christmas in connecticut Tagged Articles at Cinematical

One of the perennial favorites for TV broadcast at this time of year is the 1945 film Christmas in Connecticut, starring Barbara Stanwyck. I sat down for the first time in years to watch the entire movie, and gave it my full attention in a way that I never did while I was wrapping presents or chatting with relatives or trimming the tree. As I suspect from my half-assed viewing of the film over the years, Christmas in Connecticut is a very slight movie; if it weren't related to Christmas, or didn't star Stanwyck, most of us might never have heard of it.

The plot is pretty lame: Liz Lane (Stanwyck) has gained career success by writing a series of columns about the joys of being a housewife and mom on her farm in Connecticut -- a Forties version of Martha Stewart. Trouble is, she's really a single NYC career girl who can barely boil water, and who gets her recipes from her Uncle Felix (S.Z. Sakall), who runs a restaurant. This was never an issue until her publisher Alexander Yeardley (Sydney Greenstreet) decides to accompany war hero Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) to Liz's Connecticut farm for Christmas to experience home cooking and happy holiday domesticity. Liz talks her longtime cold fish of a suitor into lending his farm, they bring Felix along to cook, and even manage to borrow a baby ... but can they pull this off without Liz and her editor losing their jobs?

As someone who grew up in Connecticut, I can agree the state is good for two things, Christmas and hauntings. We've already seen a few versions of Christmas in Connecticut, and now it is time for us to see a movie called The Haunting in Connecticut. I only wish that Ed Warren, one of the state's legendary and expert ghost experts, was still around to offer some help with it. At least his wife and partner, Lorraine is still with us. Anyway, now that Connecticut is welcoming so many film productions to shoot in state, it is only fair that our reputation for spookiness be well represented. And hey, if such a movie wants to use my last name, then that's cool, too. Like countless other residents of the state, my family thought our house was haunted. Of course, The Haunting in Connecticut is not based on my family; instead it is based on a documentary titled A Haunting in Connecticut, which presented the true story of the Parkers and the evil ghost that terrorized their home.

We already learned The Haunting in Connecticut would star Virginia Madsen, as Sara Campbell (again, no relation), but now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, we have more of the Campbell clan: Martin Donovan (Weeds) will play Madsen's husband, while Kyle Gallner (Big Love) will play their cancer-ridden son. Also joining the cast is Elias Koteas (Zodiac), who will play the obligatory priest who comes to help the family. In my day, you'd either call The Warrens -- who actually appear in the original documentary -- or someone from the local historical society (this is what my mom did), but seeing as how the convention of this genre is to follow the model of The Exorcist, a priest is a requirement. And yes, it seems there was at least one in A Haunting in Connecticut, so I shouldn't complain. Ironically, despite Connecticut's currently trendy tax breaks, The Haunting in Connecticut began shooting this week in Winnipeg.

Damn, Warner Bros. sure is busy today -- Variety reports the studio has tapped Jennifer Garner to star in a remake of the 1945 comedy Christmas in Connecticut, reuniting the actress with her 13 Going on 30 producers Susan Arnold and Donna Ruth. The original film, which was directed by Peter Godfrey and starred Barbara Stanwyck in the lead role, revolved around a Martha Stewart-type cooking writer who convinces the world that she lives this perfect little life on a farm in Connecticut with her husband and child, when in reality she's single, living in New York and cannot cook a damn thing (a good friend provides her with all the fantastic recipes). Hilarity ensues when the owner of her magazine invites a heroic sailor to spend Christmas on her fake farm. Oops.

Technically, this will be the second Christmas in Connecticut remake, as none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger directed an updated version for TV back in 1992 -- that one starred Dyan Cannon and, along with being a writer, she also hosted her own cooking show. My guess is Warners will probably go that route as well, especially with folks like Rachael Ray turning into something of a phenomenon as of late. (Personally, if I hear her say "Let's just throw a little S&P on that and top it off with some EVOO," one more time, I might have to throw something hard and sharp at my television.) Also, look for the "heroic sailor" to be replaced by a handsome veteran of the Iraq war. Any guesses as to who they'll get for the male lead?