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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Tradition! Five Quirky Christmas Movies if You're in the Mood for Quirk - Again

Babes in Toyland aka March of the Wooden Soldiers 

Try to find the black and white version if you can. The later colorization is blech!

This is an updated version of last year's post simply because these are the quirky films I never get tired of watching at this time of year and of course if I didn't do it every year it wouldn't be a tradition. 

1) MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS (1934) is watched religiously by me every year either at Thanksgiving or Christmas. It is ritual. I know the songs by heart and can often be heard tunelessly humming along with the music and if I'm really in the mood, I'll sing the words too. When it comes to this movie I am incorrigible. Laurel and Hardy, Santa Claus, Little Bo-Peep and Boogeymen - what more could you want?

Okay, you talked me into it. Here's my thought: If you don't like this movie then, I mean, we simply cannot be friends. Well, at any rate, not really, really good friends. Ha!

Check out fellow movie maven, Caftan Woman's take on this very same film - what a coincidence!


2) THE THIN MAN (1934) Obviously '34 was a good year for Christmas movies. The very suave and sophisticated Nick and Nora Charles solve a murder or two, drink endless martinis, kibbitz in local Manhattan eateries and dives, and celebrate Christmas with a hotel room full of wise-cracking NY riff-raff. Again I ask, what more could you want? And when was the last time you saw a movie featuring someone named Minna Gombell? I ask you.

I know I asked this rhetorical question last year, but I think it's worth asking again. Poor hapless Minna looks perpetually shell-shocked in this one. I think it's the eye-makeup. Elizabeth Arden it ain't.


3) AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS (1951) If you can find this early black and white television version, then this is the one to watch. A short opera written for television by Gian Carlo Menotti (who was one of the directors), it remains fixed in my mind and heart as sheer Christmas perfection. The Three Wise Men, following their star, must stop and rest for the night and choose the very humble abode of a desperately poor widow and her young, mischievous, handicapped son who hops about on a crutch and can't help getting into trouble. He's very inquisitive, you see.

There's no cuteness though, it's all just glorious singing to unexpectedly glorious music as well as some dancing villagers and, near the end, a miracle. If you've never seen this, you're in for a wonderful treat. This unique production is one of the reasons I am a life-long opera fan.


4) LADY ON A TRAIN (1945) starring Deanna Durbin as a ditzy society babe, out from under the watchful eye of her indulgent dad, just in from the coast to spend Christmas in NY with her aunt. But as the train pulls into Grand Central the deb spots a murder from the window of her compartment and the hunt is on for a killer. (What else is a nice young lady to do in NYC on Christmas eve?) 

There is a cast full of character stalwarts from the forties, including Edward Everett Horton, David Bruce, Ralph Bellamy (at his ultra creepy best), Dan Duryea (equally creepy, he just can't help himself), Elizabeth Patterson, Allen Jenkins and George Coulouris, there to prop up Miss Durbin who does a creditable job playing the ditz who drives everyone crazy. I watched this again the other night and enjoyed it even more than the first two or three times.  

I'll bet you will too.


5) THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (1942) starring Bette Davis, Monty Woolly and Ann Sheridan in a loony-toony tale of a famous New York radio personality/curmudgeon who is forced by circumstance - a slip and fall incident - to spend the holidays in the home of a 'normal-seeming' small town midwestern family (with money) whose lives he upsets in a hilarious variety of ways. This is SO much fun and as the quips and insults fly by quickly - you gotta' pay attention. Bette Davis plays quietly sweet (if gently acerbic) very well as the curmudgeon's secretary and general factotum.

Some of the more entertaining aspects of this very funny movie: penguins, an octopus, a batty aunt, a hotsy-totsy movie queen, an Egyptian sarcophagus and an adorably engaging impersonation of Noel Coward by Reginald Gardiner. (His short scene almost steals the movie away from the ferocious Monty Woolley whom I adore.)

Read fellow movie maven Dorian's take on THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER. Hint: She loves it as much as I do.

P.S.

Three Christmas cartoons (I've tried to find the ones with the best resolution) from the past when cartoons were really cartoons, drawn by hand and photographed cell by cell and all had a certain jaunty 'je ne sais quois' and one very sweet stop action animated television delight from those days once upon a time when we used to sit eagerly around the set and watch the yearly Christmas 'Specials'.

Silly Symphony's Santa's Workshop 1936

Silly Symphony's Night Before Christmas 1933

Fleischer Brothers 'Christmas Comes But Once A Year' 1936

Rankin and Bass - Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer 1964

This is my entry in Tuesday's Overlooked (or Forgotten) Movies, the weekly meme hosted by Todd Mason at his blog, Sweet FreedomSo don't forget to check in and catch up on what other overlooked or forgotten films (or other A/V) other bloggers are talking about today.


25 comments:

  1. THIN MAN is my favourite but I like all of these - thanks Ybvette - and hope you have a very Merry Christmas.

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    1. Thanks, Sergio. Oh, it's so easy to love THE THIN MAN. :)

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  2. You make me want to see all of these. Thanks Yvette. A Merry Christmas to you and your family.

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    1. Thanks, Neer. I hope you will get a chance to see these films at some point. I'm trying to remember if any of them on available on youtube...Don't think so. But you can always keep trying and maybe at some point they'll show up. That's what I do.

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  3. First, Merry Christmas to you and your family. I hope you have a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year!

