After taking a break for the foodaganza that is Thanksgiving, we’re back for the December Smart Bitches Movie Matinee selection!
We wanted to do a holiday movie, but also something we hadn’t seen before. And since the older, classic movies seem to make you as happy as they make us, this month we’re watching Christmas in Connecticut.
Now, this is the 1945 version starring Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, and Sydney Greenstreet. This is not, as Amanda discovered while formatting this post, the 1992 television movie starring Dyan Cannon, Kris Kristofferson, and directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. That would be an event in and of itself. But no, we’re going with the classic here.
Here’s the plot summary, if you haven’t seen this one before:
A food writer who has lied about being the perfect housewife must try to cover her deception when her boss and a returning war hero invite themselves to her home for a traditional family Christmas.
(I can think of a LOT of ways this might be updated with food bloggers and deception, though it would be awesome if the food writer in question was a dude, so as to invert the gendery things.)
We’ll all be watching this film between now and Christmas, and I hope you’ll join in the discussion with us!
Christmas in Connecticut is available for around $3-4 to rent and $5-15 to buy digitally on iTunes, Google:Play, and Amazon, and the DVD can be found at your local library, or cheaply online in new and used condition from Amazon or Alibris.
Take a break from presents and eggnog, or Chinese food and a movie, or whatever your holiday traditions are, and join us Sunday, December 25, for our discussion of Christmas in Connecticut!
And – a question!
In 2017, would you like to try to do a live viewing party online together, where we set a time and have as many of the Bitches and Bitchery connect to watch together? Let me know in the comments! Happy holidays!
Well, that’s spooky. I just received the DVD from Amazon on Thursday! It’s a terrific movie BTW. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Merry everything, everyone.
This movie is also on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) this month, so if you haven’t cut your cable cord you are in luck. It is on today at 2 pm EST, Decembet 15 at 10 pm EST, and December 24 at 8 pm EST.
I would looove a Bitchery Movie Night! But only if we can live stream our snarky comments… 🙂
A Christmas Eve tradition in my family.
Have always loved this movie. Glad Laurel mentioned the TCM showings, as I was about to grab my newspaper’s TV Guide (I know, I know, old school) and tell you the times. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, you’re in for a treat.
Weirdly, a friend was just talking about how she wants to do a fanfic version of this story last night, so we’re having a movie night with it Wednesday! Serendipity!!!
I have very fond memories of watching Christmas in Connecticut with my parents when it first came out on VHS in the 1990s. My mother graduated from high school in 1945 and my father was a WWII vet (also Class of 1944), so they were very familiar with all the actors, even those in smaller parts. I remembered Barbara Stanwyck from the Big Valley tv series (re-runs during the 1970s and 1980s), so it was a surprise to see her in a comedy. My favorite memory from watching this movie with my parents, was seeing both of them start to laughing just about every time the character of Felix appeared on screen. Apparently, he was a pretty famous comic actor in the 1940s and 50s, and he didn’t even need to speak for them to be amused! It has become a Christmas tradition for me (along with Holiday Inn). I hope that you enjoy it. It is one of my favorites.
Found this movie a couple years ago and love it so much that I bought the DVD. Witty, smart and sweetly romantic. Barbara Stanwyck is awesome.
Another good but very odd Xmas movie is Bell, Book and Candle (1958) with Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart.
I can’t stand the saccharine movies on the ‘greeting card channel’ (sorry to folks who love the movies but most have the acting chemistry and story lines of pornos) – I rely on TCM for awesome holiday films – great actors, amazing costumes and a bit of history all in one!
Every year I record this on TCM (already sitting on my DVR) and watch it. It’s one of my favorite Christmas movies. Great pick!
Also, I think a live viewing part would be fun.
One of my faves! I love Barbara Stanwyck in everything she does and Dennis Morgan is adorable in this movie. Very cute movie.
I’d love to do live viewing parties next year!
Between this, the TCM showings, and the fact that I just realized I bought this several months back in order to view at the holidays, I think this will finally be my year to watch this. I love Barbara Stanwyck in everything I’ve seen her in, and another one I would recommend of hers is Remember the Night. By the way, I’m glad TCM isn’t showing it at weird times this year. Lol.
This is on TCM right now–started 5 minutes ago.
Also, there was an updated version of this last year. I forget what it was called, but I couldn’t get through it. The plot was basically the same. A young woman writes a column for a newspaper all about how she spends her life in a small town with a husband she doesn’t have. A young vet, recently home from Iraq is invited to stay with her for Christmas. No one knows that she’s made the whole thing up and hadn’t been to that small town since she was 8.
The whole thing pissed me off, so this movie might not be for me.
watched it on TCM earlier. love this movie!
Barbara Stanwyck is my favorite, favorite actress, and Dennis Morgan is one of her most charming leading men. Stefanie Magura, I second your recommendation of Remember the Night – a gorgeous Preston Sturges script, beautifully directed by the underrated Mitchell Leisen. If you’ve seen Double Indemnity, here is another pairing of Stanwyck and MacMurray which couldn’t be more different!
Coincidentally, Hooked on Houses did a post about the Farmhouse from this movie a couple of days ago. Link: http://hookedonhouses.net/2016/12/08/christmas-in-connecticut-movie-farmhouse/
@Christiane:
I couldn’t agree more. Wasn’t Remember the Night their first pairing?
I’ve never seen a bad Barbara Stanwyck film, and this one’s a true classic. She always played such smart, snappy dames, whether it was comedy or drama. One of Hollywood’s true great leading ladies and a personal favorite of mine.
Thank heaven for TCM, and thanks for the holiday reminder!
A group viewing would be so much fun!
Thanks so much for picking this and to Laurel above who mentioned it was on TCM (in the huge number of cable channels, most of which I never watch, I forgot we had that one!). Was able to watch it this weekend for the first time – how delightful! Am now ready for the discussion.
It’s also on watch TCM until the 18th in case anyone can’t do the regular showings. I’m pretty sure you need your (or someone in your family willing to share) cable/satellite provider info to prove that you have TCM.
If you click on the page where that trailer is, you can buy or rent it. I don’t know if it’s the same as Google. Probably since Youtube is owned by Google.
And TCM is showing it on the 15th at 10:00 P.M. and the 24th at 8:00 P.M.
TCM times are eastern.
Funny observation, I was just looking at the TCM schedule on my dvr (I’m a film buff so I constantly record from them) and right before Christmas in Connecticut on the 15th is The Shop Around the Corner. Then at 12:30 CST (not the movie right after, there’s a movie in between) is Desk Set. So if anyone wants to catch up on some past movie selections, the 15th looks like a good day to marathon watch TCM.
Another Christmas movie to watch and enjoy is It Happened on Fifth Avenue. On TCM, Christmas Eve at 11:15 AM CST. Watched this again at a party last week and it is so charming and you get two romances for the price of one movie!