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Christmas in Connecticut (12 Movies of Christmas)

  • Writer: Matt Palmer
    Matt Palmer
  • Dec 10, 2022
  • 2 min read

Studio: Warner Bros.


Remaining show dates and times: Dec. 10 at 4 pm


Plot: While recovering in a hospital, war hero Jefferson Jones grows familiar with the "Diary of a Housewife" column written by Elizabeth Lane. Jeff's nurse arranged with Elizabeth's publisher, Alexander Yardley, for Jeff to spend the holiday at Elizabeth's bucolic Connecticut farm with her husband and child. But the column is a sham, so Yardley hastens to arrange a publicity ploy by setting up single, non-domestic Elizabeth on a country farm.


Cast

Barbara Stanwyck - Elizabeth Lane

Dennis Morgan - Jefferson Jones

Sydney Greenstreet - Alexander Yardley

Reginald Gardiner - John Sloan

S.Z. Sakall - Felix Bassenak

Robert Shayne - Dudley Beecham

Una O'Connor - Norah

Frank Jenks - Sinkewicz

Joyce Compton - Mary Lee

Dick Elliot - Judge Crowthers


Writer(s): Lionel Houser (Sky Giant; Cargo to Capetown)

Adele Comandini (The Country Beyond)


Director: Peter Godfrey


Not Rated (101 min)


The 1945 holiday classic 'Christmas in Connecticut' is a pleasing film that shouldn't be missed!

It's an enjoyable little classic that delivers a lot of good charming laughs and some heart. There are quite a few really funny moments scattered throughout, especially when the soldier arrives at the farmhouse. Seeing all the scenes that show the Elizabeth Lane and a few others trying to make the plan work.

This is the first film I have seen that features the actress Barbara Stanwyck and she did an amazing job in this film. The actress was really endearing and humorous in some scenes. Stanwyck also had amazing chemistry with Dennis Morgan, who plays the soldier who visits the Connecticut farmhouse.

If you don't get a chance to see this amazing holiday classic during the 12 Movies of Christmas, you can stream it on HBO Mac if you have a subscription. You can also rent it on various platforms, such as Vudu, YouTube, Google Play, Redbox and Apple TV.


Here are a few interesting tidbits for 'Christmas in Connecticut':

  • Bette Davis was originally cast as Elizabeth early in 1944, but Barbara Stanwyck replaced her in April of that same year.

  • This was one of the first films to benefit from the "post-war euphoria" released in August (rather than a more logical holiday-time release) this grossed a then impressive $3 million, making it one of the year's most successful movies.

  • The entire "runaway sleigh ride" sequence was filmed in sound stages on the on the Warner back lot, with snow drifts stimulated by soap flakes.

  • The character of Elizbeth Lane was loosely based on the then popular Family Circle Magazine columnist Gladys Taber, who lived on Stillmeadow Farm in Connecticut.

  • John Sloan's Connecticut home in this film is the same set used in 1938's 'Bringing Up Baby.'

  • Sydney Greenstreet, usually cast as a "heavy" in Warner movies, has one of his few comedic roles in this film, with much of the humor arising from the fact that his character of publisher Alexander Yardley terrorizes and intimidates almost everyone around him.

  • The film marks the first of three film collaborations involving director Peter Godfrey and Barbara Stanwyck, the subsequent films being 'The Two Mrs. Carrolls' (1937) and 'Cry Wolf' (1947). The two developed a strong and lasting friendship while making these films.

  • Included among the AFI's 2000 list of the 500 movies nominated for the Top 100 Funniest American movies.




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