Classic Movie Man’s Favorite Christmas Movies: 2014 Edition

It’s Christmastime again. And it’s time for some more classic Christmas films to enjoy during the holidays. Some of these films you might not associate with Christmas, but all feature the holiday prominently. Make some hot chocolate, light up the fireplace and get cozy on the couch or your favorite chair to watch some great classic movies!


Lady for a Day—1933 This early Frank Capra classic (released a year before It Happened One Night) is about Apple Annie (May Robson), a poor woman who sells fruit on the streets of New York City to support her daughter’s education in a Spanish convent school. Her daughter is coming to visit her mother, who she thinks is a society lady. Annie needs a Christmas miracle to keep up the charade when her daughter arrives with her fiancé Carlos and his father, Count Romero. Will Annie’s street friends and gambler Dave the Dude (Warren William) come to her aid? What do you think? It’s great classic entertainment from one of Hollywood’s great masters.

Backstory: Capra wanted Robert Montgomery (it was written with Montgomery in mind), James Cagney or William Powell to star as Dave the Dude and Marie Dressler to star as Annie, but their respective studios wouldn’t loan them out.

The Thin Man—1934 The first of the classic films featuring Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) includes several scenes during the Christmas holiday. Nick, a former detective and Nora, his rich wife, solve murders for the fun of it. The film combines comedy, mystery, and slapstick (check out Myrna Loy’s terrific pratfall at the beginning of the movie). The Thin Man basically invented the comedy murder-mystery genre. It’s fast and furious, featuring some of the best dialogue of all time. Nora utters my favorite: “Waiter, will you serve the nuts? I mean, will you serve the guests the nuts?”

Backstory: The very efficient W. S. Van Dyke reportedly shot the film in only two weeks. The Thin Man was the first of six movies featuring the sleuthing Nick and Nora Charles, all starring Powell and Loy.

Bright Eyes—1934 This was the first film developed for Shirley Temple. Temple is Shirley Blake who lives with her mother Mary, (Lois Wilson) a maid in the house of the Smythe family. When she becomes an orphan on Christmas morning, Shirley’s future is uncertain. Her bachelor godfather and pilot, James “Loop” Merritt (James Dunn) would like to adopt the orphan, but wheelchair-bound Uncle Ned Smythe (Charles Sellon) wants Shirley to live with him. His snooty relatives, Anita and J. Wellington Smythe and their obnoxious daughter Joy (Jane Withers) reluctantly agree to his wishes, hoping to stay in his good graces financially. This is the film that features the song “On The Good Ship Lollipop,” a tune forever identified with Temple. Bright Eyes established Temple as a top box office star. Temple would continue to be a major fan favorite throughout the 1930s.

Backstory: Temple won a special juvenile Academy Award in 1935, the first year it was presented, for her work in Bright Eyes and Little Miss Marker. Shirley’s dog, Rags (Terry) was the same dog that played Totto in The Wizard of Oz.

Love Affair—1939 One of the great films from that amazing year stars Irene Dunne as singer Terry McKay and Charles Boyer as painter and playboy Michel Marnet. The two, both engaged to other people, meet on a trans-Atlantic liner and fall in love. Terry and Michel decide to meet at the top of the Empire State Building (the closest place to heaven) six months later. When the date arrives, Terry is hit by a car crossing the street and is badly injured. It is uncertain if she will ever be able to walk. Not wanting to gain Michel’s sympathy or be a burden, Terry refuses to contact him and tell him the reason she didn’t’ show up. The two accidentally meet at a theater, but it isn’t obvious to Michel that Terry cannot walk. Michel visits Terry on Christmas, gifting her with his mother’s shawl, something Terry had admired when she met the old woman who is now deceased. Michel finds out about Terry’s injury, but decides it doesn’t matter; they will be together whatever the diagnosis.

Backstory: Love Affair was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress (Dunne). The film was remade twice: An Affair to Remember (1957) starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr and Love Affair (1994), starring Warren Beatty and Annette Benning.


