Best Holiday Season/Winter Movies (All Genres, All Eras)
Take it from someone who's seen hundreds of holiday movies.
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- DirectorLeedham BantockStarsSeymour HicksWilliam LuggLeedham BantockMiserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley, who tries to help him change his selfish ways and redeem his soul by showing him how much his greed has cost him and will continue to cost him if he doesn't atone. An early silent adaptation of the classic story, this version differs from others in that Marley also acts as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.This is the best silent adaption of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
The ghost haunting parts are short, but the important parts before and after Scrooge meets the ghosts are there. So it focuses on the heart of the story.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorEdward F. ClineBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonEdward F. ClineLuke the DogTwo inventive farmhands compete for the hand of the same girl.The Farmhand pretends to be a scarecrow to hide from a guy who's chasing him. A good short to watch during autumn/Thanksgiving.
Studio: Metro Pictures - DirectorErnst LubitschStarsPola NegriVictor JansonPaul HeidemannA charismatic lieutenant newly assigned to a remote fort is captured by a group of mountain bandits, thus setting in motion a madcap farce that is Lubitsch at his most unrestrained.Not a holiday movie, but it's an Expressionist romance movie that takes place during winter. It's set in a snowy mountainscape and features lovers sledding and snowball fighting. Fun winter hijinks.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorGuido BrignoneStarsBartolomeo PaganoUmberto GuarracinoMario SaioThe devil takes Maciste down to hell in an attempt to corrupt and ruin his morality.I can safely say that this is the weirdest 'holiday' movie on the list. It's an Expressionist thriller and most of it takes place in Pluto (the Roman underworld), where our hero has been dragged. All sorts of crazy things happen in Pluto and the special effects are really unique. It ends happily ever after and celebrate Christmas.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorOtto MessmerFelix saves a girl doll from a dog, and the doll comes to life and falls for Felix. She takes him to Toyland, where he must save her from the designs of the evil Pierrot. As it turns out, though, she's not quite as helpless as she might seem to be.Studio: Sullivan Cartoons
- DirectorTod BrowningStarsLon ChaneyMae BuschMatt MooreA sideshow ventriloquist, a midget, and a strongman form a conspiracy known as "The Unholy Three" and commit a series of robberies.Holiday movies hadn't been invented yet, but holiday novels had, so it's interesting to see this first attempt at putting the holiday spirit into a film. (Well, this and The Gold Rush, which came out at the same time.) It's not quite what we think of as a holiday movie, because it's deeply depressing at times, but it's also touching. The ending is bittersweet but shows that volunteer work makes people happy and gives them a sense of purpose.
Studio: MGM - DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinMack SwainTom MurrayA prospector goes to the Klondike during the 1890s gold rush in hopes of making his fortune, and is smitten with a girl he sees in a dance hall.This is a holiday movie that takes place during New Year's Eve. It's considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time, and rightfully so.
There are two versions of this movie - the silent movie and a talkie where Charlie Chaplin narrates it as if he's reading a fairytale story. Chaplin himself wrote the music score for the talkie version, and the score was nominated for an Oscar. The Criterion-WB DVD/Blu-Ray release of Gold Rush has an orchestra reproducing Chaplin's music score in the silent version of the movie.
The main difference between the two versions is that the talkie version slightly changes two of the romance scenes. Since there aren't a lot of romance scenes, those are pretty notable changes that affect the movie.
I prefer the talkie version, because it gives the love-interest, Georgia, the ability to stand up for herself. (Slight spoilers ahead.) She smacks her then-boyfriend for treating her disrespectfully, effective breaking up with him. In the silent version, she takes it back by apologizing the next day. The point is that she knows she needs to apologize for something she did to The Little Fellow (Charlie Chaplin's character) so she tries to apologize to her boyfriend to get that sick feeling of guilt off of her chest. But it's not as satisfying as seeing her stand up to her boyfriend and mean it.
The silent movie ends with kind of a long and sexy kiss (by old movie standards) that happens in an amusing way. The talkie version ends with a hand hold, which is pretty cheesy. But it does seem more fitting that the innocent Little Fellow would take his time to get to know a gal before kissing her.
Diversity: Charlie Chaplin was Romani in real life.
Studio: United Artists - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJune TrippIvor NovelloMarie AultA landlady suspects that her new lodger is the madman killing women in London.Not a holiday movie, but it's an Expressionist thriller movie that takes place during winter. It has a happy ending.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorOtto MessmerFelix the Cat stays out late celebrating New Year's Eve and gets extremely drunk.A trippy New Year's episode of Felix the Cat.
Studio: Sullivan Cartoons - DirectorJames W. HorneLeo McCareyStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyJames FinlaysonOllie and Stanley are two Christmas Tree sales reps who get into one of their usual mutual-destruction fights with a disgruntled homeowner.A holiday-themed comedy short.
Studio: MGM - DirectorRudolf IsingStarsMarcellite GarnerRudolf IsingThe King's MenTwo courting hillbilly dogs go to the big barn dance.At the hoedown, they dance to "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain," which is typically seen as a Thanksgiving song.
Studio: Schlesinger Studios & WB - DirectorHarry BaileyMannie DavisJohn FosterOscar the mouse invites his girl friend to the toy store where they have to outwit a cat.This takes place in a toy store so it's a good short to watch during the holidays.
Studio: Van Beuren Studios & RKO - DirectorTed EshbaughA young Eskimo and his animal friends build a snow man, only for it to come to life and terrorize the local wildlife.A cute short where a kid brings a snowman to life and it turns into a Yeti that must be stopped.
This is one of the few positive portrayals of people of color in pre-1960s cartoons.
Diversity: Inuit lead character
Studio: Eshbaugh Studios - DirectorMannie DavisJohn FosterStarsMargie HinesAs two feline sweethearts sail along Moonlight Bay, the moon invites them up for a visit. They discover the moon is not made of green cheese, as is rumored, but is actually a land of candy, ice cream and cake.Not a holiday cartoon, but it's works as holiday programming because it's about sweets. A couple goes on a date to a candy land and there's candy canes galore.
Studio: Van Beuren Studios & RKO - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsLionel AtwillFay WrayGlenda FarrellThe disappearance of people and corpses leads a reporter to a wax museum and a sinister sculptor.This monster movie technically takes place during New Year's.
I'm not quite sure why, but I'm guessing that's to be ironic since people back in the city are in a celebratory mood. But there you go - a holiday horror movie.
This is the first 'murders at the wax museum' type of movie. It's very NSFW. It has a happy ending though.
