Re-issued by Citadel Records in 1976 (CT-6006) and 1978 (CT-7006). [10] According to one release, as many as 12 cats were needed to perform the number of stunts in the film. [14][b] Most of the recording took place in Munich with Duning conducting the Graunke Symphony Orchestra. Bored with her routine life, she takes an interest in her new neighbor, publisher Shep Henderson. Returning to Gillian’s apartment, the Holroyds exchange Christmas gifts; Nicky gives Gillian an enchanted liquid, with which they attempt to summon Redlitch. She threatens to curse Merle, but Pyewacket runs away, and Shep is unable to convince Merle that he was bewitched. Philippe Clay makes a cameo appearance in the film performing "Le Noyé Assassiné" at the Zodiac Club, but this performance is not included on the soundtrack album. On Christmas Eve, Shep arrives home to discover Gillian's aunt, Queenie, inside his apartment. It also includes audio and subtitle tracks for English and Spanish, bonus trailers, the open matte full-frame theatrical cut and a matted widescreen-only extended cut with four minutes of footage not seen in theaters. She explained: “I never wanted to play myself, not in the first role or even the second. Bell, Book and Candle is a 1958 American Technicolor comedy-drama romance film directed by Richard Quine, based on the successful 1950 Broadway play by John Van Druten adapted by Daniel Taradash. Menu. I want to do the unexpected.”[28] Keys said that the remake would be more "contemporary" and "really delve into the characters more". Queenie finds Pyewacket, but the cat rejects Gillian, who is now able to cry – proof she has fallen in love and is no longer a witch. Gillian and Nicky quarrel about his exposing their world to Redlitch, and for her preparing to renounce magic and marry Shep. David O. Selznick purchased the rights to Van Druten's play in 1953, planning to cast his wife, Jennifer Jones, in the part of Gil. [4] Taradash and Blaustein also suggested Cary Grant and Grace Kelly as the leads and Alexander Mackendrick to direct; Kelly got married, however, and there were creative differences between the studio and both Grant and Mackendrick. Shep confronts Gillian and cruelly presents her with a broom. [13], The soundtrack was released in January 1959 by Colpix (CT-506). The film was released on DVD on March 28, 2000. ), This page was last edited on 14 October 2020, at 23:08. Bell, Book and Candle was considered a "blockbuster" by Columbia and prior to its release it was promoted accordingly. [4] Since the arrangement with Paramount for Novak's appearance in Vertigo included reciprocity, Cohn advanced James Stewart for the role of Shep. Pyewacket is sent to Shep's office, and he returns the cat to Gillian at her transformed store. [24][25] Screenwriter Paul Wayne said: "He was pretty honest about the fact it wasn't a particularly original idea. [12], The movie was scored by George Duning, another Columbia veteran who earned praise for his work on From Here to Eternity. [17] The theatrical cut of the film (102 minutes) is included on the DVD along with the extended version, which is 106 minutes long. Offended at being ushered out, Queenie – also a witch – casts a hex on Shep's telephone. Stewart, playing the foil, deserves better material, and the movie’s midsection is perfunctory. He goes to Nicky, who brings him to Bianca De Pass, the Zodiac Club's proprietor, and she brews a potion for him to drink, breaking Gillian's spell over him. [27] The deal was organized by Disney studio executives Dick Cook and Nina Jacobson. Believing she enchanted him purely to spite Merle, Shep leaves Gillian heartbroken. [18] Novak appeared with Pyewacket on the November 24 cover of Life, along with a write-up that highlighted a tie-in with Life photographer Eliot Elisofon who was the color consultant on the film. List of films based on stage plays or musicals, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051406/trivia, "Film Producers Launch Search for Cat With Ava's Personality", "Reviews and Ratings of New Popular Albums", "Values in Pre-Selling Touted by Rosenfield", "Sol Saks dies at 100; creator of 'Bewitched, "Alicia Keys Stars in Bell, Book & Candle", "Alicia Keys Tries to Cast a Spell on Hollywood with Witch Remake", "12 Film Critics Remember Their Favorite Holiday Movies", Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bell,_Book_and_Candle&oldid=983562336, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, $2.5 million (estimated U.S./ Canada rentals), Pywacket as Pyewacket (Pyewacket was mostly played by Kim Novak's real-life cat. She explains that Pyewacket is no longer her cat; Shep realizes from Gillian's tears that she truly loves him, and they reconcile with a passionate kiss. Having perused his letters, Queenie reports that Shep is engaged, but encourages Gillian to use her magic to pursue him anyway. [7], For the lead roles, Taradash and Blaustein hoped to get Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer, who had starred in the play, but Columbia chief Harry Cohn decided on Kim Novak for the female lead. [19] There were favorable write-ups in other major magazines and a production number on The Steve Allen Show featured the theme music. At the urging of Daniel Taradash and Julian Blaustein, Columbia purchased the property from Selznick in 1956. The DVD includes vintage advertising, talent files and the original theatrical trailer. But the fun quotient is high, and there’s an undeniable frisson to the way the movie’s magic subculture echoes the closeted gay world of the fifties: it’s easy to view the Zodiac Club as a gay bar. It’s hard to resist Kim Novak, in slinky beatnik chic, as she bewitches a straight-arrow publisher played by James Stewart; she’s part of a witch-and-warlock underground operating merrily in Greenwich Village. He visits Gillian to use her phone, and they discuss the best-selling book Magic in Mexico and his desire to meet the author, Sidney Redlitch. Shep refuses to believe her, but runs into Queenie, who confirms Gillian's version of events. [11], Production began on February 3, 1958, and was completed on April 7. The main theme melds bongos and violins, evoking elements of the plot;[13] heard during the opening credits, a few staves of "Jingle Bells" are incorporated to set the Christmas tone of the initial action. Watching through the window with Queenie, Nicky celebrates by casting a spell on the entire street. Bell, Book and Candle. A You Tube video from the 1958 movie, Bell, Book and Candle with the Zodiac Club and a song called "The Bored Assassin", sung in french. That night, Shep brings his fiancée Merle Kittridge to the Zodiac Club, meeting Gillian, Queenie, and Gillian's brother Nicky, a bongo drum-playing warlock. Bell Book and Candle - Zodiac Club - Philippe Clay - The Bored Assassin. Release Calendar DVD & Blu-ray Releases Top Rated Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Showtimes & Tickets In Theaters Coming Soon Coming Soon Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Among its other members, the booming Hermione Gingold and the furtively funny Elsa Lanchester are perfectly matched oddballs; so are the serenely addlepated Ernie Kovacs, as an authority on sorcery, and Jack Lemmon, as an ebulliently volatile young sorcerer. I recently saw a 1958 Jimmy Stewart-Kim Novak moive on TCM entitled BELL, BOOK and CANDLE. As Shep leaves, Queenie invites them both to the Zodiac Club. Movies. Weeks later, Ms. De Pass has become Redlitch's new collaborator, and Queenie confides to Nicky that she is worried about Gillian. This is the discussion forum of Zodiackiller.com, online since 1998. [15][26] The supporting cast included: Doris Roberts (Aunt Enid), John Pleshette (Nicky Holroyd), Bridget Hanley (Lois), Susan Sullivan (Rosemary), Edward Andrews (Bishop Fairbarn), and Dori Whitaker (Melissa). [9], Early in 1957, producers also launched a somewhat promotional search for Siamese cats to play Pyewacket. [6], Taradash, who had adapted From Here to Eternity (1953) for Columbia with great success, augmented the story slightly by incorporating characters who are only names in the play (notably Mrs. De Pass, and Shep's fiancée Merle) and expanding the action to locations beyond Gil's apartment. [5] Bell, Book and Candle is generally recognized as Stewart's final romantic leading role. [8] Novak was on loan to Paramount making Vertigo and the scheduling conflict put Harrison out of consideration as well. [15], In 2006, The Walt Disney Company planned a remake of the film, with Alicia Keys scheduled to play Gillian Holroyd. Bell Book and Candle (1958) Philippe Clay as French Singer at the Zodiac Club. David O. Selznick purchased the rights to Van Druten's play in 1953,[a] planning to cast his wife, Jennifer Jones, in the part of Gil. Keys was going to produce it with her manager Jeff Robinson as the first project for their company Big Pita, Little Pita; Keys would have also been the musical supervisor and organized the soundtrack. It stars Kim Novak as a witch who casts a spell on her neighbor, played by James Stewart. However, Harkit Records in England (harkitrecords.com) have reissued the soundtrack album as HRKCD 8099 which does include the Phillippe Clay track. From "Bell, Book and Candle" 1:44 of atmosphere. Gillian uses her Siamese cat and familiar, Pyewacket, to cast a love spell on Shep, who becomes immediately enamored with her. An erratic light comedy with a spellbinding wild streak, centered on occult rites, New York City at Christmastime, ... it’s easy to view the Zodiac Club as a gay bar. The oblivious Shep introduces him to the Holroyds, and Nicky later reveals his powers to Redlitch, offering him access to the witch community in exchange for half the book's profits. The supporting cast features Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs, Hermione Gingold, and Elsa Lanchester. Each witch, including Pyewacket the cat, is identified by a musical signature. [20][c], On November 11, 1958, the movie made its world premiere in Los Angeles at the Warner Beverly Theatre. Robinson had chosen Keys for the remake after watching the original film; she agreed to the project to avoid "from falling into predictable roles". In 1950s Greenwich Village, Gillian Holroyd is the owner of a rare African art store, and secretly a witch. The segments featuring the Brothers Candoli, who appear in the film playing at the Zodiac Club, were recorded in Hollywood at Columbia; on these tracks, John Williams can be heard on piano.[16]. Several other Siamese cats, including "Houdini" were used in the film. The pilot was directed by Hy Averback and written by Richard DeRoy. [26] The show was not picked up. "[25], In 1976, Bell, Book and Candle was pitched as a television sitcom fantasy series. [22], Bell, Book and Candle received Academy Award nominations in two categories: Best Art Direction (Cary Odell and Louis Diage); and Best Costume Design (Jean Louis). A You Tube video from the 1958 movie, Bell, Book and Candle with the Zodiac Club and a song called "The Bored Assassin", sung in french. Recognizing Merle as an old college enemy, Gillian torments her with the club band until Merle flees, followed by Shep. An erratic light comedy with a spellbinding wild streak, centered on occult rites, New York City at Christmastime, and a magical cat named Pyewacket. The name of Novak's cat, Pywacket, was written into the script. Redlitch arrives at Shep's office, having been magically compelled to meet him, and explains that he is researching witches in New York City for his next book. It played an exclusive engagement there until its New York premiere on December 25. Released in 1958. [29] According to Kurt Loder of Rotten Tomatoes, the remake was never made and Keys dropped out of the role.[30]. Another clip of BB&C with Jimmie Stewart yelling "Hello Zodiac", while looking for the club. Bruce Lansbury was the executive producer. The film is considered Stewart's final role as a romantic lead. Queenie and Nicky depart when Shep arrives, and he reveals that he and Merle are eloping later that day. At the urging of Daniel Taradash and Julian Blaustein,[4][5] Columbia purchased the property from Selznick in 1956.