Everything is hunky-dunky! – Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Christmas in Connecticut (1945) – Stanwyck’s Coziest Chaos
Imagine making a career out of being the perfect homemaker—only you can’t cook, you don’t have a husband, and your house exists entirely on paper. Now picture that fantasy crashing into reality when a war hero shows up expecting Christmas dinner. What follows isn’t just chaos; it’s a hilarious portrait of the pressure to live up to our own lies. And there’s a Bugs Bunny connection.
Hello to all of the classic people who are returning. I am glad you are back. I want to welcome any new visitors. Today, on Classic Movie Review, we are taking on Christmas in Connecticut (1945).
Before I delve into the numbers, I want to say that this is a funny movie and a very good Christmas film. Stanwyck is very funny, as are Sydney Greenstreet, S.Z. Sakall, and Una O’Connor.
On IMDb.com, this film has a 7.3[1] rating, which seems a little low to me. On Rottentomatoes.com, the film has a very good 89 percent on the Tomatometer and a 75 percent audience score on the Popcornmeter[2]. It seems you can’t make 25 percent of the population happy.
Variety critic William Brogdon wrote in a July 18, 1945, review – “Story is lightweight but well-polished situations, direction and playing keep it in high gear most of the way for nifty returns. Some of the gags cut rather close to the Haysian frown but since they spring from nature are good for solid roars.”[3]
Actors – Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Returning
The great Barbara Stanwyck shows her diverse talent as Elizabeth Lane, a World War II-era Martha Stewart. I have previously reviewed five Stanwyck movies, but I recently released a video featuring seven more Stanwyck movies to watch. There is a link in the description.
Sydney Greenstreet was pretty good in the role of powerful media mogul Alexander Yardley. He delivered a few funny lines and didn’t seem out of place in the role. Greenstreet was first covered for his first film role in The Maltese Falcon (1941). There is a link in the description.
Native Hungarian S.Z. Sakall played immigrant restaurant owner Felix Bassenak. Sakall made a significant contribution to the humor in this film. Sakall was first covered in the great film Casablanca (1942). There is a link in the description.
Funny lady Una O’Connor played Norah, the housekeeper. O’Connor was first covered in a role that I associate with her the most, being terrified by the Monster in Bride of Frankenstein (1935). There is a link in the description.
Character actor Walter Baldwin had a small uncredited role as Sheriff Potter.
Dennis Morgan played war hero Jefferson Jones. Morgan was born in Wisconsin in 1908. He began acting and singing in high school productions. After high school, Morgan attended Carroll College, graduating in 1930.
He worked in the theater in Chicago and toured the Midwest as an actor. Morgan also worked as a sports announcer on the radio. Morgan began appearing in films as early as 1929, but he was first noticed in The Great Ziegfeld (1936). He was quite successful in films, but he truly became a star after joining Warner Bros.
He was in The Return of Doctor X (1939) with Humphrey Bogart, The Fighting 69th with James Cagney, and Kitty Foyle (1940) with Ginger Rogers. Morgan continued to get good roles and was extremely popular in musicals, using his polished singing voice. Some of his best-known roles include God Is My Co-Pilot (1945), today’s film, Christmas in Connecticut (1945), My Wild Irish Rose (1947), and It’s a Great Feeling (1949).
Morgan stopped acting in the 1950s but occasionally accepted episodic roles. When film roles dried up, Morgan began working on television. In the later years of his life, Morgan became a successful businessman in the holding business industry. He also performed as part of an opera company, appearing in productions such as “Faust” and “Carmen.” Morgan died in 1994.
Story – Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
This movie doesn’t begin like a Christmas tale. It begins with a nazzy U-Boat stalking and then torpedoing a U.S. Navy destroyer. Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) and another man float in a rubber life raft suffering from dehydration and starvation. Jones begins hallucinating that he is being served delicious food at a table floating on a life raft. The other man on the raft, Sinkewicz (Frank Jenks), wakes Jones and ends the vision. They have been adrift for 18 days.
