When Hollywood Celebrated Christmas and Marriage

Catholic World Report ^ | December 23, 2014 | Paul Kengor

[NYer]

I am a BIG fan of TCM. Watch long enough and you begin to see the pattern of Hollywood's pandering to whatever was trending in a particular decade. Back up one decade to the 30's and you will find plenty of films where the characters are dealing with divorce. "The Women" from 1939 is a good example. During the 40's, Hollywood focused on war stories and the war's impact on marriage in general. The films cited by the author fall into that category. Consider, as well, "The Clock" (1945) where a G.I., en route to Europe, falls in love during a whirlwind two-day leave in New York City and marries. Forward to the 50's and a new patter emerges. Marriage still prevails but we now get a peek behind the curtain to see that all is not necessarily well. Though not an award winner, the 1956 film "A Bundle of Joy" starring Debbie Reynolds and hubby, Eddie Fisher (parents of Carrie Fisher). In the film, Reynolds finds an adorable baby on the steps of a foundling home and the folks inside mistake her for the mother. Project into the 1960's and we begin to see the infiltration of the feminist movement. Sticking with the less serious performances, we meet happily married couple played by Doris Day and James Garner. "The Thrill of it All" (1964) has a contented homemaker married to a successful ob/gyn and raising 2 adorable children. When one of the physician's clients invites them for dinner, Doris Day is invited to make a commercial for their tv program. The housewife's sudden rise to fame as a soap spokesperson leads to chaos in her home life. The mid 60's marks the end of anything traditional as Hollywood begins its spiral journey downhill.

Personal analysis, ping!

[SevenofNine]

Cozi TV been showing Holiday Inn and White Christmas last weekend for Holiday Cozi weekend

Yeah I think those days the screenwriter know how write a script

[lee martell]

This was The World as we saw it, long before the terms Micro-agressions or Hetronormaitve Monopolies were cobbled together in an effort to shut people up because they don’t parrot the Cool View of the day.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Agree with the author 100% but have one issue . . . I believe the term 'baby mama' doesn't mean a single unwed mother as much as it means a single, underage, unwed mother.

[nuconvert]

Tearjerker on today - Penny Serenade

[NYer]

Tearjerker on today - Penny Serenade

Darn ... missed it. Big Cary Grant fan. However, consider the film's theme: A woman on the verge of divorce recalls her heartbreaking attempts to adopt a child. The film is from 1941, a period of transition from the divorce films of the 30's and the unwanted children of the 50's. It fits the pattern in my comment above.

You need a heavy dose of "A Christmas Story"! Both TBS and TNT have scheduled it for a 24 hour loop, beginning tomorrow night. This is a traditional Christmas - family, kids and oozing with nostalgia.

Brings back happy memories from simpler times.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Got it on dvd. No commercials!

[donaldo]

Ditto on TCM. I’ve hosted a film festival every Monday night for over a year featuring TCM offerings. The quality is amazing. And who could possibly dislike Robert Osborne? No one! He’s one of those people that virtually everyone likes, a true national treasure.

[workerbee]

I'm actually surprised A Christmas Story -- one of my very favorites -- is still given so much airtime. Every year I expect the 24-hr marathon to be canceled in deference to "not supporting the gun culture."

[Clemenza]

Back when you had the Hayes Code, aka a censorship code rooted in Catholic theology, placed on a heavily Jewiah industry, to influence a Protestant nation. Funny that.

[SevenofNine]

Yeah they recently not only restored Christmas story for first time Blue ray release

[SevenofNine]

Yeah there was saying in Hollywood on that

Jews control
Cathoic censorship
to influence Protestant nation

[SevenofNine]

If you want see pre code film

Get Baby face Night Nurse from Barbara Stanwick

Those movie are Citizen kane of pre code films

[Tax-chick]

No, baby-mamas are of any age ... at least into their 30s. I don’t know if anyone would use the term of a woman 40+.

It’s not that she’s a Mama who’s a baby ... it’s that she’s the Mama OF a baby. Same with “baby-daddy.”

I have gained this wisdom through getting to know the cashiers at my local Walmart. One girl stopped me one day on my way out so I could help another girl figure out her due date!

[SevenofNine]

NO way are you kidding me WHOA

[nuconvert]

If you haven’t seen Penny Serenade, see it.

[Tax-chick]

I have a lot of children, so the cashiers figured I would know all about this stuff. (I pegged her due date, in fact.)

[Coleus]

Merry Christmas, Clemenza.

[greene66]

An interesting pre-code film that often gets overlooked is “The Sin of Nora Moran” (1933), as it was made by poverty-row studio Majestic Pictures, and doesn’t tend to pop up on television. Very fascinating little oddity, which is woven with lots of flashbacks and even surreal imaginings, which were wildly original for the time. Even had a bit of mild profanity in it too.