Christmas (Some) Favorites
Little known or forgotten movies with some of the best Christmas plots/stories/scenes ever.
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31 titles
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsLoretta YoungCeleste HolmHugh MarloweTwo nuns arrive unannounced in the small New England town of Bethlehem, where they recruit various townspeople to help them build a children's hospital.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsBing CrosbyBarry FitzgeraldFrank McHughWhen young Father O'Malley arrives at St. Dominic's, old Father Fitzgibbon doesn't think much of the church's newest member.
- DirectorEdwin L. MarinStarsGeorge RaftGeorge BrentRandolph ScottTo save her fortune from a designing nephew, Matilda Reed must locate her three long-lost adopted sons in time for a Christmas Eve reunion.Three adopted sons (George Raft, Randolph Scott, & George Brent)must come home before midnight on Christmas Eve in order to save their mother's (Ann Harding) home from her greedy natural (Reginal Denny) nephew.
- DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsDon DeForeAnn HardingCharles RugglesTwo homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South.
- DirectorWilliam KeighleyStarsBette DavisAnn SheridanMonty WoolleyAn acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a Midwestern family.
- DirectorWalter LangWilliam A. SeiterStarsShirley TempleRichard GreeneAnita LouiseA little girl is left by her father in an exclusive seminary for girls, when her father fights in the Second Boer War. Later, when he is presumed dead she is forced to become a servant.
- DirectorEdwin L. MarinStarsReginald OwenGene LockhartKathleen LockhartAn elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve.
- DirectorAllan DwanStarsShirley TempleJean HersholtArthur TreacherA plucky little orphan girl gets dumped abruptly into her gruff, hermit grandfather's care, then later gets retaken and delivered as a companion for an injured girl.
- DirectorRoy RowlandStarsMargaret O'BrienAngela LansburyGeorge MurphyWhile a man was in prison, a little girl who is very close to him was told that he was traveling the world. What will happen if she discovers the truth?
- DirectorIrving PichelStarsJimmy DuranteTerry MooreTom DrakeA little squirrel with lots of charm accidentally helps two poor, down-but-NOT-out families overcome their obstacles.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsKatharine HepburnCary GrantDoris NolanA young man in love with a girl from a rich family finds his unorthodox plan to go on holiday for the early years of his life met with skepticism by everyone except for his fiancée's eccentric sister and long-suffering brother.More a New Year's Eve movie but still joyous (and what a party!).
- DirectorA. Edward SutherlandStarsHarry CareyC. Aubrey SmithCharles WinningerThe ghosts of three elderly industrialists killed in an airplane crash return to Earth to help reunite a young couple they initially brought together.Original title 'Beyond Tomorrow'
- DirectorSidney LanfieldFrank TashlinStarsBob HopeMarilyn MaxwellLloyd NolanA New York City swindler has until Christmas to come up with the $10,000 he owes a gangster, prompting him to go into scamming overdrive.Introduces the song 'Silver Bells'
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartPeter UstinovAldo RayThree Devil's Island escapees hide out in the house of a kindly merchant and repay his kindness by helping him and his family out of several crises.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsWarren WilliamMay RobsonGuy KibbeeA gangster tries to make Apple Annie, the Times Square apple seller, a lady for a day.(re-made as 'Pocket Full Of Miracles' [1961])
- DirectorRobert LiebermanStarsHarley Jane KozakJamey SheridanEthan EmbryA brother and sister attempt to bring their divorced parents back together for Christmas.
- DirectorPreston A. Whitmore IIStarsRegina KingColumbus ShortDelroy LindoA Christmastime drama centered around the Whitfield family's first holiday together in four years.
- DirectorJames LapineStarsMichael J. FoxChristina VidalNathan LaneA once-popular actor who now runs a talent agency specializing in child acts is trying to discover the next star. He gets more than he bargained for when he recruits a child pickpocket.
