big splash....but no, he was given this puerile B movie to direct.

The story isn't actually too bad but the way it's put together feels very disjointed, some of the scenes and some of the characters don't seem to be from the same film at times. With such random changes in mood, style and lighting, it just doesn't flow. It's only towards the very end that you start to think that this might be made by a director who did have some hidden talent after all.

The one constant attraction is Edmund Gwenn who is delightful and dotty as the oddly charismatic bishop. The massive disappointment however is Maureen O'Sullivan. With the right material, she's an exceptionally good actress (SKYSCANNER SOULS for example) but this isn't good material - her character is so unrealistic and one dimensional that you can't emotionally engage with her at all. Those of you who became fans of the lovely Miss O'Sullivan after seeing her.... seeing A LOT of her in the Tarzan films will also be disappointed by her appearance. Those strait laced, frumpy dresses buttoned up to her neck are just wrong!

THE BISHOP MISBEHAVES, perhaps just a little, when he sets aside his ecclesiastical duties to attempt solving a puzzling robbery in a neighboring pub.

This is a splendid little crime comedy from MGM, sadly neglected, which boasts fine production values and, most especially, delightful performances from a small constellation of first-rate character actors.

Edmund Gwenn - in his American movie debut - is charming in the title role, a small, cherubic cleric who loves to read detective novels. Incisive & methodical, he misses very little and faces danger with bubbling enthusiasm. Watching him deal with an assortment of villains is great entertainment. Lucile Watson, as his elderly sister, also plays her part with a superb sense of fun.

As the romantic interests, Maureen O' Sullivan & Norman Foster add a fine comedic flair to their roles. Here's a pair of lovebirds who don't mind getting involved in theft & kidnapping - for a good cause. (Mr. Foster would eventually become a director of fine repute, associating with Orson Welles & Walt Disney.)

Reginald Owen makes a marvelous, blustery bad guy. Robert Greig, instead of portraying one of his usual plumy butlers, surprises as a Limehouse lowlife who enjoys needlepoint while plotting crimes. Clicking, chittering Etienne Girardot is hilarious as Gwenn's nervous amanuensis. Lilian Bond, Dudley Digges & Melville Cooper round out the excellent cast.

If only the Church of England could have more bishops like Edmund Gwenn...

In this very silly British comedy, Maureen O'Sullivan is so cute she's literally irresistible. When she meets Norman Foster and confuses him with a big time American gangster, he can't resist letting her think he is. When she asks him to help her with an armed robbery to help avenge her father's swindled fortune, he can't resist helping her. Scandal, jail, or death mean nothing when persuaded by a pretty face. She really is a doll, and do you think she'll look extra cute when she gets angry that he lied to her from the get-go? Since this is a romantic comedy, your guess is probably correct.

This is one of those quirky, small town movies where all the townsfolk are outlandish. It's all a bit melodramatic and silly, but that's part of the fun. The titular bishop, Edmund Gwenn, devours crime novels and has a secret yen to be a detective. His sister, Lucile Watson, is just as mischievous and interested in whodunnit mysteries. Of course, everything goes wrong, and nothing plays out the way it would in real life; if this niche genre is your cup of tea, check it out. It's pretty dated, but those who like cozy mystery books might think it's very cute.