A Fireside Carol
The wind outside begins to wail, a snowstorm rattles roof and rail. But here within, all calm and clear, I sit beside the fire’s cheer. My beagle curls up at my feet, his steady breath, a rhythmic beat. The flames dance low in amber light, against the hush of winter’s night. With A Christmas Carol in my hand, I drift through Scrooge’s ghostly land - past Marley’s chains and Tiny Tim, each page a world, both bright and grim. Outside, the world is lost in white, but in this room, the heart feels light. No finer joy could I have planned than Dic…
The Bishop's Wife (1947)
At My Most Serious When I'm Joking
Christmas Around the Corner (2018)
Lifetime's Take on a Christmas Classic So, I suppose it's time to be honest here...I watch Lifetime and Hallmark movies , and I'm not ashamed. Sometimes I watch when there's just nothing else on, or if I'm busy and just need something on in the background. But most of the time it's at Christmas. I'm a sucker for
Remember the Night (1940)
The Law Said She Was Bad...He Said She's Terrific! Remember the Night is another of those classic movies set at Christmastime that I absolutely love. It stars Fred MacMurray and one of my favorites - Barbara Stanwyck ! Much like Christmas in Connecticut , this film has the humor, homey-ness and nostalgia that I enjoy so much at Christmas. In a Nutshell Just before Christmas, Lee (Barbara Stanwyck) is caught shoplifting from a jeweler, making this her third offense. I'm not sure if the three strike rule was in effect back…
The Man Who Came To Dinner (1942)
So, we come to one of my favorite movies across all genre and eras - The Man Who Came to Dinner. I don't remember the first time I saw it, but I know that for years I didn't know the name of the movie, and, in the days before the internet, I just couldn't find it. That all changed when I got internet service - I have no idea when that was, but this was one of the first things I searched for. I have loved every movie Monty Woolley has been in, so this movie is a shoe-in, The Man Who Came to Dinner also stars Bette Davis and Ann…
Since You Went Away (1944)
Since You Went Away is a star-studded movie set on the home-front of World War II. This is another of those movies that's like comfort food to me, along with the likes of The Man Who Came to Dinner, The More the Merrier, and a host of Christmas classics. Among the great stars in this movie are Joseph Cotten who is one of my favorites ( Niagara and Shadow of a Doubt ), and Monty Woolley ( The Bishop's Wife and The Man Who Came to Dinner ) who always makes me smirk, thinking I'll probably end up like him - crotchety and k…
Beware, My Lovely (1952)
Beware, My Lovely is a simple, straight-forward psychological thriller set in a beautiful house at Christmastime (which makes it a great Christmas movie for me) just after World War I. It stars Robert Ryan (who plays a great psycho) and Ida Lupino - one of the greatest of all time! REVIEWS: Here's an excellent classic review by Bosley Crowther from the September 13, 1952 edition of the New York Times. Crowther doesn't seem to give much respect for this kind of movie, "clearly contrived and designed for no other p…
Catalog Dreams and Charlie Brown Nights
'Tis the Season on Lincoln Street Christmas doesn’t come from a store, maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more. - Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! It always began with the thud of the Sears catalog on the kitchen table, thick enough to stop a bullet, and filled with more dreams than the average nine-year-old had the emotional maturity to handle.
I'll Be Seeing You (1944)
This is another of those movies that I first saw as a kid, sitting in my room on Lincoln St. watching Million Dollar Movie (I think) on my little rummage sale find of a black and white TV on a Saturday morning. Believe-it-or-not, I think my favorite character in this movie was Tom Tully's part as Uncle Marshall. And I absolutely loved that house, especially the fireplace... REVIEWS: Bosley Crowther had a great review of the movie in the April 6, 1945 edition of the New York Times. I particularly like where he writes, &quo…
Christmas In Connecticut (1945)
What's not to like about this movie? It's fun, sentimental without being schmaltzy, and for me is one of those comfort movies I watch even when it's not Christmastime! From Amazon: While recovering in a hospital, war hero Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) grows familiar with the "Diary of a Housewife" column written by Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck). Jeff's nurse arranges with Elizabeth's publisher, Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet), for Jeff to spend the holiday at Elizabeth's bucolic Connecticut f…
