Christmas Movies Yet to See

 

There are some classic films I have yet to see and I need to see them, not want…need. So, without further adieu, here are my 3…

1. THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER-1940

This classic film has always evaded me and is not shown on TV plus I don’t have TCM so I never had a chance to see this famous film with my favourite actor, Jimmy Stewart. This is the original film remade as a musical starring Judy Garland, called “In The Good Ole Summertime” and “You’ve Got Mail” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It’s about 2 sales people working in a shop who dislike each other but, secretly, are writing to each other. They decide to meet but before that happens he finds out she is the gal he has been writing to. He decides to keep this a secret and it goes from there. It’s considered one of the best romantic comedies and one I have to see.

2.  REMEMBER THE NIGHT-1940

Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray star in this romantic comedy about a woman caught stealing who is brought to court and must deal with the prosecutor, played by Fred MacMurray. When he hears her lament being in jail for Christmas, he feels pity on her so he takes her under his wing and takes her with him to visit his family for Christmas. I never really heard about this film except in the last few years so it s one I’d love to see.

3. CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT-1945

This is a famous Christmas film that I have yet to see. I did see the remake with Dyan Cannon and it was ok but, I know this original would be far superior. Barbara Stanwyck plays a Martha Stewart type who is trapped to show her beautiful home in Connecticut baking away. She is trapped because she has no home there nor can she cook or sew or do anything she is famous for. Now she must find a home, a husband and a baby to play her family. One day, I will see this…

So, which Christmas films have you yet to see?

Colour Me Christmas

 

Monday Music Moves Me  has a fun Christmas topic which is all about colour. Cathy at Curious as A Cathy has a fun one and here are my 3...

1. DANCE OF THE SUGAR PLUM FAIRY BY TSCHAIKOVSKY

I chose, out of a million versions, this one conducted by the Master, Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. He is great and I love this version. It fits the theme because plum is a colour.

2. SILVER BELLS SUNG BY BOB HOPE & MARILYN MAXWELL-1950

This famous song, originated in the film, " The Lemon Drop Kid" and became a standard for Bob Hope on his many Christmas specials. He sings this with Marilyn Maxwell often referred to as Mrs  Bob Hope because they had a lengthy love affair. 

3. RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER SUNG BY BURL IVES-1964

 

I had to choose this version because it's from 1964 and this famous TV special with the puppets. I love it and what an effing shame they get rid of songs because they are called misfits. WTF!? Hey, I wad a misfit and I was bullied...bullying happens even today. It is what it is..get over it. Ok, My rant for today. I will do my Oscar one next week even though I doubt anyone will read it:)

 Merry Christmas!

Who should have won Best Actor-1946

 

This is, actually, a big year when it comes to Best Actor because I could choose quite a few who were not nominated. There were a lot of great films from, “My Darling Clementine”, “Notorious”, “Caesar and Cleopatra” to “Brief Encounter” and “La Belle Et La Bette”. I am going to let you know who won, whom, I think should have won and another, not nominated but deserved to be, again, in my humble opinion. 

1. FREDERIC MARCH IN THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES

Frederic March gives one of his best performances in this excellent film about 3 men who come back from the war and must now deal with their normal lives and their loved ones that surround them. March plays a Banker who loves his wife and kids but feels distant and not sure how to get back into life. I love this film which really is one of the first films to discuss the issues that servicemen dealt with, mainly battle fatigue or what we call PTSD now. We have the happily married March, married to the Lovely Myrna Loy, who feels distant and is trying hard not to isolate her and his family. His war time buddy, Dana Andrews, is the most affected by the battles he was in and comes home to his sleazy wife. Finally we have the very sweet, Harold Russell, a real life war veteran who lost both arms and must now rely on people helping him put on his “arms” as well as helping him dress etc.. Russell won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and a special Oscar for the heroic nature that he represented. It is superlative and March is great but I think it should have gone to another who was nominated.

2. JAMES STEWART IN ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE

Yes, I might be biased, but I feel James Stewart should have won the best actor award even though Frederic March did give a great performance but Jimmy was better. He had to age from someone much younger than he was to the middle aged man by the end of the film. He had to show his disgruntled feelings about the town and his life but still make him likeable. He can’t show fear but still must be vulnerable plus be funny and romantic. We get used to this film because it is shown every year, that we forget how great an acting performance Stewart brings to this role. Stewart has one of his best romantic moments in this film when he is on the phone with his friend while Mary listens with Stewart. Anyone else would have made this scene funny for the wrong reasons, but not Stewart or Donna Reed for that matter. When Stewart prays, it was done in one shot and he was not supposed to cry but Stewart was overcome with emotion, I think, partly due to the fact that he was dealing with PTSD. This was his first film after coming back from the war( where he was quite heroic might I add) and he had a hard time dealing with  his war experiences. This scene and the scene when he destroys his work area at home, best shows Stewart’s real vulnerable side. It is best seen in black and white so you get the full effect of this movie including the noirish look when no one knows who he is in the alternate reality. The shadows on his face, when he leaves his mom’s house, has almost a hint of horror all played with shadows and Stewart’s acting. He deserved the win.