Jones keeps talking about food, and they wake in a military hospital. Sinkewicz is getting regular food, but Jones is on a restricted diet. Jones reads a recipe for Christmas dinner by renowned lifestyle author Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck). Jones’ diet is restricted because he had given the last of their food to Sinkewicz. Nurse Mary Lee (Joyce Compton) and Jones read more of Elizabeth’s recipes and articles. Elizabeth Lane also talks about her husband and child. Sinkewicz convinces Jones to flirt with the nurse to get better food. It works, but Mary is ready to get married.
As Jones gets closer to his discharge, he gives Mary the soft brush-off. Mary thinks it is because Jones has never had a real home. Another nurse suggests that Mary get him a real home for Christmas so she can hook him. Mary Lee seeks help from publisher Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet). Yardly is Elizabeth’s publisher. Mary Lee writes Yardly and reminds him that she was the nurse who previously cared for his sick granddaughter.
The letter arrives at Yardly’s posh mansion. Yardly is informed that his daughter and granddaughters can’t come for Christmas, and he will be alone. Yardly contacts Elizabeth’s editor, Dudley Beecham (Robert Shayne). Yardly is already concocting a plan to spend Christmas with Jones and Elizabeth at her country home. Yardly orders Elizabeth to his office at 4:00 p.m.
Elizabeth is shown writing her food and lifestyle articles from a small, but not dingy, apartment. She describes things, people, and food that don’t exist. A large package arrives, and it’s a nice fur coat. More about that in the conclusion.
Felix Bassenak (S.Z. Sakall) brings her lunch in from a restaurant, as she can’t cook at all. Felix mentions living in Budapest. She has helped Felix build his restaurant, and he is the brain behind all the recipes Elizabeth publishes. Felix fusses at Elizabeth about buying an expensive coat.
Dudley arrives as Felix leaves. Dudley delivers the news about the Christmas visit to the farm in Connecticut that doesn’t exist. Yardly doesn’t know that she has been making up her whole life. They concoct a plan to stop the visit. John Sloan (Reginald Gardiner) arrives at the apartment. He is a suitor who has long been friend-zoned. She tells Sloan that Yardly thinks she has a farm, a husband, and a child.
Elizabeth meets with Yardly, and he refuses all of her excuses. He says he will also be attending the Christmas celebration. Yardly informs Mary that Jones has been invited to the holiday.
Felix is working in his busy restaurant as Dudley and Sloan sit at the bar. Elizabeth arrives and lets them know she couldn’t deter Yardly. Sloan proposes to Elizabeth while Felix wisecracks. Out of desperation, Elizabeth agrees to marry Sloan. In the conversation, Dudley finds that Sloan has a farm in Connecticut. Dudley pushes for the pair to marry. Elizabeth agrees to go along with the charade to save Dudley’s job, even though she plans on marrying Sloan.
Husband and farm taken care of, now all they need is a cook and a baby. Felix agrees to go on the trip and do the cooking. He knows a real marriage to Sloan would be catastrophic.
The crew arrives at a beautiful snow-covered farm in Connecticut by horse-drawn sleigh. Felix is hostile to Sloan’s housekeeper, Norah (Una O’Connor). Sloan shows Elizabeth a baby that Norah takes care of for a defense plant worker.
Judge Crowthers (Dick Elliott) arrives to perform the marriage ceremony. Elizabeth shows every sign of cold feet.
Felix starts fussing at Norah about her cooking and the state of the kitchen.
The five people in the house gather for the wedding. But before they begin, a sleigh carrying Jones arrives. The arrival is two hours early, so they stop the wedding. Jones is shocked when he learns that Elizabeth is much younger and prettier than he had imagined. The lightning bolt of love strikes close to Elizabeth and Jones. Jones brought her a rocking chair, as many others have, after she mentioned wanting one in an article. He gives her a class on how to rock.
The baby girl wakes, and Elizabeth has no idea what to do. Jones goes with her to help wash the baby. Jones knows a lot about children because he has a sister with children. Elizabeth is happy for Jones to take care of the child.
Suddenly, Yardly arrives, and now Sloan must keep him away from Judge Crowthers. Sloan introduces himself as Elizabeth’s husband. When Yardly takes his drink, Felix calls him ‘Fat Man.” Of course, this is a reference to The Maltese Falcon (1941), where Greenstreet played Casper Gutman and was referred to as “the fat man” by Humphrey Bogart. Sakall and Greenstreet worked together on Casablanca (1942).
