A scene from the film, The Bishop’s Wife, inspired a cut scene from Good Omens.
The basic premise of The Bishop's Wife (1947) is about an angel who helps a bishop with his problems.
The film was adapted by Leonardo Bercovici and Robert E. Sherwood from the 1928 novel of the same name by Robert Nathan.
Link to the post.
I compiled both scenes in this video so you can see the comparison. I do recommend watching the entire film though!
And some more interesting trivia:
Originally Cary Grant played the bishop and David Niven the angel. When original director William A. Seiter left the film, Henry Koster replaced him and viewed what had been shot so far. He realized that the two were in the wrong roles. It took some convincing because Grant wanted the title role of the Bishop. He eventually accepted the change and his role as the angel was one of the most widely praised of his career.
Does that remind you of anything related to the casting roles in Good Omens? 🤓 History repeats itself.
If Cary Grant had accepted the role of Linus Larrabee in Sabrina (1954):
Don't get me wrong, I adore the against-type casting of Humphrey Bogart, and I think the end result created some strange magic between Bogie and Hepburn. However, I'm of the opinion that early 50s Grant paired with early 50s Hepburn would have absolutely melted movie screens.
Cary Grant was Sabrina director Billy Wilder's first choice for the curmudgeonly older Larrabee brother who is eventually won over by the fresh charm of Audrey Hepburn in the titular role, but Grant turned it down ostensibly for the same reason he turned down starring opposite her in Roman Holiday the year before.
25 years Hepburn's senior, Grant was concerned about looking like a "dirty old man." After Sabrina, he would turn down working with her one more time in another Wilder flick Love in the Afternoon (1957), that part going to Gary Cooper.
He would finally (thankfully) relent when he starred opposite her in Charade (1963), with the condition that the script be rewritten to have her playing the aggressor in the relationship.
I was rewatching Charade the other night and I could not get over the idea of recasting the main characters as Fox and Riyo.
Riyo especially gives me some Audrey Hepburn vibes.
And Fox in the Cary Grant role? Well Grant does play something of a Silver Fox in the role. 😏
Can't you just see these two in these scenes? 😍
Pretty sure I have seen this 1963 movie somewhere upwards of at least half a dozen times now. Easily in my Top Ten favorite films. If you are not familiar with the movie, you can read more about it here.