When someone asks what your favorite holiday classic is, I’m sure most people would be quick to blurt Frank Capra’s beloved It’s a Wonderful Life or picture Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby dancing around in White Christmas. There are the new classics, A Christmas Story or maybe even Christmas Vacation. But what about all of the others; the ones that aren’t played on repeat every holiday season? Here’s a look at some lesser known, but still heavy favorite, Christmas classics:
Christmas in Connecticut (1941) - Barbara Stanwyck stars as a home and garden columnist for a big city magazine, who writes about her farm in Connecticut, equipped with a husband and baby. However, none of those things are true and, in a hilarious turn of events, she’s forced to fake it all to keep her job. This film will air on TCM Christmas day at 12:15pm.
The Bishop’s Wife (1947) - Cary Grant stars in this classic tale of a bishop who’s trying to raise enough money to build a new church. When an angel is sent to earth, he helps the bishop and his down-trodden family. This film was remade into The Preacher’s Wife in 1996.
The Shop Around the Corner (1940) - Based on the play ‘Parfumerie,‘ Ernst Lubitsch directs this holiday comedy about two employees at a small store who despise each other. They both correspond with pen pals they’ve never met and I’m sure you can guess what happens next…If this plot sounds familiar, it’s because it was remade as You’ve Got Mail (1998).
Meet John Doe (1941) - Before It’s a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra tackled another humanity/mortality film centered around the holiday season. This film stars Gary Cooper as a poor man who accepts the role of a disgruntled man who claims he’s going to commit suicide. The statement, written by a newspaper reporter looking to boost sales (played by Barbara Stanwyck), gains much attention and throws naïve Cooper into the public’s spotlight and scrutiny.
Little Women (1933) George Cukor directs this favorite holiday film starring Katherine Hepburn as Jo March, a young writer who helps her sisters and mom find some happiness, as their father fights in the Civil War. The story spans many years and might not necessarily be purely a Christmas film, but certainly holds the holidays at its’ heart. This was not the first adaptation of the Louise May Alcott novel and it certainly wasn’t the last, but Hepburn’s performance keeps this one on the map.
If you want more holiday film goodies, check out Christmas in July (1940), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), and A Christmas Carol (1938). TCM will also be airing a special viewing of Remember the Night (1940) on Christmas Eve at 8:00pm.
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