3. JOHN GARFIELD IN THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE

John Garfield was not even nominated for his great role in this noir film that also stars Lana Turner as the scheming gal, married to a nice old man who hooks up with a drifter, played by Garfield. Garfield is not even that bad but falls for the charms of sexy Lana and they just can’t keep their paws off one another. They decide to kill off her husband so they can be together but nothing ever goes smoothly. Guilt comes into play and Garfield is a killer but you can’t help but feel bad for him. He was used to playing roles where he was a bad guy or an angry guy but this role seemed to bring out more nuances to his performance and he should have been nominated over Gregory Peck who was nominated for “The Yearling”. I love Gregory Peck, more than Garfield, but Garfield deserved the accolades for his role in this film. I need to see this gem again. 

So do you agree or roll your eyes or simply choose someone else. What are your thoughts?

Some More Christmas

 

Look how my Lexi has grown!  This will be her first Christmas and she is not lowed near the tree or my village and Nativity scene. She will be a handful! I am going to share 3 more albums that I have grown up with and I still play every Christmas. It makes me think of times past when my mom and dad were here and my dad couldn’t wait to listen to the Christmas records. So here are 3 I love…

1. ALL AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE-1959

This is from Coca Cola and it had to be played every year and I enjoyed listening to this one. We had the turntable where you placed 5 albums one on top of another and one would play through, finish, the needle and handle would move out of the way and the next album would drop down. We never thought tht the album would get damaged…we just thought it was inventive.

2. WEIHNACHTEN AUF HOHER SEE WITH FREDDY-1963

Yes, a German Christmas album, big surprise…lol. This Freddy has a really nice singing voice and it was my Uncle Harry’s favourite album because it is a tribute to all the sailers at sea. My uncle was in the navy during WW2 ( and no, he was not a Nazi, he was a sailor. When his best friend was shot dead by a higher up for being late after getting married, my uncle joined the German Resistance movement and, along with my mom, set dynamite to bridges to stop the German army from advancing. He always loved anything bout the sea. My favourite part is hearing Merry Christmas in many languages, on this album.

3. HARRY SIMONE CHOIR, OH BAMBINO-1964

I couldn’t find the whole album so I chose 3 songs that I love from this album especially O Bambino…one of my all time favourites. The album we have is from 1964, the year I was born.

I’m joining in with Monday Music Moves Me which is a freebie week. 

Reindeer…How Can You Not Love Them!

 

I’ve been sick for 3 weeks and gave it to my sweet hubby. I have been off my game in so many ways. I want to thank all of you for commenting on my blog. I’ve been reading them but have replied and I do apologize. I’m talking about Reindeers this week and wanted to stay clear of animated films even though I love Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer. I’m going to stop and jump right into the films.

1. PRANCER-1989

This is an enchanting, sweet story about a little girl who beats to her own drummer and is full of Christmas cheer. What she truly wishes is for her dad to show some warmth to her but, since his wife died, he has a hard time to show love to his kids. When she finds a reindeer wounded by a gun, she hides him in the barn and nurses him back to health believing he is Prancer. Antics ensue as the reindeer gets better and begins to look for food outside and inside the home. When he is found out by the dad( played so well by Sam Elliott), the dad sells the reindeer to the local salesman selling Christmas trees. The daughter wants to free the reindeer but gets hurt instead and loses her love of Christmas but the people she touched have found their Christmas cheer. It’s such a sweet movie and just so nice to watch.

2. THE SANTA CLAUSE 2-2002

This is the sequel to the hit, “The Santa Clause,”  which stars Tim Allen as Santa who finds out he must find Mrs. Claus or lose his  position as Santa. He comes up with the brilliant idea of having a fake, mechanical Santa fill in at the North Pole while he goes in search of Mrs. Claus. He must also visit his son who is on the naughty list and find out that the F happened. When he meets his kid’s principal, he realizes he has found his Mrs. Claus. It is a funny flick and I got a kick out of the reindeer, I think it’s Prancer but you can correct me if I’m wrong,  who is to watch of Santa but gets into the candy and sugar and becomes one fat reindeer. When the Mechanical Santa thinks he the next Tsar, it’s up the the Easter Bunny, Mother Nature and the Tooth Fairy to get the real Santa back to the North Pole since Prancer is too fat and sick to carry him. It’s not as good as the first film but it’s still fun and enjoyable.

3. PRANCER: A CHRISTMAS TALE-2022

I love James Cromwell so I had to watch this movie about a young girl and her grandfather who meet up with a reindeer and try to get him back to Santa before he is meat on a table. You also have James Cromwell trying to be free of the nasty old folks home. It’s a nice movie but nothing like the original film but I might see it again. 

What reindeer movies have you seen?

