Merry Xmas! [Part 1]: A Classic Hollywood Christmas

Okay, if you read my post for the Bogie blogathon earlier today, you'll know how I screwed up the blogging schedule I've quite carefully figured out for this week (with two blogathons, several birthdays, and CHRISTMAS). I really wanted to follow up with the post I'd planned for today, Christmas Eve, so I'm going to go ahead and write it anyway, despite the fact I'll be showing up twice in your feed today (at least, in my time zone). Apologies once more (I don't like to overhaul people with posts, lol).

All December I have been spotlighting my favorite Christmas films as a part of my Sunday Movie Review. Tomorrow is a Sunday, and is also happens to be Christmas Day, and therefore I'll be following up with my little Christmas blogathon by reviewing my favorite Christmas movie of all time.

However, in pledging myself to do this I realized I'd be missing out on some of the other Classic Hollywood/Christmas stuff there is to talk about, and so I decided to do a two part post. This is the first part, and the second part will be tomorrow, which will consist of my movie review.

For this first part I present to you all a list of ten random, Classic Hollywood Christmas things I felt compelled to share with you all.

10 Things That are Classic Hollywood and Christmas

1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AVA

Ava and one of her pet corgis wishing you a merry Christmas! Ava is one of my favorite actresses and I like her despite her faults because over all, she was still an awesome person. And she had good values about particular things, like she was ahead of her time when it came to racism: she didn't believe in it. But anyway, the point is that today, Christmas Eve, is her birthday! I read in her biography that it was a ritual on the 24th for two cakes to be baked: one chocolate and one coconut. One was supposed to be for the baby Jesus and the other for her but she always thought of them both for her. Anyway, any person born on Christmas Eve must be awesome, and Ava was. Happy birthday, Ava!

2. I LOVE LUCY: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

I'm sorry, I could only find the colorized version (yuck!) on Youtube. However, this is a flashback episode and the flashbacks are still in B&W, I believe. Anyhow, try to ignore the colorization and enjoy this. It's a "walk down memory lane" episode for the Ricardos and Mertzes, and it takes place on Christmas Eve so I guess it's particularly appropriate for today. This episode isn't run in syndication with all the others, so if you watch Lucy on TV (versus online or on DVD) you might haven't gotten the chance to see this yet.

3. THE DONNA REED SHOW: A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

I just watched this the other day, I'd never seen an episode of the Donna Reed Show before. I liked and it so I'm sharing it! It was a little mushy but mush never hurts anyone in the holiday season [expect perhaps the Grinch and Scrooge]. Plus, this show's got Donna Reed, who should be the queen of holiday mush as she starred in The Best Christmas Movie of All Time (can you just guess what movie I'll be talking about tomorrow). I like her a lot, I think she's an underrated actress. (Donna Reed, I mean.)

4. GREER AND AN ADORABLE LITTLE BOY WISH YOU HAPPY HOLIDAYS

[via]

I would SO much rather get this in my mailbox instead of the usual tacky Christmas cards (just saying). The GIF (which isn't mine, you know where to click, yep, that's right, the "via" link, because that Tumblr is pretty awesome) is from "Blossoms in the Dust". (A Greer and Walter movie, I saw it but never did a review of it. It's good, though, so watch it! Albeit, not a Christmas film, it only has a Christmas scene in it, just so you know.)

5.  CHRISTMAS PIN-UPS

So many awesome Classic Hollywood Christmas related pin-ups! This is a handful of so many. From left to right: Paulette Goddard opening presents, Elizabeth Taylor showing off her kitten and wishing us a happy holiday, Mary Pickford changing the street sign from "Hollywood" to "Santa Claus Lane", Ginger Rogers fooling around with the Christmas tree, Doris Day boasting the presents she's got, Carole Lombard admiring her presents, Natalie Wood smiling through her adorned wreath, Audrey Hepburn hugging Santa Claus, and Lucy and Desi bashfully exchanging gifts with one another. :) 

6. CHRISTMAS PLAYLIST


"The Little Drummer Boy" by Bing Crosby

"Silent Night" by Lena Horne 

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Doris Day

"We Three Kings (of Orient are)" by Ella Fitzgerald

Some Christmas carols I love. I know I've been adding a Christmas carol with each movie review, but these are a few that I like that I didn't get the chance to share!

7. SUSPENSE RADIO: TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

"Twas the night before Christmas..." Christmas Eve with a mysterious twist! Greer Garson stars in this Suspense Radio Theater production that was broadcast on December 21st, 1953. A suspenseful take

on one of the most cheerful holidays of the year! 

8.  I ♥ ASTA ORNAMENT

I made this myself. Honestly, who WOULDN'T want this ornament. Seriously,  if this were a real item it would totally have been in my holiday gift guide. Because who DOESN'T love Asta, I tell you. [Lassie?? Pfffhtttt].

9. LUCY: SANTA LUCIA

"I squinted up into the blazing sun and saw a figure hovering over me dressed all in black with a Santa mask and beard and rolled up orange hair. "Santa Lucia!" I cried out."

- I LOVED LUCY by Lee Tannen

* did you ever see a more beautiful Santa? *

10.  THE MOVIES I MISSED

I decided to share with you my favorite Christmas films this December, and I only had four Sundays, which meant only four movies. I had to leave out a few that I love. Here are clips from them --

THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940)

Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullivan 

THE THIN MAN (1934)

Myrna Loy, William Powell

HOLIDAY (1938) [New Years]

Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant 

***

The second part of this post will be up tomorrow [the movie review]. Now, I'm off to enjoy "It's a Wonderful Life" (I always watch it on Christmas Eve! ;D).

But in advance: Merry Merry Christmas, my readers - or whatever holiday you're celebrating this time of year!

"No Sad Songs For Me" - I experiment with women's dramas (SPOILERS)

Hi there!

With last Wednesday being Natalie's birthday - as we all know by now - TCM honored her with a selection of her movies, most of them films from earlier in her career. A lot of these aren't available on DVD, so I hadn't seen them before. I recorded "No Sad Songs For Me" (1950), to watch later.

"No Sad Songs For Me" is not available on DVD, and there weren't any clips on Youtube, so I decided it would be a good opportunity to experiment with a new segment called "A Movie in 10 Minutes," in which I record highlights of a film for you, string it together, and post it on Youtube to share it here. I would love to upload the whole movie, but it would be a pain in the neck to get it done, and not only that, Youtube wouldn't be quite happy. If this goes well, who knows - it would be fun to do again!

"No Sad Songs For Me" is a weepy, "women's drama" of the late forties. These were basically melodramatic films enjoyed by housewives on a Thursday afternoon movie matinee when the housework was finished, the pot roast was in the oven, the Husband was away at work and the Kids at school. The housewives would sit in the balcony of the theater, dabbing at their tear riddled eyes with handkerchiefs that boasted their initials embroidered into the upper left corner. After the picture was over, they would dry their eyes and return back to the role of the stereotypical retro housewife, glad that they are not in the same shoes as the victim of the film.

This was pretty strong fare, in which everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. No wonder they call it a women's drama! When I set up to TiVo this, I did so with the intention of watching a Natalie film, but also with interest in watching a women's drama.

The plot is like this - Margaret Sullavan plays Mary, a devoted housewife and mother to husband Brad (Wendell Corey) and daughter Polly (who seems to be nine or ten - in reality, Natalie was twelve). She loves Brad very much and he her. The family hopes for another child, perhaps a boy. Mary visits the family friend and doctor, Rick, about "her project." He gives her bad news - she cannot have any more children, and sends her away, telling her to rest. But Mary thinks something else may be wrong with her, so she goes back and is able to squeeze out of him what he planned to tell Brad privately (how sexist! lol) - Mary has cancer. It is too late for treatment, and she has only six months to live. Mary decides not to tell anyone and tries to enjoy the last few months of her life - really. I mean, if you had six months to live, don't you think it would be a good idea to try and not be too angelic and tell your family? She only tells Brad that they can have no more children. Meanwhile, Brad hires a new draftsman at work, a pretty European tomboy named Chris, played by Viveca Lindfors (who tries her best to be Ingrid Bergman esque). Though he loves Mary, he feels attraction and affection to Chris and vice versa. And Polly doesn't know a thing.

