Cheers for Miss Bishop

source: Cheers for Miss Bishop

Most of Cheers for Miss Bishop is told in flashback as Martha Scott reminisces with old friend William Gargan about her fifty years as a professor of English at Midwestern University. In fact the whole film is held together by Martha Scott's powerful performance in the title role. Scott tells of her life beginning with her accepting a position at a small college after graduating from same as an English teacher. She's one of those rare people who's life and job become bound as one and finds she has no use for the other aspects of life like home and family. Even Robert Donat's Mr. Chips married Greer Garson albeit ever so briefly. Not that she didn't have chances to marry, but her career and her students came first. Martha Scott gets good support from a nice ensemble of players that also include Edmund Gwenn and John Hamilton as her college presidents, Dorothy Peterson as her mother, and Mary Anderson as her great niece. Particularly impressive to me was Rosemary DeCamp as a young Scandinavian immigrant student who Scott recognizes intuitively as being an incipient genius with a photographic memory. When she's accused of cheating Scott saves her from expulsion by having her recite the Declaration of Independence from memory. It's a very powerful screen debut for Rosemary DeCamp. Still the film is Martha Scott's show and a good show it is too.

On rare occasions, our daughter (and/or) her mother, will make, either her famous 'No Bake Cookies' (mom) or 'specialty brownies' (daughter), and the very moment that, any of our 2k-5k taste buds, actually reach either of these referenced treat's 'flavor nucleus', the wiring from our mouth's, complex-nervous-system, accesses the brain's 911 dispatch & instantaneously, confirms that, something in Denmark, isn't 'as ripe as it should be': Not enough or to much - butter, salt, vanilla extract or egg(s), etc., but irrespective, what the exact problematic ingredient might be, it is often, in a mere instant that, we collectively realize that, something, has been Inadvertently changed (from either chef's original recipe). Subsequently, 'Cheers for Miss Bishop', seemed to have all the right ingredients necessary, to not only make a genuinely exceptional film, but it also {seemingly} contained, the rarest of ingredients that, often can take an exceptional movie, and morph it, into a potential contender, as a true historical-classic. And, considering the great film-classics, from the same era, such as: 'Stagecoach' (John Wayne), 'War of Wildcats' (also staring Martha Scott, opposite John Wayne) or, 'Grapes of Wrath' (w Henry Fonda) - Cheers for Miss Bishop's half-century plus (old) release date ('41), just cant be, the scapegoated-ingredient (either). In the meantime, take heart that, this is a much-better-than-average movie, for the time period; however, its overall trajectory, seems quiet predictable, and merely borderline inspiring. [Conversely, for those that can appreciate this type movie's genre & theme, especially the intrinsic value of students, after having been exposed, to any truly, exceptional teacher, viewers may want to consider the (classic) film: 'Good Morning Miss Dove' ('55)! ]

I love this movie, it's different for the era and shows that who we perceive as perfect , i.e. teachers have lives that can be tragic though beautiful. William Gargan is so adorable and handsome as Ella's not so secret admirer and lifelong platonic friend. The movie spans over 50 years of their lives , the happiness and tragedies that are inevitable in a long life such as hers. It showcases how ones life can affect so many others, there are many unique aspects on how Ella perseveres through ups and downs with grace and dignity. I disagree with the other review how her morals decline, it's just the opposite, really. She doesn't tell her great niece to go have an affair , she actually subtly guides her away. This movie reveals how human we all are with our own strengths and flaws and with Ella, her dedication throughout her life to being a teacher. Sweet and darling movie, I'd like it to be on the top 100 movies to before you die. So many life lessons.

