Come to the Stable (1949)
Director: Henry Koster
Some movies find success striking an inner core with
audiences whether it has to do with nostalgia, beliefs, or simply stirring up
good feelings that creates a joyful innocence. Other movies find success through
viewing traditions, in many cases with regular television airings during
certain times in the year delivering a reassurance with its connection the
season. Come to the Stable embodies both aspects as a classic picture the
received initial praised upon release and found its staying power in regular holiday
season television airings. A feel-good picture with an overly simplified look
at faith augmented by innocent humor, the feature was once one of the more
beloved films to watch during the Christmas season, but had gone on to fade
into the background of motion picture memory.
Come to the Stable is a heartfelt tale about a pair of
French nuns in a small New England town with their mission of constructing a
children’s hospital and the many townspeople they meet along the way. Two nuns,
Sister Margaret (Loretta Young) and Sister Scholastica (Celeste Holm), led by
divine inspiration arrive in the small town of Bethlehem determined to establish
a new children’s hospital with their only resources are their faith. Sharing
their story and their plans the two befriend many of the locals with hope to find
the means to accomplish their mission. With inspiration from a painting of a
nativity scene entitled “Come to the Stable” by the poor local artist, Ms.
Potts (Elsa Lanchester), the Sisters find their base of operation and desire
local to establish their dream project on.
Margaret and Scholastica’s naïve faith and overall kindness trouble
many at first, but in the long run wins the hearts those that come to help them
move towards achieving their dream. One of the most troubled by the appearance
of the Sisters is a kind composer Bob Mason (Hugh Marlowe), the landlord of Ms.
Potts who experiences great inconveniences due to the kindly nuns and despite
being very nice to the two finds their mission greatly problematic for him and
his small country home. Secretly hindering the Sisters’ ability to purchase a
building to temporarily house the hospital the nuns’ backstory of serving in a
children’s hospital in Normandy, where Bob was stationed during the war softens
his heart as he was once stationed there during the war. So moved Bob helps in
the project and Children’s Hospital of St. Jude is saved from collapse and is
established.
The film is full of heart and is well made, sharing a good
story about faith and determination that is clean to a fault providing a mix of
humor and joy with moments drama. It is beautifully shot, the acting inspiring despite
moments of flatness, assembled in a story that although inspired by true events
feels all to convenient and simple. The religious core of the picture does not trouble
the audiences with Bible verses or call to organized religion. It does however paint
the faith centered nuns as a bit too simpleton in nature, whose focused pursuit
leaves them naïve to the world around them. The characters are not ignorant,
but rather overly tunnel-visioned to the point that makes them perceive their
experiences of luck and convenience as miracles of faith, playing as moments of
humor for the audience at the dismayed of characters that surround them. It is
in these simple moments the humor arrives to the film’s levity as the message
of love and kindness to be the greatest way to connect to others, as we observe
the change within the character that surround the nuns forming a communal form
of good faith of humanity that comes together in the core of the picture.
Come to the Stable was inspired by the true story of the
Abbey of Regina Laudis founded by two French nuns in Bethlehem, Connecticut in
1947, reshaping the tale for a more lighthearted comedic drama for motion
picture audiences. Directed by Henry Koster, the film has a simple feel that is
well contained by means of production. It is easily observes that the
production was filmed on the most part within the confines of a studio backlot
or on sound stages, but it has enough depth with a peppering of just enough
location shooting to deliver the feeling it was shot beyond the boundaries of
the studio’s property. Koster as a filmmaker was coming into his own, coming
off of the success of The Bishop’s Wife (1947), this story also revolves
around religious figures, but skirts the religious angle enough to be enjoyable
on a mainstream level.
Reunited with Koster from The Bishop’s Wife is star
Loretta Young who delivers a smart, yet innocent portrayal of a nun so focused
on delivering her promise to the Lord that she associates nearly everything
that happens as a miracle. Her performance is gentle and inviting, a bit naïve,
but attractive enough to garner herself an Academy Award nomination for Best
Actress. Her co-star Celeste Holm serves to be even more innocent as a
character, with her Sister Scholastica character being given the added layer of
being fully French until Young’s Sister Margaret. Holm’s performance does not
become fully pronounced until later in the picture, but was enough for her to
earn an nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
The supporting cast proves to be well assembled as each
character stands out with their own heart and stories leaving resonance in the
film. Elsa Lanchester’s Academy Award nominated performance as Ms. Potts is so
kindhearted from the very beginning, you almost want to know more about her as
the film meanders along. Sadly the importance of Ms. Potts fades as the film
plays out, but Lanchester’s performance as an older lady is carried well by the
veteran character actress of only 47 years of age. Hugh Marlowe’s portrayal as
song writer Robert Masen is perhaps the flattest of the performances in the
picture, which is sad considered in how important his character is the the
story as the character with the greatest arch. It is not that Marlowe is a
lesser actor, despite not having the overall grandest career, but at times the
performance feels a bit phoned in a B-movie manner.
Character actors Thomas Gomez and Dooley Wilson appear in
small supporting roles providing their own marks of the picture. Gomez, known
for portraying hard, criminal types appears as a ring operator of a New York
bookie office that at first threatens the nuns progress, but is discovered to
have a generous heart for the two Sisters. Dooley Wilson, whom we best know as
the piano playing Sam in the all-time classic Casablanca (1942), creates
a little trouble as the loan minority character in the feature as Anthony, the
caretaker of Masen’s property. His nervous happy-go-lucky service centered
character evokes a similar performance to the troubling African American
servant/slave stereotypes experiences in other films of the decades beforehand.
Dooley Wilson does give Arthur a bit of depth as if he knows he has to act a
certain way to do his job best, using his way to pleasing others to help earn
the nuns a little help along their way.
I would not call Come to the Stable one of the best
pictures of this era by many means. It feels too simple at times and the
portrayal of the nuns as so naïve is a bit ignorant, despite knowing it was
done so for the sake of humor and to deliver heart to the faith based core of
the story. For 1949 the picture was well received and nominated for several
Academy Awards, including Art Direction, Cinematography, and Best Song. Young,
Holm, and Lanchester all received acting nominations despite their performances
being far too two dimensional. I can see how the faith centered story and its
release so soon after WWII may have played a part in film’s appeal and success,
but can also observes recent Oscar winners Young and Holm may have given the
film its drawing power as well.
With its title, its religious tones, and its early scenes
featuring a nativity Come to the Stable found interest by television networks
to air the feature during the holidays season in the early years of television.
Because of this viewers of the day would develop of associating it with the
appeal of the season, entrenching it in the hearts and minds of the television
audiences that welcomed into their home during Christmas time. The fact that
movie studios tended to sell television rights to their lower thought of films during
the 1950s manifests that the picture may not have been the success initial
perceived in the theaters, but found attachments with home audiences during a
festive time of year.
As tastes and productions changed the scant holiday
connection Come to the Stable had with Christmas would fade away and
with it the audiences that would remember the feature. Today younger
generations may have never heard of the film, becoming all by invisible to
contemporary audiences. It is a sad notion, but it happens all the time. Movies
fade only to be discovered and enjoyed by a few, myself included, if not for
this cinematic journey, and despite its lack of interest was worth a viewing.
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