Due to wartime shortages, Christmas was leaner than it otherwise might have been. Kids were given toys made out of paper and wood instead of metal, and the public was encouraged to give war bonds as Christmas presents.
Christmas movies, however, were not in short supply, only they could come out at any old time and not just Christmastime. I remember my mom telling me years ago that what we would now call Christmas movies weren’t confined to the actual Christmas season during the studio era. It wasn’t until the nineteen-fifties and the advent of TV that we started to see Christmas movie culture beginning to form.
Ergo, I decided to delve a little into the world of wartime Christmas movies and their wild and crazy release dates. We don’t have all of them here, of course, but we’ll get a pretty good snapshot, anyway, and there will also be links to full reviews if anyone’s interested. Behold…
The Shop Around the Corner (January 12, 1940)
Anytime is a good time for Ernst Lubitsch’s sunny, sparky comedy, which, as we all know, was remade into a certain movie in which Meg Ryan famously said, “Fox Books is a novelty. It will all shake out. Meanwhile, I am putting up more twinkle lights.”
Read my review here.
Holiday Inn (August 4, 1942)
OK, this one is cheating a little because it encompasses every holiday, but one of the things it’s noted for is introducing “White Christmas” to the public, so there’s that.
So Proudly We Hail! (September 9, 1943)
Since the story starts right before Pearl Harbor, a Christmas party is in order for a group of Army nurses and other personnel on their way to the Philippines, all of them sensing it may be their last party for a while. It’s not only one of the lighter parts of the movie, but drove home one of the major reasons Americans were fighting the war, which was to protect important observances such as Christmas.
Read my review here.
Destination Tokyo (December 31, 1943)
What’s to be done when Christmas rolls around and our heroes are on a sub bound for Japan? Why, throw a Christmas party, of course, with a multi-course dinner and some good-natured trolling of the ship’s cook. He’ll forget all about it once he sees his Christmas present.
Four Jills In A Jeep (March 17, 1944)
During the war improvisation was the order of the day, and England had some of the most stringent rationing of any non-occupied nation. When Mitzi Mayfair, Kay Francis, Martha Raye and Carole Landis are in England entertaining the troops, they’re delighted to find the soldiers have set up a Christmas tree in their quarters that’s decked out with presents. Hairpins, Kleenex and toothbrushes make dandy Christmas treats when so many items are hard to come by.
Read my review here.
Since You Went Away (July 20, 1944)
The Christmas scene in Since You Went Away served to show how far the Hilton family had come. They’ve made new friends, they’ve grown as people, and they’ve kept the faith. In a touching gesture, Fidelia quietly slips some presents under the tree that Tim Hilton had sent to her before he went missing, and Anne has a moment of sorrow that turns into unbridled happiness.
Read my review here.
Meet Me In St. Louis (November 28, 1944)
This one is a no-brainer, because it’s not only another angle on “There’s no place like home,” but it’s fun seeing the sumptuous Smith house decorated for the holidays, even if it is also full of boxes for their impending move to New York City. The film is also significant because it introduced the now-classic, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” to the public, who were still uncertain about when the war would be over and their loved ones would be home.
Read my review here.
I’ll Be Seeing You (January 5, 1945)
One of the more unusual movies to come out of the war, I’ll Be Seeing You is about a shell-shock victim and an inmate on leave from her prison sentence who meet on a train and fall in love. It’s no easy road for them because they both have demons to face, but there’s always hope. This movie is fun not only because it’s a slice-of-life story, but we see Shirley Temple as a spoiled teenager and a young John Derek playing her date for the New Year’s Eve party.
Read my review here.
Christmas In Connecticut (July 27, 1945)
It’s kind of nice to dream about winter temperatures when summer is at its height, well, at least for those of us who don’t live Down Under. Anyway, with the war almost over, this crazy comedy was no doubt a welcome breather from all the news that was pouring in.
Read my review here.
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (September 6, 1945)
Coming just on the heels of VJ Day, Our Vines Have Tender Grapes would have been a gentle reminder to a war-weary public of the comforts of home, family, and community. As an added bonus, the film was given a special exhibition to troops who were still out in the field waiting to see their loved ones again.
Read my review here.
What are some of your favorite wartime Christmas movies, or Christmas movies in general? Leave a comment below! Thanks for reading, all, and I hope to see you on Thursday for another review…
The Shop Around the Corner (DVD and Blu-ray), Holiday Inn (DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming), So Proudly We Hail! (DVD), Destination Tokyo (DVD), Four Jills In A Jeep (DVD), Since You Went Away (DVD and Blu-ray), Meet Me In St. Louis (DVD and Blu-ray), I’ll Be Seeing You (DVD and Blu-ray), Christmas In Connecticut (DVD and Blu-ray) and Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (DVD) are available to own from Amazon.
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I love this list! So many on here that I have seen and loved, and others that I need to dig up.
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Thanks, Rachel! Hope you like them. 🙂
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