A Great Movie for Christmas You Probably Never Heard Of

[Flopper]

The Name of the Movie is "Since You Went Away", a 1944 American Drama nominated for 10 academy awards and listed in the American Film Institute's top 100 films. It is an epic about the American home front during World War II. Action movie fans will not find this movie very satisfying but if you're looking for an older movie with the warmth of a Christmas log fire that will probably bring a tear to your eye and leave you with a smile on your face, this maybe the movie for you. It has a big cast that will be familiar to most all classic movie fans with names that includes Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotton, Shirley Temple, Monty Woolley, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Walker, Hattie McDaniel, Agnes Moorehead, Keenan Wynn, Guy Madison, Craig Stevens, Dorothy Dandridge. John Derek, Rhonda Fleming, Terry Moore, Ruth Roman, and Butterfly McQueen.

It's available at no cost on Youtube but if you're interested, I wouldn't wait too long to watch it because good movies often drop off Youtube without notice.

 

[Auld Phart]

Excellent movie

I make it a habit to watch Bob Hope in the Lemon Drop Kid every Yuletide.

a whos-who of Damon Runyan characters

 

[Moonglow]

Excellent movie

I make it a habit to watch Bob Hope in the Lemon Drop Kid every Yuletide.

a whos-who of Damon Runyan characters

You don't watch "Christmas Eve" with George Raft, Trevor Howard and Loretta Young...?

 

[Auld Phart]

Good movie, and I haven't seen it in a while.

 

[Moonglow]

Good movie, and I haven't seen it in a while.

I am more of a "Battleship Potemkin" kind of guy...and no that doesn't mean I'm a communist.

 

[Flopper]

Excellent movie

I make it a habit to watch Bob Hope in the Lemon Drop Kid every Yuletide.

a whos-who of Damon Runyan characters

I remember watching that movie as a kid and I remember the song, "Silver Bells" which is featured in the film. I haven't seen anything about that film in many years. I wonder if it's still shown on TV at Christmas time.

 

[Auld Phart]

Excellent movie

I make it a habit to watch Bob Hope in the Lemon Drop Kid every Yuletide.

a whos-who of Damon Runyan characters

I remember watching that movie as a kid and I remember the song, "Silver Bells" which is featured in the film. I haven't seen anything about that film in many years. I wonder if it's still shown on TV at Christmas time.

Not that I know of.

I have seen it on YouTube, and I bought a copy for about $10 a couple years back.

 

[Flopper]

Excellent movie

I make it a habit to watch Bob Hope in the Lemon Drop Kid every Yuletide.

a whos-who of Damon Runyan characters

I remember watching that movie as a kid and I remember the song, "Silver Bells" which is featured in the film. I haven't seen anything about that film in many years. I wonder if it's still shown on TV at Christmas time.

Not that I now of.

I have seen it on YouTube, and I bought a copy for about $10 a couple years back.

Might be a good movie for my younger grandkids. However, not being in color and being an "old" movie will probably turn them off.

 

[OldLady]

Bells of St Mary's is one of my Christmas traditions. It's only got that one little Christmas bit in it, but somehow it fits.

 

[Flopper]

Bells of St Mary's is one of my Christmas traditions. It's only got that one little Christmas bit in it, but somehow it fits.

It's not how much Christmas; it's how much Christmas spirt is in the movie. Yes, Bell of St. Mary is really good. Also the sequel, "Going My Way" is good. My favorite is the "Bishops Wife" with Carry Grant, David Niven, and Loretta Young.

 

[whitehall]

More of a (typical) wartime movie than Christmas spirit.

 

[Auld Phart]

Bells of St Mary's is one of my Christmas traditions. It's only got that one little Christmas bit in it, but somehow it fits.

Did you know Mike Nesmith of the Monkees was in the choir in that movie?

 

[Auld Phart]

another one I like, watched it yesterday.

We're No Angels, 1957.

Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, as escapees on Devils Island.

 

[OldLady]

Bells of St Mary's is one of my Christmas traditions. It's only got that one little Christmas bit in it, but somehow it fits.

Did you know Mike Nesmith of the Monkees was in the choir in that movie?

No! That's so cute! I was a big Monkees fan.

 

[Flopper]

Bells of St Mary's is one of my Christmas traditions. It's only got that one little Christmas bit in it, but somehow it fits.

Did you know Mike Nesmith of the Monkees was in the choir in that movie?

