A wonderful fantasy movie to watch at Christmas time.
In this film, three old men (Charles Winninger, C. Aubrey Smith, Harry Carey) face a lonely Christmas Eve dinner when their guests cancel. One of them gets the idea for each of them to throw wallets containing ten dollars and a business card out the window. He feels that if someone brings back one of these wallets to them, they are people worth having dinner with. While one of the wallets isn't returned, two strangers (Richard Carlson, Jean Parker) bring back wallets and have dinner with the old men. They also fall in love with each other. The young couple and the three old men have a wonderful Christmas together and continue their friendship well past the holidays. When the three old men take a trip on a plane, they pass away. However, their ghosts stay on Earth and as ghosts they do everything, they can to help this young couple.
Though the whole film doesn't take place at Christmas time, the early scenes perfectly embody the spirit of Christmas. Not only do these scenes completely revolve around Christmas but they capture the holiday in a way that warms the heart of even the greatest cynic. Moments like the fivesome spending Christmas day with a bunch of kids or the most cynical of the old men anonymously giving his best coat as a Christmas present are as heartwarming as anything in Christmas film history. Probably the most Christmas-y scene involves them inviting a group of musicians to come inside and enjoy Christmas Eve with them followed by everyone performing Jingle Bells together. This is probably the best movie scene to ever use this song. There is so much that makes this scene special. You have the servants join in, each in their native languages (Russian, German, Italian). The most cynical of the old men stands by the window away from the rest of the group but can't help but sing a long in secret. Plus there is the pure joy on everyone's faces as they are all moved by the spirit of Christmas. If it was just for this scene alone, I would still watch this film every Christmas.
However, the film continues to be a delight even after Christmas has passed. While the romance plot can feel like something we have seen a million times before, the use of the old men as ghosts provides a real heart to these later scenes. The movie becomes not only about this typical movie romance but also about the selflessness of these old men as they dedicate their time on Earth as ghosts completely to this young couple. There are some incredibly moving scenes involving these old men, especially when one of them makes an incredible sacrifice so that the young couple can be happy. The whole movie also leads to an ending that is incredibly emotional satisfying. Also making the later part of this movie work is when Richard Carlson gets to sing a lovely original song called It's Raining Dreams (written by Harold Spina and Charles Newman).
This film's director A. Edward Sutherland might be familiar to comedy fans. He started his movie career as an actor in Mack Sennett's Keystone comedies. However, he is best remembered for his work as a director. He directed W.C. Feilds in It's the Old Army Game (1926), International House (1933), Mississippi (1935), Poppy (1936) and Follow the Boys (1944), Laurel and Hardy in The Flying Deuces (1939), Raymond Griffith in A Regular Fellow (1925) and You'd Be Surprised (1926), Abbott and Costello's film debut, One Night in the Tropics (1940), Eddie Cantor in Palmy Days (1931), Oliver Hardy and Harry Langdon in Zenobia (1939) and the delightful Universal comedy The Invisible Woman (1940). However, as a director, he did sometimes branch out beyond comedy. Probably the biggest departure is he directed Murders in the Zoo (1933), one of the darkest horror films of its time. The writers of this movie were Mildred Cram, a very popular romance novelist (who had recently won an Oscar from writing the screenplay for Love Story (1939)), and Adele Comandini, who would later write the screenplay for Christmas in Connecticut (1945). Special attention must also be given to art director Stephen Goosson and cinematographer Lester White, who both make this low budget picture into a handsome looking production. Lee Grames, the producer of thus film was a very innovative cinematographer whose credits include The Lighthouse by the Sea (1924), Shanghai Express (1932), Strange Interlude (1932), Scarface (1932), Gone with the Wind (1939), Jungle Book (1942), Stormy Weather (1943), Duel in the Sun (1946), The Paradine Case (1947), Nightmare Alley (1947), The Fighting Kentuckian (1949) and Detective Story (1951). There is little doubt that he had something to do with how visually pleasing of a movie this is.
Though this is not a star-studded movie, many of the actors here had great careers. Harry Carey was a major western star of the silent era and had even been nominated for an Oscar the previous year for his role in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). While not incredibly well-known Jean Parker had appeared in such movies as Lady for a Day (1933), Little Women (1933), Dead Man's Eyes (1944), The Gunfighter (1950) and Toughest Man in Arizona (1952). She had also been directed by A. Edward Sutherland in two films the year before this one (both with Oliver Hardy), The Flying Deuces and Zenobia (1939). Richard Carlson would go on to become a science fiction star with his roles in such films as The Maze (1953), It Came from Outer Space (1953), and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) as well as the TV series I Led 3 Lives. C. Aubrey Smith was a wonderful character actor whose films included Queen Christina (1933), The Scarlet Empress (1934), Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1934), The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Another Thin Man (1939), Rebecca (1940), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941), And Then There Were None (1945), Cluny Brown (1946) and Little Women (1949). Charles Winnigner is another wonderful character actor. Three Stooges fans might know him for his role in their film debut, Soup to Nuts (1930). His other movie roles include Fighting Caravans (1931), Showboat (1936), Three Smart Girls (1936), Nothing Sacred (1937), Babes in Arms (1939), Ziegfeld Girl (1941), State Fair (1945) and Father Is a Bachelor (1950).
Despite Christmas playing such a major role in this film, it was released in May 1940 with none of the advertisements even mentioning its holiday theme. It was not a hit with either audiences or critics. It didn't do especially well at the box office. The critics panned the movie often finding its switch to fantasy unneeded and outlandish. When it fell into public domain, it would appear on television and later home video, sometimes under the name Beyond Christmas. However, this movie still would never receive the attention it deserves. Still, this is a wonderful treat for film buffs wishing to seek it out.
Motion Picture Herald, 1940
Resources Used
Christmas in the Movies by Jeremy Arnold
A - Z of Silent Film Comedy by Glenn Mitchell
https://mediahistoryproject.org/
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