TV and Movies

[Oznell]

6:00 p.m. Eastern--  "The Man Who Came to Dinner"   Monty Woolley, Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Richard Travis, Jimmy Durante, Billie Burke, Reginald Gardiner, Elisabeth Fraser, Grant Mitchell, Mary Wickes, George Barbier

This has to be one of the most "rollicking" of Christmas movies-- it's so effortlessly bubbly and funny, it carries you along on a cloud of humor, and good will for the efforts expended. 

For anyone with a tendency to be "blue" as holidays approach, this 'movie medicine' could be a good remedy...

I say that as someone who, grumpily, is not all that enchanted with Monty Woolley, ha.  But so many practised acting pros enliven this story.  It concerns a celebrity (Woolley) who comes to a private home in Ohio, is visited there by catastrophe, and ends up a seemingly almost permanent Christmas guest!

My favorites are Ann Sheridan as a comically self-involved actress, and sparkling comic cohorts Jimmy Durante, Reginald Gardiner, and Mary Wickes. 

And Bette Davis, as Woolley's sane and efficient secretary, is surprisingly understated and deft in a more "quiet" role than she usually assumed.    She keeps a covert romantic infatuation tamped down, but it still glows effectively.

Every mad house needs a calm center....  

And after "......Dinner",   at 8:00 p.m. Eastern,  there's a neat little off-beat mystery:

8:00 p.m. Eastern--  "Lady on a Train"   Deanna Durbin, Ralph Bellamy, David Bruce, George Coulouris, Dan Duryea ( @SharkE  alert!  Have you seen this one with Dan?)  Allen Jenkins, Edward Everett Horton

The lavishly talented singer-actress Deanna Durbin plays a young socialite off to visit her aunt, who on the train, witnesses a murder, and has difficulty convincing anyone to believe her.  In the process, she manages, however, to interest several young men IN her, at least...

Love Deanna Durbin, love Dan Duryea.   How curious that their names track so closely with each other!

[SharkE]

No, don't think I saw this one will have to watch it.

That first one 'Man who came to dinner' was awful. The guy was a leech and a deadbeat he wouldn't get out. I wanted to strangle him.

Movie made me upset LOL

Thanks for the infor on Dan LOL

[spiderw]

The Man Who Came to Dinner is one of my Christmas favorites and I have seen it twice already.  It is a fun upbeat movie, an escape from what ails you!  Bette Davis does an excellent job with her role, something different but for her easy!  

I always like Mary Wickes in her movies.  I enjoy her in White Christmas, another tradition at this time of year.  Mary always excelled at her roles, she was a pleasure to watch.  There were many character actors who added so much to movies, Mary was definitely one!

[catter70]

Love the Man Who Came to Dinner. Monty Woolley is great. Just saw him in "The Bishop's Wife" the other night. Will watch this again. Think I've seen it about 5 times already. It had been airing on The Movies channel. Thanks, @Oznell 

[Nataliesgramma]

I haven't seen this one with Bette...Thanks for the heads up!

[godi]

Never saw this first movie. Will definitely watch for sure. I always liked Jimmy Durante. Lady on the train is a great mystery movie. I am DVRing both. ❤️ (Is DVRing a word?) 

[drizzellla]

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@spiderw wrote:

The Man Who Came to Dinner is one of my Christmas favorites and I have seen it twice already.  It is a fun upbeat movie, an escape from what ails you!  Bette Davis does an excellent job with her role, something different but for her easy!  

I always like Mary Wickes in her movies.  I enjoy her in White Christmas, another tradition at this time of year.  Mary always excelled at her roles, she was a pleasure to watch.  There were many character actors who added so much to movies, Mary was definitely one!

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I also like Mary Wickes character and I like her too.

And I couldn't agree more with your statement "Mary always excelled at her roles, she was a pleasure to watch.  There were many character actors who added so much to movies."

Sad she died while she was working on Disney's "Hunchback of Nortre Dame". What a trooper.

I know where I will be parked tonight. I better start getting things done now. So I can spend the night watching both movies.

PS - Just read this - 

In July 1949 co-starred in The Torch Bearers at the Bucks County (Pennsylvania) Playhouse with Grace Kelly in her first professional acting assignment.

[Kindaglitzy]

TCM Holiday Theme Marathon starts December 19, think it says 76 movies:

http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/021501/

[deepwaterdotter]

I'm watching this wonderful film right now.

[TexasMom1]

This is a staple in my taped and saved Christmas movies that I watch every year. For those that think Monty Wooley is not their cup of tea, watch him in the movie with Claudette Colbert and Jennifer Jones, Shirley Temple in another classic "Since You Went Away". You just might change your mind.