"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on
December 19, 1949 with David Niven reprising his film role.
"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on
March 1, 1954 with Cary Grant again reprising his film role.
"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on
May 11, 1953 with Cary Grant reprising his film role.
"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on March 1, 1948 with Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven reprising their film roles.
Cary Grant's 51st credited film.
Teresa Wright was playing the bishop's wife in the William A. Seiter version until the director was abruptly fired. She was not recast as she was then pregnant. Samuel Goldwyn's decision to start the film over again was a costly one, as $1 million had already been spent.
William A. Seiter was the original director, but producer Samuel Goldwyn didn't like what he had shot and brought in Henry Koster to shoot a completely new film. The preview audience didn't like the new version, so Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett had to rewrite a couple of scenes without screen credit.
In the version of the Christmas sermon dictated to the typewriter by Dudley, the following is shown typed onto the paper: "You give me a tie. I give you a book." However, in the pulpit on Christmas morning the Bishop reverses these two sentences when he reads, "I give you a book. You give me a tie."
Near the end of the film, when David Niven is giving the sermon, he mentions Uncle Harry, when Cary Grant dictates the sermon earlier in the film, the name is Uncle Henry.
One scene shows Cary Grant and Loretta Young in a conversation. Director Henry Koster staged this with the two facing each other, but both complained that this showed the "wrong" side of their faces. In order to show the "right" side, they both had to be looking screen left, which made a face-to-face talk impossible to film. Koster had a window set piece brought in, and he filmed it from outside, with both looking out in the same direction, Grant behind Young. The next day, producer Samuel Goldwyn visited the set after seeing dailies and berated Koster for shooting the scene in that manner. Koster replied by asking Young and Grant to explain why the scene was shot that way. After both told Goldwyn about the "right" and "wrong" sides of their faces, Goldwyn said "Look, if I'm only getting half a face, you're only getting half a salary!" and stormed off the set. The subject of "right" and "wrong" sides never came up again.
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 soon accepted the change and his role as the angel was one of the most widely praised of his career.
The harp playing for Cary Grant was done by Mr. Gail Laughton, Laughton's hands are seen in the film during close-ups of Grant's character playing the harp.
The name of the dog is Queenie.