Some of my favorite Christmas movies n music

Here is a list of some of my favorite Christmas movies and cds! All of the movies are available on DVD!

“It’s a Wonderful Life” Starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. This is a classic, black and white Christmas movie!

“White Christmas” Starring Danny Kaye, Rosmary Clooney, and Bing Crosby. This is one of my favorite Christmas movies! It has the best music, and great dances!

“Holiday Inn” Starring Fred Astair and Bing Crosby. This is a great Christmas, or any holiday movie! It’s a classic black and white, musical.

“Holiday Affair” Starring Robert Mitchum. This is such a good movie! They also re-made it in the 90’s. Both versions are great, but I think I like the original the best!

“Gremilns” Ok, this isn’t exactly a Christmas movie, but it does take place during Winter, and during Christmas!

“Noel By Josh Groban” This is Josh Grobans first Christmas cd! It’s really great, and I’m not even a Christmas music type of person!

Ashley Tisdales “Last Christmas” single. You can get this song on ITunes! It’s really good!

“Bishop’s Wife” Starring Cary Grant and Loretta Young. This is a really good, fun Christmas movie!

“Christmas in Connecticut” Starring Barbara Stanwyck. This is such a funny movie! It’s one of my favs!

“Mrs Santa Claus” Starring Angela Lansbury. This is a cute Christmas musical! Angela Lansbury is really good in it!

It Happened In Brooklyn

This movie stars Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Jimmy Durante, Peter Lawford, and Gloria Graham.

Sinatra plays Danny Miller, a guy returning from the army to his hometown, Brooklyn. Before he leaves, he meets Jamie Shellgrove (played by Peter Lawford). Jamie is a piano writer, but he’s music is square (old fashioned). Danny decides to try to help him get in the grove by updating his music. He then leaves for his hometown, but he finds out that Brooklyn has changed. As soon as he gets there, he meets a Anne Fielding (played by Kathryn Grayson). She is a music teacher who wants to become a professional opera singer, but she keeps getting turned down. And Danny is trying to get a job singing in a music store, but he’s to afraid to try. So Nick Lombardi (played by Jimmy Durante) decides to help him. (Nick was a janitor in the school that Danny went to when he was a boy).

 

Danny gets the job, and decides to try to help Ann get a job in opera, and tries to get Jamie a girlfriend (Jamie decided to come and pay Danny a visit in Brooklyn). But, as time goes by, Jamie starts to fall for Ann, even though Danny likes her! Everything does turn out alright though, just as all these types of movies do!

I LOVE this movie! I don’t know exactly why, I just love it! I love the songs that Frank Sinatra sings, such as; “Time After Time”, “The Song’s Gotta Have Heart”, “I Believe”, and “Who’s Baby are You?”. Graysons songs are very good, but her voice dosen’t sound as good as in her other movies, it’s much more quite, and not as powerful. Even Peter Lawford ‘tries’ to sing “Who’s Baby Are You?”!  

*Spoiler* I thought it was kind of sad that Danny didn’t get Ann in the end though! For some reason, in  three out of four movies they are in, they never are a couple in the end, even though they seem the best together! I give this movie a A. It’s just a nice, fun movie!!

Young At Heart (1954)

This is a remake movie of a John Garfield and Priscila Lane movie, “Four Daughters”. This remake stars Doris Day and Frank Sinatra, with Gig young, Ethel Barrymore, Dorothy Malone, Robert Keith, Elisabeth Fraser, and Alan Hale Jr.

Day plays Laurie Tuttle. The average girl next door, as she plays in many of her movies. Her dad is a music teacher and her aunt lives in their house too. She also has 3 sisters. She makes a promise with her older sister that they will never get married to anyone, and that they will be old maids together. But as you would guess, they each meet guys, and fall in love.

Day meets Gig Young (who plays the character Alex Burke), who is a composer, so he fits well into the family. He proposes to her, and they decide to set a date to get married. But then one day, Sinatra (who plays Barney Sloan) comes into her life. Barney Slone is a music arranger who is hired by Alex Burke to help him with his music. He shows up at their door one day, tie all messed up, shirt wrinkled, ect. Laurie feels bad for him, and tries to cheer him up, only to find that he thinks the world is basically against him, and what he calls ‘fate’, is out to get him. As time goes by, the song gets finished, and Barney starts to fall in love with Laurie, even though she is engaged. So finally, on the day of her wedding, he decides to tell her that he’s in love with her, and that her sister is in love with Lauries fiance! So she decides to basically dump her fiance so that her  sister won’t be hurt, and runs away and marries Barney.

