I’m almost positive that I wrote up a post about my favorite Christmas movies on my old blog, but since I deleted the whole thing over the summer (R.I.P.) I may as well pretend it never existed and give it another try . . .
Christmas in Connecticut: There are two Barbara Stanwyck movies on this list because I’m a huge Stanwyck fan. I love her toughness and her no-nonsense personality and the way she can liven up a genre that tends to go heavy on sentimentality. She’s all eye rolls and smirks in this movie as a street-smart magazine columnist pretending to be the perfect ’40s housewife in order to trick her publisher boss. Of course she doesn’t trick anyone, but it’s fun to watch her try, and the house she takes over for her little masquerade is maybe my favorite Christmas film house ever.
I’ll Be Seeing You: I love Ginger Rogers for a lot of the same reasons that I love Barbara Stanwyck. She’s as glamorous as any other star from the ’30s or ’40s, but she always has a little edge to her, which is maybe why she was so good at playing women in trouble with the law. In this film she stars as a convict on leave for Christmas, and another favorite of mine, Joseph Cotten, plays a shell-shocked man returning from the war. Watching them meet and fall in love is sweet and real and touching, and while Christmas just plays a very small part in the movie it’s still interesting to see how simultaneously wholesome and glamorous holidays in the ’40s were. (Well, in films at least)
Remember the Night: This is the third time I’ve written about this movie on my blog. I saw it for the first time just two years ago, but I’m pretty sure it’s my favorite Christmas movie, if only because it’s still new to me. It also doesn’t hurt that it stars Barbara Stanwyck, this time as a shoplifter (I guess I really like movies about law-breaking women) who ends up spending Christmas with the man who is prosecuting her in court. They both go to Indiana and spend an old-fashioned Christmas, and Barbara even bakes (or tries to).
It’s A Wonderful Life: This is the one I’ve been watching every year for as long as I can remember, and it’s easy to take it for granted. It was probably the first black and white film I ever saw (not counting the first half of The Wizard of Oz), and even though I didn’t always love old movies I did always love this one. It’s the most sentimental out of my whole list, and some scenes are so overly-sweet that you can understand why some people of the time came up with the term “Capra-corn” to describe Frank Capra’s films. Can this movie get corny? Yes. But it’s also touching and good, and if there’s any holiday for watching sentimental films it’s Christmas.
18 Comments
I love Barbara Stanwyck, maybe even more than Katharine Hepburn! She taught me the origins of the word corny in Ball of Fire and how to one-up Henry Fonda in the Mad Miss Manton and the Lady Eve (LOVE). Great selection. :D
Ah! This is so fun. I love these movies, but I’ll have to check out Remember the Night, it seems wonderful. Today I watched The Bishops Wife. Cary Grant + Christmas = Extra Charm!
I also recommend you “Bishops Wife”, it’s touching and warm. Cheers from Poland
i’m so excited to watch christmas films this year!!
Oh I’ll have to give these a watch through. the only one I’ve seen (and my favourite christmas movie) is It’s a Wonderful Life. I cry every year watching it.
I never get sick of The Santa Clause!
I always have to watch White Christmas with Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye! I use to make Drew & Chris watch it with me!!!
Christmas in Connecticut comes on this week on TCM! Love it!
It’s a wonderful life is my absolute favorite! My family watches it every year :)
Oh! I’m so happy to have some new Christmas movies to add to my holiday repertoire! I’ll be sure to get Remember the Night and I’ll Be Seeing You from Netflix for some chilly December nights, Thanks! And I think a little “corn” is perfectly appropriate at this time of year….
Bettye
It’s my favourite film of all time, Christmas or not! At the time when it was released, I’ve heard that it wasn’t successful because of the socialist themes. Frank Capra is awesome!
“It’s a Wonderful Life”
I can’t still can’t believe I hadn’t watched ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ till this year…how did i miss it? I knew the ending was going to be a tear-fest, but I wasn’t prepared for how hilarious the first part is! Definitely going to look at the rest of these for cozy evenings in xXx
blackberryhorse.blogspot.com
I love all of these! “Christmas In Connecticut” is probably my favorite of the bunch. I also enjoy watching movies that aren’t necessarily about Christmas but remind me of the holidays – “Holiday” (Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant) and “The Best Years of Our Lives” are two of those.
Oh I love these! “Christmas in Connecticut” is my very favorite of all these (but they’re all so good!). It’s simply not Christmas without watching it! And I agree, it is the BEST Christmas film house. I am always ready to pack up and move to New England and decorate with my house with spinning wheels after I’ve watched it.
Christmas in Connecticut is on my top 5 favorite movies of all time list. And I absolutely love love love Barbara Stanwyck. Thank you for this post, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. <3
Oh, it’s a wonderful life is such a beautiful movie!
Our local Film Society (http://www.tallahasseefilms.com/) showed “I’ll Be Seeing You” last night; I’m going to suggest your others for next Christmas. Thanks!
Jimmy Stewart absolutely rules. He’s my favorite..probably because my grandfather looked like him :)