- DirectorStuart CooperStarsLoretta YoungArthur HillRon LeibmanA well-to-do elderly woman who befriends the homeless and volunteers her time with children learns that she has an incurable illness. She desperately wants to reunited her three grown grandchildren, now scattered across the U.S. living their own lives, with their estranged father, her son. She hires a private detective to search for them to try to get everyone together on Christmas Eve.A last Christmas Eve wish by dying Grandmother Loretta Young - reuniting her son with his estranged children.
- DirectorWayne WangStarsQueen LatifahLL Cool JTimothy HuttonUpon learning of a terminal illness, a shy woman decides to sell all her possessions and live it up at a posh Central European hotel.
- DirectorHenry HathawayHoward HawksHenry KingStarsFred AllenAnne BaxterJeanne CrainJohn Steinbeck introduces a quintet of five of O. Henry's most celebrated stories from his New York Period (1902-1910) in this anthology film.Five of O. Henry's best are in 'Full House' (with a stewpot of Hollywood stars) including these seasonal favorites:
"The Gift of the Magi"
"The Last Leaf"
"The Cop and the Anthem" - DirectorMichael O. SajbelStarsDrew FullerJames GarnerAbigail BreslinA deceased billionaire leaves his spoiled adult grandson a series of odd tasks to perform in order to receive "the ultimate gift," with the resentful grandson having no idea what that might be.Sweet, tender movie, with favorites James Garner, Bill Cobbs and Brian Denehy. Has a sequel/prequel that I have not yet seen.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsJ. Carrol NaishDonald WoodsRosina GalliThree cowboys riding across the desert with gifts for no particular recipient see a distant bright light, and find it comes from the Star Auto Court sign where the owners and guests work together to help a young expectant couple.with J. Carrol Naish - This modern version of the Christmas story adds elements of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." On Christmas eve somewhere in the US southwest, three cowboys are riding through the desert night with items they purchased at a general store. They see a bright light just above the horizon and decide to find out where the it is coming from.
- DirectorBrian HerzlingerStarsDella ReeseTeri PoloTamera Mowry-HousleyChristmas wishes made before a long-abandoned house that start coming true lead an elementary-school girl to discover a reclusive woman living inside.'Make a wish, throw a rock, break a window, and your wish will come true.' Not really, but you can see what happens if you just believe.
- DirectorPeter SvatekStarsJason GedrickTyrone BenskinMichael SarrazinA workaholic accountant is inspired to start a choir at a homeless shelter, allowing him to find a purpose to his life and discover the power of music, while providing the choir members with a chance at a new, better life.
- DirectorPeter WernerStarsWhoopi GoldbergNigel HawthorneBrian Stokes MitchellLucy's a producer on a home shopping channel. She hires the real Santa as Santa. He has to find his replacement as the real Santa in 4 weeks. Lucy is unknowingly the only candidate left.
- DirectorRonald NeameStarsAlbert FinneyAlec GuinnessEdith EvansA musical retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel about an old bitter miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.A musical retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel about an old bitter miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.
- DirectorSturla GunnarssonStarsJason AlexanderKelly RowanAri CohenA.C. Gilbert figures out a way to keep Christmas alive after the war threatens to take it away in his name.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsPercy RodriguesSterling HaydenBen GazzaraDaniel Grudge, a wealthy industrialist and fierce isolationist long embittered by the loss of his son in World War II, is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who lead him to reconsider his attitude toward his fellow man.Wasn't so sure about this one except that the one thing it had going for it was Rod Serling and his work is quality.
Whenever I really want hope for today's world, I inevitably wind up watching this.
Prophetic! - DirectorKieth MerrillStarsJames StewartThe Tabernacle Choir at Temple SquareBeverly RowlandAn elderly widower relies on his daydreams and faith to get through a lonely Christmas.
- DirectorMark SandrichRobert AllenStarsBing CrosbyFred AstaireMarjorie ReynoldsAt an inn which is open only on holidays, a crooner and a hoofer vie for the affections of a beautiful up-and-coming performer.