Preston Sturges’s “Christmas in July”

Christmas in July (1940) is a comedy written and directed by Preston Sturges and starring Dick Powell and Ellen Drew. 

Jimmy MacDonald (Powell) was one of the millions of people to enter the Maxford House Coffee contest. He submitted the slogan "If you can't sleep at night, it's not the coffee, it's the bunk." Jimmy dreams of proving to himself and others that he is a success and able to provide for his mother (Georgia Caine) and marry his girlfriend Betty Casey (Drew).

"If you can't sleep at night, it's not the coffee, it's the bunk."

As a joke, three coworkers send Jimmy a fake telegram announcing that he has won the contest. When his boss hears that Jimmy "won" the contest, he promotes him with a fancy office and a secretary. When the incident snowballs out of control, things really get crazy.

Will Jimmy's newfound success be short-lived or will he be able to prove that he deserves to be taken seriously as an astute businessman?

Ellen Drew and Dick Powell

Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. Sturges was one of the first film directors to direct his own screenplays, opening up the door for Billy Wilder and Joseph L. Mankiewicz to do the same. Sturges was a successful playwright and Hollywood screenwriter and script doctor. As a writer-director, Sturges had an amazing output of films in a period of five years, all considered classics today. These films include The Great McGinty (1940), Christmas in July (1940), The Lady Eve (1941), Sullivan's Travels (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944). After leaving Paramount Pictures in a dispute with upper management, Sturges's career declined and he never produced anything close to the quality of his earlier successes. In spite of this decline, Sturges is considered one of the greatest talents to come out of Hollywood.

Dick Powell (1904 - 1963) was an American actor, singer, producer, and director. He began his movie career in musicals and comedies but eventually toughened up his image in the mid-1940s when he became a popular star of film noir. He was the first actor to portray Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet (1944). After appearing in his last film, Susan Slept Here, Powell started directing. In the 1950s he was one of the founders of Four Star Television along with Charles Boyer, David Niven, and Ida Lupino. Some popular films starring Powell include 42nd Street (1933), A Midsummer's Night Dream (1935), Christmas in July (1940), Pitfall (1948), and The Bad and the Beautiful (1952).

Ellen Drew (1914 -2003) was an American film actress. She was under contract with Paramount studios from 1938 to 1944. At Paramount she costarred with Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray, and George Raft. After leaving Paramount, Drew went to RKO where she was the leading lady opposite Ronald Colman, William Holden, and Robert Preston. During the 1950s, with film roles drying, Drew turned to television where sh guest-starred on shows like Perry Mason and The Millionaire.

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on May 9, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you'll receive an invitation with a link to the meeting on Zoom.

Christmas in July trivia

• The $25,000 prize money would be equivalent to about $460,000 today.
• Preston Sturges helped invent the special sofa featured in the movie. Sturges was an inventor besides being a filmmaker.
• Betty Field and William Holden were originally announced as the film's stars.
• Sturges sold the script to Paramount for $6,000. He sold his first script to Paramount, The Great McGinty for $10.

Discussion questions

1. How would you classify this film? Screwball comedy? Romantic comedy? Something else?
2. The film has many of the "Preston Sturges Stock Company" character actors. Did you have a favorite?
3. Did you understand Jimmy's slogan? Did you think it was worthy of winning the contest?
4. Do you think Sturges was making a commentary on corporate America with his comedy?
5. What did you think of the two leads: Dick Powell and Ellen Drew?

Preston Sturges series: Screening of “Christmas in July” April 26 at the Daystar Center

Preston Sturges series: Christmas in July
Where: The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street, Chicago, IL
When: April 26, 2016
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald

Christmas in July (1940) was Preston Sturges’s second film as writer/director, based on his play, A Cup of Coffee (1931). The movie stars Dick Powell, Ellen Drew, and the growing Sturges stock company of supporting players.

Dr. Maxford, the head of Maxford House Coffee is anxious to announce the winner of a slogan contest for his popular brew. Unfortunately for Maxford, the jury is deadlocked by the bull-headed Mr. Bildocker (William Demarest). The contest winner was supposed to be announced on national radio, but because of the deadlock, no winner is announced.

Jimmy MacDonald (Powell) dreams of winning the contest to prove to himself and his girlfriend Betty Casey (Drew) that he has the talent to make it big in the advertising business. He also wants to provide for his mother (Georgia Caine). No one gets Jimmy’s slogan: “If you can’t sleep at night, it’s not the coffee, it’s the bunk.”

As a joke, three of Jimmy’s coworkers create a fake telegram announcing him as the winner. The joke gets completely out of hand. Jimmy’s boss gives him a promotion, a raise, his own office, and a private secretary (Betty). It isn’t long before the jig is up, but not before Jimmy has bought gifts for his mother, girlfriend, and just about everyone in his neighborhood. When the manager of Shindel’s department store comes to repossess his merchandise, it is revealed that Jimmy didn’t win the contest after all.