Studio: WB - DirectorGeorge CukorStarsKatharine HepburnJoan BennettPaul LukasA chronicle of the lives of sisters growing up in 19th-century New England.This movie is based on the classic novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
Bonus - Katharine Hepburn in drag.
Studio: RKO - DirectorDavid ButlerStarsShirley TempleJames DunnJane DarwellAn orphaned girl is taken in by a snobbish family at the insistence of their rich, crotchety uncle, even as her devoted aviator godfather fights for custody.This is a romantic comedy that takes place during the holiday season.
The main plot is that a family of mean rich people are temporarily taking care of Shirley Blake (Shirley Temple) but they treat their bratty daughter like a queen and Shirley like an unwanted maid. This is kind of gloomy for a movie that has a lot of fun parts.
My biggest issue is that the movie ends on a sour note. The mean rich woman gives her mean and spoiled daughter a smack, meaning she's going to start being disciplined and will be forced to become a better person. I guess this meanie getting slapped was funny in the 30s, but this ending just makes me feel indifferent instead of happy that Shirley escaped their clutches. It might even make you feel kind of bad for the mean girl.
There are some attempts at comedy in this movie, and they might have been funny in the 30s, but they fall flat now. However, Shirley Temple is funny and cute, and that makes the movie enjoyable enough to watch. Bonus - her dog in the movie is the dog who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorUb IwerksShamus CulhaneAl EugsterA young grizzly bear, undaunted by his mother's warnings of the coming winter, runs away from home only to be confronted by Old Man Winter himself.Studio: Celebrity Productions
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyMaureen O'SullivanFormer detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it.This is an adaption of The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett.
Not a holiday movie, but this is a film noir comedy that takes place during Christmas. It features a very drunken Christmas party.
Unlike most film noir, this one is more of a romantic comedy, because a lot of it is lighthearted back-and-forths between the detective and his sassy wife with whom he discusses the murder case. And it has a happy ending.
And the best part is that it has Cesar Julio Romero (the first Joker from the Batman franchise)!! (He plays a white guy named Chris Jorgenson.)
The sequel is After the Thin Man (1936).
Diversity: Hispanic actor (as a white character) as a supporting character (friend)
Studio: MGM - DirectorGus MeinsCharley RogersStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyVirginia KarnsOpposing the evil Barnaby, Ollie Dee and Stanley Dum try and fail to pay-off Mother Peep's mortgage and mislead his attempts to marry Little Bo. Enraged, Barnaby's Bogeymen are set on Toyland.This airs on CW every Thanksgiving morning, and has since the 1960s. This is often considered to be the first ever children's movie. That's kind of surprising to me, since it's mainly a love story, but it's definitely imaginative and full of songs.
Bonus - Stan Laurel in drag.
Studio: MGM - DirectorCharley RogersStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyMae BuschA gruff sea captain, who absolutely detests the word "ghost," is having trouble manning his ship because of the rumor it's...well...haunted. He inveigles Stanley and Oliver into helping him shanghai a crew from the sailors at a dockside bar. The comic duo accomplish this by using one of the funniest devices ever put into a movie, and of course it all goes wrong. Once aboard, the captain warns them that whoever says the word "ghost" will get his head twisted from north to south. After much time at sea and many port stops later, one of the drunken sailors falls into a trough of whitewash, terrorizing Stanley and Oliver into blurting out "ghost" in front of the enraged captain, which brings about the story's Laurel and Hardy trademark "another fine mess" ending.This airs on CW every Thanksgiving morning. It comes on after March of the Wooden Soldiers, to fill up the full time slot. There's nothing holiday-related in this comedy short, but it's hilarious and part of the holiday tradition.
Studio: MGM - DirectorGeorge Nicholls Jr.StarsAnne ShirleyTom BrownO.P. HeggieA romantic teenage girl is adopted by a pair of elderly siblings in turn-of-the-century Canada.This movie is based on the classic novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Although this adaption doesn't have any Christmas scenes, there's a love scene out in the snow.
Its sequel is Anne of Windy Poplars (1940).
Diversity: Anne and Diana in the novels are generally interpreted as bisexual. The 1934 movie isn't Sapphic, but, hey, the source material is so feel free to ship them.
Studio: RKO - DirectorRudolf IsingStarsBilly BletcherBeatrice HagenGeneva HallMrs. Mouse is reading "A Visit from St. Nicholas" to her brood when a cat tries to break in and have a feast. The cat overhears them arguing about the existence of Santa, so he dresses up accordingly, but his plans go awry.Studio: Harman-Ising Productions & MGM
- DirectorBen SharpsteenStarsPinto ColvigWalt DisneyMarcellite GarnerMickey and friends have various levels of enjoyment skating on a frozen river. As Mickey and Minnie glide romantically, Donald plays tricks on Pluto and ends up in trouble himself with a kite, from which Mickey must save him.Not a holiday cartoon, but they ice skate.
Studio: Disney - DirectorDave FleischerSeymour KneitelStarsMae QuestelGus WickeIn their dreams, two poor and hungry tots enter a fantasy kingdom where there are more sweets than they can eat. But when they wake...Not a holiday cartoon, but it has a world full of sweets and it's about the joy of giving to those less fortunate.
Studio: Fleischer Studios & Paramount - DirectorUb IwerksShamus CulhaneAl EugsterStarsBilly BletcherSpring is coming, but Old Man Winter isn't ready to retire for the year.The nature spirits of spring fight off Old Man Winter.
Studio: Celebrity Productions - DirectorArthur DavisElves, moved by a cobbler's generosity, work extra hard to help him with his work.Warning:
Racial stereotypes? - The Black elves spit on the door. I assume that's some kind of negative stereotype about Black people having bad manners?
Studio: Mintz Productions & Columbia - DirectorHenry EdwardsStarsSeymour HicksDonald CalthropRobert CochranEbenezer Scrooge is a mean old miser who wants nothing to do with Christmas. The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve, taking him on a journey into the very spirit and magic of Christmas itself.This is an adaption of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Diversity: disabled supporting character
Studio: indie movie - DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsShirley TempleRobert YoungAlice FayeA young girl lost in Shanghai is taken in by an American playboy and his girlfriend.This is a musical romance movie that takes place during Christmas. The reason I didn't give it a 10 is because the romantic subplot, which takes up the majority of the movie, is boring and far-fetched.
The lady gets married but gets cold feet and takes him to divorce court. The judge rules that there's insufficient grounds for divorce. Yes, it was difficult to get divorced back then, but it's still cringe to see the court making the decision for the woman.
