"Christmas in July" with Dick Powell and Ellen Drew (1940)

I always watch a Christmas movie sometime in August. Maybe it’s just being tired of the heat; or that old wishing it was winter in the summer and vice versa thing. We humans are rarely ever fully satisfied with our current lots in life; always looking for what we don’t have rather than fully enjoying what we do have at the time. It’s just who we are.

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

When Jimmy MacDonald 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, all should end well. But, this is a Preston Sturges movie, and it’s never that simple; ever.

Jimmy enters the contest with the Maxford Coffee Company and 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 it for yourself. 

"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. 

"The Palm Beach Story" with Joel McCrea, Claudette Colbert and Rudy Vallee (1942)

One of the scenes shown in yesterday's Valentine's Day post depicted a woman’s toes curling. It was one of the ones I guessed correctly. Coincidentally, it is also one of the newer selections just purchased for the Classics Collection at the Mooresville Public Library. So, naturally I had to take it home. And I'm so glad that I did. It has been awhile since I have seen this quirky, off-beat comedy by Preston Sturges, and in this case, absence makes the heart grow fonder, both for the principal characters, as well as the viewer.

Tom Jeffers, played by Joel McCrea and his wife Gerry, played by Claudette Colbert are broke. He is a struggling architect and the bills have mounted up. They are being evicted from their Manhattan luxury apartment when J.D. Hackensacker III, played by screen legend Rudy Vallee enters their lives as the meddling old millionaire "Sausage king." With a self-deprecating wit and charm, he pays off the couples debts. This causes some friction between the two, and Gerry decides that she can serve her husband best by getting a quick divorce. He is in complete disagreement.

After a night on the town, Gerry leaves Tom, bound for Palm Beach by train. (There are some great scenes of the old Pennsylvania Station in this part of the movie.) Without any money for a ticket, she vies for the attention of a group of old millionaires who are all members of the "Quail and Ale" club. This group is composed of some of Hollywood’s finest character actors, including William Demarest and Chester Conklin, along with Fred "Snowflake" Toones as the beleaguered black bartender, "Snowflake", in what would today be considered a "politically incorrect" role. They are on their annual outing to go hunting, drinking and singing. They quickly vote to adopt her as a member and pay for her ticket. Tom arrives at the station just in time to see his wife leaving.

In despair, he heads home, only to discover that J.D. Hackensacker, III is now his neighbor. The old gent is irritated that Tom is not chasing his wife in order to get her back. So, he finances Tom's train ticket to go and chase her down. On the way he discovers that Hackensacker's sister, the Princess Centimillia, played by Mary Astor, is after him. With the plot all set, it only remains to be seen what happens next in this typically fast paced and funny production, written and directed by the master of the ridiculous, Preston Sturges.

"The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" with Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken and William Demarest (1944)

This is a delightful World War Two film starring the irrepressible Betty Hutton, who plays Trudy Kockenlocker, singing and dancing alongside, and around, Eddie Bracken, who plays her love stricken suitor Norvel Jones, and William Demarest; later Uncle Charlie on "My Three Sons"; as the long suffering father of two girls in a small town during the war. A military base is located nearby, which causes some legitimate concern for the widowed father of two attractive daughters.

Ms. Hutton, is at her all-time best in this tale of a night gone totally wrong for everyone involved. The film opens with the Governor of the State being notified that a woman who resides at Morgan’s Creek has given birth to 6 babies. In an effort to cash in on this phenomenon, and put the state "on the map", the Governor attaches himself to the event with gusto. But trouble lurks when the flashback begins and the identity of the father(s) is called into question.

Basically, after an all-night party for the troops, Trudy wakes up to find herself married and pregnant, but with no memory of her husband's identity. She was with six guys at a dance, and now with six children from that one night, a father must be found.

A very risqué film for its time, I suppose it was the result of the public fervor to "please the boys" in uniform that allowed this movie to achieve the widespread acceptance which it did. It's a fun movie to watch, with wonderful direction by Preston Sturges, who also wrote the script, along with a very talented cast, all of whom still bring life to this story almost 70 years after it was filmed. Here's a clip of Eddie Bracken speaking with William Demarest, who is his prospective father-in law, as well as the town Constable. It's every daughter's nightmare.

"Unfaithfully Yours" with Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell and Rudy Valee

This decidedly witty and unusual film is directed by Preston Sturges and stars Rex Harrison as the flamboyant Conductor Sir Alfred De Carter. He has asked his distant cousin, played with comic style by Rudy Valee, to keep an eye on his wife, Linda Darnell, while he is out of town. When Valee informs Harrison that he was forced to hire detectives, the Maestro initially tears up the report and banishes his cousin for subjecting his wife to the vulgarities of suspicion and the presence of lowly sleuths. But just as with Iago, the seed is planted and suspicion reigns in the Conductor's heart.

While he conducts, he imagines various scenarios in which he murders his wife. When he goes to implement these plans, nothing goes right, except for the viewer. This may be one of Preston Sturges' most comical works. In my book, nothing could surpass his classic "Sullivan's Travels", but this one comes close, yet in a more mature way. The director is not trying to make any point with this film. It is evident that he is having too much fun making it. Rex Harrison plays his role with remarkable flexibilty, while Linda Darnell plays her part,as always, without a hitch.

The real surprise in this film was the quick pace and sharp dialoque. Along with the aforementioned acting of Rudy Valee, this film will leave an impression upon you. Now, let's see, where is that copy of "Sullivan's Travels"....?