|
|
Post by BunnyWhit on Nov 13, 2022 15:21:22 GMT
I think It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947) has become my favorite Christmas movie. I also really love Christmas in Connecticut (1941), Remember the Night (1940), and Meet John Doe (1941). I don't know if everyone considers Meet John Doe to be a Christmas film, but I feel like it's just as much of one as is Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). I've always wondered why of these four "won't miss them" movies, three are Stanwyck films. She was just that good, wasn't she?
|
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Nov 13, 2022 16:17:39 GMT
I think It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947) has become my favorite Christmas movie. I also really love Christmas in Connecticut (1941) , Remember the Night (1940), and Meet John Doe (1941). I don't know if everyone considers Meet John Doe to be a Christmas film, but I feel like it's just as much of one as is Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). I've always wondered why of these four "won't miss them" movies, three are Stanwyck films. She was just that good, wasn't she?
The funny thing is I first "met" Stanwyck as a kid growing up in the 1970s watching her in reruns of the 1960s TV show "The Big Valley," and then started seeing her in old movie later that decade when I began watching them on the local channels on the weekends/late at night. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2022 18:37:58 GMT
I think It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947) has become my favorite Christmas movie. I also really love Christmas in Connecticut (1941) , Remember the Night (1940), and Meet John Doe (1941). I don't know if everyone considers Meet John Doe to be a Christmas film, but I feel like it's just as much of one as is Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). I've always wondered why of these four "won't miss them" movies, three are Stanwyck films. She was just that good, wasn't she?
The funny thing is I first "met" Stanwyck as a kid growing up in the 1970s watching her in reruns of the 1960s TV show "The Big Valley," and then started seeing her in old movie later that decade when I began watching them on the local channels on the weekends/late at night. |
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Nov 13, 2022 19:06:16 GMT
I agree, Stanwyck was just that good. I've really come to love "Remember the Night."
The funny thing is I first "met" Stanwyck as a kid growing up in the 1970s watching her in reruns of the 1960s TV show "The Big Valley," and then started seeing her in old movie later that decade when I began watching them on the local channels on the weekends/late at night. |
|
|
|
Post by Lilypond on Nov 17, 2022 22:23:35 GMT
topbilled, I love "Christmas Holiday", for the off-beat casting of Gene Kelly in that kind of part! To me, he can have a kind of "opaque", inaccessible quality on film, which I think is perfect for this role-- he's very good. And Deanna Durbin's sort of corn-fed 'sweetness' or whatever, that worked really well for her at first, unsuspecting, young wife. Fascinating film with many layers.
I think I first read about it in one of Charles Higham's compulsively readable books, and couldn't wait to see it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Nov 18, 2022 9:14:08 GMT
topbilled, I love "Christmas Holiday", for the off-beat casting of Gene Kelly in that kind of part! To me, he can have a kind of "opaque", inaccessible quality on film, which I think is perfect for this role-- he's very good. And Deanna Durbin's sort of corn-fed 'sweetness' or whatever, that worked really well for her at first, unsuspecting, young wife. Fascinating film with many layers. I think I first read about it in one of Charles Higham's compulsively readable books, and couldn't wait to see it.
I thought Kelly did a very good job, but that role feels tailor made for John Garfield.
Durban, as you note, had the right "sweetness" or innocence as she misses a bunch of red flags.
1949's "Mr. Soft Touch" is another "not traditional" Christmas movie that works in a bunch of ways. |
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Nov 30, 2022 14:06:10 GMT
topbilled, I love "Christmas Holiday", for the off-beat casting of Gene Kelly in that kind of part! To me, he can have a kind of "opaque", inaccessible quality on film, which I think is perfect for this role-- he's very good. And Deanna Durbin's sort of corn-fed 'sweetness' or whatever, that worked really well for her at first, unsuspecting, young wife. Fascinating film with many layers. I think I first read about it in one of Charles Higham's compulsively readable books, and couldn't wait to see it. |
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Nov 30, 2022 14:07:33 GMT
topbilled, I love "Christmas Holiday", for the off-beat casting of Gene Kelly in that kind of part! To me, he can have a kind of "opaque", inaccessible quality on film, which I think is perfect for this role-- he's very good. And Deanna Durbin's sort of corn-fed 'sweetness' or whatever, that worked really well for her at first, unsuspecting, young wife. Fascinating film with many layers. I think I first read about it in one of Charles Higham's compulsively readable books, and couldn't wait to see it.
I thought Kelly did a very good job, but that role feels tailor made for John Garfield.
Durban, as you note, had the right "sweetness" or innocence as she misses a bunch of red flags.
