Cheers for Miss Bishop

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Movie
Original title Cheers for Miss Bishop
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1941
length 94 minutes
Rod
Director Tay Garnett
script Adelaide Heilbron ,
Sheridan Gibney
Stephen Vincent Benét (script adaptation)
production Richard A. Rowland
for United Artists
music Edward Ward
camera Hal Mohr
cut William F. Claxton
occupation

Cheers for Miss Bishop (German Cheers for Miss Bishop ) is an American romantic film drama by Tay Garnett from the year 1941. In addition to Martha Scott in the title role are William Gargan and Edmund Gwenn seen in the lead roles. When Miss Bishop retires, many of her former students wonder why their favorite teacher never married.

The film was advertised at the time with the following words: “The woman you will never forget! The love story that you will never forget! The film that you will never forget! "

The screenplay is based on the novel of the same name by Bess Streeter Aldrich, published in New York in 1933.

action

In 1929, Sam Peters visited Ella Bishop, the woman he had known and adored for life, in Maple City. Ella, who is torn from her afternoon nap, remembers her life with Sam. Her thoughts go back to 1879 when she enrolled at the newly opened Midwestern University on a September day.

Ella is excited the day College President James Corcoran gives a speech at the university saying that education is freedom. Shortly before, she had met the caretaker Chris Jensen, an immigrant, who was happy to have been promoted to gardener at the university, which was built in the middle of grain fields.

Her cousin Amy Saunders also lives in Ella's home, a young woman who, unlike Ella, likes to flirt and prefers to eat ice cream with the boy next door, Buddy Warner, than to do her duties. When Ella's childhood friend, Sam Peters, who works in a grocery store, comes by, Ella tells him about her big dream of becoming a teacher. Sam is in love with Ella and his dream is to own a grocery store one day. To his chagrin, Ella does not return his love.

Four years have passed and Ella graduated from university with honors. Corcoran asks her to teach at the university as an English teacher. With this offer, Ella's dream has come true. She stands up for each and every one of her students and tries to promote wherever she can. She urges Anton Radchek to take an astronomy course and asks Minna Fields, who has a remarkable memory, to pursue a degree as a librarian, although the young student has some difficulties with the English language.

In 1883 Ella had to cancel a concert with Sam because she had a severe sore throat. When she tries to get maple syrup, she accidentally locks herself out of her house and has to seek help from a passing stranger. Delbert Thompson, who is new to town as a lawyer, helps her out by getting a ladder that allows entry into the house through an open window. From then on, the two of them meet regularly and get engaged the following year. When Ella cancels a date with Delbert, because Minna needs her, against whom there is the allegation of having cheated on a test, the latter lets herself be seduced by Amy, who is jealous of Ella. Ella can prove that Minna did not cheat, but was able to deliver the test based on her photographic memory. However, she has no solution to Delbert's and Amy's betrayal and is deeply shocked by this double betrayal. Amy and Delbert get married and leave town, something Sam is not innocent of. Ella, on the other hand, toyed with the idea of ​​leaving college and town and going to New York. However, Corcoran can convince her that her lessons are a gift for every student and so Ella stays.

Amy returns home pregnant the following winter after Delbert has left her. Amy dies giving birth to their daughter Hope and so Ella and her mother raise little Hope as if she were their own child. The years go by and in 1899 Hope enrolled as a student at Midwestern University and fell in love with fellow student Richard Clark. Sam now owns his own grocery store and has not given up on his dream of maybe marrying Ella after all. However, Ella has fallen in love with the married professor John Stevens, with whom she shares a love of literature. When John's wife religiously refuses to agree to a divorce, Ella breaks the relationship and John leaves university. Hope and Richard get engaged and Ella leaves her the wedding dress that she had made for her marriage to Delbert.

In 1906 Ella learned from Corcoran, who was on vacation in Europe, that John was among the victims of a train wreck. Corcoran puts his office as president in the hands of the young, up and coming Watts. Ella soon clashes with this because of his efforts to modernize the curriculum. Corcoran comforts her after Watts suggested that she submit her resignation. He suggests, however, that modernization can hardly be stopped and that it should not stop either. Ella takes his words to heart, buys a car and apologizes to Watts, with whom she has been friends from then on.

