There is just something about a holiday classic that pulls you into the season. The feelings, songs, and dances make you believe Christmas is coming. Check out the best classic era holiday films to get you in the mood.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
IMDb: 8.6
It's a Wonderful Life is the iconic Christmas film that reminds us of the important things in life. As George Bailey gets hit with disappointments, he learns a valuable lesson that prevents him from throwing it all away. James Stewart gives one of his best performances as George, opposite Donna Reed, who plays his wife, Mary.
A Film That Stands The Test of Time
This film has stood the test of time and is a staple in many homes every Christmas. It was Stewart's return to the silver screen after serving in WWII, and Lionel Barrymore convinced him to join. At least we have one thing to thank Mr. Potter for doing right.
White Christmas (1954)
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
IMDb: 7.5
If you are looking for the ultimate Christmas musical, it's White Christmas. From the songs to the dances to the love stories, it is pure Christmas schmaltz from start to finish. The combination of Bing Crosby as Bob and Danny Kaye as Phil is a perfect match, although Kaye was the third choice. Originally meant as a reunion of Crosby and Fred Astaire, who starred in Holiday Inn, Astaire was retired then. The second choice was Donald O'Connor, but he was injured. It turns out Kaye was perfect.
Pure Christmas Schmaltz
The story follows two veterans who become partners when they leave the army. They soon have a popular show and gain the attention of a sister act, looking for free advice. When the men follow them to Vermont, they encounter their old general, who has fallen on hard times due to the lack of snow. Determined to help him, they put on a show to bring in business.
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
IMDb: 8.1
The stop motion classic was a staple in many childhoods. As one of the best versions of Rudolph, we get the full story of his red nose and why the others don't want to play with him.
A Stop Motion Classic
Rudolph's father attempts to hide his red nose from the others. Soon, they discover the truth and ostracize him for looking different. When a storm threatens to cancel Christmas, they learn how helpful his difference is, after all.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
IMDb: 7.9
There is something magical about the original Miracle on 34th Street from 1947. Maybe it’s the story. Perhaps it’s a young Natalie Wood. Maybe it’s all of it. This story is so well-known. Make sure that you take the time to watch the original this year.
A Magical Original
Natalie Wood stars as a little girl whose mother unwittingly hires the real Santa Claus to dress up as Macy’s Santa Claus. Once he tells people he is Santa Claus, people start to wonder if he’s crazy or dangerous. It sparks a trial where the existence of the myth is strongly debated.
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
IMDb: 7.7
Check out Santa Claus is Comin' to Town for another cute stop motion animated film. Not only is it a fun kid's movie, it also features classic era movie stars. Fred Astaire lends his voice to the narrator, S.D. Kluger, Mickey Rooney is Kris Kringle, and Keenan Wynn is Winter Warlock.
A Fun Kid's Movie Featuring Classic Era Movie Stars
Kluger tells us the origin story of Kris Kringle, who was left on the doorstep of the Kringle family, who are toymakers. When Kris grows up, he wants to deliver toys to the kids in Sombertown, but comes up against the Burgermeister, who doesn't want him to. He also must overcome obstacles to become the Santa we all know and love.
A Christmas Carol (1951)
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
IMDb: 8.1
There are so many versions of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but this one from 1951 is the classic that the others get compared to and stars Alastair Sim as Scrooge. His performance is brilliant, and the ghosts are downright scary.
The Ultimate Redemption Story
Here we follow the well-known story of Ebenezer Scrooge as he is visited by spirits, who convince him to change his ways and become a better person. It is the ultimate redemption story and takes place at Christmas.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
IMDb: 8.3
The original cartoon of How the Grinch Stole Christmas holds magic over the remakes. Although the film only has a run time of half an hour, it took ten months, along with 25,000 drawings, to finish.
Holds Magic Over The Remakes
The classic story follows the Grinch (Boris Karloff), who plans to take Christmas from the Whos of Whoville. Dressed as Santa, he breaks into homes and steals all of their presents and decorations. Despite this, Christmas still comes, and he learns that Christmas is about more than just stuff.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
IMDb: 8.3
As the first animated Peanuts special, A Charlie Brown Christmas is also one of the best. Even though the filmmakers thought it would flop because of the jazz music and blatant religious message, it was a resounding success and had a lasting effect.
One of The Best Peanuts Specials
The special focuses on the religious aspect of the holiday, and Charlie Brown is depressed over how commercial the holiday is. To deal with this, he becomes the director of the school's Christmas pageant, but it is more difficult than he imagined, and Linus helps him understand the true meaning of Christmas.
