Christmas Eve (1947)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Edwin L. Marin

Writers:

Laurence Stallings (story) &
Richard H. Landau (story) ...

Release Date:

31 October 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

To save her fortune from a designing nephew, Matilda Reid must locate her three long-lost adopted sons in time for a Christmas Eve reunion.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Christmas Eve | Playboy | Social Worker | Rodeo

Cast

George Raft	...	Mario Torio
George Brent	...	Michael Brooks
Randolph Scott	...	Jonathan 'Johnny'
Joan Blondell	...	Ann Nelson
Virginia Field	...	Claire
Dolores Moran	...	Jean Bradford
Ann Harding	...	Aunt Matilda Reed
Reginald Denny	...	Phillip Hastings
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Dr. Bunyan
Carl Harbord	...	Dr. Doremus
Dennis Hoey	...	Williams 'Bill', Matilda's Butler
Clarence Kolb	...	Judge Alston
Molly Lamont	...	Harriet Rhodes
John Litel	...	Joe Bland, FBI Agent
Walter Sande	...	Mario's Hood

Also Known As:

Sinner's Holiday (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #12262)

Company:

Benedict Bogeaus Production

Quotes:

Michael Brooks: What shall it be, Canada or the Amazon?
Phillip Hastings: For heaven's sake, stay away from those dreadful places.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Directors: The Films of Robert Altman (#2.9)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Home on the Range

The Geste Brothers Return Home For The Holidays

In a reworking of the plot of Beau Geste, imagine if you will the Geste brothers leaving the Foreign Legion and coming home to save their the lady who raised them as wards from the depredations of her blood nephew and you've got Christmas Eve. Ann Harding took in three orphans and they all went out on their own and haven't really kept in touch with Harding. They've all chosen three different roads of life and they haven't made a great success in any way.

Which leads us into three different stories as each foster son hears about what Harding is going through and her public call for help. The strongest of the stories is Raft's who is leading a Lucky Luciano like exile in South America where he owns a club, has his hands in the local rackets, but can't return to the USA. Of course he gets back as do the others, but the story is in the how.

George Brent is a part time playboy, part time conman who is ready to marry a bankroll in Molly Lamont to the chagrin of longtime girl friend Joan Blondell. The weakest story and silliest is Randolph Scott's who is a rodeo cowboy who while on the way home gets himself involved with Dolores Moran who is a reporter trying to break up a baby adoption racket run by Douglass Dumbrille.

Reginald Denny is the nephew and that's another weakness in the plot. He's actually shown at first to be sincerely concerned about his aunt and truth be told Harding's getting a bit dotty. In the end he's revealed rather suddenly to be not at all as he seems, but it comes from out of nowhere, a bad script weakness.

Despite glaring plot weaknesses, Christmas Eve does survive on its own special brand of charm and I've seen worse during the Holiday season.