Henry Koster was born Herman Kosterlitz, started out making films in Germany but fled in 1933 after knocking out a Nazi who had insulted him in a bank. I mean, that sounds like a film in itself. He started out at Universal where he did two things of note, hired Abbott and Costello, and introduced Deanna Durbin, then 14, and made her a star in Three Smart Girls. He also directed Harvey and Richard Burton's first couple of films, My Cousin Rachel and The Robe, but even that didn't stop him, and he carried on making films, whether anyone wanted to watch them or not, until 1966. Rabbit holes.. do I want to watch Winston Churchill's favourite film, One Hundred Men and a Girl? As a student of film I suppose I would watch something with Deanna Durbin, but that doesn't help much with the Bishop's Wife other than to suggest that Koster was something of a good guy to make all these most entertaining films.
In the scene above it looks like Grant is actually playing the harp. But we don't think that's really him in the arguably unnecessary ice skating sequence. Loretta Young does run up stairs beautifully.
Sam Goldwyn originally had William Seiter directing him but was fired. When Koster came in he realised that Grant and Niven were playing the wrong roles - Grant as the Bishop and Niven the angel - and talked them into swapping.
Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder did some rewrites on it, (including a think the final sermon); amusingly Brackett thought Grant 'wildly miscast'!
Q has still not seen Wings of Desire.
Such is the magic of this film that during it Q's phone rang. 'It's (cousin) Debbie' she said, and at that precise moment on the film Grant says 'Hello Debbie!'
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