Favourite Christmas Film - The Man Who Came to Dinner

For years, I've been meaning to write something about my favorite Christmas film (and one of my favourites, full stop), and this year I finally managed to do it. Bright Lights Film Journal have been kind enough to publish it:

http://brightlightsfilm.com/never-felt-much-like-christmas-life-make-date-man-came-dinner/

What's your favourite (aside from It's a Wonderful Life)?

 

Just ran a podcast featuring the Radio version from 1949 65 years ago, narrated by Henry Fonda with Charles Boyer, Jack Benny, Gene Kelly, Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Rosalind Russell! Have a listen!

1949-12-25 Hotpoint Holiday Hour - Charles Boyer, Jack Benny, Gene Kelly, Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Rosalind Russell - The Man Who Came To Dinner

 

Now your talking. If only Harpo had played Banjo!

 

I recently discovered that Harpo did play Banjo once, in a 1941 summer-theater production at Pennsylvania's Bucks County Playhouse. From a biography of Moss Hart:

"Harpo was, of course, famous for not issuing a word in his performances, so, for many who saw the performance, they heard his voice for the first time. Memorization was not easy for him, but he learned his lines perfectly, threw in a good deal of comic business not in the original script, and did a thoroughly creditable job. Most viewers felt that his performance was the clear highlight of the production."

Can you imagine?

 

Favorite Christmas movie other than It's a Wonderful Life? Maybe Elf. I really don't like all that many of them--including the much-loved 1983 A Christmas Story.

 

Was this the same producion in which Alexander Woollcott himself played Whiteside?

For those unfamiliar with Woollcott (the real life inspiration for TMWCTD), here is a radio documentary about him from the 1950s:

https://archive.org/download/Biogra..._Sound_-_570423_-_88_-_Alexander_Woolcott.mp3

Anyone else here interested in the Algonquin Round Table?

 

I love the play and the movie, but never thought of it as a Christmas movie. The title character's name is pure delight: Portly Sheridan Whiteside. I'm not sure if "Portly" was intended as a physical description, and don't really care. It works too well as part of the character's name.

 

This was a very entertaining show.

There's also a Lux Radio Theatre version w/ Clifton Webb and Lucille Ball, but I haven't listened to it yet.

 

I'll be Home For Christmas (Jack Palance) is a must watch every season amongst a hundred others...I love them all!

 

I just saw this (The Man Who Came to Dinner) and enjoyed it very much. The main actor is great. I can't believe they tried to get a different actor to play that part. I can't imagine it working with anyone else as well.

 

It's on TCM tonight and on Christmas day this year.

 

I'm going to listen to Dr Pepper's podcast of The Man Who Came to Dinner. I too, never realized it was a potential Christmas story, but I am eager to hear it. I also really enjoy Clifton Webb and will listen to his version as well. I particularly like the Lux Radio Theater and other radio versions of films. I often find I like the film actor replacements as good or better. Keep in mind they were sometimes the director's first choice, but were simply unavailable, but it's always interesting to hear the different interpretation.

My personal favorite Christmas film is 1940's Beyond Tomorrow, which has been released on DVD as Beyond Christmas. Like Dickens' A Christmas Carol, it takes place on Christmas and also has a spiritual theme. It was produced by Lee Garmes, who was the original cinematographer on Gone With the Wind. It has his "look" of everything being lit by north light, but more important, the story is really good. He has a great company of actors, my favorite being Maria Ouspenskaya, who plays a servant who had been royalty in Russian before the revolution. It works on many levels, and although not overtly religious, it really features a theme of self-sacrifice which I would expect anyone living to find inspiring.

Another film I like just as much, which might be considered a Christmas-themed movie, is Frank Capra's Meet John Doe. I prefer it greatly to Capra's later It's a Wonderful Life. I just like it better. It might be a darker theme, but maybe not.

These are my two favorites.

 

with over 300 Christmas movies I cannot pick just one...I love them all!

 

The Bishops Wife.

 

a Christmas staple! love this...