My Reputation—1946 Barbara Stanwyck plays Jessica Drummond, a young widow and mother of two sons from Chicago’s North Shore. Jess is mourning the loss of her husband as well as attempting to navigate the demands of being an upper class society woman. Her mother, Mary (Lucille Watson) is no help at all. She’s shocked when her daughter refuses to dress in black and makes Jess feel guilty for not following her example—Mary, a widow herself has been wearing black for decades. Fortunately for Jess, she has a great friend in Gina Abbott (Eve Arden) whom she confides in. Gina invites Jess to spend a week at Lake Tahoe with her husband. While skiing she meets Major Scott Landis (George Brent) who takes an immediate interest in her. Jess likes Scott and enjoys his company, but is reluctant to get too involved. The plot thickens when a friend of Jess’s mother sees her enter Scott’s apartment. It doesn’t take long for the society gang to spread rumors about Jess and her reputation, now seemingly tarnished. When Jess’s boys Kim (Scotty Beckett) and Keith (Bobby Cooper) come home from a Christmas party after hearing the gossip about their mother, things take an interesting turn. Stanwyck gives a subtle and sensitive performance as Jess and is ably supported by Brent and the rest of the cast. My Reputation is so well done and it’s a wonderful film to watch during the holidays.

Backstory: Made in 1944, the movie wasn’t released until 1946. The movie premiered in England to the Armed Forces. My Reputation was the first movie since the production code—enforced in 1934—to feature a double bed in a married couple’s bedroom.

In the Good Old Summertime—1949 Don’t let the title fool you! This musical remake of the Ernst Lubitsch classic, The Shop Around the Corner has several critical scenes that take place during the Christmas holidays and features the song “Merry Christmas.” Veronica Fisher (Judy Garland) and Andrew Larking (Van Johnson) are battling coworkers in a music store owned by Otto Oberkugen (S.Z. Sakall). Unbeknownst to Veronica and Andrew is the fact that they are each other’s secret pen pal. Garland is absolutely charming as Veronica and Johnson is perfect as Andrew. The supporting cast is a film buff’s delight that features the talents of Sakall, Spring Byington, Clinton Sundberg, and Buster Keaton, making his first film at M-G-M since being fired from the studio in 1933.

Backstory: Judy Garland replaced June Alyson who had to drop out of the movie due to pregnancy. Liza Minnelli made her film debut as the child of Veronica and Andrew in the closing shot.

Room for One More—1952 This heartwarming family film was a favorite of my family, especially around Christmastime. The movie stars Cary Grant and Betsy Drake (who were married at the time) as George “Poppy” and Anna Rose, a middle-class family who foster children who eventually become permanent members of their family. Anna is the softy of the two, or so it seems. The Roses have three children of their own, but after visiting an orphanage, Anna feels compelled to help at least one child. Poppy who is reluctant and grumpy about his wife’s willingness to bring strange children into their home, eventually warms up to the idea. Room for One More is a wonderfully entertaining film that demonstrates the importance of family, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

Backstory: The words “under God” are missing from the Pledge of Allegiance the schoolchildren recite because they weren’t added until 1954.

What do you think these of these choices? I would love to hear from you. Merry Christmas!

There are so many great classic movies to watch during the holidays. The above are just a small sampling. For a list of some other classic Christmas movies, click on the links below.

Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2010 Edition
Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2011 Edition

Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2012 Edition

Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2013 Edition

Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies: 2013 Edition

It’s become an annual feature on this blog to write about my favorite classic Christmas movies. In the movies, the Christmas season can be portrayed as incredibly sentimental, sad or tragic. Here are a few classics that use the holiday as a backdrop to the overall narrative. This list includes some of my favorite movies, featuring some of Hollywood’s legendary stars—like they don’t make any more. Enjoy!


