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White
Christmas : This semi-remake of Holiday Inn (the first movie in which Irving
Berlin's perennial, Oscar-winning holiday anthem was featured) doesn't have much
of a story, but what it does have is choice: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary
Clooney, an all-Irving Berlin song score, classy direction by Hollywood vet
Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood), VistaVision (the very
first feature ever shot in that widescreen format), and ultrafestive
Technicolor! Crosby and Kaye are song-and-dance men who hook up, romantically
and professionally, with a "sister" act (Clooney and Vera-Ellen) to put on a Big
Show to benefit the struggling ski-resort lodge run by the beloved old retired
general (Dean Jagger) of their WWII Army outfit. Crosby is cool, Clooney is
warm, Kaye is goofy, and Vera-Ellen is leggy. Songs include: "Sisters" (Crosby
and Kaye do their own drag version, too), "Snow," "We'll Follow the Old Man,"
"Mandy," "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," and more. Christmas would be
unthinkable without White Christmas. --Jim Emerson
Going
My Way/Holiday Inn (1944) : This perennial, Christmas-season favorite
from 1942 teamed Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire as entertainers (and rival suitors
of Marjorie Reynolds) running an inn that is only open on holidays. It's a great
excuse for lots of singing and dancing, seamlessly wrapped in a catchy story,
and Astaire's frequent director Mark Sandrich (Top Hat, Shall We Dance) doesn't
let us down. The Irving Berlin numbers (each one connected to a different
holiday) are winners, with Crosby's warm performance of "White Christmas" a
movie touchstone. --Tom Keogh
Miracle
on 34th Street (1947) : The original 1947 version of this Valentine Davies
story follows the misadventures of Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) as he gets a job
playing Santa Claus at Macy's department store in New York City. Natalie Wood is
the little girl who tells him she doesn't believe in Santa, and Maureen O'Hara
and John Payne are the couple who help Kris through a trial in which he must
prove he's the jolly fellow from the North Pole. A sweet movie and perennial
Christmas favorite, this is one of those movies that gets under your skin and
must be revisited every so often. --Tom Keogh
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One
Christmas (1994) : Hailed as a "rewarding gift" and "an unexpected
pleasure," One Christmas is a timeless holiday treasure based on Truman Capote's
bittersweet tale of a young boy's adventures with the father he's never known.
It's a classic family story featuring acclaimed performances from an
award-winning cast including the legendary Katharine Hepburn, Henry Winkler,
Swoosie Kurtz and Julie Harris. It's Christmas 1930, and 8-year-old Buddy (T.J.
Lowther) finds himself in New Orleans spending the holidays with his estranged
father (Winkler). Leaving behind his Aunt Sook (Harris) and the peaceful Alabama
country life, Buddy now endures a conniving, hard-living, deceitful, con man of
a dad who seems to care more about fast buck scams than earning his son's
affection. With Buddy looking for a relationship with his dad, and his dad
looking for something real in a life of lies, the greatest thing they realize is
that they have each other. It's a gift that comes just in time for one
unforgettable Christmas. Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Henry Winkler, Swoosie
Kurtz, Julie Harris.
One
Magic Christmas (1985) : Grab an econo-pack of tissues, gather your loved
ones around a cozy television, and bring on the hot cocoa--it's time for a dose
of Christmas spirit. The tender and charming Mary Steenburgen (Parenthood) dons
a sour disposition in her role as Ginny Grainger, a woman who finds little joy
in life lately--let alone in the impending holiday season. Money is tight, her
husband (beautifully downplayed by nice-guy Gary Basaraba) lost his job, and the
family must move out of their house. Ginny cannot even bring herself to say,
"Merry Christmas," despite her family's enthusiasm about the big day. With help
from Ginny's brave and loving daughter (sweetly performed by Elisabeth Harnois)
and a Christmas angel named Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton), Ginny undergoes a
life-altering experience à la It's a Wonderful Life. The result? Happy endings,
hugs and kisses, pass the tissues.
 
A Christmas Carol -
Musical
An elaborate retelling of one of the most touching and enduring Christmas
stories of all time, this film is based on the stage show that was performed for
10 consecutive years in New York City's Madison Square Garden. The musical
production boasts an all-star cast, headed up by Emmy Award-winner Kelsey
Grammer (FRASIER) as Ebenezer Scrooge. The classic tale of the crotchety,
anti-Christmas miser and his reinvention through encounters with the past,
present, and future. Jason Alexander (SEINFELD), Jesse L. Martin (RENT), Jane
Krakowski (ALLY MCBEAL), and Jennifer Love Hewitt (I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST
SUMMER) make up this all-star cast. Award-winning director, composer, and
lyricist Arthur Allan Seidelman (THE SUMMER OF BEN TYLER) directs, while Alan
Menken (ALADDIN, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) composed the music. The inspiring,
delightful tale and the engaging music is sure to prove to be a family favorite.
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