Will all of Jimmy’s career dreams be dashed? Will he still be able to win Betty’s heart? Will their Christmas in July have a happy ending?

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!
Before the movie, grab a cup of coffee from Overflow Coffee Bar, located within the Daystar Center. You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion
Twice a month we screen classic films and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Stephen Reginald is a freelance writer and editor. He has worked at various positions within the publishing industry for over 25 years. Most recently he was executive editor for McGraw-Hill’s The Learning Group Division. A long-time amateur student of film, Reginald hosts “Chicago Film Club,” a monthly movie event held in the South Loop, for the past two years. Reginald has also taught several adult education film classes at Facets Film School, Chicago.


Daystar Center located at 1550 S. State St. works through a grassroots network of collaborations and partnerships with individuals and other nonprofit organizations. Through this web, they’re able to provide educational, cultural, and civic activities that enrich and empower their clients, guests, and community members. To learn more about classes and events offered at the Daystar Center, please visit their Web site.

Preston Sturges: Master of the Cockeyed Caravan, Part 3

A writer-director is born
As the story goes, Sturges sold the screenplay for The Great McGinty to Paramount for $10, under the condition that he would also be allowed to direct. Since this seemed like a fairly reasonable risk for the studio, they acquiesced.

The Great McGinty (1940) didn't have big stars to pack the movie palaces, but it did have good reviews from some of the top critics of the day. New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther said this: "In the trade they call them 'sleepers'—these pictures which come drifting in without benefit of much advance publicity and which turn out delightful surprises." And a delightful surprise it was, and with its success, Sturges was on his way to the big leagues. At the 1941 Academy Awards, Sturges took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Without taking a breath, it seems, Paramount released another film in 1940 written and directed by Sturges,  Christmas in July. Again, the film had no big stars, and again, Crowther called the film "another of those one-man creations by Preston Sturges for Paramount, is just about as cunning and carefree a comedy as any one could possibly preordain . . . ." Crowther ended his review by saying,  "As a creator of rich and human comedy Mr. Sturges is closing fast on the heels of Frank Capra."

The lady is a champ
It wasn't too long for the folks at Paramount to realize that Sturges as a writer-director was turning into a goldmine. Armed with a big budget and top-flight movie stars, Sturges jumped into production of The Lady Eve (1941) with Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda, both turning in brilliant performances under his direction. Sturges was at his peak. At the end of 1941, The New York Times named The Lady Eve the best picture of the year, beating Citizen Kane!

Veronica Lake is on the Take
More hits followed in the financial success of The Lady Eve: Sullivan's Travels (1942), The Palm Beach Story (1942), The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944) , and Hail the Conquering Hero (1944). In a span of roughly four years, Sturges wrote and directed seven classic films! If you count The Great Moment (1944), a film that Sturges fan Crowther praised, you can make it an even eight classics in four years. It appeared that Sturges could do nothing wrong.

The shooting star crashes to earth
Almost overnight it seemed, things started going south for Sturges. At the height of his fame, he left Paramount and formed California Pictures Corporation with Howard Hughes. Nothing much came from this venture and eventually Hughes shut things down, bought RKO, and left Sturges without a home studio or any projects on the horizon.

Phoenix rising at Fox?
It would be four years before Sturges would release another film. Darryl Zanuck, at Twentieth Century Fox, hired Sturges to write and direct Unfaithfully Yours (1948) starring Rex Harrison and Linda Darnell. The film, although popular in the eyes of some critics (yes, Crowther was still a fan), didn't fare as well with the public at large. The humor, gags, and amazingly complicated narrative were all there, but as Crowther noted, "... a shade of something fatal to a champion may be perceived in his new picture at the Roxy. That's a slip in his timing and his speed. Like a boxer who takes too long a lay-off, Mr. Sturges has slowed up a bit. And this is something which his public will be the first to note and deplore." And the public did take notice and Unfaithfully Yours didn't turn out to be the next great Sturges hit. Sturges had one more chance at Fox with The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend (1949) starring Betty Grable. But by then, the magic had completely rubbed off. The film was a disaster for Sturges and the studio. Sturges fan and supporter, Crowther ended his review of the film with this zinger: "Put out in Technicolor, The Beautiful Blonde looks good. But, to paraphrase the theme song, it looks pretty well shot in the end."

A lasting legacy
Although Sturges's film career basically ended with The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend, his legacy lives on in the ground-breaking comedies he wrote and directed at Paramount. The body of work he produced in those four short years is a feat that has yet to be matched.

Preston Sturges was a man of uncommon intelligence and one of the most talented writer-directors to come out of Hollywood. He paved the for other writer-directors like Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Billy Wilder, and most importantly, he left us his wonderful films that still amaze, surprise, and delight us to this day.