Other than that, it's a cute movie. Shirley Temple speaks quite a bit of Mandarin in it (she had a Mandarin tutor on set) and in real-life she got to keep Mr. Woo, her Pekingese dog in the movie.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorDave FleischerSeymour KneitelStarsEverett ClarkJack MercerMae QuestelAt an orphanage, the children are sad because they received broken toys as gifts. Professor Grampy sees the children while passing by in his sled and has an idea on how to give them a merry Christmas.Studio: Fleischer Studios & Paramount
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyJames StewartPrivate detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora are back home at last and hoping for a quiet New Year when there is a murder. The obvious suspect is his wife, Nora's cousin, Selma.This is the sequel to The Thin Man 1934. It's a film noir comedy that takes place during New Year's Eve.
Notably, one of the villains, a gangster named Lum Kee, was played by an Asian guy. Asians were rare in old movies. The guy who played Kee was apparently not an actor but a fellow named William Sampson Law, who was a wealthy importer of goods to the West Coast.
Studio: MGM - DirectorArthur DavisSid MarcusStarsBeatrice HagenGertrude LawrenceEthelreda LeopoldA dying girl dreams of a better place in the next life.An adaption of The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen.
This is incredibly depressing, so don't expect a happily ever after. But it's very well done.
Studio: Mintz Productions & Columbia - DirectorAllan DwanStarsShirley TempleJean HersholtArthur TreacherA plucky little orphan girl gets dumped abruptly into her gruff, hermit grandfather's care, then later gets retaken and delivered as a companion for an injured girl.This is a holiday movie based on the classic novel Heidi, by Johanna Louise Spyri. This is my favorite adaption of it because it's fun and funny. Shirley Temple was perfectly cast as a talkative, bouncy Heidi. It helps that Temple naturally looked like a doll, since Heidi becomes a sort of doll for Clara to play with (Heidi is hired to be Clara's roommate and friend, basically.).
Plus, my mom was named after Heidi from this movie. (My grandfather isn't much of a reader, but he loves movies.)
Diversity: disabled supporting character (illness caused by psychological reasons)
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorWilliam CottrellDavid HandWilfred JacksonStarsAdriana CaselottiHarry StockwellLucille La VerneExiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.Despite the name, the movie actually takes place in spring. But it has dwarves living in the Bavarian woods, and what's Christmas without elves, gnomes, and dwarves?
Studio: Disney - DirectorGeorge CukorStarsKatharine HepburnCary GrantDoris NolanA young man in love with a girl from a rich family finds his unorthodox plan to go on holiday for the early years of his life met with skepticism by everyone except for his fiancée's eccentric sister and long-suffering brother.This movie doesn't have a holiday-themed message, but it does take place during Christmas. I think the reason is because that's the reason that the whole family is home at the mansion, instead of traveling or whatever. The movie revolves around a woman who rejects her comfortable lifestyle in order to pursue something real - real dreams and goals, and an honest man (who isn't wealthy).
Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn really save this otherwise bland movie.
Studio: Columbia - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsClaude RainsJohn GarfieldJeffrey LynnA musician is blessed with four musical prodigies, all girls, and cursed when a troubled young composer enters the lives of his Four Daughters.This is an adaption of Sister Act by Fannie Hurst.
It's a film noir that takes place during the holiday season.
It's not too dark but there is a really sad part. The ending is bittersweet but relatively happy. For a movie without the sad part, see Young At Heart (1954), which is based on the same novel.
Despite being a pretty sad movie overall, it was very popular when it came out.
As an aside, Ann makes the ugliest, creepiest, most gigantic gingerbread men that I've ever seen. And she lines them up along the kitchen windowsill, like Voodoo dolls. Seeing what gingerbread men looked like in the 30s alone is worth watching the movie.
Studio: WB - DirectorJohn G. BlystoneHal RoachStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyGrete NatzlerLaurel and Hardy, rat trap salesmen who are unable to do business in Switzerland, having no money to pay for lunch end up working for the hotel where a composer, who has run away from his wife, has taken refuge.Not a holiday movie, but this comedy takes place at a ski lodge in the snowy Swiss Alps.
I will warn you though that there are two scenes where a husband and wife threaten to smack each other. It's played off in a comedic way. Watch the movie and for yourself what you think about that.
Studio: MGM - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsMargaret LockwoodMichael RedgravePaul LukasWhile travelling in continental Europe, a rich young playgirl realizes that an elderly lady seems to have disappeared from the train.Not a holiday movie, but it's a film noir that takes place during winter. The first part of the movie takes place in a crowded ski resort.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorEdwin L. MarinStarsReginald OwenGene LockhartKathleen LockhartAn elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve.This is an adaption of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Diversity: disabled supporting character
Studio: MGM - DirectorLeo McCareyStarsIrene DunneCharles BoyerMaria OuspenskayaA French playboy and an American former nightclub singer fall in love aboard a ship.This is the original 'Let's meet again at this spot exactly one year from now' movie.
It's a romantic drama. An Affair to Remember (1957) is a remake of it, but that one is a romantic dram-edy, so the tone is quite different.
The ending is hopeful but bittersweet.
Diversity: Disabled female lead
Studio: RKO - DirectorWalter LangWilliam A. SeiterStarsShirley TempleRichard GreeneAnita LouiseA little girl is left by her father in an exclusive seminary for girls, when her father fights in the Second Boer War. Later, when he is presumed dead she is forced to become a servant.An adaption of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorUb IwerksStarsJack MatherMel BlancLeone Le DouxA farmer 'hires' two scarecrows to guard his crops against voracious attacks by a flock of crows. During one attack a baby crow falls into the farmer's water well, and the scarecrows save its life. The grateful crows pledge to leave the farmer's cornfield alone in the future, and set about to repair some of the damage they have just done.This cartoon short place in autumn, so it works as Thanksgiving programming.
Studio: Columbia - DirectorDave FleischerDave TendlarStarsMargie HinesBetty Boop and Pudgy, doing the spring planting, are plagued by crows.Betty Boop dresses up as a scarecrow to scare crows away from her farm. A good cartoon to watch during autumn/Thanksgiving.
Studio: Fleischer Studios & Paramount - DirectorGarson KaninStarsGinger RogersDavid NivenCharles CoburnAn unemployed woman discovers an abandoned baby on the steps of an orphanage, and accepts an offer to take responsibility for the child in return for a job.A romantic comedy about a woman who finds an abandoned baby during the holiday season.
Polly doesn't try to find the parents. It's not a movie about that. She just brings it to child services or something and they assume its her baby, so they won't take it. She just unofficially adopts the baby and hijinks ensues.
