Just a little holiday affair..

A Very Vintage Christmas post #1

25 days until Christmas

Good afternoon, everybody! And welcome to the official kickoff for Think Classic's third annual A Very Vintage Christmas! We are so thrilled that you have decided to join us, and hope that we can do our part to make your days merrier and brighter with our charmingly vintage holiday festivities.

Today is Sunday, which means, according to our schedule, that it is time for a classic Christmas movie post.

Holiday Affair

1949 film

Starring Janet Leigh, Robert Mitchum, Wendell Corey, and Gordon Gebert

Steve Mason (Mitchum) is a war veteran who has no sense of direction in his life, and as a result drifts from place to place, just trying to get along. His wanderings bring him to New York City, and he acquires a job as a sales clerk at Crowley's Department Store for the busy Christmas season. He is working at the counter one day when he is approached by a young woman by the name of Connie Ennis (Leigh). He suspects that she might be a hired comparative shopper for another store, and his suspicions are confirmed when she asks to buy

an extremely expensive and valuable toy train set without hardly looking at it. Later that evening, Connie, who is a recent war widow, returns to her apartment and her waiting son Timmy (Gebert). Connie sets her purchases aside, but Timmy sees the train and becomes ecstatic, believing that it really is his Christmas present. She does her best to explain to her son that it truly isn't his present and that they aren't going to keep it, and Timmy is heartbroken. Connie does indeed go back to Crowley's the next day to return the train set. She is once again assisted by Steve. When she tells him that she needs to return it, but that nothing is wrong with it, he tells her that he knows what she is up to and threatens to report her. Connie panics and tells him that she is truly sorry. She knows it isn't honest, but she is a widow with a young son, who is just trying to make ends meet and get through the holiday season. Steve feels badly for her, so he decides to let her return it and he gives her a full refund. Unfortunately, Steve was being observed by a manager, and since he acted against store policy he loses his job. He follows Connie into another department and helps her as she selects another purchase to do comparative pricing for her

employers. They leave the department store together and walk about the city, talking and getting to know one another.

They then go from one department store to another to buy more things on Connie's list, and as there is so much to carry, he helps her with it until they get separated by a crowd at a bus stop.

Connie heads home on her own, where Timmy and her fiance Carl Davis (Corey) are

decorating a Christmas tree. Unexpectedly, the door bell rings and when Connie goes to answer it she finds Steve standing there with the rest of her packages. Carl is instantly jealous and suspicious of the two of them, while Timmy is instantly smitten with Steve and takes to him naturally. As they are all talking together, Timmy blows up at Carl, who he doesn't really like. When Carl tries to discipline Timmy, Connie gets upset and tells him to "get your hands off my boy!" Carl is very upset by her reaction, feeling that she doesn't trust him with her son, so he promptly leaves, despite Connie's apologies.

Steve believes it is because of his presence in the Ennis home that such trouble was caused, but Connie doesn't agree. He tells her goodbye, and promises not to trouble her anymore for fear that he will fall in love with her. He says goodbye to Timmy and then kisses Connie before he goes, wishing them both a Merry Christmas.

The next day, Connie meets up with Carl at a restaurant and the two of them discuss what happened at the apartment. They forgive one another and make up, and they decide to get married on New Year's Day, to "start the year off right."

On Christmas morning, Timmy is ecstatic and thanks his mother over and over for his present.

She is confused about which present he means, and then he shows her the train set she had returned earlier. Connie catches on quickly, knowing exactly where the train came from.She is honest with Timmy, telling him that the train is a gift from Steve, not from her. After breakfast, Connie goes to Steve's hotel to try and make things right, only to discover that he checked out. She finds him in Central Park and offers to pay him for the train, but he refuses. She gives him a necktie that had been wrapped under the tree to give to Carl. The two are getting along fine when Steve tells Connie that she would be making a mistake if she married Carl. She gets angry and goes home.

Later that afternoon, some police show up at the Ennis household and explain that Steve Mason has been arrested, and he requested that they come down to the station to help straighten everything out, as it is all a misunderstanding. Carl, who is a lawyer, takes on Steve as his client, but what really sets Steve free is the necessary confession from Connie that she had gone to see Steve that morning and had given him a necktie as a present. Everything gets set in order, Steve is released, Timmy invites him over for Christmas dinner, and Carl is very unhappy with everything. Christmas dinner is a little awkward, but fine overall, until Steve announces to everyone, including Connie's former in-laws, that he is in love with her and she should marry him instead of Carl. Connie gets upset and asks him to leave.

The next day dawns dismally with everyone still upset over the night before. Timmy decides to take his train to Crowley's Department Store and return it so that he can give the money to Steve. Connie and Carl then go to Steve's hotel to give him the money from Timmy, but Connie is afraid to see him. Carl realizes that he has no chance against Steve and breaks it off with Connie. She is already distraught when she finally goes into the building to see Steve, and the two of them bicker and she storms out on him.

In the nick of time, Connie realizes that she can't keep walking out on Steve if she really loves him, and she knows that she does. Steve had told her that he was leaving for California, so she takes Timmy and the two of them board the train and find Steve together to ask him to stay.

Holiday Affair is a delightful and lighthearted Christmas romance, which will remind you of the optimism and hope that the Christmas season brings when you endeavor to enjoy it with all of your heart.

If you would like to see this classic Christmas film, you can view it uncut and commercial free on Turner Classic Movies on Sunday, December 15th, at 12:15 pm ET.

Also, if you are interested in buying Holiday Affair as a Christmas gift for yourself or a loved one, you can click the following links to price and buy it online:

TCM Shop: Classic Holiday Collection

Amazon

Barnes and Noble Online

We hope that you have enjoyed this post today, and that you will come back and join us this Thursday, December 5th, to add a classic Christmas tune to your holiday playlist.

Until then, we wish you a very merry, and A Very Vintage Christmas!