Tay Garnett directed this drama which comes off as a female version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), though this one was based on a Bess Streeter Aldrich novel that was adapted by Stephen Vincent Benet; Sheridan Gibney and Adelaide Heilbron wrote the screenplay. Edward Ward's Score received an Academy Award nomination. Sentimental and not particularly affecting, the story chronicles fifty years of the title character's life, Ella Bishop, somewhat overplayed by Martha Scott. It begins with Ella as a student then valedictorian. Unable to find a job elsewhere, she becomes a freshman English teacher at her alma mater, Midwestern University, thanks to the college's president James Corcoran (Edmund Gwenn) in the 1880's. Uninterested in the local boy she's known all of her life as a friend, Sam Peters (William Gargan), Ella practically throws herself at two outsiders who come to work at the university or in its small town. The first is an attorney and new junior partner Delbert Thompson (Donald Douglas), but he finds Ella's niece Amy (Mary Anderson, perhaps the only one to overact more than Ms. Scott) more attractive, or at least more willing (e.g. to go with him to "sit" in the moonlight by the river one night). Delbert jilts his fiancée Ella to wed Amy, whereupon the two newlyweds quickly leave town. But Amy soon returns home, pregnant and abandoned by her husband, and later giving birth to a daughter that takes her life. Selfless Ella raises Hope, particularly since she's just spurned visiting professor John Stephens (Sidney Blackmer) after finding out he's married. Hope (Marsha Hunt) grows up to be a beautiful brunette, attends Midwestern herself, and later marries Richard (Ralph Bowman aka John Archer) before they move away. Meanwhile, Corcoran retires and appoints Watts (John Hamilton) president. Old (and fairly bitter) maid Ella resists President Watts's new ideas until a conversation with Corcoran inspires her to catch up with the new and modern times. Hope's daughter Gretchen (Lois Ranson) grows old enough to attend Midwestern about the time that Watts's replacement, President Crowder (Pierre Watkin), institutes a policy to retire older teachers and raze the college's original building to make room for new facilities. This leads to the film's predictable conclusion whereby Ella is herded to the old building by her family to attend a dinner in her honor and accept accolades from former students who've grown up to be well known persons: an astronomer (Knox Manning), a senator (John Arledge), and an historian (Rosemary DeCamp). Sterling Holloway appears as the university groundskeeper and janitor Chris Jensen, whose flowers are always being trampled; Dorothy Peterson plays Ella's mother Ma Bishop.

Did you ever have a spinster school-teacher whose unique look at life made you open your eyes to a world you never would have imagined without them? That's the magic of Martha Scott's Ella Bishop, and in this story, her career is explored from her college graduation to her retirement and how her lengthy tenure is honored. Of course, a lovely lady like Ella Bishop has many suitors, none more memorable to her than handsome William Gargan, but as time goes by, her dedication to her students take precedence over her love life. Changes in administration and teaching methods also have an effect on her, and with brief conflicts over her methods after initial college president Edmund Gwenn retires, she becomes known for being a cantankerous old lady. So what does a cantankerous old lady do to show she is changing with the times? Go out and buy that new fangled contraption called an automobile, that's what. She also takes in a new born orphaned baby girl, and as time goes by, her role as surrogate mother to this infant becomes a major priority as well. But every beautiful career must have an end, and Scott intends to go out with dignity. This slice-of-life drama isn't a full plot for sure, but other than a montage of history passing by (which cuts out several decades of her life), that doesn't matter in the structure of this touching drama. Scott, fresh from her success as the young bride in "Our Town", is equally as good here, and this certainly could be called "Our School" had it not been based upon a book (by Bess Streeter Aldrich). Great character performances aid in the passage of time with Sterling Holloway going down El Brendel territory as a gardener who keeps going "Yumpin' Yimminy!" every time somebody treads through his flower beds. But what the story's true theme is follows her interest in various students: a country bumpkin who makes it big, as well as a female European immigrant who becomes a famous historian. While there are a few minor disappointments in the film's flow, it culminates in a beautiful conclusion where all her efforts of the past come back to pay homage to her. Movies about teachers have been a mixed bag with some good ones ("Remember the Day", made the following year; "Good Morning, Miss Dove", "To Sir With Love", "Up the Down Staircase") and a few others of mixed messages ("The Class of Miss MacMichael", "Teachers") and of course, some modern classics ("Lean on Me", "Stand and Deliver", "Dead Poets Society"). Teachers either touch our lives, annoy us or bring out a desire to find the truth about things we feel passionately about. "Miss Bishop" might not be a great film, but it certainly inspires a respect and memory of those who did, like Martha Scott's lovely lady, and reminds us of the innocence of those lost years that no matter how much you change over the years can never forget.