The humor in this movie can be a bit dark, only because of the sexism of the era. For instance, David Merlin's father thinks his son is the father of the baby, and so Mr. Merlin wants custody of the baby. Since David isn't marrying Polly. Gotta keep the baby in the family. It really does seem like Mr. Martin has the legal grounds to do this.
While there are some products of the era like that in the movie, I'd say the only cringy part is when Freddy invites himself into Polly's apartment even though she keeps telling him that she's calling it a night. David is in her apartment already, babysitting, but he doesn't do or say anything about it. Freddy does panic and leave once he sees David though.
All in all, this is a pretty funny romance movie and it has a happy ending.
Studio: RKO - DirectorVictor FlemingKing VidorStarsJudy GarlandFrank MorganRay BolgerYoung Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.This is an adaption of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
This movie has been rebroadcast on T.V. during Thanksgiving or Christmas since 1959 by various networks. Since 2004, TBS has aired it every Thanksgivng.
The movie doesn't take place during any particular time of the year (it's kind of all 4 seasons at once), but there is a scarecrow in pumpkin patch. The reason it's associated with Thanksgiving is because the moral of the story is to be thankful for what you have and that family and friends are what really matter in the end.
Fun fact - Judy Garland wanted to adopt the dog who played Toto, but her owner didn't accept the offer.
Studio: MGM - DirectorErnst LubitschStarsMargaret SullavanJames StewartFrank MorganTwo employees at a gift shop can barely stand each other, without realizing that they are falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal.This is an adaption of Parfumerie by Miklós László.
This one grew on me. The first couple of times I saw it, I thought it was way too depressing for a holiday movie. But then I got used to the gloomy parts and just expected them in the sequence of events. Then I got to focus on the nice parts.
You might not want to watch it with some family members because a guy almost commits suicide by gun. Someone stops him though.
Jimmy Stewart's acting really saves the movie.
Studio: MGM - DirectorGarson KaninStarsIrene DunneCary GrantRandolph ScottMissing for seven years and presumed dead, a woman returns home on the day of her husband's second marriage.This isn't a holiday movie, it's a romantic comedy that's set in October, but it does end with a discussion about Christmas plans and Cary Grant's character trying on a Santa costume.
Bonus - Cary Grant and Irene Dunne in drag.
Studio: RKO - DirectorMitchell LeisenStarsBarbara StanwyckFred MacMurrayBeulah BondiLove blooms between a sympathetic attorney and the comely shoplifter he has taken home for the Christmas holiday.This is something of a film noir holiday movie. An attorney falls in love with a petty thief from the wrong side of the tracks. It has funny parts but it's also warm and sincere. The thief, Lee, doesn't have any real goals or plans for her life, but spending time with the kindly attorney and his family get her to start to see a new life for herself.
The court case for Lee's recent theft is one of those completely bonkers 40s romantic comedy type of madcap screwball plots. But that's not a bad thing. Romance is the main focus of the movie, after all.
The movie has a relatively happy ending.
I can honestly say that this is the only movie I've seen that has a hoedown as a New Year's Eve party.
Studio: Paramount - DirectorJack HivelyStarsAnne ShirleyJames EllisonHenry TraversAnne Shirley, now betrothed to her childhood sweetheart Gilbert Blythe, takes a teaching position in a prestigious school far from her home on Prince Edward Island. While she is quickly accepted by her host family, the rest of the town, headed by the clannish Pringle family, refuses to accept her, on the orders of the head of the Pringle tribe, Hester Pringle.This is the sequel to Anne of Green Gables (1934). It's based on Anne of Windy Poplars, which is the second book from the Anne of Green Gables book series.
Studio: RKO - DirectorJoseph BarberaWilliam HannaRudolf IsingStarsThe Boswell SistersConnee BoswellMartha BoswellWell, a mouse *is* stirring... And he's having fun playing with the toys, until he mistakes Tom for a stuffed toy and wakes him up.Studio: MGM
- DirectorH. Bruce HumberstoneStarsCesar RomeroVirginia GilmoreMilton BerleRobin Hoodish gangster in 1929 Chicago is an object of affection, kind to New York hood and bad to a bad crook.This is something of a film noir holiday movie, that takes place during Christmas. It revolves around a cocktail lounge owner and his lounge singer adopting a street tough teen. It's cute and funny without being sappy and sentimental. It ends with a happy ending.
There are a few downsides.
The teenager, who is always talking trash, makes a really cringe joke. A Black man working on a train tries to hurry the group along and the kid says, "Keep your shirt on, Uncle Tom." Big yikes. (His guardian puts her hand on his arm to indicate he shouldn't say that, but that's the only reprimand there is.)
A Ukranian guy plays a Hispanic guy named Alfredo Herrera. Spanish accent and all.
The lead actor in the movie is Cuban actor Cesar Julio Romero, but he plays a white (one would assume) guy named Shep Morrison. I'm guessing the main reason is that interracial relationships were illegal in movies at the time, although some movies did it anyway. This movie has an 'interracial relationship' between the lounge manager, Mrs. Sage, and Alfredo Herrera, but, again, Herrera's ACTOR is white. That might be how they got away with it. That, or because we only see Mrs. Sage and Herrera standing next to each other. They aren't shown holding hands or anything like that.
On the upside, Cesar Romero (the first Joker from the Batman franchise)!! Hilariously, in this movie, a gangster says to Shep "I thought we could clown around a little." That line aged well.
Diversity: Hispanic lead actor (but plays a white character)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Warning: Contains brown face. - DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'Not a holiday movie, but part of this film noir takes place during Christmas.
It's considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time. Often THE greatest movie of all time, although Charlie Chaplin's political comedy The Great Dictator (1940) is also often considered to be the greatest. I'd go with The Great Dictator, but Citizen Kane is definitely a masterpiece.
Studio: RKO - DirectorJack KingStarsClarence NashDonald Duck, in a battleship made of ice, goes to war against his three nephews, who fight back from their ice fort.Studio: Disney
- DirectorOrson WellesFred FleckRobert WiseStarsTim HoltJoseph CottenDolores CostelloThe spoiled young heir to the decaying Amberson fortune comes between his widowed mother and the man she has always loved.This is an adaption of The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington. The novel won a Pulitzer and the movie is considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.
It's not a holiday movie, but part of this film noir takes place during Christmas.
Studio: RKO - DirectorJames AlgarSamuel ArmstrongDavid HandStarsHardie AlbrightStan AlexanderBobette AudreyThe story of a young deer growing up in the forest.Not a holiday movie, but it's a musical that takes place throughout all four seasons. It meditatively lets you ruminate on the seasons in nature and the seasons of life.