No, didn't. A couple interest facts about "Going My Way".

Singer Andy Williams debuted as one of the singing boys surrounding Bing Crosby during the song "Swinging On A Star". Williams and his three other brothers were performing as the Williams Brothers and were all cast in the scene.

The movie was banned in several Latin American countries because Bing Crosby wore a white shirt as a priest.

Although Barry Fitzgerald played a Catholic priest in this film--and several others--he was in real life not a Catholic but a Protestant. Several times during this film when he is "crossing" himself he does it wrong, going from right to left instead of from left to right.

Barry Fitzgerald got Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. He won for Best Supporting Actor and Crosby won Best Actor.

Although "Going My Way is a very good movie, I liked "Bells of St. Mary" better.

Facts about "Going My Way" : Classic Movie Hub (CMH)

www.classicmoviehub.com

 

[Flopper]

Another good old Christmas movie is "Holiday Affair" with Robert Mitcham and Janet Leigh. This movie is worth seeing just for the very funny scene with Harry Morgan as a night court police sergeant.

A couple of other interesting things about this movie. Robert Mitchum's sudden kiss of Janet Leigh may not have surprised audiences but it certainly surprised Leigh as it was unscripted. The movie got mixed review and lost $300,000 but has made a fortune in reruns on TV and cable, and has become a Christmas favorite.

The complete movie is available for free on Youtube.

 

[whitehall]

White Christmas with Bing Crosby. The movie was based on the all time popular song of the same name that was introduced in a different movie "Holliday Inn" also starring Bing and Fred Astair.

 

[HenryBHough]

Bells of St Mary's is one of my Christmas traditions. It's only got that one little Christmas bit in it, but somehow it fits.

At last something we share!
The broadcast I syndicate - the edition for this past Sunday morning - was built around the music from The Bells of St. Mary's. Sorry, it's not available as a podcast - broadcast one time only. I tried attaching one short segment from it but this board doesn't seem to support audio files.

 

[Flopper]

More of a (typical) wartime movie than Christmas spirit.

I certainly wouldn't call "Since You Went Away" a typical wartime movie. It was nominated for nine academy awards and was the most costly and longest movie made since Gone With the Wind.

Call 'Since You Went Away' schmaltzy, cliched, idealized, propaganda, soapy - whatever you like: I LOVE this movie. It was made when we called them movies, not films, not cinema.

Every Christmastime I HAVE to watch 'Since You Went Away'. The laughter - that good, clean kind of fun laughter that gets trashed nowadays by the many who like to affect "sophisticated" jadedness - it provokes from my heart, and the tears it pulls from my eyes are worth every second of this Selznick masterpiece (in my opinion this movie trumps the overblown, talky, overpraised 'Gone With The Wind').

I laugh and cry, especially, watching and listening to the gifted, lovely Hattie McDaniel handling her role, a good measure of which was written in the period's typical "Black dialect", with dignity and aplomb. If I had to be stranded on a desert island with one person I'd hope it could be McDaniel, a woman who embodied grace under pressure.

Claudette Colbert simply glows throughout. Jennifer Jones oozes smoldering sexuality, but manages to convince us that she's a teen verging on responsible adulthood. Shirley Temple tugs at your heartstrings. McDaniel radiates strength, stamina, and tenderness. Monty Woolley irritates and charms. Joseph Cotten brings a healthy dose of class and charm. Agnes Moorehead infuriates - she was one of the most talented actresses ever to grace the screen. Robert Walker exemplifies the innocence that war gets from the young, and the sacrifice made, like his character, by thousands of young people in defending, and assuring the legacy, of America's founding ideals.

Have your tissues - a whole box - handy. And let 'Since You Went Away' make your heart soar and put you in the Christmas spirit.

Since You Went Away (1944) ⭐ 7.5 | Drama, Romance, War

2h 57m | Approved

www.imdb.com

 

[Flopper]

White Christmas with Bing Crosby. The movie was based on the all time popular song of the same name that was introduced in a different movie "Holliday Inn" also starring Bing and Fred Astair.

Holiday Inn may have given the world “White Christmas,” but that’s about all it has going for it. The plot is almost nonexistent. The characters were awful. Aside from “White Christmas” and “Happy Holiday” there really aren’t any memorable numbers. The rest of songs were second rate Irving Berlin numbers. And it's not really a Christmas movie. There is more about July 4th than Christmas and it totally lacks the warmth and good feelings you get from a good Christmas movie.