MovieChat Forums > The Bishop's Wife (1948) Discussion > Filming locations?

Filming locations?

posted 16 years ago by studiohistory
8 replies | jump to latest

As a Samuel Goldwyn Studios production, "The Bishop's Wife" was most likely filmed on the Goldwyn lot, of which there are today very few photographs in circulation.

The majority of the scenes which are set outdoors -- outside the Bishop's house, the church and the hat shop and adjoining streets -- feel like they were actually filmed indoors, instead; the light is very even and flat, as if created by multiple lights from multiple directions. But a few street scenes have a natural sunlight quality. Most of the snow scenes, such as the skating rink in particular, were certainly filmed inside a studio.

The IMDB site does not provide any information about the filming locations.

Does anyone have any knowledge about whether "The Bishop's Wife" was filmed on a backlot at the Goldwyn studios, or perhaps at a rented backlot of another studio?

And, in general, does anyone know of a source, online or in book form, of photographs of the Goldwyn backlot and outdoor sets?

[–] thistledown-2 16 years ago

the film was actually shot on two indoor gigantic sets
this way they could control the snowfall, and the skating scenes..

[–] studiohistory 16 years ago

Thank you, thistledown-2. Very interesting. Certainly the skating scenes are indoors. The lighting, flat sky and background give that away. I'm still curious about the street scenes in the city settings, which show some more natural lighting, and whether they were filmed on a standing outdoor set at Goldwyn Studios. Anyone?

[–] thistledown-2 16 years ago

Are you aware this story was supposed to take place in New York City
if you notice right at the beginning the street sign says Madison Avenue...

[–] blckb5364 15 years ago

Hi thistledown-2,
I'm inclined to agree with you about this movie taking place in New York City, but it's hard to say definitively because Chicago also has a Madison Ave. I wish they had been more clear on where this movie was supposed to take place.

[–] blairbonds 15 years ago

Loretta Young's daughter wrote in her book about visiting the set during the ice skating scene. Sounded like it was indoors at the Goldwyn lot. That lot is still there, by the way. If was originally the Pickford-Fairbanks Studion in the silent days.

[–] cameo-kirby 14 years ago

Chicago has a Madison Street but not a Madison Avenue. Madison Street is the dividing line between North and South street numbering (State Street is the dividing line between East and West). Anything above Madison is North and anything below Madison is South. At one point the intersection of State & Madison was considered "the busiest corner in the world."

[–] rwilliams4254 14 years ago

I just watched the movie and caught something that surprised me. There's an interior shot, towards the front door of the Bishop's house, as someone is leaving. Through the open door, I saw, what looked like a couple of cars driving by. This seemed odd to me as I assumed the interior of the Bishop's house was on a soundstage and anything seen through a door or a window would be a false flat. And since it was through the door and only partially visible, it didn't seem like a rear screen projection would have been worth the trouble.

[–] IDigAPony (1) 12 days ago

Actually, the outdoor scenes were filmed in Minneapolis MN, and the skating scene was filmed at Loring Pond in Loring Park, in Minneapolis. Yes, the bridge is still there, but it's new and they made the lake a little bit bigger. Have a look on Google earth.
Based on how much we love this. Movie, we might just visit there when we do our US driving tour.
So