Bell, Book and Candle
Bell, Book and Candle is a 1958 romantic comedy directed by Richard Quine and starring James Stewart and Kim Novak in their second on-screen pairing (after the Alfred Hitchcock classic Vertigo). The film, based on a play written by John Van Druten and adapted by Daniel Taradash, was Stewart’s last film as a romantic lead.
Fans of the film point to similarities between it and the earlier I Married A Witch and especially the television series Bewitched, speculating that this picture may have been an inspiration.
PLOT
Greenwich Village witch Gillian Holroyd (Kim Novak) has been unlucky in love and restless in life. She admires from afar her neighbor, publisher Shep Henderson (James Stewart), who one day walks into her gallery of primitive art to use the telephone. When she learns he’s about to marry an old college enemy of hers, Merle Kittridge (Janice Rule), she takes revenge by casting a love spell on him, but must eventually make a choice between true love and witchcraft, as witches can’t fall in love and retain their supernatural powers.
Meanwhile, the author of a best-selling book, Magic in Mexico, whom Shep expresses an interest in meeting, arrives on the scene, thanks to a little magic. Sidney Redlitch (Ernie Kovacs) decides to research witches for a book and acquires a collaborator, Gillian’s brother, warlock Nicky Holroyd (Jack Lemmon), who needs the money. Gillian uses her magic to make Shep no longer interested in Nicky and Redlitch’s book and then confesses her identity as a witch to Shep. He becomes angry that she enchanted him just to spite Merle, and the two fight. Gillian attempts to perform various spells on Merle (such as making her fall in love with the first man that walks into her apartment and sending her around the world), but finds that she has lost her powers because of her love for Shep. Shep meanwhile, tries unsuccessfully to explain to Merle that Gillian is a witch. He then finds that he literally can’t leave Gillian, because of the spell. To escape, he turns to another witch, Mrs. Bianca de Passe (Hermione Gingold), and is cured of the spell. He leaves, leaving Gillian heartbroken. Months later, Shep returns and discovers that Gillian has lost her magic powers because of her love for him. The two reconcile, while Nicky magically shuts off the streetlights outside.