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
IMDb: 7.4
This 1945 classic movie featuring Barbara Stanwyck is well-known among those who enjoy classic films, but maybe not with others. One of the strangest things about this Christmas movie is that it came out in August of that year. Nevertheless, it still was one of the most successful pictures that year.
A Delight to Watch
It features Stanwyck as a magazine writer who has made up her entire premise. While she writes about being a farm wife and mother, she is unmarried and living in a city. Her writing skills must be on point because even her editor doesn’t know she has no experience with these things. He arranges for her to host a war hero at her farm on Christmas. She scrambles to try to make the charade real. This film is a delight to watch and a great addition to your holiday.
The Shop Around The Corner (1940)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
IMDb: 8.1
The Christmas love story of The Shop Around the Corner has been remade twice with both In the Good Old Summertime in 1949 and You've Got Mail in 1998 with Tom Hanks, and Meg Ryan. The idea of enemies to lovers is a strong trope, which plays out well here.
Enemies as Lovers
In this original version, we have James Stewart playing Alfred and Margaret Sullavan playing Klara. They work at a gift shop together, but don't get along. They don't know that they are falling in love as anonymous pen pals.
Meet John Doe (1941)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
IMDb: 7.6
Meet John Doe may be one of the lesser-known Christmas films of the classic movie era, but it stars some big names. Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck headline is a non-traditional holiday film with plenty of deceit.
A Fake Letter From a Journalist
When Ann (Stanwyck) loses her journalist job, she decides to write one last article, which includes a fake letter that threatens suicide. The paper must hire her back and then hire a name named John (Cooper) to pretend to be the man who wrote the letter.
The Bishop's Wife (1947)
Rotten Tomatoes:84%
IMDb: 7.6
When a film features an angel like Cary Grant, who would be able to resist? This classic film is strong in Christmas spirit, and Grant is so endearing (as he often is) as an angel. While not a love interest exactly, he does help the couple in the story get back on track.
Strong in Christmas Spirit
Despite his reluctance, Grant was switched to the angel part of Dudley when a new director was brought in. He was originally cast as Henry, the bishop, and one of his best roles was born. He arrives to help the new bishop, who has lost focus on his relationships with his wife and daughter as he struggles to raise funds for a new cathedral.
Remember the Night (1940)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
IMDb: 7.6
As the first pairing of Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, Remember the Night is often an overlooked holiday classic. They would reunite three more times in Double Indemnity, The Moonlighter, and There's Always Tomorrow.
An Overlooked Holiday Classic
This film centers on a woman named Lee (Stanwyck), who is caught shoplifting right before Christmas. It is her third offense, and an attorney named John (MacMurray) prosecutes her. He postpones the trial because it is difficult to get a conviction at Christmas, but because he feels sorry for her, he takes care of her bail and brings her home to meet his mother. The two end up falling in love but still need to deal with her trial.
Meet Me in St Louis (1944)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
IMDb: 7.5
The film Meet Me in St. Louis and Judy Garland‘s influence over lyrics brought us the version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” that we all know and love today. The original lyrics were darker, and Garland was afraid that her character would be seen as a monster for singing them to Margaret O'Brien, who played her little sister, so she requested that they be changed, and they were. The song remains sentimental and a bit sad, but not as cruel.
Brought Us The Well-Known Version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
The film follows the Smiths, who are looking forward to the World's Fair, but when their father's job intends to move them to New York, they are devastated. Their last Christmas in St. Louis comes with high emotions for the family, so Mr. Smith changes his mind.
Holiday Inn (1942)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
IMDb: 7.3
Even though Holiday Inn encompasses all holidays, the highlight is when Bing Crosby sings “White Christmas” for the first time. The scene is better here than when he sings it in White Christmas, which is impressive. This performance won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for composer Irving Berlin.
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Christmas scenes here were so great that White Christmas was intended as a reunion for Crosby and Fred Astaire, but it didn't happen. Christmas is also highlighted when Jim (Crosby) and his love interest Linda (Marjorie Reynolds) are reunited at the end.
The story revolves around Jim, who decides to leave show business and open an inn only open on holidays. While some of the scenes didn't age well, most of the musical numbers are fun to watch. Jim hires Linda to perform with him, but things start to go wrong when his old partner (Astaire) comes in and tries to steal his girl (again).
