Contest Entry #4!!!!

Here we have entry no. 4 from my good friend Ronda! Enjoy!

Ronda writes,

My favorite Christmas Movie is “ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE”. Yes, I know its sappy. But what kind of movie gives you a look at what your life would be like had you not been in it? Growing up in the same home town never getting a chance to move out...always putting others in front of your needs, keeping the family together at all cost. Giving up on your dreams so that you can help others reach theirs.

If everyone would just take a few life lessons from good ‘ole George, just think what kind of happier world we would live in. Do I hear a bell ringing Clarence?

Nothing sappy about this now-classic movie. It’s good watching anytime of the year! And, hello, Jimmy Stewart? Classic. Thanks Ronda!

Incidentally, here’s a great Frank Capra-directed Christmas double-feature: Meet John Doe (1941), starring the ever-awesome Barbara Stanwyck & Gary Cooper, and It’s a Wonderful Life. Every emotion, from the highest triumphant high, to the lowest, saddest low, is covered right here in just 2 films!

Barbara Stanwyck

SET YOUR DVRs: for Turner Classic Movies channel this Sunday, 12/6 at noon (EST) and 2 pm (EST) for Christmas in Connecticut and Remember the Night.

One of my favorite actresses, Barbara Stanwyck, is known for her melodramas and her unique character style of being tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Most people remember her for her femme fatale role in Double Indemnity. But she also appeared in the lighter, holiday films Christmas in Connecticut and Remember the Night. These aren't just classic films they are standards. And should be.

If you're a fan of Double Indemnity, you may want to see Remember the Night as Stanwyck once again shares the screen with actor Fred MacMurray.

The lifeless remake of Christmas in Connecticut, starring Dyan Cannon, was actually directed by now-Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. There's some holiday trivia sure to impress at the Christmas dinner table.

And, if you're looking for something different--wait until 12/22 on TCM to watch Barbara Stanwyck in the Frank Capra classic Meet John Doe. You already know Jimmy Stewart isn't going to commit suicide by jumping from the bridge this year--so watch 1941's Meet John Doe to see if Stanwyck can keep Gary Cooper from jumping from the roof of a building. The holidays sure can be rough!

Not enough Stanwyck yet? Well, then get the Christmas episode of the TV western, The Big Valley, entitled "Judgment in Heaven." It's on disc 5 of the first season--at the local public library or your favorite online DVD rental provider.