TOP 5
Early Days Productions: Christmas Films: 1930 - 1960 Last updated 09/16/2010
"Scrooge" (1951), released as "A Christmas Carol" in the United States, is a film adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. It starred Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge and was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, with a screenplay by Noel Langley. In this adaptation, a flashback during the Ghost of Christmas Past sequence shows that Ebenezer's mother died while giving birth to him which meant that, unlike the book, Ebenezer is younger than his sister Fan. The death of his mother caused his father to resent Ebenezer which he is reminded of by the Ghost of Christmas Past when Scrooge bitterly mentions that Fan died from complications after delivering his nephew, Fred. Edited from Wikipedia.
"It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) is a American drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and loosely based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern. The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers). Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and the contributions he has made to his community. Despite initially being considered a box office flop due to high production costs and stiff competition at the time of its release, the film has come to be regarded as a classic and a staple of Christmas television around the world. Edited from Wikipedia.
"Miracle on 34th Street" (1947) is a Christmas film written by Valentine Davies, directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn. It is the story of what takes place in New York City following Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, as people are left wondering whether or not a department store Santa might be the real thing. Because of its Christmas theme, the film has become a perennial Christmas favorite. Despite the fact that the film is set during the Christmas season, studio head Darryl F. Zanuck insisted that it be released in May, arguing that more people went to the movies during the summer. The film won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Edmund Gwenn). It was also nominated for Best Picture. Edited from Wikipedia.
"The Bishop's Wife" (1947) is a Samuel Goldwyn romantic comedy feature film starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven in a story about an angel who helps a bishop with his problems. It was released by RKO, and directed by Henry Koster. The film won the Academy Award for Sound, and was nominated for Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture and Best Picture. Niven was originally cast as the angel, Dana Andrews as the bishop, and Teresa Wright as his wife. However, Wright had to bow out due to pregnancy. According to Robert Osborne, Andrews was lent to RKO in order to obtain Loretta Young. Koster then brought in Cary Grant, but he wanted to play the angel, so the role of the bishop was given to Niven. Edited from Wikipedia.
White Christmas (1954) is a Technicolor musical film starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that features the songs of Irving Berlin, including the titular "White Christmas". The film was directed by Michael Curtiz and co-stars Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. White Christmas was intended to reunite Crosby and Fred Astaire for their third Irving Berlin showcase musical. Crosby and Astaire had previously co-starred in Holiday Inn (1942) (of which 'White Christmas' was a partial remake) and Blue Skies (1946). Astaire declined the project after reading the script. Donald O'Connor was considered to replace Astaire, but also passed because of an illness. O'Connor was replaced by Danny Kaye. This film was enormously popular, taking in $12,000,000 at the box office, making it the top moneymaker for 1954. Edited from Wikipedia.