The climax happens in winter, out in the snow.
An interesting thing about the movie is that the characters themselves don't sing. The songs just come on. It's as if nature itself is sentient and singing.
Studio: Disney - DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsDeanna DurbinGene KellyRichard WhorfA young femme fatale-type woman realizes that the man she married is an incorrigible wastrel.This is an adaption of Christmas Holiday by W. Somerset Maugham,
It's a film noir that takes place during the holiday season. It's dark but it's also romantic, and has a bittersweet and hopeful ending.
Studio: Universal Studios - DirectorWilliam DieterleGeorge CukorStarsGinger RogersJoseph CottenShirley TempleA soldier suffering from combat fatigue meets a young woman on Christmas furlough from prison and their mutual loneliness blossoms into romance.This is something of a film noir holiday movie.
It's definitely not family-friendly, because there's a #MeToo situation in it. (Incredibly bold for that time period. Although, not so progressively, the woman somewhat blames herself for being in the situation in the first place.)
But other than that, this is a sweet love story with two troubled people who are going through a lot and need each other's support.
Studio: United Artists - DirectorShamus CulhaneStarsMel BlancBen HardawayJack MatherWoody Woodpecker goes on a ski vacation at the Swiss Chard Lodge where Wally Walrus is the proprietor.A Christmas-themed short.
Studio: Lantz Productions & Universal - DirectorJohn BrahmStarsLaird CregarMerle OberonGeorge SandersA landlady suspects that her new lodger is Jack the Ripper.Not a holiday movie, but it's a thriller that takes place during winter. It's a remake of The Lodger (1927), which is a silent movie.
The ending isn't really happy or sad; it ends with the cops catching the criminal.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorLeo McCareyStarsBing CrosbyBarry FitzgeraldFrank McHughWhen young Father O'Malley arrives at St. Dominic's, old Father Fitzgibbon doesn't think much of the church's newest member.This holiday movie takes place during Thanksgiving and Christmas, and is about forgiveness, redemption, charity, and not judging a book by its cover.
Its sequel is The Bells of St. Mary's (1945).
Studio: Paramount - DirectorPeter GodfreyStarsBarbara StanwyckDennis MorganSydney GreenstreetA food writer who has lied about being the perfect housewife must try to cover her deception when her boss and a returning war hero invite themselves to her home for a traditional family Christmas.I have really mixed feelings about this holiday romance movie.
There's a scene where a guy chases a woman around a bedroom even though she keeps yelling at him to stop. If I recall correctly, he was trying to get her to admit something. That scene makes me extremely uncomfortable.
But the movie is otherwise great, so it's in my regular holiday movie rotation.
Studio: WB - DirectorHarold YoungStarsLon Chaney Jr.Evelyn AnkersMilburn StoneA stage mentalist involved in a mysterious death and a discredited plastic surgeon are among the assorted characters involved in mysterious goings-on in an eerie wax museum.Not a holiday movie, but it's a monster movie that takes place during winter. It's a fun, casual watch with a happy ending.
Studio: Universal Studios - DirectorCharles DavidStarsDeanna DurbinRalph BellamyDavid BruceIn New York, a woman who partially witnesses a killing from a train window seeks the aid of a crime novelist to solve the murder.Not a holiday movie, but a film noir comedy that takes place during Christmas. It's a parody of film noir so it takes place during the holidays to up the ridiculousness and camp. Basically, Nikki reads a lot of mystery dime novels, so she's sort of a 1940s version of a true crime podcaster. She thinks she knows everything there is to know about catching a crook and sets out to do it. It's a lot of fun.
Studio: Universal Studios - DirectorDon SiegelStarsJ. Carrol NaishDonald WoodsRosina GalliThree cowboys riding across the desert with gifts for no particular recipient see a distant bright light, and find it comes from the Star Auto Court sign where the owners and guests work together to help a young expectant couple.This is a beautiful made-for-T.V. holiday short. It's about the owner of an inn thinking he has a thankless job, which he mostly does, but his guests show him their kind side during Christmas.
Studio: WB
Warning: Contains brown face. - DirectorLeo McCareyStarsBing CrosbyIngrid BergmanHenry TraversAt a big city Catholic school, Father O'Malley and Sister Benedict indulge in friendly rivalry, and succeed in extending the school through the gift of a building.This holiday movie is the sequel to Going My Way (1944).
Curiously, in the movie It's a Wonderful Life (1946), The Bells of St. Mary's is already considered to be the wholesome holiday movie that everyone watches. It's playing at the movie theatre in the wholesome version of Bedford Falls (as opposed to the sad alternate reality that would've happened if George Bailey had never been born).
Studio: RKO - DirectorFrank TuttleStarsBelitaBarry SullivanBonita GranvilleFrank Leonard, the proprietor of an ice-skating revue promotes Joe Morgan, a peanut vendor at the show, to a management position based on suggestions he made to improve the act of the show's star Roberta, who also happens to be the owner's wife. However, he soon begins to notice that Joe is paying more attention to his wife than he believes is appropriate, and begins to suspect that he has designs not only on his wife but on his business. Meanwhile, someone from Joe's past shows up with information that could wreck his plans.Not a holiday movie, but this is a film noir that takes place during winter. It features a lot of figure skating and a trip to a snow-covered mountain cabin.
What's unique about this movie is that Belita Jepson-Turner, who plays Roberta, was an Olympian. It's really her skating in the movie. She does several gothic-y skating performances, with dancing and flashy costumes. The musical performances are spicy Latin music (Miguelito Valdés and Bobby Ramos). All this pageantry lightens the mood. The film ends with a relatively happy ending.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorRobert MontgomeryStarsRobert MontgomeryAudrey TotterLloyd NolanThe lady editor of a crime magazine hires Phillip Marlowe to find the wife of her boss. The private detective soon finds himself involved in murder.This is an adaption of The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler.
It's not a holiday movie, but it's a film noir that takes place during Christmas. It has a happy ending and the holiday decorations add a lot of warmth to the love scenes. For instance, there's a cozy scene where Adrienne is laying on her couch surrounded by Christmas decoations and listening to a radio drama of A Christmas Carol.
What makes this movie unique is that you see it through the main character's eyes, literally. When he nods, the camera moves up and down. When he looks behind him, the camera swivels backwards. When he smokes, smoke gets in front of the camera. Since the characters talk directly to camera, you feel like you're in the movie. As far as I know, this is the first movie that did this type of camera work. The only other example of this type of camera work that I know of is the film noir Dark Passage, which came out a year later.
