The Miracle of the Bells (1948)

Olga's body has been brought to her hometown of Coaltown for burial, per her wishes. Bill (a press agent who changed the course of Olga's career) pays all of the churches in town to ring their bells nonstop for 3 days in order to get attention for the film Olga just completed, but it turns into something more than just a publicity stunt.

We get to know her through Bill's own memories, and these are by far the best bits of the movie. Olga is radiant -- it's easy to see why Bill would do everything he could to honor her last wishes. There's a lovely Christmas eve that they share with the old proprietor of a Chinese restaurant and a magical scene in which she performs an impromptu bit of acting from Joan of Arc. But the "here and now" parts with church politics and a muted Sinatra as a parish priest are pretty blah.

B-