Review: Holiday Affair (1949)

I read somewhere once that nobody in Hollywood wanted to work with Robert Mitchum after his arrest for cannabis possession in 1948, for which he spent a total of 50 days behind bars. RKO Pictures, the studio to which Mitchum was signed at the time, was very embarressed by his arrest, and wanted him to develop a cleaner image upon his release from jail. This resulted in the making of 1949's Holiday Affair. Though the film did not do well throughout its initial release, it later found an admiring audience through the airing of re-runs on TCM. Holiday Affair is now considered to be a minor classic, and holds a annual role in many people's traditional holiday viewings.

During the holiday season, a young mother meets a sales clerk at a department store, and, through a series of accidental run-ins, they begin to fall for one another.

"So, if you wish real hard for something, maybe you might get it"

The young mother mentioned above is Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh), a comparison shopper for a rival department store. Connie is a widow, who can't seem to get past the memory of her late husband. She spends most of her time at work, or at home with her friend, Carl (Wendell Corey), and her son, Timmy (Gordon Gebert). Carl has been in love with Connie for quite a while, and has asked her to marry him on several occasions. She, however, has turned him down everytime. Connie's son Timmy is a bright, well behaved six year old, and he and his mother have a wonderful relationship. Timmy has got to be the cutest kid I've ever since onscreen, and I would just love to give him a great big hug (And I'm not a hugger).

The sales clerk is a man named Steve Mason (Mitchum). He a bit of a drifter, who dreams of building boats in California someday, but doesn't have the finances to do that at present. Mason is a very wise character, and can read people incredibly well. He is drawn to Connie from the moment he meets her, and absolutely adores her son upon meeting him.

This was the first time I have seen Holiday Affair. I had been after it for quite some time, and eventually found it earlier this year on Ebay. I bought it immediately, and waited until now to watch it. Robert Mitchum is my third favourite "classic" actor, behind Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant, and I love Christmas movies (Even the tacky ones...), so this sounded like a great combo for me, and I did really enjoy the feature.

"And I want a girl that'll drop everything and run to me, no matter what the score is."

Classic movies are so wonderful because the characters don't tend to be overwritten. It seems to me that movies nowadays feel the need to draw a clear, bold line between characters that are "good" and characters that are "bad". For example, if Holiday Affair had been made today, the character of Carl would have been a scheming, cheating, little arsehole, who would do everything in his power to keep Connie away from Steve. However, in the 1949 film, Carl does anything but that. You see, in classics (Romantic comedies, that is), the "bad guys" were never really all that bad; they were just good guys that weren't "the one". I think that romantic comedies of today need to watch more films from the 1930's and 1940's. Perhaps then they'd get it right.

I have this thing about watching old movies. I tend look at all the children and adults, and even the animals, and wonder where they are now; if they're still alive and what they'd be doing if they were. I found myself doing this throughout Holiday Affair. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad one...

Robert Mitchum was as cool as ever in his role as Mason. Boy, was that man built! Janet Leigh was very sweet as Connie, and Wendell Corey was good as Carl, but the runaway performance of the film was given by little Gordon Gebert, who played Timmy to perfection. Loved that kid; I want one of my own. A Timmy, that is. But, knowing me, I'd treat him more like a pet than a child. Ahh, well...

Holiday Affair is good little film to help get you into the holiday spirit. 7/10

Trivia: Like many of the classics, Holiday Affair was revived for a radio adaptation a year after its cinematic release in 1950, with Robert Mitchum reprising his role as Steve Mason.