Another unique thing is that Adrienne is the executive editor for a company that makes horror comic books (Tales from the Crypt type of comics.). Even today, it's not common for female characters to work in the horror or comic book industries. In the 40s, it was unheard of. And her being an editor of any sort of magazine was so unusual that they use the term "lady editor."
Studio: MGM - DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsBarbara StanwyckVan HeflinLizabeth ScottA man is reunited with his childhood friend and her husband who believes he knows the truth about the death of her rich aunt years earlier.Not a holiday movie, but it's a film noir that takes place during winter. There's a cozy scene where they build a bonfire.
Even though it doesn't have a 'holiday message,' it can work as a holiday movie because it's about some poor folks literally born on the wrong side of the tracks who make it out ok, and there's a happy ending.
Studio: Paramount - DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartDonna ReedLionel BarrymoreAn angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.This is a film noir holiday movie where the owner of a small bank makes sacrifices for his small town, and the townspeople return the favor.
Studio: RKO - DirectorHenry KosterStarsCary GrantLoretta YoungDavid NivenA debonair angel comes to Earth to help an Episcopalian bishop and his wife in their quest to raise money for the new church.This is a holiday movie about an angel who helps convince a wealthy church patron to donate money to housing for the less fortunate.
Also, it has Elsa Lanchester A.K.A. Bride of Frankenstein!!
Studio: RKO - DirectorNicholas RayStarsCathy O'DonnellFarley GrangerHoward Da SilvaAn escaped convict injured during a robbery falls in love with the woman who nurses him back to health, but their relationship seems doomed from the beginning.Not a holiday movie, but this is a film noir that takes place during Christmas. It's a romantic movie but very tragic.
Studio: RKO - DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WaynePedro ArmendárizHarry Carey Jr.Three outlaws on the run risk their freedom and their lives to return a newborn to civilization.This is a holiday movie Western. Three desperados end up taking care of a baby out in the desert and have to get to the nearest town to bring it to safety. It starts off happy then gets depressing then gets happy again. The ending is relatively happy and makes up for the sad parts.
It's a holiday movie in that it take place during Christmas and the bandidos are shown to be ordinary, compassionate people just trying to get by. They all put the baby before their own wants and even before their own needs.
Diversity: Hispanic lead
Studio: MGM - DirectorMax OphülsStarsJames MasonJoan BennettGeraldine BrooksAfter discovering the dead body of her teenage daughter's lover, a housewife takes desperate measures to protect her family from scandal.This is an adaption of The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding.
It's not a holiday movie, but this is a film noir that takes place during Christmas. What makes it unique is that the characters get really stressed out when they're doing ordinary things like grocery shopping, because casual questions from neighbors suddenly feel like accusations. There's a clausterphobic feel to it all. The ending is sad but not too sad. It has a hopeful note.
Studio: Columbia - DirectorGordon DouglasHenry LevinStarsGlenn FordEvelyn KeyesJohn IrelandWhen he learns that a gangster has taken over his nightclub and murdered his partner, returning WW2 hero Joe Miracle steals the money from the club's safe and hides in a settlement home, while the mob is on his tail.Ok, so the movie title is dumb. Mr. Soft Touch is his gangster nickname. I guess that sounded cool in the 40s. Whatever. It's a good movie anyway.
This is something of a film noir holiday movie. A gangster with a good heart helps out an underfunded inner city community center.
It starts very uncomfortably because a guy hits his wife, something he does weekly evidently. When the cops show up, they think his neighbor, Mr. Soft Touch A.K.A. Joe Miracle, is the wife beater. Miracle pretends to be the wife beater because his real record is more incriminating. When the social worker asks him questions about this behavior, he gives a spine-chilling performance where he pretends that he beats his wife because he loves her. Instead of being scared or repulsed, the social worker compassionately explains that a lot of the time, men hurt their loved ones out of self-hatred when they don't have money to provide for the family, and she assures him that she will find him a job. This is a rather touching reaction, but pretty jarring considering the things that Miracle said in his answers.
Anyway, the theme here is compassion and redeption, and it's a moving story. But it's not a warm, sentimental family movie. The future of the community center is hopeful, but the future of Joe Miracle is bittersweet or tragic depending on how you interpret the ending.
Diversity: disabled female lead
Studio: Columbia - DirectorRobert Z. LeonardStarsJudy GarlandVan JohnsonS.Z. SakallIn turn-of-the century America, Andrew and Veronica are co-workers in a music shop who dislike one another during business hours but unwittingly carry on an anonymous romance through the mail.This is an adaption of Parfumerie by Miklós László.
It's the same play that The Shop Around the Corner (1940) is based on. The plot is the same, but there are some significant changes in order to make it distinct from the other movie.
This one is a musical, it's a comedy, it's in color, the setting is changed (from 1930s Budapest, Hungary to Edwardian era Chicago), and it doesn't have the gloomy parts of the play.
There's two pretty funny scenes written by comedy legend Buster Keaton and Buster Keaton's character (Hickey) is very sweet.
The title refers to a song performed in the movie. Most of the movie takes place during the holiday season, but the ending takes place several months later, in the summer.
Studio: MGM - DirectorDon HartmanStarsRobert MitchumJanet LeighWendell CoreyA young widow is torn between a boring attorney and a romantic ne'er-do-well.This is a holiday romance movie that takes place during Christmas and New Year's. This is the O.G. 'We met while holiday shopping at a department store/mall' movie.
The guy in the movie is unhoused and the lady shows a lot of compassion for his situation.
Studio: RKO - DirectorAlfred E. GreenStarsWilliam BendixDennis O'KeefeBarbara BrittonAn insurance company investigator goes to a small town to probe into a case of supposed suicide. The natives are not very cooperative and some turn hostile, leading to suspicion of foul play.This is something of a film noir holiday movie. Although it's a murder case, it's surprisingly romantic and has a happy ending. The small town its set in has a warmth to it, with its kindly folks and holiday decorations.
Studio: United Artists - DirectorArthur DreifussStarsGloria JeanJimmy LydonJohn HubbardA young woman leaves home to earn money for the family, which is not the norm for her sex and social standing.This is an adaption of An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott.
I didn't really care for the operatic songs in this musical, but it makes sense, since Polly's a music teacher. There's one really impressive scene where Polly has a nervous breakdown from working too much so there's a film noir style montage of her frantically working with student after student, set to hectic music.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsJune AllysonPeter LawfordMargaret O'BrienThe four daughters of a New England family fight for happiness during and after the Civil War.This is an adaption of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
Bonus - June Allyson in drag.
