"Christmas in Connecticut" *** (out of ****)
Although it has the word "Christmas" in its title and takes place on Christmas Eve, "Christmas in Connecticut" has nothing to do with Christmas actually, but it is usually played around this time of year and I'm glad it is. This is one of those rare gems that seems to get better and better. It has aged wonderfully and actually seems funnier each passing time I see it.
At its heart "Christmas in Connecticut" is a bit of an old-fashion screwball comedy. It doesn't follow all the rules of screwball comedy but there are slight touches. Still this movie is so charming you'd think it was directed by Ernst Lubitsch or Preston Sturges. It wasn't. It was directed by Peter Godfrey.
Growing up my family and I would always watch this movie around Christmas, mostly because it has some Hungarian connections. And that leads to one of the reasons I find this movie so funny. Yes, Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan are very good in this, but it is the supporting cast, which I think really holds this movie together. Especially the performance given by S.Z. Sakall. He is the funniest thing in this picture.
You may not recognize the name, but, trust me, you have seen his face. He played the head waiter in "Casablanca". He appeared in some musicals with Doris Day; "Look For the Silver Lining" and "Lullaby of Broadway". He was never a leading man. He always played the comic relief. But in my family we always took great delight to watch him on-screen. My grandparents would also happily and proudly point out to me, "he's Hungarian"!
He was born in Budapest and was part of a comedy act on stage. He eventually came to America where his fat was considered a plus. He was quickly nicknamed "cuddles" because of his fat cheeks.
In the movie he plays Barbara Stanwyck's best friend. Stanwyck is Elizabeth Lane. A famous writer for a home magazine. She is considered an expert cook. She lives out in Connecticut, with her husband and baby, where they have a farm. She is a Martha Stewart type. She knows about cooking, cleaning, home repair, farming, basically how to enjoy "the simple life". The problem is, none of it is true!
A wounded soldier (the film was released in 1945, at the end of WW2), Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan), sends a request to the magazine's editor, Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet) concerning how much he loves to read Ms. Lane's articles and if he would be possible for him to be her guest for Christmas up in her cabin in Connecticut. Mr. Yardley, being a shrewd business man, sees this as a great story and a great way to boost circulation. So he immediately agrees on behalf of Ms. Lane.
When Elizabeth is told about the situation from her agent, Dudley (Robert Shayne) they figure the scheme is over. There is no way Elizabeth will be able to get married, have a baby, move to Connecticut (currently she lives in New York), and learn to cook in a matter of days. Or will she?
The fates start to deal her a good hand when a constant admirer, John Sloan (Reginald Gardiner) proposes to Elizabeth, once again. As luck would have it, he owns a cabin in Connecticut. Dudley sensing to beginnings of a new scheme, encourages Elizabeth to accept his hand and get into that cabin. So she agrees. As for the cooking part, well, her friend Felix Bassenak (S.Z. Sakall) is a cook. In fact, he is the one who gives her, her recipes. He runs a Hungarian restaurant.
So nearly all the chips are in place now. They have even managed to get a baby. John's maid, Norah (Una O' Connor) babysits for a neighbor and friend. All Elizabeth has to do now is convince Jefferson and Mr. Yardley that she knows what she is talking about.
Without revealing too much more of the plot. Elizabeth and Jefferson start an immediate attraction towards each other. This gives the movie a surprising edge. You must remember the production code was still in effect at this time. And there were certain rules of decency still in play. "Christmas in Connecticut" ever so closely pushes the envelop.
As far as Jefferson is concern Elizabeth is married. But that doesn't stop him from hitting on her and it doesn't stop her from responding. The film is being very playful about infidelity. At one point Jefferson even tells her, "you don't act like a married woman."
As I went over the plot describing the characters, true film buffs probably noticed the amazing supporting cast this film has. Sydney Greenstreet might be best known for his role in "Casablanca". Reginald Gardiner, though maybe thought to be attractive, never really became a leading man, still he worked with some great comedians. He acted opposite Laurel & Hardy in their French foreign legion comedy "Flying Deuces", in a role I will always identify him with. And he acted alongside Charlie Chaplin in his masterpiece "The Great Dictator".
I have already talked about Sakall and as for Una O' Conner, undoubtedly she has to be best known for her role in "Bride of Frankenstein". She was the inspiration for the Cloris Leachman role in "Young Frankenstein".
Dennis Morgan was an actor I thought never fully reached his potential. We fans of older movies of course know who he is, but, his name has not found its way with some of the other leading actors of his era; Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart or others. That is a shame. He was very talented. The Warner Brother movies he appeared in weren't always great. Watch "Kisses for Breakfast" or "Affectionally Yours" as proof. But he would star in grade "A" movies like "Kitty Folye" with Ginger Rogers. He had a good face. A very likable personality on-screen. He had an "every man" appeal to him. I think he could play drama and comedy equally well. Warner Brothers, wanting to steal some of the thunder from the Crobsy and Hope "Road" movies, paired Morgan with Jack Carson for their own adventures.
Barbara Stanwyck was another versatile talent. Today she may be best known for "Sorry, Wrong Number" and the movie she made before this one, Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity". But we may forget she too could play comedy as she demonstrates here and in Preston Sturges' "The Lady Eve" with Henry Fonda.
As I have already said, my favorite moments in the film involve Sakall. At one point he and Nora argue over her kitchen. She is preparing Irish stew. He claims it is really goulash. And they get into an argument over what to call it. He settles it but pouring paprika in it saying afterwards, "now its goulash"! You might have to be Hungarian to get the joke. We put paprika on everything.
But if Sakall doesn't do it for you, which I simply wouldn't be able to understand why. The structure of the story is near comedic perfection. It was written by Adele Comandini and Lionel Houser (who wrote another great 1940s comedy with Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas, "Third Finger, Left Hand"). The way the situation which seems to gradually intensify putting Elizabeth in more and more trouble is the essence of this style of comedy. And Stanwyck lives up to the challenge.
Does "Christmas in Connecticut" have to be viewed as a "Christmas" movie? No, not at all. It really has nothing to do with the holiday. But it is a good family film to watch which I think most people will enjoy. It can always be seen on TV. So look out for it.
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