Further Proof that Martha Stewart Holidays are Impossible

Since I started doing these blogs for the holidays, I have heard a lot about the 1945 film Christmas in Connecticut, which is generally given top notch ratings by official, amateur, and everyman critics all over. Since it came on Turner Classic Movies, I decided to give it a watch and find out what all of the buzz is about. I quickly learned why the romantic comedy had gained such popularity.

Elizabeth Lane (the lovely and amazingly comedic Barbara Stanwyck) is sort of the Martha Stewart of her generation and her columns about her husband, baby, beautiful farm in Connecticut, and wonderful meals she cooks in fictional magainze Smart Housekeeping make her extremely popular, especially with fan, war hero, and recently rescued naval officer Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan). The only problem? Elizabeth doesn’t have a husband or a baby or a beautiful farm in Connecticut and she is such a terrible cook, she needs a recipe to boil water. The magazine publisher and Elizabeth’s boss, Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet, who is probably more famous for his villainous role in The Maltese Falcon) invites himself and Jones over for the holidays to Elizabeth’s place, putting her in a sticky situation. Elizabeth’s recipes actually come from her Uncle Felix (S.Z. Sakall), a cantankerous bistro owner. Self-involved architect John Sloan (Reginald Gardiner) offers Elizabeth use of his home to set up the charade, only if she will accept his marriage proposal. Before the ceremony can take place, however, the guests arrive and the comedy ensues. The entire plot his hilarious in the way it unravels though my favorite was the side bits between Sakall’s tempestuous Greek character and Una O'Connor’s Irish housekeeper.

If the house looks familiar, its because it is the same one used in the Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant classic, Bringing Up Baby. Elizabeth Lane’s character was actually based on Good Housekeeping columnist, Gladys Taber, who did live on a farm in Connecticut.

Tons of reviews have been done about this movie for you to access. This one comes from Times Record News, this one from the blog Flick Filosopher, another from T-G.com, this one from Screenhead.com, a review from Foster on Film, and finally, one from The Record. The site Dirty Harry’s Place also rated this film as its #14 on the best of holiday films.So, take some time this holiday season and enjoy Christmas in Connecticut.