Studio: MGM - DirectorVincent ShermanStarsViveca LindforsDane ClarkVirginia MayoWhile recuperating from wartime back injuries at a hospital, veteran Bob Corey is visited on Christmas Eve by a beautiful stranger with an even stranger message.Not a holiday movie, but this is a film noir that takes place during Christmas and New Year's Eve.
First, the downside - it has yellow face and brown face. An Irish guy plays a Chinese butler. He uses an incredibly offensive accent and speaks in broken English. This almost made me turn off the movie. Thankfully, his role is very small. Another Irish guy plays a Hispanic police chief named Mr. Garcia. This is a pretty sizeable role. Surprisingly, the waiter at the Mexican restaurant is actually Mexican.
On the other hand, I still found myself enjoying the movie, with its complicated mystery and different characters telling different perspectives on how the murders happened. Then I really liked the relatively happy ending.
Studio: WB
Warning: Contains brown face and yellow face. - DirectorBill TytlaGeorge GermanettiStarsMae QuestelJackson BeckLittle Audrey attends a wedding between a gingerbread boy and an angel food cake. A devil's food cake shows up and kidnaps the bride.Not a holiday cartoon, but it's works as holiday programming because it's about sweets. A girl travels to a candy land to see a wedding.
Studio: Famous Studios - DirectorRobert StevensonStarsJoseph CottenAlida ValliSpring ByingtonAn ex-hood hopes to start a new life under an assumed name in a small town but his past catches up with him when an old crime-buddy asks him to help with a casino heist.Not a holiday movie, but this is a film noir that takes place during Christmas. It's romantic and has a relatively happy ending.
Diversity: disabled lead
Studio: RKO - DirectorNicholas RayIda LupinoStarsIda LupinoRobert RyanWard BondRough city cop Jim Wilson is disciplined by his captain and is sent upstate, to a snowy mountain town, to help the local sheriff solve a murder case.This is an adaption of Mad with Much Heart by Gerald Butler.
This film noir takes place during winter. It doesn't take place during the holiday season, but it feels like a film noir holiday movie. It's about two people who are going through a lot and need each other. It has a relatively happy ending.
The wintry setting is the snowy mountains of upstate New York, (The mountains in the movie are actually the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.) and most of the movie takes place in a cozy mountain cabin with a fireplace.
Something really unique about the movie is that the scenes in NYC really feel like NYC. They're hectic, fast-paced, and claustrophobic. The detective drives from place to place, glancing around for suspects for like two minutes and then moving onto the next place. There's an incredible tracking shot where, when the police car swivels, the camera swivels. This is the most accurate depiction of what NYC feels like that I've ever seen in any movie or show.
Diversity: disabled lead
Studio: RKO - DirectorSidney LanfieldFrank TashlinStarsBob HopeMarilyn MaxwellLloyd NolanA New York City swindler has until Christmas to come up with the $10,000 he owes a gangster, prompting him to go into scamming overdrive.This is an adaption of the short story The Lemon Drop Kid by Damon Runyon.
Do you listen to Silver Bells and think of what a beautiful song it is? Well, wait until you get a load of the context of the movie it's from. It's a film noir comedy that involves gangsters running a 'Salvation Army' Santa racket. Also, one of the gangsters is played by William Frawley (Fred from I Love Lucy).
Bonus - Bob Hope in drag.
Studio: Paramount - DirectorBrian Desmond HurstStarsAlastair SimJack WarnerKathleen HarrisonEbenezer Scrooge, a curmudgeonly, miserly businessman, has no time for sentimentality and largely views Christmas as a waste of time. However, this Christmas Eve, he will be visited by three spirits who will show him the error of his ways.This is an adaption of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Diversity: disabled supporting character
Studio: United Artists - DirectorGeorge More O'FerrallStarsRalph RichardsonCelia JohnsonMargaret LeightonA heartwarming tale of an English minister and his family reunited at Christmas time. Their story includes a remembrance of their World War II trials.This holiday movie is about a family who doesn't like Christmas and who have plenty of serious real-world problems, but who are there for each other. The movie has hopeful notes and the ending is hopeful without being corny. It's a realistic amount of hopeful. Is it Christmassy? Yes, but not over-the-top. At first, they don't enjoy putting up decorations and they're not moved by the carolers at their door. But, in the end, (slight spoiler ahead) they look forward to Christmas mass.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorHenry KosterStarsOlivia de HavillandRichard BurtonAudrey DaltonA young man plots revenge against the woman he believes murdered his cousin, but his plans are shaken when he comes face to face with the enigmatic beauty.An adaption of My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier.
Not a holiday movie, but there's an import scene that takes place during Christmas.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorHarry EssexStarsBiff ElliotPreston FosterPeggie CastleDectective Mike Hammer is determined to catch and kill the person who shot his close friend dead, so he follows clues that lead to a beautiful, seductive woman.Not a holiday movie, but it's a film noir that takes place during Christmas. It plays out like your typical film noir, nothing really stands out, but if you like noir then you'll probably like it.
Studio: United Artists - DirectorEddie DonnellyDinky Duck helps the scarecrow gain confidence.Since this is about a scarecrow, it's a good cartoon to watch during autumn/Thanksgiving.
Studio: Terrytoons - DirectorDavid ButlerStarsDoris DayGordon MacRaeLeon AmesMarjorie Winfield's engagement to Bill Sherman, who has just arrived home from fighting in World War I, serves as the backdrop for the trials and tribulations of her family.This is a holiday romance movie that takes place during Thanksgiving. It's set in 1945, right after WWII, when families were reunited in time for the holidays. There are four men in the movie, who are self-assured and think they're large and in charge, but the women always kind of roll their eyes at them and get their way. You see, during the war, many women got jobs and got along just fine without men. For that reason, women became more interested in supporting themselves and divorce rates went up due to fights over women getting jobs, the strain of running a home all by oneself for so long, and soldiers and volunteer nurses meeting hotties abroad during the war. So the movie touches on these themes in the form of comedy. For instance, Bill's weirdly 1910s era car breaks down and he can't even find where the engine is; while Marjorie gets under the car and fixes it herself.
The only downside is that Bill is a real jerk towards the beginning. But the more time he spends with his gal and the more time he's away from the guys, the more he softens up.
Bonus - Doris Day in drag.
Studio: WB - DirectorJohn PaulStarsAnna RussellMildred DunnockFrank RogierAn "electronic puppet" version of the Humperdinck opera, adapted for children and using spoken dialogue as well as Humperdinck's music.An adaption of the opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck.
This movie has a very interesting history. It was the first (feature-length) American stop motion film and I believe it was the first T.V. Christmas special.
The puppets were huge and cost $2,500 to build. Due to their size, the puppeteers had to operate them from underneath the set, instead of from above the set.