1949's "Mr. Soft Touch" is another "not traditional" Christmas movie that works in a bunch of ways.
|
|
|
|
Post by BingFan on Nov 30, 2022 21:28:44 GMT
I thought Kelly did a very good job, but that role feels tailor made for John Garfield.
Durban, as you note, had the right "sweetness" or innocence as she misses a bunch of red flags.
1949's "Mr. Soft Touch" is another "not traditional" Christmas movie that works in a bunch of ways.
The movie has a great cast: in addition to Durbin, there are Edward Everett Horton, Ralph Bellamy, Dan Duryea, David Bruce (not someone I’d noticed before, but very funny here), George Coulouris, Allen Jenkins, William Frawley, Samuel S. Hinds, and Elizabeth Patterson, among others.
TCM occasionally shows Lady on a Train during the Christmas season. I don’t know if it’s coming up in the next month, but if it is, it’s worth watching. |
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Nov 30, 2022 21:58:37 GMT
I thought Kelly did a very good job, but that role feels tailor made for John Garfield.
Durban, as you note, had the right "sweetness" or innocence as she misses a bunLady on a Trainch of red flags.
1949's "Mr. Soft Touch" is another "not traditional" Christmas movie that works in a bunch of ways.
The movie has a great cast: in addition to Durbin, there are Edward Everett Horton, Ralph Bellamy, Dan Duryea, David Bruce (not someone I’d noticed before, but very funny here), George Coulouris, Allen Jenkins, William Frawley, Samuel S. Hinds, and Elizabeth Patterson, among others.
TCM occasionally shows Lady on a Train during the Christmas season. I don’t know if it’s coming up in the next month, but if it is, it’s worth watching.
Plus, how many even Hollywood stars can pull off a hat like this:
|
|
|
|
Post by BingFan on Dec 1, 2022 0:16:13 GMT
Your mention of Deanna’s hat makes me think of her hairdos in this movie — namely, that they change frequently throughout, even to the point of her having two hairdos within the same scene. (At least it seems that way.) The ridiculous number of hairdos seems to be part of the overall merry mood of the film.
|
|
|
|
Post by BingFan on Dec 2, 2022 2:48:19 GMT
For anyone interested in seeing Lady on a Train, TCM is showing it on the night of Dec. 22 at 2:15am (so it’s actually early on the morning of Dec. 23).
For what it’s worth, the weeklong Christmas marathon is featuring some outstanding movies — at least, ones that I love. For example, right before Lady on a Train is Fitzwilly, a very funny heist movie starring Dick Van Dyke as a butler with an ingenious, if not entirely law-abiding, way of supporting his formerly wealthy employer, played by Edith Evans.
|
|
|
|
Post by cmovieviewer on Dec 2, 2022 18:58:09 GMT
This is a different take on things, but I made a list of films that have been shown on TCM repeatedly in the past during the holidays, but this year are not being shown: Ben-Hur (1959) - shown in December every year since 2013. Was recently shown back in October. Bush Christmas (1947) - Australian film, shown 12 times during December since 2007. The Cheaters (1945) - shown in December in 2020 and 2021 Good Sam (1948) - shown in December in 2020 and 2021 A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas! (2011) - Christmas movie documentary, shown every year since 2011.
If you like tradition, the good news is that most of the usual TCM Christmas films are still being shown this year.
And here are some additions to the TCM holiday film list (not shown in December last year). Some you might find unusual: And So They Were Married (1936) Babes in Toyland (1934) Blast of Silence (1961) Curse of the Cat People (1944) The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) Juliet of the Spirits (1965) King of Kings (1927) Roadblock (1951) The Rocking Horse Winner (1949) The Song of Bernadette (1945)
There were no TCM premieres added for the Christmas marathon this year, but that is typical. |
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Dec 2, 2022 19:11:31 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by cmovieviewer on Dec 3, 2022 19:52:55 GMT
My list of Christmas favorites that should be on TCM but aren’t, and where they can be seen in the immediate future (ET):
White Christmas (1954) AMC - 12-4 11:30 pm, 12-9 2:45 pm, 12-10 2:30 am, 12-18 11:45 am
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) AMC - 12-11 2:30 pm, 12-12 1:15 am
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) USA - 12-15 8 pm, 12-15 11 pm, BRAVO 12-17 8 pm, 12-17 11 pm
Of course, you have to be prepared to endure many, many commercials.
White Christmas (1954) is also streaming on Netflix if you have a subscription.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) is streaming on Amazon, Peacock, and Disney+ if you have a subscription.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) is streaming on Amazon if you have a subscription.
Hopefully you have a recording or a copy on DVD / blu-ray to watch whenever you want.
|
|
