FORT WORTH, Tx. December 24, 2011 – Merry Christmas!
In honor of the day I am adding yet another Top Ten list of Christmas movies. There are several other “movie lists” on this top ten forum but mine is exclusively from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
There have been some really good holiday movies made in recent years but the old black and white ones are my favorites. Frank Capra, one of my very favorite directors made a couple of these.
Feel free to add your own to this list. I’d love to hear what other ones you can come up with.
1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – This seems to be everybody’s favorite, and for good reason. Believe it or not this movie bombed at the box office when first released.
2. The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) – Character actor Monty Woolley and legend Bette Davis star in this funny movie inspired by critic and commentator Alexander Woollcott. I admire Bette Davis for taking a secondary role at a time when she was one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Jimmy Durante’s character Banjo was inspired by Harpo Marx.
Bette Davis and Monty Woolley in The Man Who Came to Dinner (Photobucket)
3. A Christmas Carol (1938) –This is my favorite version of this story by far. Lionel Barrymore recommended British character actor Reginald Owen to play Scrooge. Also, starring as Bob Cratchit, Mrs. Cratchit and one of the daughters is actress June Lockhart (the mom of TV’s Lost in Space fame) and her parents Gene and Kathleen Lockhart.
4. The Bishop’s Wife (1947) – Starring Loretta Young and David Niven as the Bishop and his wife. Cary Grant plays the angel sent in answer to a prayer made by the Bishop although his and Niven’s roles were originally opposite. I don’t think it would have worked the other way.
5. The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945) – Only part of this movie takes place at Christmas but it gets lots of play during the holidays. The basic message behind this movie is peace and goodwill so it fits.
6. Christmas in Connecticut (1945) – Barbara Stanwyck stars with Dennis Morgan in this charming Christmas classic set during World War II. Character actor S.Z. Sakall plays Stanwyck’s Uncle Felix who is a master at behind the scenes maneuvering in an effort to make everything turn out right in the end.
7. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) – Judy Garland made famous Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas and The Trolley Song in this movie. It also gives us a glimpse of the very beginning of the 20th century when electricity and long distance phone calls were still marvels to behold.
8. The Shop Around the Corner (1940) – This has been re-made at least two other times; In the Good Old Summer Time (1949) starring Judy Garland and Van Johnson; You’ve Got Mail (1998) starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. This original one is set in Budapest, Hungary and stars Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan. Of all three I think this one is by far the best.
9. Holiday Inn (1942) – This movie starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire inspired the hotel chain of the same name. It was also the movie in which Irving Berlin’s classic White Christmas debuted. Look for an amazing tap-dancing scene where Fred Astaire incorporated real firecrackers into his dance.
10. The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) – This is a quintessential Bob Hope movie that also stars Marilyn Maxwell. In it the two sing Silver Bells on screen for the first time as they stroll down a snow covered city street complete with a Santa ringing a bell on each corner they pass.
Edmund Gwenn as Santa Claus (Photobucket)
Honorable Mentions:
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) – I wish I could have fit this on the top ten list but there wasn’t room. Edmund Gwenn will always be my ideal of Santa Claus.
Meet John Doe (1944) – Another Frank Capra standard starring Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper. The end of the movie takes place at Christmas but the message of the movie is the same.
Come to the Stable (1949) – This lesser known Loretta Young film is about nuns who set out to build a children’s hospital by faith with the help of several colorful characters. It’s a great film but not shown on TV very often.
Heidi (1937) – Who can forget Shirley Temple’s cries of, “Grandfather! Grandfather!”
as Jean Hersholt attempts to rescue her from the wicked governess trying to sell her to gypsies. This one never gets old to me.
White Christmas (1954) – Another Christmas favorite; I love the chemistry between Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.
I want to wish each and every one of my readers the message of Christmas: Peace and Goodwill. No matter what celebration you take part in, or even if you don’t I wish you all the very the best for you and yours.
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Read more of Claire’s work at Feed The Mind, Nourish The Soul in the Communities at The Washington Times, her blog Sustenance For The Mind, and the writing group she belongs to at Greater Fort Worth Writers Group.
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