Hidden Movie Gem: “Christmas in Connecticut”

Today’s Hidden Movie Gem guest post comes from Nora Berry.

Movie Title: Christmas in Connecticut

Year: 1945

Writers: Lionel Houser (screenplay) and Adele Comandini (screenplay) and Aileen Hamilton

Lead Actors: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet, S.Z. Sakall

Director: Peter Godfrey

Plot Summary: Barbara Stanwyck plays Elizabeth Lane, a 1940’s homemaker columnist (a precursor to Martha Stewart) who gets caught out when her publisher (Sydney Greenstreet) announces on Christmas Eve morning that he’s invited a war hero up to her Connecticut farm for a cozy New England Christmas — and he’ll also be joining them. Elizabeth doesn’t know how to cook (her recipes are supplied by her Uncle), she’s single and she lives in a walk-up in Manhattan. If she can’t find a husband, a farm, a baby and cook a perfect Christmas dinner, she’ll lose her job. Her long-spurned suitor John (Reginald Gardner) steps up and offers his farm if she’ll marry him, but insists the ceremony be performed before the guests arrive.

Why I Think This Movie Is a Hidden Gem: There’s not an ounce of fat in this flic. It’s genuinely funny, the dialogue is fast and unsentimental and the story moves along rapidly. Every scene, every character helps move the movie to its screwball conclusion. It’s like a cold beer on a hot summer day — totally refreshing.

The film gleefully subverts the myths of marriage and motherhood, at a time (WW2) when the accepted narrative was that men on the battlefront were dreaming of domestic bliss on the home front. But this girl can’t cook and will do anything to keep her job (even marry someone she doesn’t care for). And it’s the sailor himself who knows his way around the nursery and is searching for domestic bliss.

The story also tweaks morality. Elizabeth Lane is supposedly married, though she and John can’t quite get through the ceremony without being interrupted. They keep up the pretense in front of the sailor Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan), but it’s pretty clear that Elizabeth and Mr. Jones are very strongly attracted to each other. They dance around it, with great lines like, “It’s funny, you don’t seem married” to which she replies, “I don’t feel married!’ And of course, she’s not. But their strong flirtation shocks her publisher, Yardley, who’s afraid that any hint of scandal will kill his circulation. To counter the flirtation, he suggests to John that Elizabeth have another baby (she’s borrowed one as a prop for the holiday). Yardley says, “Babies boost circulation!” To which John dryly replies, “Well Elizabeth’s a very busy woman and having babies to boost circulation takes time.”

Moment in The Movie: When Elizabeth Lane tries to give a bath to the baby she’s borrowed, while the war hero looks on.

My Favorite Dialogue in the Movie:

Elizabeth Lane: Oh, it’s Yardley. He’s sending me a sailor for Christmas.
John Sloan: Oh, how nice…

*****

Lane: John’s asked me to marry him and I’ve said yes.
Dudley (Lane’s boss): Come on Liz, it’s not as bad as all that!

Key things to look for when watching:

Uncle Felix — whom you’ll recognize from “Casablanca”

Norah — the maid, who was a key witness in “Witness for the Prosecution”

Movie Trailer:

Thanks, Nora! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!

Tomorrow: Another Hidden Movie Gem!

Note: We filled up the month of October, so I don’t need any more guest posts. Thanks to everyone who participated!