Little Women—1933 The definitive version of the Louisa May Alcott novel stars Katharine Hepburn and
Joan Bennett as Jo and Amy March respectively. Set during and after the American Civil War, the story centers around the March sisters and their mother, Marmee. Their lives are turned upside down while Mr. March is away from home, fighting for the Union Army. Surviving without Mr. March is a challenge for Marmee and the girls who are beholden to their rich Aunt March, played by the always enjoyable, Edna May Oliver. During the Christmas season, the girls don’t receive much in the way of gifts, but they share a love and bond that make the spirit of the holiday rich and meaningful. A wonderful film to watch any time of the year, but it really glows around Christmas time. Little Women also features one of Hepburn’s best performances. Other standouts in the cast include, Bennett, Frances Dee as Meg, Jean Parker as the doomed Beth, Spring Byington as Marmee, and Paul Lukas as Professor Bhaer.

Backstory: Little Women has been remade several times for television and for theatrical release. After the 1933 version, the 1949 Little Women with June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Margaret O’Brien, Elizabeth Taylor, and Janet Leigh is worth watching too. Filmed in glorious M-G-M Technicolor, it looks like a Christmas postcard.

Ching-Ching on Christmas morning 

Stowaway—1936 This popular Shirley Temple vehicle was considered one of her best when released. Temple plays Barbara “Ching-Ching” Stewart, an orphan living in China. While in Shanghai, Ching-Ching becomes a stowaway on the same ship as Tommy Randall (Robert Young), a rich playboy traveling around the world by luxury liner. Also on board is Susan Parker (Alice Faye), the traveling companion to Mrs. Hope, the mother of Susan’s ex-fiance. Of course Tommy and Susan fall in love and adopt little Ching-Ching. Along the way there are some nice tunes for Temple and Fay to sing, including “Goodnight My Love” and “That’s What I Want for Christmas.” The latter is sung during the last few minutes of the movie as the new family celebrates the Christmas holiday together for the very first time. The song, along with the film, was enormously popular. As Temple movies go, this is one of my favorites. Young and Faye have a warm and realistic chemistry on screen and the film includes the wonderful Arthur Treacher, part of the “Shirley Temple Stock Company.” If you’ve never seen a Temple film before, this is a good one to watch as a primer.

Backstory: The New York Times reviewer thought Stowaway was Temple’s best film since Little Miss Marker (1934). Temple followed up this hit with two blockbusters in 1937:  Wee Willie Winkie directed by John Ford and Heidi directed by Allan Dwan.

Carole Lombard, Cary Grant, and Kay Francis make up
the triangle In Name Only.

In Name Only—1939 This movie melodramatic stars popular screwball comedy icons Carole Lombard and Cary Grant. Kay Francis also stars as Grant’s wife, more interested in money and position than love. Grant plays Alec Walker, a rich businessman from a well-respected family. Discouraged and despondent over his loveless marriage to Maida (Francis), Alec’s spirits are temporarily lifted when he runs into Julie Eden (Lombard) and her young daughter, Ellen (an unbilled Peggy Ann Garner). Julie is a widow and a commercial artist in New York City. Alec and Julie meet by accident, and develop a friendship that quickly turns into love. Julie realizing there is no future with a married man tries to break things off, but Alec is persistent. Maida has so manipulated Alec’s parents that they cannot see her deception. They take her side against their own son and look down their noses at Julie. When Maida refuses to give Alec a divorce, all seems lost. On Christmas Eve, Alec gets himself good and drunk and he ends up sick with pneumonia (thanks to sitting in front of an open window all night). In the hospital, Alec asks for Julie. Julie goes to be by his side, but is shunned by Alec’s parents and their family doctor. At the hospital, Julie confronts Maida. Maida reveals to Julie that she never loved Alec and that she’s holding out for the old man’s money, just as Mr. and Mrs. Walker enter the hospital room and hear their duplicitous daughter-in-law’s scheme. Alec’s parents finally wise to Maida declare that she won’t get a penny of their money. This event frees Alec and Julie to be together, enabling them to share a very Merry Christmas, even if it’s in a hospital room.