The movie was screened at a film festival in OCTOBER and was intended to be a HALLOWEEN movie. Impressed, RKO Radio Pictures signed on as the distributor and released the movie on CHRISTMAS. Their line of thinking was that it had a gingerbread house, so it could be a Christmas movie. RKO heavily promoted the movie with merch and, of course (as this is Hansel and Gretel) candy. Additionally, T.V. had just been invented, so RKO got this movie to air as a Christmas special on several T.V. stations for several years. Presumably until certain other stop motion Christmas specials became popular in the 60s and 70s. Nickelodeon did play this movie on Christmas of 1980, however.
As for the content of the movie, it's pretty good. It's what you'd expect from a Hansel and Gretel movie. It's a bit retro for the 1950s, but in a charming way. That is, the music is from the Victorian era opera that it's based on, but opera music in cartoons and live action family movies was more of a 1930s thing. By the 1950s, showtunes were the standard cartoon music.
Studio: RKO - DirectorJoseph BarberaWilliam HannaStarsWilliam HannaJerry and his friends flood the kitchen, then use the freezer to turn it into a skating rink. Even though Tom finds a pair of ice skates, the mice have no problem out maneuvering him.Not a holiday cartoon, but it is centered around ice skating.
Studio: MGM - DirectorGordon DouglasStarsFrank SinatraDoris DayGig YoungThe life of the youngest of three sisters in a musical family is complicated by the separate arrivals of a charming composer and a cynical music arranger.This is a film noir that takes place during the holiday season.
This is an adaption of Sister Act by Fannie Hurst, the same book that Four Daughters (1938) is based on. Young At Heart keeps the conversations about depression, but it's a much happier movie. I prefer Young At Heart, because it's a movie about depression that doesn't actually make you depressed.
Young At Heart tricks you into thinking it's a musical in full color, where Frank Sinatra and Doris Day sing love songs to each other. Literally the tagline is "All Young, All Heart, and All Wonderful!" But actually it's a film noir about the dread of feeling like you're mediocre and second best. Who knew! I wonder if film noir was going out of fashion (it did last for about 5 more years though) or if romance sold more tickets than noir or if WB just didn't think the audience would understand what this pastel-colored love story was actually about. Probably that last reason.
The movie is curiously centered around a love story, but the love story is besides the point. It's not the love story that's tied to it being Christmastime. They don't do holiday activities together. It's being grateful for each other that's tied to it being Christmastime. The moral of the story is to love your loved ones and love your life, before it's too late. And they're reminded of that during Christmas.
As you can see, that's kind of hard to explain, so it's clear why this didn't become a holiday classic. It's not a cut and dried story about the spirit of giving and gratitude, and it's a not a happy and fun Christmas story either.
Even though this didn't become a holiday classic, the soundtrack was a smash hit.
Studio: WB - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsBing CrosbyDanny KayeRosemary ClooneyA successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general.This is a holiday movie where WWII raise money for their former general.
Bonus - Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye in drag.
Studio: Paramount - DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesPeter van EyckMichael RedgraveAn elusive billionaire hires an American smuggler to investigate his past, leading to a dizzying descent into a cold-war European landscape.Not a holiday movie, but part of this film noir takes place during Christmas. It features a wild Christmas party.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartPeter UstinovAldo RayThree Devil's Island escapees hide out in the house of a kindly merchant and repay his kindness by helping him and his family out of several crises.This is an adaption of My Three Angels by Bella and Samuel Spewack.
This holiday comedy movie stars Humphrey Bogart, Basil Rathbone, and Leo G. Carroll.
I'm not really a fan of this movie, but if you're someone who doesn't like predictable plots, you will love this movie. The characters don't do or say what you expect and the plot is kind of a wild goose chase.
There isn't some kind of holiday message, but the three charming criminals have quite a soft spot for their good Samaritan employers, which kind of makes you feel warm and fuzzy.
Studio: Paramount - CreatorJackie GleasonStarsJackie GleasonArt CarneyAudrey MeadowsA bus driver and his sewer worker friend struggle to strike it rich while their wives look on with weary patience.One of the greatest comedy T.V. shows of all time.
See also The Lost Episodes, which is a season that you can easily find on streaming and DVD. It's Honeymooners sketches from The Jackie Gleason Show, before The Honeymooners became its own show.
What this has to do with the holidays is that I grew up with there being a marathon of it every New Year's.
The CBS T.V. channel in NYC, PIX-11, has been playing marathons of The Honeymooners every New Year's Eve since 1996. You also see some other channels (ex. CBS local syndicates in other cities) playing it on New Year's. That's because it takes place in NYC and encapsulates NYC culture. NYC is also heavily associated with New Year's Eve because of The Ball Drop. Plus, The Honeymooners has a New Year's Eve episode.
Studio: CBS - DirectorLev AtamanovStarsVladimir GribkovYanina ZheymoAnna KomolovaA young girl embarks on a perilous journey to rescue her friend, who has been taken captive by the Snow Queen and turned cruel by enchanted ice splinters.An adaption of the fairy tale The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.
This doesn't take place during the holiday season, but it's set in Scandinavia and there's snow in every scene. There's even reindeer.
Something to note is that although Greta refers to Kay as her brother for most of the story, they're just neighbors. She thinks of him like a brother, but it develops into a romance.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorLeo McCareyStarsCary GrantDeborah KerrRichard DenningA couple falls in love and agrees to meet in six months at the Empire State Building - but will it happen?This is a remake of Love Affair (1939). It's way better because it's a comedy and because of Cary Grant.
The ending is hopeful but bittersweet.
Diversity: Disabled female lead
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorRichard QuineStarsJames StewartKim NovakJack LemmonA modern-day witch likes her neighbor but despises his fiancée, so she enchants him to love her instead.This is an adaption of Bell Book and Candle by John Van Druten.
Beatnik witches in Greenwitch Village celebrating the holidays. Seriously, how could you not love it? Plus, it has Elsa Lanchester A.K.A. Bride of Frankenstein!!
This movie might have LGBTQ subtext. Nicky, a witch, might be gay and might have a crush on Sidney, the anthropologist. Like the other witches, Nicky believes in shacking up but not getting married (they don't have the ability to fall in love) and Greenwitch Village has traditionally been known as the LGBTQ and goth section of NYC (although you'd have to be wealthy to live anywhere in NYC nowadays). Nicky doesn't have a love-interest, instead choosing to hang out with Sidney all the time at a coffee house for witches, writing a non-fiction book together.
Diversity: Possible queer subtext
Studio: Columbia