Christmas in Connecticut

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Christmas in Connecticut

DVD cover
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Directed by Peter Godfrey
Produced by William Jacobs
Written by Lionel Houser
Adele Comandini
Aileen Hamilton (story)
Starring Barbara Stanwyck
Dennis Morgan
Sydney Greenstreet
Music by Frederick Hollander
Cinematography Carl E. Guthrie
Editing by Frank Magee
Distributed by Warner Brothers
Release date(s) 11 August 1945
Running time 102min.
Language English
IMDb profile

Christmas in Connecticut (1945) is a Christmas movie, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, and Sydney Greenstreet. Released through Warner Brothers, it was directed by Peter Godfrey. Although originally released on 11 August 1945, the film has become a holiday classic. Arnold Schwarzenegger directed a remake in 1992.

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[edit] Plot Summary

The film begins in World War II as a German U-Boat fires a torpedo, sinking an American vessel. Two survivors, Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) and Seymour Sinkiewicz (Frank Jenks) float aboard a raft and wait for rescue, eager to rid themselves of their hunger. After eighteen days, they are rescued and begin recovery at a U.S. Navy hospital. However, Jones must do without solid food while Sinkiewicz gets all he can handle. The explanation is that he starved longer than Sinkiewicz, allowing him the last available K-ration. Desperate for some real food, Jones turns to Sinkiewicz, who tells him that the nurses will do special favors for patients who are in love with them. Jones decides to try this with his nurse, Mary Lee (Joyce Compton). The con pays off, but Jones soon learns that the doctors were right. His stomach is not ready for solid food.

Jones later realizes the plan has worked too well, and Mary is prepared to marry him. He tells her that, being in the Navy, he's never really known what a real home is like. Nevertheless, Mary is determined to see the engagement through. She reads an article in a housekeeping magazine by Elizabeth Lane. Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) is comparable to today's Martha Stewart. She lives on a farm in Connecticut with her husband and baby, a model of domesticity and the idol of many an American housewife. Mary decides to write to the publishing magnate, Mr. Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet) who controls Lane's publication. She asks if Jones can spend Christmas on Mrs. Lane's farm. Mr. Yardley, sensing a public relations boon, supports the idea wholeheartedly.

Unfortunately, there's a problem; Elizabeth is not nearly what she appears. She lives in a small apartment in New York, is unmarried and has no concept of domestic life or cuisine. She writes the articles simply for the money, and her "five-star" recipes are provided by her uncle, Felix (S.Z. Sakall), who owns a Manhattan bistro. When she hears of Mr. Yardley's plan, she begins to panic. She tries to call off the plan, but Yardley dismisses this. In addition, Yardley is feeling lonely this Christmas. His daughter is stuck in Washington, and he stands to spend Christmas alone is his Long Island mansion. He decides to invite himself to the farm for Christmas, adding more pressure to Elizabeth's problems.

With time running short, Elizabeth turns to her friend, John Sloan (Reginald Gardiner). Sloan is a pompous architect who has given Elizabeth numerous marriage proposals, none of which she has accepted. John actually lives on a farm in Connecticut and he agrees to let her use it, if she agrees to marry him. Given the circumstances, Elizabeth agrees. She decides to bring Felix along to do the cooking, a favor he is willing to carry out as Elizabeth helped to fund his restaurant business. It seems that Elizabeth is in the clear, but the next few days put a decisive strain on the plan.

Over the next few days, Elizabeth struggles to keep up the charade. In addition, Elizabeth develops a romantic interest in Jones, which she must also keep to herself. But things go horribly wrong on the evening after Christmas, when Mr. Yardley spots a woman stealing Elizabeth's baby and immediately calls the police. (The woman was actually the baby's real mother. Due to the mother's long hours at the nearby war plant, the baby spends much of the day at the farm-allowing Elizabeth to pass it off as her own.) When Elizabeth comes home to find a media circus, she decides to come clean. Furious, Mr. Yardley fires her, but has a change of heart after Felix fabricates a story about a competing magazine's attempts to hire her. After finding out that Jones' fiancee, the nurse Mary Lee, is now married to Sinkiewicz, Jones and Elizabeth admit their love for each other. The film ends with the couple set to be married.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Remake

In 1992, a remake of Christmas in Connecticut was made. It starred Dyan Cannon as Elizabeth, Kris Kristofferson as Jefferson Jones, and Tony Curtis as Mr. Yardley. It was directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. In this version, Elizabeth "Blane" is the hostess of her own cooking show. When her manager, Alexander Yardley introduces her to Jefferson Jones, a forest ranger who lost his cabin in a fire, he asks her to make Jones Christmas dinner live on her show. As in the original, Elizabeth isn't as talented as she seems.

This version was not as well liked as the original. Many people called it a disaster and wondered why Arnold Schwarzenegger was directing a Christmas movie. As one critic stated, "You'll be hungry for a better movie after suffering through this film." [1]

A second remake is currently in the planning stage and is scheduled for a 2009 release. Jennifer Garner is rumored to star in it.

[edit] External links