    Second, do you find most of the old movies you watch on YouTube? We just got a new TV that makes streaming from Netflix and Amazon, both of which we have subscriptions to. But often the old movies I want to watch aren't available for streaming, only on DVD if I'm lucky. Do you watch on either and do you think one has more streamable old movies than the other?

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    1. Thanks so much, Joan. Same back to you and your family. In answer to your question: I have the Netflix DVD plan (all the movies listed above, except the Amahl special, are available - currently - on DVD) and the streaming as well - but only on my computer. (I have an old television.) I will occasionally pay to view a movie on amazon - but only if I've exhausted all other possibilities. And I've begun buying - little by little - those old movies that I simply can't live without. :) Next up: THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER, amazon has the DVD for six bucks. Finally, I watch lots of old movies on youtube - but these are mostly things like Charlie Chan, Sherlock Holmes and their ilk. EYES IN THE NIGHT with Edward Arnold is currently available on youtube. No one thing is perfect, that's for sure. You have to mix and match.

      It's hard to tell between Netflix and Amazon. All I can definitely say is that I watch many old movies on Netflix - not to mention, a lot of television series (which is really the best thing about Netflix).

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    2. Thanks for the information. We have a Netflix DVD and streaming subscription, as well as the Amazon Prime thing. I guess I just have to look for the things I want to watch. I've bought all the Charlie Chan DVDs and have some others that I'll re-watch, like The Thin Man series.

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  4. Yvette, I remember Babes in Toyland! I thought my boys would hate it but they loved it and we watched many times! Great fun.

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    1. Obviously your boys have a great deal of perspicacity, Peggy Ann. :)

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  5. Yvette, I like many of these films - but I absolutely love Amahl. It is a great way to introduce opera to kids, too. It's some of Menotti's best music, and that cast from the original NBC production is simply outstanding. I had the chance many years ago to hear a performance by the Little Orchestra Society, with Menotti in attendance. It's still one of my favorite memories. In any case, have a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy new year.

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    1. Oh, AMAHL is absolutely a great way to introduce kids to opera - no doubt. It worked on me. :) I still have hopes that at some point I might get to see a live performance. What a wonderful memory, Les.

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  6. Yvette, you and I have often enjoyed many of the same movies, including Christmas movies, and your delightful holiday roundup this season is another delightful treasure of holiday movie fun! You know how we of Team Bartilucci love THE THIN MAN (boy, was that Wynant clan a dysfunctional bunch, or what? Thank goodness Nick and Nora saved the day!) So glad you included LADY ON A TRAIN, too, not to mention our mutual favorite THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER -- thanks a million for giving it some extra special holiday love! :-) Merry Christmas, dear friend, and have a truly Merry Christmas to you and your family!

    P.S.: Just for fun, I thought I'd include one of Team Bartilucci's early holiday double-features: The Thin Man and Fitzwilly! :-)

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    1. Thanks, Dorian. I'll be checking in at Team Headquarters when I have a moment. How we love these movies!! :)

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  7. Oops, forgot the THIN MAN/FITZWILLY link, Yvette -- so sorry!

    http://doriantb.blogspot.com/2010/12/thin-man-meets-fitzwilly-team.html

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  8. Have a fantastic holiday with the lovely family and gorgeous grandchildren whose pictures just brighten up any day.

    I will heed your advice and try to get Lady on a Train, The Thin Man (although I've seen it so many times0, and The Man Who Came to Dinner. Hope my library has them.

    My question is: Are the movies about Nick and Nora Charles that came afterwards worth viewing?

    Again, Happy Holiday to you and your family.

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    1. Thanks so much Kathy, and listen to Dorian. She knows more simply because she has a much better memory than me (and probably more brains). Ha! THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER just arrived in the mail from Netflix so I'm all set. :)

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  9. Kathy, just wanted to poke my head into this blog post to say that all the THIN MAN movies are fun, but my favorites, especially during the holiday season, are THE THIN MAN (accept no substitutes!), and AFTER THE THIN MAN, which takes place on New Year's weekend! Enjoy!

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  10. Yvette, I'm sorry I missed this fine post earlier. I want to wish you and your family Merry Christmas and an absolutely happy and wonderful 2014. I was delighted to see that you'd featured my favourite comedians, Laurel and Hardy (I've seen them all), and Fleischer cartoons that I was watch regularly on internet. Thank you, Yvette.

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    1. You're most welcome, Prashant. Happy Holidays to you and your family as well. Oh, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas (or Thanksgiving) without Laurel and Hardy. :)

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  11. Sorry I am late too. Hope you are having a wonderful holiday. The Thin Man is a favorite. We are watching The Man Who Came to Dinner on Christmas Day as my choice for our set of three Christmas movies. I will have to check out Lady on a Train. A wonderful post.

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    1. Thanks, Tracy. I watched it too, for Christmas - in between moans and grunts of sickly displeasure. Ha. Oh, you'll love LADY ON A TRAIN.

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  12. You are so right about the many one-liners in MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER! That's what makes makes it so much fun on repeat viewings. I'm currently watching the DOCTOR movies with James Robertson Justice--who reminds me very much of Monty in MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER.

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    1. Rick, I simply adore James Robertson Justice and yes, now that you mention it, he is very Monty Woolley-like. I think I saw a few of those 'Doctor' movies in the theater once upon a time and long ago. Maybe I'll check out one or two just to see...

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