Customer Reviews

Holiday Affair

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I just discovered this gem from 1949 and am I glad. It has all the ingredients necessary to earn a place in my Christmas movies Hall of Fame: an adorable little boy who wants a train set his widowed mom can't afford; Janet Leigh as the WWII widow struggling to provide for her son; Wendell Corey as the kind and decent man who wants to marry her; and Robert Mitchum, as the drifter on his way to California who changes everything. It has charm without being schmaltzy, humor without being too cutesie, and an ending that has you standing up to cheer. Start stringing the popcorn and plan to watch this every Christmas season.

Holiday affair is never mentioned when the roster of Christmas cinema classics is read, which is unfortunate because it's actually a very good movie. It would be unfair to compare this with It's A Wonderful Life which came out three years earlier, or even Miracle on 34th Street (two years before). But the similarities in style and tone are there, this being a feel-good Christmas family movie made with intelligence. The studios must have realised they were on to a good thing.

Underneath the layer of seasonal schmaltz is a story with its roots in the then popular obsession with psychoanalysis. The jilted fiancé makes references to subconscious desires of Janet Leigh's character, and the whole story is based around a Freudian-Oedipus arrangement with the son taking the place of a dead father. But this is all (just) under the surface of the story of little boy who Santa Claus forgot, whose Christmas is made special by a selfless eccentric played by Mitchum. Mitchum is an actor who could be accepted in almost any character - his face gives so little away that he is often described as 'laconic', but it's clear that here he is a good guy who is so honest he even cuckolds poor old Wendell Corey's character in front of him rather than be deceitful. Corey's character of `the other man' is so doomed from the start to be a poor runner up to Mitchum that it must have been a thankless role for him, but he tackles it well. Watch out too for future M*A*S*H* star Harry Morgan (credited as Henry Morgan) who steals one small scene as a bemused police lieutenant. If you want a change from Frank Capra or James Bond, try this with your turkey and Brussels sprouts.

I had the pleasure of watching this again last night. Invited my family over & we were all in the mood for a nice, holiday movie. I quickly pulled this off the shelf, knowing that they hadn't yet seen it, telling them they were in for a real treat. I tend to watch this every 2 years, so it was time. This movie is like a hidden gem, and though I am sure it received decent reviews when it was first released, there were probably more people who preferred It's A Wonderful Life & other more popular Christmas movies. Holiday Affair holds up well, despite the way things were at the time of the story(late 1940s). Guy meets girl, who is already practically engaged to another man, but that doesn't get in the way of his falling for her in a big way. One way to her heart is the way he quickly wins over her young son, by getting him the much desired set of trains he covets more than anything. Robert Mitchum shines in this film, & plays off both Janet Leigh & Wendell Corey quite well. When I previously reviewed this movie back in November of '98, I wrote it in such a hurry that I misspelled Ms. Leigh's surname, which I made a point to correct this time around. Yet again, I must highly recommend this terrific little movie, and it is an absolute must-have for those that like to collect Christmas themed movies. Definitely a movie to be enjoyed for many Christmases to come, & despite an attempt a few years back with a so-so remake, they just don't make 'em like this anymore. 'Nuff said!

This neglected film got lost in all the It's a Wonderful Life hype. I discovered A Holiday Affair belatedly, by accident and it quickly ranked near the top of my holiday favorites. The story of the little boy who wants a Christmas train and the stranger who enters the life of his family is too good to miss. It's also a must for Mitchum fans, even those who are Scrooges about Christmas. Give yourself the gift of seeing it this holiday season.

Tired of endless viewings of It's A Wonderful Life and/or Miracle on 34th Street? Then this is the Christmas movie for you! Robert Mitchum, Janet Lee & Wendell Corey are all excellent in this wonderful story about a little boy whose big Christmas wish is a set of trains. Janet Lee is the boy's widowed mother; torn between two suitors(Mitchum & Corey) and making a better life for her son. Mitchum is delightful; gruff on the outside but an old softie inside. He eventually sweeps Lee off her feet and, well, you'll have to see it for yourself! A holiday film you'll want to watch long after the 12 days of Christmas.

This is my husband's favorite Christmas movie that we try to watch every year as a tradition of ours. It was hard to find it because stores don't sell it. So now we won't have this problem because I bought it for us.

I feel this movie is a lot better than the remakes of it. Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh are an excellent team. The story of strangers meeting and the little things that keep them in contact and eventually together plus the twist of the man already in her life makes the story fun to watch every time.

The editorial review of this film is incorrect in its plot summary. Janet Leigh plays a widowed mother working as a "secret shopper" purchasing items from rival department stores to make comparisons. Robert Mitchum plays the clerk in the toy department where Janet Leigh purchases a train set. From there things get delightfully complicated when she brings home the train set where her son sneaks a forbidden peek at a gift he hopes is for him. Wendel Corey plays the condescending fiance who turns out OK considering his outcome. Without giving too much more away, this is a really great film for the Christmas season.

The way you described this movie is incorrect. You make it sound dumb. Janet Leigh doesn't want to buy her son a train, she is a secret shopper. Robert Mitchum didn't offer to buy her son a train, he was a salesclerk. You have the story all wrong. It is a great Christmas movie. I loved it.

I love this story of a widowed working mother post WW II with a small son, who must learn to let go of the past and trust love again. It should be put right up there with the other Christmas classics. I JUST WISH IT WAS ON DVD!!

There have been several movies released under the title of "Holiday Affair". Since Amazon has not listed the stars of this movie I can assume (hopefully) that this is the 1949 version starring Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh with Wendell Cory as the boyfriend. If it is then this is a 9 out of 10 star movie and I highly recommend it as a Christmas movie.
Mitchum has been discharged from the Army after serving in WW2. He takes a job as a toy salesman in a department store to raise enough money for train fare to Calif. where he plans to build boats. He meets Leigh who is employed as a comparison shopper for another store. She has a son about 6 years old and is engaged to Wendell Cory. Problems arise and Mitchum is fired from his job. Without giving away the complete plot, the gist of the story is.... does she want to stay in New York with Cory or go to Calif with Mitchum? Wonderfully funny in places and sad as only a love story can be. I have been waiting YEARS for this to come out on DVD. I hope it is the right one.