Here is the "movie in ten minutes." I include the ending and a few spoilers, so if you don't want spoilers, don't watch all the way through. Truthfully, though, it's hard to find a copy of this film online (and it's not really worth all the trouble) so you may just want to watch it. I'm sorry the sound is so bad!

First Scene: The opening scene of the film
Second Scene: Mary learns she has cancer
Third Scene: Brad hires Chris
Fourth Scene: Mary confesses to Brad about the baby - but not about the cancer
Fifth Scene: Mary tries to continue living whatever is left of her life, like attending this New Year's Party. Brad spends a lot of the night dancing with Chris, but rushes to her side when the clock turns twelve - this is telling in his feelings for both women
Sixth Scene: Mary overhears two friends gossiping about her husband's relationship with Chris
Seventh Scene: Mary visits San Francisco to see her father one last time. She asks him about a former classmate whose wife died, and how he is getting along
Eighth Scene:  Mary writes Brad a letter from SF revealing the truth about her cancer, and to please meet her at the station and try not to look "too sad"
Ninth Scene: Mary returns home to find that Brad is not there, and that the letter is unopened. He does not know. He does not come home from dinner, and she gets a call from him that he is sorry he could not come home, while it is revealed to us he is really having dinner with Chris. Mary takes the car and drives like a maniac, but before she can kill herself, she runs out of fuel and a policeman finds her
Tenth Scene: Mary confronts Chris, who admits to her that she has always loved Brad - but she does not want to be a home wrecker and will leave now. Mary tells her not to go, and convinces Chris to stay, as she knows Chris will probably take her place when she dies
Eleventh Scene: Mary gets Polly to spend time with Chris
Twelfth Scene: Brad finds some pills of Mary's, calls the doctor up about it, and discovers the truth about her cancer.
Thirteenth Scene: Brad and Mary take a trip to Mexico like she has always wanted (in the last weeks of her life).
Fourteenth Scene: Chris, who is staying with Polly, gets a call from Mexico. I'm pretty sure it is Brad telling her that Mary has died.
Fifteenth Scene: Final scene.

So, what did I think of this film? I thought it was interesting. I mean, it was overtly dramatic - Mary has cancer, is going to die in six months, won't tell anybody out of the good of her heart, she has a little kid, her husband is cheating on her, but she encourages his mistress to stay... Mary is more a goody two shoes than Olivia de Havilland's Melanie in "Gone with the Wind" - and that's saying a lot! 

Still, the fact that it is so dramatic keeps you on your toes. It is a big showcase for Margaret Sullavan, who, in reality, committed suicide herself at the age of 50 (and, in succession, two of her three kids committed suicide after that), so obviously this film didn't teach her anything about the preciousness of life. It is also a bit of an ominously ironic film for Natalie, who died at the age of forty-three (drowning), with daughters about Polly's age.

It is overly weepy. But it does tug at your heartstrings. You will be upset at Brad for cheating on Mary when she's DYING (even though he doesn't know it... BUT. STILL!), and you'll be sad when Mary dies. (My God, this post is riddled with nasty spoilers... sorry! But I couldn't resist on this). You will feel sorry for naive little Polly, who has no clue about what is really going on in her life with her philandering father and dying mother, and it is left to play the piano with her father's mistress.

I guess my final verdict is I would give it three stars out of five. If you have an empty afternoon and want to keep yourself entertained, this should do the trick. You'll also enjoy this if you are a fan of soap operas - which I, personally, am not. it was fun one time around, but I doubt I'll become an avid collector of "women's dramas"... I guess I watched this mostly for Natalie, who, as Suzanne Finstad (the author of her biography) put it - "This picture was a showcase for stage actress Margaret Sullavan; Natalie was basically a backdrop." And she was. Oh, well.

Thanks for reading, and I'll be back tomorrow with a lookalike contest: which child looks mostly like their (Old Hollywood) celebrity parents? Lol, I can't wait. ;)

I'll leave you with a interesting picture of Michael Jackson and Princess Diana at one of his London concerts for his "Bad" tour... that evening in which he omitted "Dirty Diana" from the lineup, to the Princess's chagrin, who admitted the song was "her favorite of his." 

Ciao!