Felix sends the judge out the window to avoid Yardly.
That evening, Jones sings Christmas hymns and plays the piano while Elizabeth decorates the tree. Jones continues singing with his Irish tenor voice, “The Wish That I Wish Tonight.” The Bugs Bunny reference is coming.
Yardly tries to convince Sloan to have “another” baby with Elizabeth to boost circulation. The judge calls to say he will be back in 15 minutes to perform the marriage. Sloan ushers everyone off to bed. Norah is upset that Elizabeth and Sloan went into the same bedroom even though they are not married. She is packed to leave as Elizabeth and Sloan come back down for the ceremony.
Judge Crowthers arrives, but they have to hide him as someone comes downstairs. Yardly runs into Jones, and they have a midnight snack in the kitchen. Elizabeth goes to get Norah and Felix for witnesses. She goes to the kitchen to visit. Yardly plans on watching Elizabeth cook breakfast. Elizabeth and Jones go outside to put the cow away. Jones earlier asks Yardly if he thought Elizabeth was happily married. Outside, Elizabeth tries to find out about Jones’ love interests. He confesses he is attracted to her.
Elizabeth tries to kiss Jones, but he’s not the type to kiss a married woman, or a woman he thinks is married. More hijinks ensue.
Sloan lets Elizabeth know that the judge will return in the morning. Early in the morning, Felix begins teaching Elizabeth to cook. It is catastrophic. Another working mother drops off her baby boy, as the mother of the girl baby is off that day. Yardly comes into the kitchen, but Elizabeth shunts him off on Norah.
Sloan takes Elizabeth to the study where the judge is waiting. Yardly finds the ceremony, but is taken by the story that it is an annual Christmas rededication. Felix reports that the baby swallowed his watch. Yardly notices that the baby is different. The judge leaves, and Felix reveals his watch, admitting that he made up the story to stop the wedding.
Sloan gets frustrated and goes to tell Yardly that the setup is a fake. Before he can tell, Yardly offers him a job as the editor for a new build your own home section. Sloan decides to keep quiet.
In the kitchen, Elizabeth is coerced into flipping a flapjack. By miracle, she does it successfully.
Homer Higgenbottom from the local Christmas Entertainment Committee arrives. He invites everyone to the dance that evening.
People arrive by horse-drawn sleighs at the hall. The dance is a square dance. Aren’t they a bit far to the east and north for that? Anyway, Elizabeth and Jones have a great time dancing as Sloan pitches ideas to Yardly for the editor job. Yardly finally tells him that the job is contingent on Elizabeth having “another” baby.
Yardly is becoming concerned about how Elizabeth and Jones are acting toward each other. Yardly and Sloan are called to begin selling War Bonds. Elizabeth and Jones put on their coats and go outside for a winter walk. Yardly watches from the windows.
Jones says that this is his last night in town. Elizabeth has on the wrong shoes, so they sit in a sleigh. The horse begins walking as soon as they cover themselves with the blanket. Yardly is trailing along in the snow beside a split rail fence. Eventually, he falls into a small ravine.
Elizabeth and Jones continue to discuss and negotiate potential scenarios and haven’t noticed that they have been moving.
Before Norah leaves for her sister’s, she tells Felix that the mother will be coming for the baby boy later.
On the road, Sheriff Potter (Walter Baldwin) pulls the sleigh over and arrests Elizabeth and Jones for sleigh theft.
The mother comes for her baby, but Felix is passed out. She takes the baby, and Yardly sees her leaving with it. Yardly calls the police, saying a baby has been kidnapped. Felix tries to calm him, but Yardly won’t accept any explanation.
When the cops and newspapermen arrive, Yardly offers a $25k reward to find the baby. In the morning, Sheriff Potter brings Elizabeth and Jones home, having straightened out the misunderstanding. The pair sheepishly enter the house to find Yardly, Sloan, and a gaggle of reporters sleeping in the living room. Yardly defends Elizabeth, saying she has been out looking for her baby.