Backstory: Kay Francis was one of the biggest movie stars in the world in the early and mid 1930s. At the time this film was released, her career was on a downward spiral. Lombard who knew Francis from her Paramount contract days, offered Francis the plum role of Maida and gave her equal billing with herself and Cary Grant. The New York Times called the film “soap opera par excellence, blessed with a peerless cast.”

Irena (Simone Simon) sings carols in the snow.

The Curse of the Cat People—1944 A Christmas movie you say? Yes, indeed! As a sequel to Cat People, it stands on its own merits as an original work of movie storytelling. The film concerns the story of Amy (Ann Carter), an introverted little girl who spends all her time daydreaming. She conjures up an imaginary friend Irena (Simone Simon), the late first wife of her father (Kent Smith), something that baffles her parents, since Irena’s name has never been mentioned in their house. Amy also befriends Mrs. Farren, (Julia Dean) an elderly woman who is estranged from her own daughter, Barbara (Elizabeth Russell) who is desperate for some emotional connection to her mother. During the Christmas holiday, Amy sees Irena in her backyard in a beautiful gown. As party guests inside Amy’s house are singing carols, Irena sings a carol to Amy in French. Shortly after this event, Irena tells Amy that she is leaving her and she won’t be visiting her again. Distraught by this news and her parents growing frustration with what to do, Amy runs away from home during a snowstorm. She ends up at the home of Mrs. Farren, hoping to find some comfort. She does for a moment until Mrs. Farren drops dead before her. Barbara approaches Amy with murder in her eyes, but suddenly melts when Amy, imagines that Barbara is Irena—calling her “my friend.” Instead of straggling the child, which is what we think is about to happen, Barbara returns the embrace that Amy gives her, her features and body language softening. The Curse of the Cat People is an interesting look at the imaginary life of a child and the parent-child relationship.

Backstory: This was the first film to be directed by Robert Wise (West Side Story, The Sound of Music) who took over for the original director, Gunther von Fritsch. The New York Time’s Bosley Crowther called the film “a rare departure from the ordinary run of horror films [which] emerges as an oddly touching study of the working of a sensitive child’s mind.”

The poster gives you an idea that all is not too, too serious!

Lady on a Train—1945 This interesting mix of film noir and screwball comedy stars a very blond Deanna Durbin as a young women on her way to New York during the Christmas holiday. Traveling to Grand Central Station, debutante Nikki Collins (Durbin) witnesses a murder from her train car window. When the police ignore her story as the tale of someone with an overactive imagination, Nikki solicits the help of mystery novelist Wayne Morgan (David Bruce). Nikki tries to figure out who killed Josiah Waring and why? She suspects Arnold Waring (Dan Duryea), but there’s something odd about Arnold’s cousin, Jonathan Waring (Ralph Bellamy). Of course Deanna gets to sing several songs, including “Give Me a Little Kiss,” and “Night and Day,” while she’s sleuthing. She sings the Christmas hymn “Silent Night” to her father (who is never seen) over the telephone. Durbin sings the carol, reclining on her hotel bed bathed in the most becoming movie star lighting imaginable. As the plot thickens and Nikki gets closer to the truth her own life is in peril. The movie features a supporting cast of film noir and screwball comedy pros, including the aforementioned Duryea and Bellamy, Edward Everett Horton, Elizabeth Patterson, and William Frawley. The film moves along at a clip and balances the serious with the comedy well. A treat for Durbin fans for sure, but it should also please fans of film noir and screwball comedies as well.

Backstory: Deanna Durbin married the French director, Charles David (her third husband). She abandoned her Hollywood career in 1948, married David in 1950 and together they relocated to France where she remained until her death in 2013.

There are so many great classic movies to watch during the holidays. The above are just a small sampling. For a list of some other classic Christmas movies, click on the links below.

Classic Movie Man's Favorite Christmas Movies
Classic Movie Man’s Favorite Christmas Movies: 2011 Edition
Classic Movie Man’s Favorite Christmas Movies: 2012 Edition