The Bishop Misbehaves

My reason for seeking out this film was the character men Edmund Gwenn and Reginald Owen. After Miracle on 34th Street Gwenn became a star but before this his chances to be a leading man were few so it is delightful to see him playing the titular role of the Bishop here, and he makes the film, bringing his trademark, twinkly avuncularity to a churchman who'd rather be a detective, shades of Father Brown methinks. Rather than bore us with exposition this sprightly 85 minute piece is wonderfully set up by showing us the principal characters with brief carded information about them and the plot. The plot, such as it is, is a bit of a Macguffin regarding a stolen patent to a priceless invention and thus we have the good guys ranged against a characterful gallery of underground rogues, although there are areas of grey in between. On the heroic side we have the spirited Maureen O'Sullivan (perhaps most famous for a series of films starring her as Jane opposite Johnny Weismuller's Tarzan) and a couple of beautiful eccentrics; Lucile Watson as the Bishop's garrulous sister, who desperately wants to be in on the 'fun' and Etienne Girardot as a nervous, superannuated clergyman who has the habit of champing his Jaws at moments of tension. On the distaff side, Dudley Digges makes a mark as a bad guy who isn't that bad really but Reginald Owen, whose work I normally admire, is rather one note of aggressive bluster here. If you're a fan of gentle, silver screen comedy, this is an agreeable enough piece of work.