Holiday Affair (1949)

A young widow is romanced by a sales clerk whom she inadvertently got fired.

Director:

Don Hartman

Writers:

Isobel Lennart (screenplay), John D. Weaver (story "Christmas Gift")

Stars:

Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Mitchum	...	Steve Mason
Janet Leigh	...	Connie Ennis
Wendell Corey	...	Carl Davis
Gordon Gebert	...	Timmy Ennis
Griff Barnett	...	Mr. Ennis
Esther Dale	...	Mrs. Ennis
Henry O'Neill	...	Mr. Crowley
Harry Morgan	...	Police Lieutenant (as Henry Morgan)
Larry J. Blake	...	Plainclothesman
Helen Brown	...	Emily

Storyline

Just before Christmas, department store clerk Steve Mason meets big spending customer Connie Ennis, really a commercial spy. He unmasks her but lets her go, which gets him fired. They end up on a date, which doesn't sit well with Connie's steady suitor, Carl, but delights her son Timmy, who doesn't want Carl for a step-dad. Standard (if sweet) romantic complications follow.

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Plot Keywords:

affair | fiance fiancee relationship | christmas morning | christmas gift | christmas season | 

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Taglines:

Baby, you're just what I want for Christmas

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 December 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Christmas Gift

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer/Director Don Hartman makes a cameo appearance as a man leaving a phone booth.

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Goofs

The film appears to take place in New York City, but the store that Robert Mitchum works at is Crowley's, which was only in downtown Detroit.

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Quotes

Police Lieutenant: The guy's without a job, gives Christmas presents to a tramp. Gets Christmas presents from a little girl with a balloon on her head. Eats in the park with the seals. Is a mother and father to an orphan squirrel. You don't think the guy's a suspicious character?

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Connections

Remade as Holiday Affair (1996)

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Soundtracks

Auld Lang Syne
(uncredited)
Written by Robert Burns

User Reviews

A good Christmas themed film worth looking for

I've only seen this a couple of times on television as it's one of those forgotten Christmas classics that didn't get that much airplay over the years. It's not a traditional sentimental Christmas film but it's setting is during the Christmas season. Robert Mitchum stars as a department store sales clerk who falls for a WWII war widow who is the mother of a boy and engaged to be married. Janet Leigh co-stars with Wendell Corey as her fiancé. Harry Morgan is among the supporting cast. Janet Leigh had made almost a dozen films since her screen debut a couple two years before A Holiday Affair was made but this was only her second film in a lead actress role. The whole cast is great in this adaptation of a story called Christmas Gift by magazine writer John D. Weaver. Don Hartman only directed five films in his career including this but was a busy guy in Hollywood as a screenwriter, producer, director and composer. Veteran cinematographer Milton Krasner whose career extended from the 30's into the 70's photographs this film. His excellent work included The Farmer's Daughter, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Seven Year Itch, Bus Stop and The Sterile Cukoo. Harry Marker whose film career began in the silents and went into the sixties is the film's editor. It's a good story with a good script and I would give it an 8.0 out of 10.