Curling up on the couch to watch classic Christmas movies has become something of an American holiday tradition. There are a multitude of great seasonal films available to put you in the holiday spirit, and the Golden Age of Hollywood produced some of the best. Here we present five classic Christmas movies from the 1940s that you can still watch today. Break out the popcorn, hot chocolate, and cozy blankets and get ready for some Hollywood holiday charm.
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Studio: Warner Bros.; Director: Peter Godfrey; Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet, Reginald Gardiner.
A food blogger before the Internet era, Elizabeth Lane (Stanwyck) has created a fictional farm-dwelling persona that she uses in her magazine articles, but when publisher Alexander Yardley (Greenstreet) asks her to host a holiday dinner for war hero Jefferson Jones (Morgan), Lane has to play the part for real, with predictable results. Lane was based on Gladys Taber, Family Circle columnist and author, whose work regularly referenced her life at a 1690 Connecticut farmhouse called Stillmeadow. As for the house actually seen in the film, it’s the same one also seen in 1938’s Bringing Up Baby. The pleasant romantic comedy was a huge hit at the time and also inspired a 30-minute radio adaptation and a one-hour television version, both featuring different casts. In 1992, Arnold Schwarzenegger directed a remake for the TNT cable network that updated Elizabeth “Blane” (now played by Dyan Cannon) to the star of a TV cooking show and Jones (Kris Kristofferson) to a forest ranger whose cabin burned down.
Where to watch: Christmas in Connecticut (1945) is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and YouTube Movies. The 1992 television version can be seen on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Studio: RKO; Director: Frank Capra; Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers.
One of the most beloved movies of all time, and a perennial Christmas classic cemented in the minds of generations of television viewers thanks to a temporary public domain status that enabled stations to run it over and over, It’s a Wonderful Life is actually a dark fable about a man (Stewart) that has to choose between his dreams and a town that depends on him to survive the machinations of a warped and evil banker (Barrymore). Late in the film, Stewart’s George Bailey is shown by an angel named Clarence (Travers) what the world would have been like without him, and the resulting nightmare sequence has strongly influenced countless sci-fi films and other dramas, including Back to the Future Part II (1989). Besides a number of remakes and adaptations, the film has inspired countless similar stories told as episodes of television series, turning the movie into a template by which many other storytellers have explored their own characters and the lives they’ve led. The movie was based on a 1943 Philip Van Doren Stern short story titled “The Greatest Gift,” which in turn was based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol from exactly 100 years before that. Uncle Billy’s (Thomas Mitchell) raven, known as “Jimmy,” also appeared in The Wizard of Oz and a thousand other films.
Where to watch: It’s a Wonderful Life is available to stream for free on Amazon Prime, and for a fee on YouTube, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
Studio: RKO; Director: Henry Koster; Cast: Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven, Monty Woolley, James Gleason, Gladys Cooper, Elsa Lanchester, Sara Haden, Karolyn Grimes.
Adapted from a 1928 novel by Robert Nathan, the movie finds Bishop Henry Brougham (Niven) trying to find funding for a new cathedral. He’s visited by an angel named Dudley (Grant), who is there to help heal Henry’s family; his wife Julia (Young) and daughter Debby (Grimes) have been less than happy as Henry has become consumed by his quest. Dudley develops feelings for Julia, but Julia loves Henry and does not reciprocate the angel’s affection. Dudley arranges for Henry to get the money he needs for the cathedral, although the funds go to needy people rather than a building, thus teaching a lesson about where true value lies. The memories of Dudley’s visit are erased, and a good Christmas is had by all. Following less than successful early preview showings, production was shut down and restarted with a new director, significantly altered script (with uncredited contributions from Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett), and rebuilt sets at a cost of nearly one million dollars. Director Henry Koster swapped leads Niven and Grant in their respective roles, believing they were miscast by his predecessor; Grant resisted, but the decision resulted in one of his most iconic performances (some sources say Grant was always cast as Dudley). Grant’s presence also helped market the film to audiences that were avoiding it, assuming that it was a religious movie; it was retitled Cary and the Bishop’s Wife to entice Grant’s fans. The strategy worked, and the film performed well, garnering five Academy Award nominations and winning one (for Best Sound Recording). The film was adapted into four radio presentations, all of them featuring at least one of the three main movie leads. Michael Landon’s television series, Highway to Heaven (1984-1989), was partly inspired by this movie. In 1996, Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance starred in a remake, retitled The Preacher’s Wife.