Corcoran died in 1917 and the First World War claimed numerous victims, including among the students. Ella's mother dies the following year, and Hope and Richard move to California, where they have a baby girl, Gretchen. When Gretchen fell in love with a married man in 1934, she sought Ella's advice and followed her recommendation to banish this love from her life as quickly as possible.

The time has now come for Ella to retire. When one of the oldest buildings in town is about to be torn down to make way for a new one, Ella is angry and decides not to attend the upcoming alumni banquet until Gretchen surprises her with a visit from Hope and Richard. When everyone arrives at the banquet hall, she realizes that this is being held in her honor. Many of her former students have come, including the now Nobel Prize- winning astronomer Anton Radcheck, well-known historian Minna Fields, and the once ignorant Senator Snapper MacRae. Ella is awarded the honorary doctorate and her thoughts go back to Corcoran and his one-time opening speech for the university: "Wisdom is the first basis of freedom, and freedom is the glory of our nation and our people." When Ella says goodbye to go home go, Sam is by her side as always.

production

Production notes, background

The shooting extended over the period from the end of September to the middle of November 1941. As can be seen from the records, background shots for the film were made at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln , where Garnett sent a crew of the film team. These recordings served as Midwestern University, where Miss Bishop taught.

The film was produced by Richard R. Rowland Productions, Inc. on behalf of United Artists Corp. produced. John DuCasse Schulze and Julia Heron were responsible for the production design . Richard V. Heermance and Earl Sitar worked as sound engineers .

As read in the New York Times in February 1941, the producer Richard A. Rowland was interested in Bess Streeter Aldrich's novel as a film material for the first time in 1932. It can be seen from the records at the time that the film originally ended with the death of Ella Bishop, diagnosed by a doctor. Rosemary DeCamp made her feature film debut in this film, and co-director Marshall Neilan , a veteran of the silent film, was last involved in a film, but ultimately had to be replaced because he was not up to the demands. For leading actress Martha Scott, it was her third feature film, and it is said to have been the one that Rosemary DeCamp recommended for the key role of the immigrant student from Scandinavia. In this film, William Gargan played the grocer Sam Peters, who adored Ella Bishop all his life. For Gargan, who usually played cops, soldiers, or gangsters, tough guys in any case, this was an unusually gentle character.

technology

The film is one of the first in the 1940s to use flashback through autobiographical commentary. He was also one of the first to use voiceovers when telling the story. In addition, the film used dissolves that should make the time change clear. The make-up artist Don L. Cash let the actors age artificially with make-up.

Publication, honor

The film was previewed on January 13, 1941 in Lincoln , Nebraska . On February 21, 1941, it was then generally released in US cinemas. The Hollywood Reporter drew the film of this idea from the first prize for the best picture, best director, best screenplay, best actress and best supporting actor.

The film was released in the United Kingdom in June 1941, in Japan and Mexico in July 1941, in Sweden in March 1942, in Portugal in October 1942 and in the USA again on July 21, 1947. In Denmark it was released in February 1948 It has also been published in Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. The film, which was not dubbed in Germany, was not released in Germany.

