Eight Great Christmas Movies
December 17th, 2009 by Scott Marks
This artcle orginally appeared on SDNN.com
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As the song says, “Christmas makes you feel emotional, it may bring parties or thoughts devotional.” One thing is for sure. Those of us devoted to attending multiplexes this Christmas don’t have much to party about.
2009 could be the most depressing holiday movie season on record. For every charmingly diverting film like “Fantastic Mr. Fox” or “Me and Orson Welles,” there are numerous offerings fraught with themes of suicide, child abuse, child murder, corporate downsizing, war, drug abuse and several forecasts of the end of civilization as we know it.
Here are a sprinkling of (mostly) delightful antidotes to the bummer crop currently playing at a mall near you. Most of us have repeatedly seen “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “Miracle on 34th Street” and there’s a reason for it. They’re grand entertainments. But why not take the time to acquaint yourself with other movies listed below?
Henry ‘Clarence’ Travers
“It’s a Wonderful Life”/Frank Capra (1946)
Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, who looks back on a lifetime of shattered dreams and personal sacrifices. One day, after a string of bad luck, he decides he wants to end it all. But before he can, a bumbling angel named Clarence shows him what life would be like without him. And he convinces George that he really does have “a wonderful life.”
Some argue that Frank Capra’s film is sentimental to the point of being cheesy. While the ending can be viewed as mushy, the film also boasts a dark side. Stewart’s performance as the tortured businessman is a textbook example of post-war frustration and despair. It is strong enough to strip away more than a few layers of schmaltz. And who’s to say that in another ten years George won’t be ready to once again kick the crummy dust of Bedford Falls off his shoes?
By the way, when “It’s a Wonderful Life” entered the public domain in 1974, practically every television station began broadcasting the film during the holiday season. In 1993, Republic Pictures enforced its claim to the copyright and NBC is currently the only U.S. TV station that’s licensed to show the film.
“Miracle on 34th Street”/George Seaton (1947)
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and his name is Edmund Gwenn. No other artist in the history of cinema has embodied Kris Kringle quite as convincingly as the British character actor who took home an Oscar for his performance.
Little did Macy’s Department Store know that after firing its alcoholic Santa, they would luck upon the real deal. After numerous psychiatric exams and a trip to Bellevue, Kris’ authenticity is validated by the young daughter (Natalie Wood) of the store’s special events director (Maureen O’Hara). A sterling example of Hollywood craftsmanship and as convincing a piece of sentimental hokum as any ever filmed.
“The Bells of St. Mary’s” / Leo McCarey (1945)
“Bells” was the follow-up to the hugely successful “Going My Way” and has the distinction of being the first sequel to be nominated for a best picture Oscar.
Bing Crosby reprises his role as Father O’Malley, a showbiz priest assigned a position at an urban Parochial school following the former Pastor’s mental breakdown brought about after spending years “up to his neck in nuns.” Once established, Father O’Malley falls in love with Sister Mary Benedict (Ingrid Bergman), a tubercular nun, all the while helping a prostitute’s daughter (Joan Carroll) get an education. One would think that, back in 1946, it would have been easier to film the Bible in real time than to get this material past the censors, but director Leo McCarey had an understanding of humanity and an ability to find delicate humor in the most unlikely of places. “The Bell’s of St. Mary’s” is anything but cloying. It’s insightful, heartfelt and in many ways more uplifting than “It’s a Wonderful Life.“ It even features Henry Travers, one film before gaining winged immortality as Capra’s Clarence.
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Tags: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Cary Grant, Christmas Holiday movie, Citizen Kane, Deanna Durbin, Edmund Gwenn, Frank Capra, Frank Tashlin, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, George Bailey, Gregg Toland, Henry Travers, Holiday Inn movie, holiday movie classics, holiday movies, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, jimmy stewart, Macys, Miracle on 34th Street, Mr. Magoo Jim Backus, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, natalie wood, Old Ski Nose, Scott Marks, SDNN, Silver Bells song, Thanks for the Memories, The Bells of St. Mary's, the bishops wife, THE LEMON DROP KID, Violently Insane Psychopath, White ChristmasFiled Under Uncategorized
New Photos Added: Alfred Hitchcock, Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, BENJAMIN BUTTON, The Marx Bros., NORTH BY NORTHWEST, REAR WINDOW, Frank Sinatra, etc.
January 4th, 2009 by Scott Marks
Autographed cast photo from YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU (1938).
Jean Arthur - 7 photos added.
Jack Benny - 1 candid photo added of Jack and Mary attending the opening of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Milton Berle - 1 candid photo added of Uncle Miltie, Tony Curtis and Dean Martin.
George Cukor - 2 photos added with Marilyn Monroe and Yves Montand on the set of Let’s Make Love.
David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - New gallery with 59 photos added.
Zsa Zsa Gabor - 2 photos added of Zsa Zsa and George Sanders at 1952 Academy Awards.
Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino - New gallery with 39 images added.
Cary Grant - 5 photos added.
Audrey Hepburn - 5 photos added.
Alfred Hitchcock - 32 photos added.
Bob Hope - 6 photos added.
Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen’s Jellyfish - 8 photos added.
Julius Larosa - 1 photo added. (Thanks to Rob Martinez.)
Jerry Lewis - 6 photos added.
Tags: Alfred Hitchcock, Anne Hathaway, Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Evan Rachel Wood, Frank Sinatra, George Cukor, gran torino, Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, Jayne Mansfield, Jean Arthur, Jean Seberg, jellyfish, Jerry Lewis, juliette lewis, julius larosa, Milton Berle, New Photos, north by northwest, Orson Welles, Otto Preminger, rachel getting married, REAR WINDOW, speedway, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Marx Brothers, THE WACKNESS, to catch a thief, walter matthau, zsa zsa gaborFiled Under Image Blog
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