Gillian Holroyd (Kim Novak) owns a specialty gift shop in New York City and lives a bohemian lifestyle. She is also a witch. So are her brother, Nicky (Jack Lemmon), and her aunt, Queenie (Elsa Lanchester). Living above her shop is her upstairs neighbor, Shepherd ‘Shep’ Henderson (James Stewart). Gillian is attracted to Shep but since she is a witch, she knows that a relationship isn’t in the cards.
Queenie gets caught by Shep snooping around his apartment. Queenie knows that Gillian is attracted to Shep so she puts a hex on his phone. Shep goes downstairs to borrow Gillian’s phone. In conversation Shep sees that Gillian is reading a book about witchcraft written by Sidney Redlitch (Ernie Kovacs). Shep is a book publisher and mentions that he would like to meet Redlitch. Gillian says that she may know someone who knows him and that if she can she will see if she could arrange a meeting with him sometime.
In the meantime, Queenie arrives and invites Shep to come to a local club called Zodiac Club, a hangout for witches, warlocks and various hippy types. While at the club Shep arrives with his fiancé, Merle Kittridge (Janice Rule). Gillian and Merle know each other from college. The two women didn’t get along. Knowing that Merle is sensitive to sound a jealous Gillian has the club’s band hover around Merle’s head and play loud, driving Merle out of the club. Shep goes after her.
Gillian uses her familiar, a cat named Pyewacket, to cast a spell on Shep making him fall in love with her. Shep breaks up with Merle. Eventually, Gillian confesses and Shep finds out that Gillian, and her family, are witches, and that he is under an actual spell. He tries to stop seeing Gillian but is compelled to return to her. He goes to Nicky for help. Nicky brings Shep to a powerful witch, Bianca de Passe (Hermione Gingold) hoping that she can perform a counter spell and free Shep from Gillian’s influence.
“Bell, Book and Candle” was released in 1958 and was directed by Richard Quine. It is romantic fantasy comedy. The film was based on the play by John Van Druten. Reportedly it was the inspiration for the television series “Bewitched”.
The phrase “Bell, Book and Candle” refers to a procedure used in exorcising a witch. The Roman Catholic Church would perform a ritual using these three tools. Each tool had a specific meaning in the ritual. The phrase is stated as; Ring the bell, close the book, quench the candle. The bell represented the public act of exorcism. The book represented the authority figure doing the exorcism, usually a bishop and 12 priests. The candle represented the end of the ceremony and the possibility of the ban being lifted should the witch repent.
In the film, Gillian’s familiar, a Siamese cat, is named Pyewacket. The name Pyewacket comes from English Folklore. It is associated with the English witch trials and was the name of one of the familiars identified by the witch hunter, Matthew Hopkins. Approximately 12 cats played the character.