 

So now Barney and Laurie are married, but they are struggling financially. He can’t find work, and she doesn’t know what to do. They go back to her family’s home for Christmas, and she finds out that her sister, who really was in love with Alex, is now married and happy. And that her other sisters are doing well. But Alex is there, and that causes a little bit of tenseness.

This movie has a very good ending, much better then the sad ending in “Four Daughters”. Also this is the only movie in which the two biggest singing stars of the 1950’s are teamed and sing together in a movie. They have several great songs including “One for my Baby, and One More for the Road”, the title song “Young At Heart”, and “Ready, Willing and Able”.

Tom, Dick, Or Harry

This comedy stars Ginger Rogers, George Murphy, Burgess Meredith, Alan Marshall, and Phil Silvers. Rogers plays a girl who has big dreams of meeting a millionaire and marrying him. She meets 3 guys, a dependable one who’s slowly on his way (Murphy). A kind and caring, but poor guy (Marshall). And a millionaire (Meredith). She has to choose between the three, but she just can’t make up her mind! This is a really funny movie! I give it a B-.

Night and Day

This movie stars Cary Grant, Alexis Smith, Monty Wolley, and Eve Arden. Grant plays the famous song writer of the 40’s, Cole Porter. The movie goes through Cole Porters life and the songs that he wrote. This was such a great movie! I really loved it! I give it a A++!!

Madame X

This movie stars Lana Turner, Constance Bennett (in her last film role), John Forsythe, and Keir Dullea. Turner plays a lady who becomes involved in blackmail, murder, and a life of lies. This was a VERY good movie! And Lana Turner was GREAT in this role!! I give it a A!

 

When Ladies Meet

This movie stars Joan Crawford, Robert Taylor, Greer Garson, Herbert Marshall. Crawford plays a lady who writes book, and falls in love with her publisher, but he’s married! I LOVE this movie!! I really liked the cast too!! I give this movie a A++!!!

Torch Song

This movie stars Joan Crawford and Michael Wilding with Gig Young. Crawford plays a temperamental musical star, who meets a blind piano player, and falls in love with him. This was a really good movie, but Joan’s singing voice was dubbed. I give it a A-.

 

Ziegfield Girl

This movie stars Lana Turner, Heddy Lamarr, Judy Garland and James Stewart. Turner plays a girl who dreams of becoming a star, and owning mink coats and diamonds. Lamarr plays a girl who’s husband is a aspiring violinist, but she ends up getting the fame, and Garland plays a girl who doesn’t really fit in anywhere. Eventually they all make it and become Ziegfield Girls. But some of them can’t handle the fame. This is a GREAT movie! I give it a A++!!                                                                                            

I Could Go On Singing

This movie stars Judy Garland (in her last film role), and Dirk Bogarde, with Jack Klugman. Garland plays a American singer who comes to London for a series of concerts. But her real reason for wanting to go is to see her son, who she hasn’t seen in years. This was a really good movie, and Judy Garland was GREAT in it! The songs that she sings are also really great! I give this movie a B.

 

Three Darling Daughters

This movie stars Jane Powell, Jeanette MacDonald, and Jose Iturbi. MacDonald plays a mom of 3 daughters. She becomes over worked, so she goes on a vacation. Then she meets Iturbi. She marries him, but dosen’t tell her daughters! This is a GREAT movie with GREAT music!! I give it a A++!~

Tender Comrade

This war-time movie stars Ginger Rogers, Robert Ryan, Ruth Hussey, Patricia Collinge, and Kim Hunter. Five housewives deiced to put their money togther to get a house and be roommates to save money until their husbands return from war. I give this movie a A++!

The Climax

This movie stars Susan Foster and Boris Karloff. Karloff plays a mad doctor is is insane with jealousy over a young opera singer (Foster). His love for her may drive him to murder! This was a great movie! This was meant to be a sequel to The Phantom Of the Opera, but they weren’t able to make it, so they changed the plot, but still kept Susan Foster in it (she was Christine in The Phantom of the Opera). I give this movie a A++!!

Black Widow

This movie has a GREAT all-star cast! (Which was just recently realised on DVD!) With Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, GeneTierney, George Raft, and Peggy Ann Gagner! Garner plays an aspiring writer wanting to make it big in New York. After she meets Heflin, he tries to help her out by letting her use his apartment to work in during the day while he’s at work. Later he finds her dead in his apartment. Was she killed? Who did it and why? This was a GREAT movie! Ginger Rogers was REALLY good in it!! I give it a A!

 

Suddenly

This movie stars Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, James Gleason, and Nancy Gates. Sinatra plays a guy who is planning to kill the President when he passes though a small town. This is a different movie than most ones that Frank Sinatra is in. It’s really good though! I give it a B.

The Man Who Knew to Much

This Alfred Hitchock movie stars James Stewart and Doris Day. Stewart and Day play a married couple, who go, with their son, to Morocco. Their they meet a French spy who dies in the arms of Stewart. After that happends, their son is kidnapped and taken to Europe. This movie is really great, and different than most of the movies that Doris Day is in. She did a GREAT job! I really loved this movie! I give it a A!

The Pirate

This color musical stars Gene Kelly and Judy Garland! Garland plays a gal who is in love with a legendary pirate, Macoco. Kelly plays a travling singer, and by accident, Garland mistakenly thinks that he is Mococo, and falls in love with him, even though she’s engaged! This movie did not do very well when it came out, I don’t know why! I LOVE it, it’s a great movie! Kelly and Garland are a GREAT team, it’s a good story, and has great music numbers like “Nina”, “Mack the Black”, “Love of My Life”, “You Can do No Wrong”, and “Be a Clown”. I give this movie a A! 

Girl Crazy

This movie stars Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. Rooney plays a rich boy who’s ‘girl crazy’. His dad decides to send him to a male-only college to try to get his mind off of girls, and more on his studies!! When he gets there, he finds that the college is failing. He also meets the only girl, Garland, who delivers the mail! This is one of my favorite Mickey and Judy movies! It has GREAT music numbers including, “Treat Me Rough”, “Embraceable You” and “I Got Rhythm”! I give this movie a A++!!

The Court Jester

This musical-comedy stars Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury, and Cecil Parker. Kaye plays a a jester who tries, with some outlaws, to overthrow the king. This is movie was okay. I give it a C+.

You Were Never Lovelier

This movie stars Rita Hayworth and Fred Astair. Hayworth plays the eldest daughter, who has a old-fashioned dad who won’t let her other sisters get married until she does. Astair comes along, but her dad can’t stand him! I really like this movie, and it has some great dancing numbers. I give it a A-!

The Long, Long Trailer

The comedy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz with Marjorie Main, and Keenan Wynn. This is one of my favorite comedy movies! Ball and Arnaz play  newlyweds on their honeymoon. They deciede to buy a trailer, so that they can just travel anywhere they want to, with the comforts of home! But, it’s not quit as easy as it seems! They get into a mess of trouble along the way! I LOVE this movie and I give it a A++!!

“Tammy and the Bachelor”

This color movie stars, Debbie Reynolds, Leslie Neilsen, Walter Brennan, Mala Powers, and Sidney Blackmer. Tammy (Reynolds) plays a girl who lives on a Mississippi river boat. She falls in love with a rich southern gentleman after her grandpa rescues him from a plane crash. I give this movie a A-.

 

In Old Chicago

This movie stars Tyrone Power, Don Ameche, and Alice Faye. This is the story of the great Chicago fire of 1871. Power and Ameche play brothers who are the son of Mrs. O’Leary (the lady who owned the cow that started the fire). I give this movie a B-.

Yank in the R.A.F.

This movie stars Tyrone Power, Betty Grable, and John Sutton. This is one of two non-musicals that Betty Grable. Power plays a American flier who joins the RAF so he can be near the gal he’s in love with (Grable). I give this movie an B-.

Rise Stevens

Rise Stevens was born in New York in 1913. She attended the N.Y Julliard School of Music. She was only in 9 movies, but her greatest accomplishment was playing “Carmen” at the Metropolitan Opera in NY. Some of her movies included, “The Chocolate Soldier” with Nelson Eddy, and “Going My Way” with Bing Crosby. She is still living in New York.