General News

Janet Leigh & Robert Mitchum Have a HOLIDAY AFFAIR Saturday Morning December 6th at The Hi-Pointe

By Tom Stockman | November 27, 2014

HOLIDAY AFFAIR screens Saturday morning December 6th at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO). The movie starts at 10:30am and admission is only $5.

HOLIDAY AFFAIR isn’t one of the better-known Christmas films of the ‘40s, and it’s not the fanciest either, as it was made on a fairly small-scale, but it’s extremely pleasant, and doesn’t shove the good cheer down your throat, as so many larger films do. It lets its modest story, concerning a young widow, her son, and the two men who court her during the holiday season, happen naturally, and its unforced quality is one of the most winning things about it.

Janet Leigh sparkles in the lead, and plays her peppy role in a slightly affected yet knowing manner that’s very accomplished for so young an actress (she was just 21). Robert Mitchum, as the beatnick guy who romances her, was never at home in comedy. There’s a physical heaviness to his presence that makes it impossible to feel lighthearted when he’s around, as he always seems like a guy who has just strolled out of the corner bar. Wendell Corey is far better cast as the lawyer boyfriend Leigh doesn’t really care for that much, which she doesn’t even realize till Mitchum shows up. The sets are nicely designed, and overall the movie is exceedingly well cast in even the smallest roles. Director Don Hartman had a Frank Capra-ish eye for the right actor for a certain part. The dialogue, while never brilliant in itself, is on the money most of the time. HOLIDAY AFFAIR is a feelgood movie that hits the right notes well and often.

Saturday morning December 6th, you and your family will have the opportunity to see HOLIDAY AFFAIR on the big screen when it plays at 10:30am at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater as part of their 3-part Christmas Classics Movie Series. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE screens December 13^th and WHITE CHRISTMAS with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye plays December 20^th. Stay tuned here at We Are Movie Geeks for more coverage of those films.