It's time once again to crank up the old vcr for MY favorite Yule flick, "Christmas Holiday," in which Deanna Durbin essays the role of a singer in a whorehouse and introduces Frank Loesser's "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year,"---I'LL SAY!---while Gene Kelly gets shot down in a hail of gunfire at the climax. "Meet Me in St. Louis" it ain't. Though with that title you'd think it WOULD be.
This opened during the 1944 Christmas season, and while I don't have the actuarials at my fingertips, it's a safe bet that this sub rosa film noir was responsible for at least a few Yule suicides amongst unforewarned filmgoers. ("Momma went to the Bijou and never came back.") Directed by the great Robert Siodmak, who helmed this one between making "Phantom Lady" and "Cobra Woman". . .the same year!
MX&HNY
Deanna Durbin's movies have bought so much joy to so many people around the world. Her movies are so much better than the trash that comes from Hollywood today! Deanna Durbin was Winston Churchill's favourite actress - and he was a smart man as we ALL know!
ReplyDeleteAlex (deannadurbin.org)