Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Peter Godfrey

Writers:

Lionel Houser (screenplay) and
Adele Comandini (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 August 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Journalist Elizabeth Lane is one of the country's most famous food writer. In her columns, she describes herself as a hard working farm woman...

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Food | Cooking | War Hero | Connecticut

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck	...	Elizabeth Lane
Dennis Morgan	...	Jefferson Jones
Sydney Greenstreet	...	Alexander Yardley
Reginald Gardiner	...	John Sloan
S.Z. Sakall	...	Felix Bassenak
Robert Shayne	...	Dudley Beecham
Una O'Connor	...	Norah
Frank Jenks	...	Sinkewicz
Joyce Compton	...	Mary Lee
Dick Elliott	...	Judge Crothers

Also Known As:

Indiscretion (UK)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #10197) | Canada:G (video rating) | Finland:S

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The Connecticut home is the same set used in Bringing Up Baby (1938),

Goofs:

Continuity: Lane is practicing flipping flapjacks in the kitchen with Felix. She throws one that sticks on the ceiling and leaves gooey batter when it falls. On the very next flip, the ceiling is clean.

Quotes:

Alexander Yardley: [Elizabeth's baby needs medical attention] I don't want anything to happen to that baby. It will ruin my circulation.
Felix Bassenak: It won't do the baby no good, neither.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hollywood Wonderland (1947)

Soundtrack:

Turkey in the Straw

The best Christmas gift one can receive!

This Christmas gift arrived courtesy of TCM. We had never seen the film, even though we have seen most of the films of Barbara Stanwyck. This comedy made us laugh so much, that at times, we had to restrain ourselves, in order to hear the dialog.

This is a movie that should be seen by people suffering from stressful situations, especially around Christmas. It would certainly lift one's spirits by just letting go. The movie would make a perfect gift in the form of a DVD, or a VHS tape.

"Christmas in Connecticut" was directed with great panache by Peter Godfrey, based on a story by Aileen Hamilton.

The best thing in the movie is the felicitous pairing of two of the most popular stars of that era: Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan. Barbara Stanwyck always played strong willed women, obviously, this was a change of pace for her. In this film, as well as "Lady Eve", Ms. Stanwyck displays a knack for comedy. She and Mr. Morgan, who played in a lot of musical comedies, make a winning combination.

There are no weak performances in the film. Sydney Greenstreet, an actor notorious for playing 'heavies', is a delight to watch as the rich, and fat, Alexander Yardley, the man who owned a media empire and who knew a good thing when he saw it. Reginald Gardiner, an accomplished English actor, adds luster to the stellar cast behind the two principals.

S. Z. Sakall, is another source of continuous mirth; he plays the Hungarian chef Felix,who has a hard time with his own version of the English language. Also, Una O'Connor makes a perfect Norah, the housekeeper in the Sloan perfect Connecticut farm.

In reading other comments in this forum, it's sad to learn that the glorious black and white cinematography is not appreciated by some people. After all, color was not widely used in the 40s, and most of the classic movies have to be seen in its original format because, what would be accomplished in 'coloring' them?

This film should be a requirement for anyone looking to spend almost two hours of uninterrupted fun at Christmas time because total merriment is assured. Watch it with an open mind and heart an maybe you'd like to see "Christmas in Connecticut" every year.