Enjoyed this picture which deals with a young woman, Martha Scott,(Ella Bishop) who is bound and determined to go to college and become a teacher. Ella accomplishes her goal and is given the position of a freshman English teacher in her home town college. Edmund Quenn,(James Cocoran) "Miracle on 34th Street" who played the role as the college president and gave Ella this job at the college and grew very fond of her. Ella meets a young man and falls in love with him, however, he runs off with her sister and destroys her marriage plans and her thinking about ever getting married again. Sidney Blackmer,"Rosemary's Baby", gave a great supporting role along with Marsha Hunt. There is another romance that Ella experiences except it is with a married man and his wife will not give him a divorce, so poor Ellas has to make a big decision about which way she is going to take. William Gargan, (Sam Peters) is deeply in love with Ella and wants to marry her and stands by her when life's troubles came her way. The sad part about this film is that Martha Scott never received an Academy Award for her great acting performance role in this picture.

Check out my review on Letterboxd (3.5/5 stars): https://boxd.it/1ll5rZ I'm still not quite sure how I stumbled upon this film, but I'm glad I did. The film isn't perfect, but I enjoyed the time I spent with it all the same. Cheers for Miss Bishop is about a woman looking back at her life as an educator and all the tender moments, and sometimes sad ones, she had throughout her career. There's a recurring theme of patriotism and discourses on freedom in the United States fill several scenes. At first, I didn't quite understand why such talk of patriotism was relevant to the story at hand. Such was obviously rooted in my ignorance of the time period in which the film was produced-1941, right in the middle of World War II when America was literally at war over values and freedom-and it was only obvious after realizing this fact that I was able to understand one of the core themes of the film: wisdom, gained through only the best education one may receive, is the most important principle we have in preserving true freedom. Miss Bishop of course acknowledges that America isn't and hasn't been perfect in all of its ideals, but it has done its best and ultimately is a true bastion of freedom. Perhaps she, in reflecting on her life, saw these ideals in herself. We saw her mistakes and her lowest moments. Just like America had imperfections but still shined bright with liberty, so too did Miss Bishop live a life riddled with mistakes but one that was worth living and one that shone bright to all of her students. ---------------------- One of the things that frustrated me most was perhaps what worked best in the romance between the titular Miss Bishop and Sam. It was so obvious how much Sam loved her, and seeing her not accept his love saddened my heart. He was the best man she could have had, and she did not fully accept that until near the end of her life at the close of the film. As frustrating as it is, this is a film about a human, and humans are complicated. Emotions are complex. We're messy. We don't always want what others think we should, and that makes life beautiful. I enjoy films that reflect on lives lived, on possibilities and realities, and this film did not disappoint me when it came to that. If you're like me, you'll find something to love here, too.

This film reminded of the the days when local TV stations fit films into a time slot. If it didn't fit, they cut it down to size. Except that I saw the entire film. It was just so choppy. The writers tried to boil 50 years down into less than 100 minutes. They seemed afraid of leaving out any of the book's high points. So it veered from one big moment (boy-meets-girl, boy instantly loves girl) to another. It had already lost me when a professor assigned reading the Constitution and Declaration of Independence in one night. I doubt the writers ever read the Constitution. Ms B. finally accepts a dream job in NY. College president asks her not to. Never mind. As for spoilers: The title contains its own spoiler! From it we know that the heroine will be a success in her field...and that she will never get married.

I disagree, a bit, with several of the other reviews here. Yes, this is a very sentimental movie. But this was about life in the 1800s -- a simpler time. Not that Miss Bishop didn't have her challenges -- the love of her life stolen by her sister...who then dies while bearing a child...a child whom Miss Bishop raises while she herself becomes a spinster...a second love who cannot get a divorce to marry her. No, Miss Bishop did not lead a lovely life, even if she maintained her dignity throughout. No, Miss Bishop didn't have the fiery character that some character played by Bette Davis might have. But a Bette Davis character was not what author Bess Streeter Aldrich had in mind. This was a story of the heartland of America...a sort of adult "Little House On The Prairie". For those who want something more spicy, go elsewhere. This is not the film for you. This was Martha Scott's film. No question. And whenever I see her, it amazes me that this is the lady who later played memorable roles in "The Ten Commandments" and "Ben-Hur". Miss Bishop is a very different type of character here, of course, but what a fine actress. Too bad she didn't make more films. Supporting players of note include William Gargan (who later in life developed throat cancer, had his larynx removed, and then spoke through an artificial voice box), Edmund Gwenn (who doesn't seem much like Santa Claus here, but does very nicely), Rosemary DeCamp (making her film debut here), Sterling Holloway, and Sidney Blackmer. This film is not for everyone. But, I enjoyed the simple tale, nicely told. Not for the DVD shelf, perhaps, but worth a watch for film buffs.