reception

criticism

- contemporary -
The critic of the New York Times Bosley Crowther said there were bitter times when the looking back for many people is much more pleasant than looking to the future. And so a great number of them are likely to find much comfort and joy in Richard Rowland's sentimental overview of a simple and middle-class life. Because there was nothing about this Miss Bishop and her smooth and orderly world in which she had lived that could disturb or annoy a person's thoughts in these hectic days. Cheers for Miss Bishop is clearly a monument, decorated with lavender and lace, to a pure and straightforward way of life. There are the usual and expected little crises - the meeting with her first grade, a young and disappointing love, the adoption of a little girl, her cousin, a second and calmer affair of the heart, her eventual retirement from class and the final testimony of all her students, who also owe their great success in life to her. But that is all, there is no excitement, no experience more intense than sipping tea in front of a cozy fire in grandmother's living room on a winter afternoon. As in the British drama Goodbye, Mr. Chips , Cheers for Miss Bishop reminds Cheers for Miss Bishop in many ways in his nostalgia of getting older. However, many of these efforts have a slightly spurious aftertaste, because there is nothing original about getting older. Martha Scott in the title role is always as charming as a young woman, even if the years have bent her. Likewise, William Gargan, as her lifelong admirer, who never gets past a kiss on the forehead, is always the same, he gushes and shines like a young guy even when he is an old man. This also applies to everyone else, because practically everyone in the film is a victim of aging and the art of masking. Tay Garnett's slow production did not help anyone. True feeling is a very rare thing and not easy to illustrate. But the basic mood is greatly exaggerated in this film. And no, Miss Bishop is not the female Mr. Chips.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) stated that it was a sentimental drama about an unmarried teacher that clearly addressed the failed relationships and contained romantic complications.

- later -
Dennis Schwartz rated the film on Ozus' World Movie Reviews and found that, while Tay Garnett had directed the film appropriately, it was far too lukewarm and old-fashioned to tell an inspiring story about a dedicated teacher who never married. The film puts teachers as high up as the film drama Goodbye, Mr. Chips from 1939. In principle, there is nothing wrong with it, even if there is no longer such a way of life, but which those who feel like this would long for, whether real or imagined, and tend to be nostalgic. There are no exciting moments in the lovingly and carefully cared for story. Schwartz concluded by saying that there wasn't much to say about such sentimental humbug, except that the film was well done and that we would give Miss Bishop three cheers.

Craig Butler turned to the film on the Allmovie page and said that Cheers for Miss Bishop would be pretty poor tea if it weren't for the glowing Martha Scott in the title role and urged that Miss Bishop be forgotten because Miss Scott deserves to be cheered become. Even if for some reason Scott did not have the film career that her talent should have been, here she undoubtedly demonstrates that she can carry a film single-handedly, which she proves in almost every scene. The entire film rests on her shoulders and she doesn't disappoint, although both the material and the director definitely would. It is wonderful to see how the actress deals with the trite, banal situations and the dialogues in order to make the scene shine. Director Tay Garnett is no help. Above all, the always reliable Edmund Gwenn supported Scott, even if the script had a sticky sweetness. Thanks to Scott, the film is definitely worth watching.

Award

Edward Ward was nominated for an Oscar in 1942 in the category "Best Film Music in a Drama" , which however went to Bernard Herrmann for his music for the fantasy film The Devil and Daniel Webster .

Aftermath

Martha Scott, William Gargan and Mary Anderson reappeared in their roles on March 17, 1941 in a version produced for Lux Radio Theater. On November 6, 1946, an adapted version with Olivia de Havilland was broadcast at the Academy Award Theater . In 1949 an adaptation was made for Hallmark Playhouse.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cheers for Miss Bishop Fig. Film poster in the IMDb
  2. ↑ Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941) see Screenplay Info at TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English).
  3. ↑ a b c d Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941) see Notes at TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English).
  4. ↑ a b Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941) see Articles at TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English).
  5. ↑ Cheers for Miss Bishop see original print information at TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English).
  6. ^ David Bordwell: Reinventing Hollywood: How 1940s Filmmakers Changed Movie Storytelling ,
    University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-48789-2 .
  7. ↑ Bosley Crowther : "Cheers for Miss Bishop", a Sentimental Account of a School Teacher's Life, at the Music Hall
    In: The New York Times , March 14, 1941 (English). Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  8. ↑ Cheers for Miss Bishop see page archive.usccb.org (English). Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  9. ↑ Cheers for Miss Bishop see page Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews, July 1, 2007 (English). Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  10. ↑ Craig Butler: Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941) see page allemovie.com (English). Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  11. ↑ The 14th Academy Awards | 1942 see page oscars.org (English).