Christmas in Connecticut [DVD] [1945] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

"Christmas In Connecticut" is my all-time favourite Christmas movie with just the right combination of humour, sentiment, beautiful settings, and terrific performers. I play this film every year during the week leading up to Christmas and the season would not be complete with its wonderful presence in my home.

Being a huge Barbara Stanwyck fan I would have loved this film anyway however in "Christmas In Connecticut" Barbara has never been more winning than as Elizabeth Lane, the know it all columnist for "Smart Housekeeping" magazine in New York who always, (in her reader's minds at least) can wip up the most exquisite culinary masterpieces for any occasion. Barbara was always a very honest actress and brought conviction and feeling to any role she tackled whether it be a devoted mother or a murderess. Here the focus is on comedy as the film tells the very funny story of how after winning country wide fame as the icon of "Smart Housekeeping" her deception starts to unravel as the Christmas season approaches when her publisher Alexander Yardley (a superb Sydney Greenstreet) decides he wants to boost circulation by inviting a returning war veteran to spend Christmas with Elizabeth and her family on her beautiful farm in Connecticut. The only problem here is that Elizabeth has made up everything about her supposedly ideal life, from having a husband, a child, owning a farm in the country and worst of all even being able to cook! What follows is a highly amusing tale as Elizabeth tries to avoid having her deception uncovered. Yardley with more dollars flashing in his eyes however is not easily put off and demands that the war veteran Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) share in an ideal American Christmas on the farm with Elizabeth and her "family". To make matters worse rather than be alone for the holidays he also invites himself along to experience this ideal Christmas with all the trimmings which creates anxiety for Elizabeth in that she knows Yardley will only except "total honesty" from all his staff, and thus she is in danger of also losing her job because of her deception. Complication piles on complication for Elizabeth as wealthy suitor John Sloan "lends" her his farm and "borrows" a local factory workers child to make up the family she needs and also recruits Felix Bassenak a gourmet chef from the local restaurant to play "Uncle Felix'. He is instructed to "assist" Elizabeth with the cooking because of course as Elizabeth tells Yardley "she taught him everything he knows!!"

"Christmas In Connecicut" is blessed with a wonderful cast that help bring this amusing story to life. Sydney Greenstreet has never been better than in the role of the bombasic Yardley and his reactions to Stanwyck's attempts to flip his pancakes "just as she writes so lovingly about in Smart Housekeeping" are a delight. Dennis Morgan provides the suitable love interest in the story and he is just that right combination of goodlooks and simple sincerity as the returning war veteran. The memorable S.Z. Sakall, a veteran of so many comic performances in countless films literally steals the show as the exasperated "Uncle Felix". His reactions of fear at being found out in the ruse are hilarious. His facial expressions alone are worth watching the film for. Reginald Gardiner has the thankless role of the boring architect John Sloan who is in love with Elizabeth and offers to go along with the story if Elizabeth will promise to marry him. He nevertheless does make something of his character despite being up against the more colourful characters played by Greenstreet and Sakall.

"Christmas In Connecticut" is a delightful romantic comedy from beginning to end and benefits not only from excellent writing but good if unspectacular direction from Peter Godfrey who collaborated with Barbara Stanwyck on two other interesting efforts in "Cry Wolf" and "The Two Mrs. Carrolls". The settings of the film are just right for the Christmas feel whether it be Barbara's small cold water apartment with snow on the balcony or the beautiful country estate with its big open fire, stunning Christmas tree, New England furniture and big windows with views of snow covered fields. Just the setting I've always imagined for an ideal old fashioned Christmas!.

I cannot recommend "Christmas In Connecticut" highly enough for the festive season. It's a simple, old fashioned story filled with good cheer, a warm cosy feel and the ultimate message of caring for other people. As a wonderful holiday treat make sure you find "Christmas In Connecticut" in your Christmas Stocking. Enjoy!.

From the perspective of the hectic, contemporary world in which we live, the so called "good old days" always seen so much more serene and innocent; an idyllic era gone by of which we have only memories and shadows that linger on the silver screen, as with "Christmas In Connecticut," a warm and endearing film directed by Peter Godfrey. Barbara Stanwyck stars as Elizabeth Lane, a popular "Martha Stewart" type magazine columnist who writes about life on her beloved farm in Connecticut, always with the latest recipe at the center of the story. One of her biggest fans is Alexander Yardley, played by Sidney Greenstreet, the publisher of the magazine for which she writes. Yardley has never visited her farm, and in response to an idea expressed to him in a letter from a nurse, Mary (Joyce Compton), he decides to spend an old fashioned Christmas with Elizabeth, her husband and child and, as a special guest, a certain Mr. Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan), a sailor just recovered from spending fifteen days at sea on a raft after his ship was torpedoed. Elizabeth of course cannot refuse her boss, but there are problems; not the least of which is the fact that she has no farm and writes her column from the comfort of a high-rise in the city. It makes for a precarious situation for her as well as her editor, Dudley Beecham (Robert shayne), as the one thing Mr. Yardley demands from his employees is total honesty. What follows is a charming and delightfully romantic comedy that transports the audience back to a seemingly more simple time and place, to share a Christmas Past where a warm hearth, good food and kindness prevail. Barbara Stanwyck absolutely sparkles as Elizabeth, with a smile and presence warmer than anything the grandest hearth could provide, and totally convincing as a city girl entirely out of her element on the farm. Morgan also fares well as the somewhat naive sailor, whose trust in his fellow man is admirable. Even with the deceptions being played out around him, he's the kind of guy you know will somehow land on his feet, and in the end it's Elizabeth you really feel for. One of the true delights of this film, however, is Sidney Greenstreet. His Yardley has a gruff exterior, but beneath you know without a doubt that this is a man with a heart as big as Texas. It's a straightforward, honest portrayal, and it's a joy to watch him work; the most memorable scenes in the movie belong to him, especially one he shares in the kitchen with Felix (the delightful S.Z. Sakall), the chef, and another during the denouement with Stanwyck that will make you laugh out loud. The supporting cast includes Reginald Gardiner (John Sloan), the terrific Una O'Connor (Norah), Frank Jenks (Sinkewicz) and Dick Elliott (Judge Crothers). A feel-good movie that plays especially well during the Christmas Season (though it would work any time of the year), "Christmas In Connecticut" is a memorable film that never takes itself too seriously, is thoroughly uplifting and will leave you with a warm spot in your heart and a sense of peace that makes the world seem like a good place to be. It's a true classic, and one you do not want to miss.

Christmas in Connecticut is a romantic comedy all of you classic movie buffs will enjoy. It centers around a single working girl (Barbara Stanwyck) who writes a cooking column for a ladies magazine. Her writing is so convincing that her boss (Sidney Greenstreet) believes it all--husband, baby, and farm in Connecticut! So he arranges to have a sailor and himself invited to spend Christmas "on her perfect farm." What to do? Here she is, a gal who can "only cook on the typewriter." Well, bring along Uncle Felix to do the cooking. All goes well until she is asked to flip a flapjack. Did she do it? Well, wait and see. This movie is full of fun and romance (the old-fashioned kind). It's a holiday treat for young and old alike.