"Christmas In July" with Dick Powell (1940)

This is one of the quirkiest Christmas movies ever made, as it takes place in the summer. Preston Sturges, arguably one of the greatest directors ever, is in rare form in this film. Dick Powell and Ellen Drew, two young lovers, play a couple with no money but big dreams. 

When Jimmy MacDonald, a young office clerk, played by Dick Powell, enters a contest for an advertising slogan, he has high hopes. And when he is notified that he has won, and can now marry his true love, Betty Casey, played by Ellen Drew, all should end well. But, this is a Preston Sturges movie, and it’s never that simple; ever.

When Jimmy enters the contest with the Maxford Coffee Company, his co-workers decide to have a bit of fun with him. They send him a telegram that says he has won the prize of $25,000. He now believes he has enough to marry his girlfriend, as well as buy extravagant gifts for his friends and neighbors. 

In reality though, the coffee company is deadlocked on their selection, and as Jimmy goes deeper and deeper into debt; with no money forthcoming; what will become of all his hopes and dreams? Will he be branded as a fraud in the heat of the summer; or will he bask in the warmth of a Christmas like miracle in July? I simply will not reveal the ending of this film, which is one of Preston Sturges best cinematic creations. You’ll just have to see. 

"Lost In America" with David Brooks and Julie Hagerty (1985)

In this fast paced, and hilarious comedy, Albert Brooks plays David Howard, an advertising executive who gets passed over for a promotion because he is doing a great job in his current position. This sets off a mid-life crisis which causes him to dramatically quit his job, sell his home and embark on a cross country trip with his wife in a Winnebago. Their first stop is in Las Vegas, where his wife Linda, played with exceptional sweetness and naiveté by Julie Hagerty, decides to join her husband in casting caution to the wind. She does this by losing all of the money they got from selling their house in one of a casino.

Of course this is only the beginning of a wild and hilarious adventure; along with a clash of wills; as David and Linda seek to recover their money, as well as the lives they have traded away. The message in this film is pretty clear; the hell you know is almost always better than the hell you might be trading for.

This film was first released in 1985, and became an instant favorite of mine. This is the first time I have re-screened this gem in several years, and even with all the changes in technology which have occurred since then, the film remains fresh and vibrant. The desire to cast it all to the wind and “live among the Indians”, as David puts it, is still alive in most of us. We just don’t get the opportunity to do it. And after seeing this film, you may be glad that we don’t!