After Yardly clears the reporters out, he begins chewing her out for cavorting all night while her baby has been kidnapped. She admits she has fallen in love with Jones. Elizabeth tries to explain, but Yardly’s interruptions make the story seem nefarious.
Then the mothers of the baby boy and the baby girl arrive with their infants in hand. The ladies leave their babies and head to the war plant for work. Elizabeth confesses that she is not married, has never lived on a farm, doesn’t have any children, and can’t cook. Yardly thinks he will be disgraced and calls the police to end the search. He fires Elizabeth before storming off.
Sloan takes it pretty well that their marriage will not take place. He is more interested in getting his feature in the magazine. When Elizabeth breaks a figurine in frustration, Felix and Jones enter the room. The doorbell rings, and nurse Mary Lee arrives to see Jones. The news crushes Elizabeth. She says goodbye to Jones and leaves to pack her belongings.
When Mary Lee and Felix are alone, she tells him that she married Sinkewicz after Jones left.
Yardly is led to the kitchen by his nose. Felix defends Elizabeth and tricks Yardly into thinking she has another job offer. Yardly says he will give Elizabeth a raise.
Yardly tells Sloan he is not interested in their contract and will be doubling Elizabeth’s salary. Yardly says he will give Sloan a contract if Elizabeth stays with the magazine, but he wants the pair to marry. Elizabeth rebels and throws Yardly out.
Jones is very happy when he is told that nobody is married. He enters Elizabeth’s room and gives her a big kiss. He says he is now the type who kisses married women. He proposes and kisses her again. She slaps his face when she finds that he was engaged. This forces her to confess that she was never married. Jones tells her he is free, and they kiss again. Felix says he will get the judge, and Yardly warns Jones that she can’t cook. Yardly laughs and says, “What a Christmas.”
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Conclusion – Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
I called Elizabeth a Martha Stewart because that is my frame of reference. In reality, Elizabeth is based on Gladys Taber. Taber wrote a popular column for Family Circle Magazine and lived on Stillmeadow Farm in Connecticut.
When this film was released, it was only three months after VE Day, the end of World War II in Europe. The release was only three days after VJ Day, the end of World War II in the Pacific theater. These dates reflect that this Christmas film was oddly released in August. However, this film did very well at the box office, as it was the first film to capitalize on post-war enthusiasm.
Studio head Jack Warner was on a cost-saving jag at the time this move was made. Sloan’s office was part of the set from Bringing Up Baby (1938). The mink coat that Stanwyck, as Elizabeth, bought for herself was the same coat that Joan Crawford wore in Mildred Pierce (1945). If you are interested in Joan Crawford, give a listen to my interview with author Scott Eyman about his new book, “Joan Crawford: The Face of a Woman.” There is a link in the description. The final, money-saving action was that the sleigh ride was filmed on a soundstage with snow drifts made from soap flakes.
Stanwyck made two more films with director Peter Godfrey. The second is The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947), and it’s a dynamite film. The third is Cry Wolf (1947), a Film Noir thriller with Errol Flynn.
S.Z. Sakall generally has a lot of comedic dialogue in films, such as telling time as Ten O’watch in Casablanca (1942). As Felix in this film, he had more fun with translations. One sentence he repeated often was Honkey dunkey, a malformed version of hunky-dory, which means “fine.” The expression was first recorded as used in 1866. However, the origin of Dory is unknown.[4] I like Honkey dunkey better.
Sydney Greenstreet, who usually plays a villain, had a few comedic bits in this film. However, they were usually based on his terrorizing or crushing someone because of his powerful role. Greenstreet is always great.
In the realm of what the hell were they thinking, this movie was remade for television in 1992. It starred Dyan Cannon in the Stanwyck role and Army veteran Kris Kristofferson in the war hero role. Arnold Schwarzenegger directed the movie, and I have nothing else to say about it.
At last, the Bugs Bunny fact. The studio’s animation department took the song that Jones sang, “The Wish That I Wish Tonight,” and used it extensively in the Looney Tunes cartoon series. However, it was always exclusively used when Bugs was in drag. (WAYNE’S WORLD)
World-Famous Short Summary – Be nice to your nurse
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[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037595/
[2] Christmas in Connecticut | Rotten Tomatoes
