'Holiday Affair' Is A Lovely Christmas Film

Last Friday night I saw a Christmas-style film that made me remember what being a kid and loving Christmas was all about. The movie was 'Holiday Affair' with Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh. The little son of Janet Leigh is named Timmy Ennis and he is played by a talented child actor named Gordon Gebert. The truly beautiful thing about this joyful film is the very shiny innocence that is so strong in this 1949 classic. The director...(Don Hartman) did a marvelous job on this one. The film's story is that of a young widow and a sales clerk and the romantic vibrations really resound in this one. The single mom (Janet Leigh) gets the fine, tough guy Robert Mitchum unemployed because of her unusual shenanigans. I don't go for too much sappy film stuff but this story has so much poignancy and intensity it magically draws the viewer into the fold. The young Janet Leigh is so beautiful and engaging in this film that my, my she is truly intoxicating. Amusing semi-romantic bits are sprinkled throughout the film with the crafty old-time actor, Wendell Corey trying to give Robert Mitchum a real run-for-the-money from the romantic standpoint. When one sees two amazing actors working like Robert Mitchum and the solid dramatic soul, Wendell Corey, then it is possible to really know what the true enjoyment of great film is all about. Many years ago my youngest son attending Georgia State University took a great class in film history and he and I watched a whole grouping of classic old-style films. It was a beautiful experience for me because it rekindled my interest in the glory days of moviedom history. My youngest son, Gary, loved films and he loved to write. He was truly a marvelous writer. He passed away after a horrible 13-month violently painful battle with Stage 4 cancer in March 2005. It spread from his esophagus throughout his body. I miss my son so much. He had a tremendous creativity and loved to write and truly loved the marvelous world of the movies so very much.