What Makes Me Think of Christmas

 

The Advent wreath, hung from the ceiling 4 Sundays before Christmas, always made me think of Christmas. My mom always made the Advent wreath and she showed me how to make one. It’s not Christmas unless this is up but, I have to admit, I don’t light the candles because I’m terrified of a fire although I have lit it in the past. This was when we would start playing Christmas music which made my dad tickled pink. He always said, “If Christmas is just for kids, then I’m the biggest kid of all.” He’s right because Christmas is about giving, being with family and friends, enjoying the peace and serenity it should bring. We now look at it that it’s for kids and what they get, let them rip up all the paper and ask for more…disgusting in my book. My mom would let us write a Christmas list of what we would like but we would go out and shop for others and get excited about getting a gift for others. We would make things and enjoy listening to the stories of Christmasses’ past. Now, check out Curious As A Cathy to hear what others think of when Christmas comes round the corner. I always love playing certain albums that must be played first and here they are…

1. THE NUTCRACKER SUITE CONDUCTED BY EUGENE ORMANDY-1972

I love the Nutcracker Suite and have this version conducted by the great Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. I only have it in tape cassette and played it so often that it needs to be replaced. I must go on the hunt for the version I have in CD. It’s the full version so, if you like to play this while baking cookies, reading or working, be my guest.

2. JOY TO THE WORLD CONDUCTED BY ANDRE KOSTELANETZ-1959

Mom told me that this was her and Daddy’s first Christmas album they bought together back in 1959, their first Christmas together. It sounds romantic….mom had everything decorated, she had Rouladen ready to serve Christmas Eve but my dad was not home. He was used to visiting the relatives who would give him a shot of whiskey or 3. When he came home, after midnight, drunker than a skunk( yeah, yeah, before anyone ever spoke about drinking and driving), my mom just about dropped the Rouladen onto his head. She told him..”Never Again!” My dad never, ever did that again and loved Christmas. He always said that mom brought Christmas to him and he was so thankful. 

3. CHRISTMAS IN GERMANY -1958

Mom bought this album in Toronto and it was another album that I have to play on the first of Advent. It’s 66 years old but it just means Christmas to me. I love the church bells, the beauty of all the voices including that deep baritone. I’m not religious but this music just feels holy to me. 

I hope you enjoyed the listen even if it was just one song or 2 rather than the whole albums.

Star Of The Month- December

 

IRENE DUNNE

BORN: Dec. 20,1898   Not 1901 or 1904

DIED: Sept. 4, 1990

AGED: 91 years

DIED FROM: Congestive Heart Failure

REAL NAME: Irene Dunn ..yeah, she just added the E

NICKNAME: The First Lady of Hollywood, “Missy”

MARRIED: once to Francis Griffin until his death in 1965

AFFAIRS: Before she married, she had a relationship with Fritz Ernst

CHILDREN: 1 daughter, adopted

OSCAR WINS: None! Considered one of the worst oversights in Oscar history

OSCAR NOMINATIONS: 5 times- “Cimarron”, “Theodora Goes Wild”, “The Awful Truth”, “Love Affair”, “I Remember Mama”

TALENT: beautiful operatic voice, playing golf

KNOWN FOR: her comedic skills, her graciousness and openness to everyone on set; always on the best dressed list. She loved Jean Louis and would order outfits from him.

Irene Dunne was the quintessential lady of the silver screen who could act in anything she was given from Drama and Romance to comedy in which she excelled at. She was not a typical comedienne  because she always kept her ladylike demeanour, but she could make you laugh just the same. One of her favourite leading men was Cary Grant and he, equally, loved working with her. He considered her the best in comedic timing. She was also held in high esteem by Charles Boyer, whom she starred with in her favourite film, “Love Affair”. She loved her dad, who died when she was only 12 years old but she kept all his letters and notes. Her favourite quote that her dad told her, before he died was, “Happiness is never an accident. It is the prize we get when we choose wisely from life’s great stores.” She was always gracious and approachable to everyone on the film set. She did have to rebuff repeated advances from Spencer Tracy when they were working on the film,”A Guy Named Joe”. She was good friends with Carole Lombard so when she died in a plane crash, Dunne was given the honour to christen a ship the SS Carole Lombard with Clark Gable( Lombard’s Widower) behind Dunne.

She was a life long Republican who campaigned for Eisenhower to be in office and she also campaigned for Ronald Reagan but she always said she is not an extremist and would never have campaigned for Goldwater. Her friends were Loretta Young, Bob Hope, James Stewart, Roddy McDowell and Charles Boyer. Eisenhower appointed her as a delegate for the United Nations. She also lent herself to many causes giving her time and money to many causes and hospitals. In fact, there is a bust of her at the St. John’s Hospital and Health Clinic for all the contributions she did for that hospital. 

She loved her husband, her child, her later work with charities and her acting. She loved singing and keeping her life private. She seemed to be a wonderful person.

FILMS

1. Cimarron-1931

2. The Great Lover- 1931

3. Backstreet-1932

4. Roberta-1935

5. Magnificent Obsession-1935

6. Show Boat-1936

7.  Theodora Goes Wild-1936

8. The Awful Truth-1937

9. Love Affair-1937

10. My Favourite Wife-1940

11. Penny Serenade-1941. I love this movie

12. A Guy Named Joe-1943

13. White Cliffs of Dover-1944

14. Anna And The King of Siam-1946

15. Life With Father-1947

16. I Remember Mama-1948