Come to the Stable (1949)

 

The plot of Come to the Stable is certainly meant as a testament to the power of faith to make things happen. Throughout the film, what seems impossible or unlikely tends to occur, sometimes far too easily, thanks to the beliefs of the central characters, two nuns (played by Oscar nominees Loretta Young and Celeste Holm) who have come to America from France after the end of World War II with the goal of opening a children’s hospital. They wind up in a small New England town called Bethlehem; the state isn’t specified, but it has to be within driving distance of New York City (more on that later). Sister Margaret (Young) and Sister Scholastica (Holm) locate Miss Amelia Potts (Elsa Lanchester, also Oscar nominated) because they have received a postcard with an image of one of her religious paintings on it, which they take as a sign that they should seek her out in the United States. Miss Potts gets easily flustered and can’t quite say “no” when the nuns ask to stay with her. The nuns visit the bishop of a neighboring town, who initially balks at their assertion that all they need is “land and money,” but he allows them one month and provides them with a small amount of money to work on their project. A lot of people impose rather arbitrary deadlines on the two women, but they always (or almost always) seem to make it in time. They choose a hill near Miss Potts’ home as their ideal location, but it’s held by a bookie named Luigi Rossi. However, much like everyone else in the film, even New York City criminals cannot resist helping Sisters Margaret and Scholastica in their quest. Then they put a down payment on an option for a former witch hazel bottling factory even though the “for sale” sign is only just going up. After the arrival of eleven other nuns and a priest from their Mother Church in France, they begin making money by selling stuff that they make, such as lace and pottery and cheese. Really, they seem to keep on succeeding almost by accident; they just keep maintaining their faith that they can establish a hospital. It’s difficult to know if they’re just incredibly naïve or amazingly skillful although, as I’ve already stated, I’m certain that the film is trying to make a point about how a strong sense of faith can make anything happen. One of the obstacles that the nuns face is the composer Bob Mason (the always reliable Hugh Marlowe); he lives next to the hill where they want to locate the hospital, but he wants to have a quiet residence in which to compose. Mason writes a song entitled “Through a Long and Sleepless Night” that is performed twice during the film, and while it may be odd to include a secular song in such an overtly religious film, it becomes relevant to the plot later in the film. Of course, it’s also odd that Marlowe appears nude at one point (you can only see his bare chest) in a film so concerned with religious matters. To be fair, Come to the Stable is much more light-hearted overall than I’ve probably made it sound. It does have quite a few moments of levity, such as when eleven French nuns and a priest emerge from one taxicab or when people keep giving the Sisters Margaret and Scholastica money thinking that will make them go away. The most fun, though, is watching Loretta Young drive Mason’s jeep with such reckless abandon. I wouldn’t want to be a passenger in the jeep with her, but her driving skill is hilarious. One of the cleverest performances in the film is by Dooley Wilson of Casablanca fame, who has the thankless and stereotypical role of playing Mason’s servant Anthony. However, Wilson manages to emit such charm as the servant who knows more than the man for whom he works, and he shows quite a strong sense of support for the nuns and their goal. He finds them fascinating, and the audience can’t help but find him fascinating too. The Academy certainly liked Come to the Stable in 1949 as the film tied with All the King’s Men for the second most Oscar nominations that year. However, it received no Oscars despite those numerous nominations.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Leading Role (Loretta Young), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Celeste Holm and Elsa Lanchester), Best Motion Picture Story, Best Black-and-White Cinematography, Best Black-and-White Art Direction-Set Decoration, and Best Original Song (“Through a Long and Sleepless Night”)