Where to watch: You can stream The Bishop’s Wife for free on the Roku Channel and Tubi. The film is also available to subscribers of Amazon Prime and YouTube TV, and for a fee on Apple TV and Fandango at Home.
Holiday Affair (1949)
Studio: RKO Radio Pictures; Director: Don Hartman; Cast: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey.
Holiday Affair is a romantic comedy set against the bustling backdrop of the Christmas season, featuring an unlikely romance emerging from a kindhearted gesture. Not often thought of as a holiday film staple, the movie has nonetheless become somewhat of a minor classic through years of seasonal television broadcasts. Robert Mitchum sheds his usual film noir persona for this lighthearted picture, with RKO studio head Howard Hughes hoping the role would help Mitchum rehabilitate his image after an arrest and prison term for a marijuana charge in early 1949. The story of Holiday Affair features a classic love triangle, with a war widow caught between two suitors – the boring, reliable lawyer, and the fascinating free spirt. Critics at the time found the movie pleasant but predictable in a comfortable way. Though box office receipts forced RKO to accept a loss with this picture, over the years it has earned its keep as a classic movie channel holiday mainstay, with many modern viewers regularly enjoying its showings as a holiday ritual. Mitchum’s costar Janet Leigh would later appear in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) in the iconic role of a murder victim in a famous shower scene that would define her film legacy. During filming, Leigh found Mitchum to be a committed and diligent actor, in contrast to his happy-go-lucky public image, who used lighthearted pranks to elicit reactions from her that enhanced her performance. The chemistry between Leigh and Mitchum is a major highlight of the film. Their playful banter and believable connection elevate the romantic tension of the story. Modern reviewers find Holiday Affair a sweet departure from the usual Christmas tropes and appreciate the actors in roles outside of their typical genres. The film offered a more nuanced take on love and choices during the festive season and its tender portrayal of a wartime widow finding solace in an unexpected connection resonated with audiences. Today, Holiday Affair holds a special place in Christmas film viewings, offering a heartwarming yet realistic story alongside the usual holiday cheer.
Where to watch: Holiday Affair is available to stream for a small rental fee on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Director: Ernst Lubitsch; Cast: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan, Joseph Schildkraut.
In the jewelry box of Hollywood films, The Shop Around the Corner (1940) is a little hidden gem, a charming romantic comedy with a simple story of love made complicated by mistaken identity. The movie was a passion project for German-born director Ernst Lubitsch who acquired the rights to the story from playwright Miklós László and drew on his own youth as an assistant in his father’s shop in Berlin to shape the production. The Shop Around the Corner was made on a modest budget and enjoyed modest box office success at the time of its release, but is considered today to be one of the great romantic comedies of its era, inspiring subsequent movies such as the Judy Garland musical In the Good Old Summertime (1949) and a modern update for the digital age in Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail (1998). Though The Shop Around the Corner is set in Budapest during the Great Depression, Lubitsch and screenwriter Samuel Raphaelson refrain from injecting any sense of regional politics into the film, even as World War II raged in Europe and Hungary aligned with Axis powers late in 1940. Free from political messaging, The Shop Around the Corner endures among viewers today because of its timeless themes of connection and vulnerability told with wit and emotional depth through characters that show there is more to the average person than meets the eye. It is comedic without being shallow, romantic without being overly sweet, and shows that the best love stories aren’t necessarily about attraction, but about connection and understanding. The Shop Around the Corner, which tidily wraps up its story on Christmas Eve amid a snowfall, remains a template for classic romantic comedy for filmmakers today.
Where to watch: The Shop Around the Corner is available to stream for subscribers of HBO Max, Hulu, the Roku Channel, and Amazon Prime. The film can also be rented for a small fee on YouTube, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.