In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

There's some things I certainly love about Christmas In Connecticut, but Barbara Stanwyck really isn't at the top of the list. I've always found Ms. Stanwyck to be a bit too cold to be sweet, a bit too melodramatic to be truly vulnerable to the point of one burning to save her, and polarizing in her beauty which, to me at any rate, was different from either a classic beauty or the girl next door. But, Ms. Stanwyck was without doubt a good actress that could make you watch even if you didn't particularly think she was the lead you wished for. I guess that puts her in a kind of "rare-air" actress league?Anyway, this is a simple story with good parts played by an all-round decent cast. It's suppose to be a romantic comedy, but it is light on both the romance and the comedy. Neither gets particularly showcased, but it isn't for lack of trying. A war hero spends weeks on a raft and is celebrated upon coming home. A single-minded magazine business magnate sees an opportunity. His star columnist is a kind of Martha Stewart of the day. Only thing Elizabeth Lane, the columnist, isn't a homemaker, she's just a fine writer of "fiction" you might say as she weaves her life to be the consummate cook, homemaker, and mother, none of which is true. It sells a lot of magazines however.This sets up our main story which is the magazine owner insists Mrs. Lane entertains the war hero, Jefferson James played by Dennis Morgan, over a long Holiday weekend. Mr. James will be treated to life with the nation's top homemaker for festive eats, entertainment, and a taste of the American Dream he's fighting for. Well, it's a major predicament and to pull it off Ms. Lane will go to some lengths which include borrowing several infants of different sex, hair color, and size to stand in for her one child. The Christmas element here is kind of incidental in providing a vehicle and it really isn't a movie that celebrates the season too awfully much. I like old movies from this era and as much as anything this is why I like Christmas In Connecticut. The other reason is the always fun to watch Sydney Greenstreet and S.Z Sakall who steal most every scene they appear in. I'm surprised this movie is rated as high as 7.5 (circa late 2016), I feel it's more modest and only as good as a 6.5 because of not the story, but the cast. Not a must see of the Christmas Season, but a nice one for fans of 40's comedies.

It was interesting to watch a holiday movie in August. I do think these stories should air year round and not just in December. I had never seen Christmas IN CONNECTICUT all the way through. Well, now, I finally have. I found myself focusing on S.Z. Sakall's performance as Felix the cook-- you know, the guy who says "everything is hunky-dunky!" But in addition to Sakall, the rest of the cast shines too-- and it's obvious they were all having fun making this film. There's a lot of screwball comedy here, and the dialogue is just so intentionally silly in spots that you can't help but love it. Sakall's scenes with Stanwyck are quite good, but his scenes with Greenstreet are even better. And there's a scene at his restaurant early in the film where he walks around and doesn't have dialogue. If you watch that part carefully, you will see a great bit of improvisation. Truly one of the best character actors in Hollywood during the 1940s.

Like "It Happened on 5th Avenue", I never saw this movie until TCM showed it at Christmas time! Nobody else shows black & white movies! Like 5th Ave, it revolves around an ex-serviceman and love at first sight. A "Betty Crocker-Martha Stewart" type magazine columnist writes about her lovely country home and down-home recipes. She is a complete fraud as she lives in a NYC apartment and gets all her cooking tips from her Hungarian restaurant owner "Felix", very well played by character actor S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakal. So, Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) gets caught in a lie and has to fabricate the whole thing, right down to the country ranch, husband and baby. All fake. She's single, childless, and lives in the city. Along comes a Navy hero who gets invited to her "home for the holidays". She can't even boil water, so "Felix" tries to teach her to cook, complete with flapjacks stuck on the ceiling! As mentioned, she falls in love with the Navy guy and the movie becomes even better. The sub-plots include her overpowering magazine boss (Sidney Greenstreet), a friend who she almost mistakenly marries, and a borrowed baby who changes sexes and hair colors! It's a "screwball" comedy. Great fun for all and highly recommended! The film runs a bit rough on both TCM and the DVD. Horizontal "wobble" and minor film damage for the first 20 minutes. It must have been hard to restore! There is also a 1992 TV remake with Dyan Cannon out there, but the original is far better.

Christmas in ConnecticutWhen cooking tofurky for Christmas remember to baste it in Nyquil to get that tryptophan feeling.Or, you can do like the journalist in this comedy and tell your cook to do it.Writing bogus copy about her husband, child and Connecticut farmhouse, food columnist Elizabeth (Barbara Stanwyck) must now materialize these lies to host a war-hero (Dennis Morgan) for Christmas dinner - at the behest of her oblivious publisher (Sydney Greenstreet).Marrying a friend (Reginald Gardiner) who owns a country house, hiring a chef (S.Z. Sakall) and borrowing a baby, she plays house with great incompetence. Struggling to maintain her façade, her infatuation with the soldier and the dinner menu, her house of cards starts to crumble.A sophisticated screwball comedy in a picturesque snowy countryside setting, Christmas in Connecticut is a neglected holiday gem.Incidentally, the biggest tell she isn't a real food writer is her sinuous frame.Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca