Evelyn’s Holiday Movie Picks!
Here are our all time favorite holiday movies. Please share yours.
Rhonda –
A Christmas Story – Ralphie gets his bb gun and his tongue stuck to a lamp post. What could be better?
While You Were Sleeping – Warm family Christmas movie with Sandra Bullock at her best.
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Great songs and characters.
It’s a Wonderful Life – Can’t do better than Jimmy Stewart, any time of the year.
Die Hard – okay, not a traditional pick, but a fun hero movie and it is set at Christmas.
Marian –
The Shop Around the Corner, 1940. Just watched it and it’s lovely. Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, plus Frank Morgan who two years earlier was the Wizard of Oz. You’ve Got Mail was the modern remake, but not even close.
An Affair to Remember– 1957 – cheesy but good. Can’t go wrong with Cary Grant, Christmas and the Empire State Building
It’s a Wonderful Life – ’nuff said
White Christmas – Danny Kaye as the buffoon is marvelous, Rosemary Clooney sings like an angel, Bing ain’t bad, and who ever saw Vera Ellen after this movie?
Meet Me in St. Louis – worth it just for Judy Garland singing, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
Best Wishes for a Happy, Healthy 2011!
Rhonda and Marian
aka Evelyn David
http://www.evelyndavid.com
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The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah
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Oh, and I love the original "Miracle on 34th Street" (in black and white not colorized). I think I watched it three times at least this past week. You're so right about Judy Garland singing, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"–it's perfection. Even the Tony Award winner who sang it at our Symphony's Christmas concert couldn't come close. Hope you're enjoying the holidays!
I loved Judy Garland and all the songs she sang even though she never quite hit the notes but sort of slid around them. Guess that's what you'd call her style. I have to confess I didn't watch a single Christmas movie this year.
Marilyn
I know this isn't a movie, but I love How the Grinch Stole Christmas – the original animated, not the Jim Carey version.
And there's a great version of A Christmas Carol starring Patrick Stewart.
My favorite version of the Christmas Carol is the 1970 musical "Scrooge" with Albert Finney. Have to watch that every year or my holiday isn't complete.
I also love "White Christmas" with Danny Kaye. Usually we watch "Its a Wonderful Life" & some version of "The Nutcracker" at some point too. Doesn't everybody?
Somehow Christmas Story & Miracle on 34th Street" just never really 'caught' me.
I do like the usual Peanuts special, the original Grinch cartoon, & Rudolph (the original with Burl Ives as narrator.)
The only 'new' Christmas specials that seem likely to become lasting holiday classics might be "The Polar Express" and the Penguins of Madagascar in their 'Christmas Caper.' 😉
This year's Kung Fu Panda Christmas special was really good IMO. I hope that one goes into replay too.
It's a Wonderful Life has always been my favorite. I watch it every year!
Just stopped over at Jeff Cohen's blog and he mentioned another favorite that I forgot to mention ~ "Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas"
To be honest we always watch either that or another Muppet holiday special…or both. lol
I am a sucker for Muppets, I freely admit it.
Have never seen Meet Me in St. Louis, and am not a fan of A Christmas Story, though I'm tempted to give it another try!
LOVE It's a Wonderful Life. We watched it last night, in fact. And Miracle on 34th Street will always be a favorite. All the old holiday shorts– How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Charlie Brown Christmas… LOVE those and always will.
I like The Family Stone and The Holiday, as well.
I love the two older versions of A Christmas Carol (1939, with Reginald Owen and Gene and Kathleen Lockhart, parents of June Lockhart, who would later play the mom on both Lassie and Lost in Space television shows!; and 1951 with Alastair Sim).
I read Dickens' book each winter, not always by Xmas, but somewhere in that whole holiday span.
The scene in White Christmas where Danny and Bing take the place of the singing sisters act is so funny.
I love Miracle on 34th Street (the book of that one is good, too) and can't believe how the remake in the 90's blew it by not including the crucial scene at the end with Santa's cane!
I like most of the other movies and television classics already mentioned and I would add the wonderful Christmas in Connecticut. The scene wherein Barbara Stanwyck writes her column from her tiny NYC apartment, pretending to be a 1940's Martha Stewart on her lovely private farm, is priceless and very key to me seeing being a writer as the best job there could be.
Every Christmas season, I watch A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, and It's a Wonderful Life (I own all 4 on DVD).
I also watch Funny Farm with Chevy Chase ~ the last third of the movie is set at Christmas time ~ but it's one of my favorite movies that I will watch throughout the year when the mood strikes.
I, too, like Die Hard ~ I just bought it for our new Blu-ray DVD player; and While You Were Sleeping is another favorite. If I'm channel surfing and I come across it, I can't help but watch it; it's so cute!