"Christmas Eve" with Joan Blondell and George Raft (1947)

This is one of the all-time greatest of Christmas movies, and also one of the most overlooked. It involves a wealthy widow who lives in Manhattan during the late 1940's, which is when the film was made. Aunt Matilda Reid's nephew is seeking to have her judged incompetent in order to become the sole trustee of her wealth. 

Her three wayward adopted sons have been gone for years, with not a word from any of them. One is a bankrupt playboy (George Brent), the other a rodeo rider (Randolph Scott), and the third son (George Raft), is a very mysterious man involved with hunting Nazi war criminals in South America.

Aunt Matilda has drawn just one concession from the lawyers and judge who are administering her case; if her sons show up before midnight on Christmas Eve, she wins. If not, she becomes the ward of her greedy nephew.

The film received tepid reviews in 1947 when it was released in late October. It was eventually re-released as "Sinner's Holiday", in an effort to attract a wider audience. I first ran across this gem in 1961, or so, while watching WOR-TV, Channel 9, in New York City. All the good old movies were on that channel.

As a matter of fact, "It's A Wonderful Life", with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, got its second life from that station. That film was originally released in 1942, at a time when we were not winning the war. The film flopped. And then, around 1960, WOR-TV was looking for something to throw on the air Christmas Eve that wouldn't cost them anything. 

So they turned to "It's A Wonderful Life", a film whose copyright had just run out, enabling them to air the film for nothing. The switchboards lit up and another classic Christmas film was "discovered."

"Christmas Eve" with Randolph Scott, Joan Blondell and George Raft (1947)

This is one of the all-time greatest of Christmas movies, and also one of the most overlooked. It involves a wealthy widow who lives in Manhattan during the late 1940's, which is when the film was made. Aunt Matilda Reid's nephew is seeking to have her judged incompetent in order to become the sole trustee of her wealth. Her three wayward adopted sons have been gone for years, with not a word from any of them. One is a bankrupt playboy (George Brent), the other a rodeo rider (Randolph Scott), and the third son (George Raft), is a very mysterious man involved with hunting Nazi war criminals in South America.

Aunt Matilda has drawn just one concession from the lawyers and judge who are administering her case; if her sons show up before midnight on Christmas Eve, she wins. If not, she becomes the ward of her greedy nephew.

The film received tepid reviews in 1947 when it was released in late October. It was eventually re-released as "Sinner's Holiday", in an effort to attract a wider audience. I first ran across this gem in 1961, or so, while watching WOR-TV, Channel 9, in New York City. All the good old movies were on that channel.

As a matter of fact, "It's A Wonderful Life", with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, got it's second life from that station. That film was originally released in 1942, at a time when we were not winning the war. The film flopped. And then, around 1960, WOR-TV was looking for something to throw on the air Christmas Eve that wouldn't cost them anything. So they turned to "It's A Wonderful Life", a film whose copyright had just run out, enabling them to air the film for nothing. The switchboards lit up and another classic Christmas film was "discovered."

"Live from WVL Radio Theatre: It's A Wonderful Life" at The Booth Playhouse

The Booth Playhouse in Charlotte is hosting this wonderfully different version of the classic Christmas tale "It's A Wonderful Life." Actually, it's not that much different at all, with the exception that playwright W. Repoley has framed the original story about a man who has struggled all of his life, only to arrive at a point, on Christmas Eve, where he wishes he were never born, within an unusual story. Of course, Clarence the Angel still comes down to show him what life would be like without him. Sounds the same, right?

Station WVL is getting ready to air the play, "It's A Wonderful Life", on Christmas Eve, only to have over half of the actors unable to get to the station due to a blizzard. This leaves only the sound effects man and the station owner's daughter, along with just two of the cast, to put on the entire show, with each one playing multiple parts.

The characters of Evelyn Reed, Mays, Lee Wright and Kitty Dayle are all vibrantly played by Maria Buchanan, Michael MacCauley, William Repley and Rachelle Roberts, who seem to effortlessly leap from one character to another, even crossing genders as necessary. The play is carried off with the audience playing the part of the studio audience at the radio station, which gives the whole experience the feel of a "reading", rather than a play. I mean this as a compliment, as I love readings.

The whole point of this play is this, that the station manager's daughter, when faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge, is saved by the sound engineer, and his love of what he does. And that love blossoms into a love all it's own.

A very original concept which manages to stay true to the original movie/play and yet adds something of it's own to it. That's not an easy thing to do.