The 1940s was a successful period in the cinema that introduced audiences everywhere to cherished Christmas classics like It’s a Wonderful Life. Throughout the decade, some of the most enduring and celebrated festive flicks made their debuts, dazzling moviegoers with their spellbinding content and characters. Silver screen star Natalie Wood famously portrayed a little girl who helps set out to prove a department store Santa is the real Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street, while film and music sensation helped popularize the song “White Christmas” in the dazzling musical Holiday Inn.
From touching dramas like The Bells of St. Mary’s to feel-good comedies such as It Happened on Fifth Avenue, and memorable musicals like the Judy Garland-led Meet Me in St. Louis, the ‘40s were a fruitful time for Christmas pictures. Let’s take a look at some of the best Christmas movies the decade has to offer.
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9 I’ll Be Seeing You
United Artists
Child actress icon Shirley Temple appeared alongside silver screen stars Joseph Cotten and Ginger Rogers in the 1944 drama I’ll Be Seeing You, a heartwarming Christmas flick that is named after the Billie Holiday hit song. Cotten and Rogers are star-crossed lovers who meet on a train during the holiday season and sparks naturally fly between the pair, yet they each harbor their own mysterious secrets: she is a convict given a furlough from prison for Christmas, and he’s a war vet suffering from PTSD. The lonely pair seek comfort within one another’s arms despite facing a grim countdown towards the end of their love affair.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 The Bells of St. Mary’s
RKO Radio Pictures
Hollywood greats Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman portray an unconventional priest and tenacious nun in the 1945 musical dramedy The Bells of St. Mary’s, which follows the pair as they both try to set aside their differences in order to save the failing titular Roman Catholic school. Crosby’s Father O’Malley believes the school is past the point of saving, but Bergman’s stubborn Sister Mary feels there’s still hope left for the run-down building. Crosby put his powerful voice to good use in the festive picture, belting out memorable renditions of songs like Aren’t You Glad You’re You? and O Come, All Ye Faithful in the critically-acclaimed ’40s musical.
7 Christmas in Connecticut
Warner Bros.
In the 1945 holiday romantic comedy Christmas in Connecticut, Barbara Stanwyck appears as ambitious New York column writer Elizabeth Lane, who finds herself in quite the mess after her popular fictional articles centering on life as a housewife gains the attention of a war vet. Elizabeth must scramble to keep up her scheme when both her boss and the war hero wish to spend Christmas at her idyllic Connecticut home with her imaginary husband and child. The playful picture proved successful with moviegoers and went on to inspire both a radio and television adaptation, as well as a direct remake in 1992 with Arnold Schwarzenegger directing the made-for-TV film.
6 It Happened on Fifth Avenue
Allied Artists
The Oscar-nominated 1947 comedy It Happened on Fifth Avenue features Victor Moore and Don DeFore as two homeless men who seek shelter from the cold by squatting in mansions belonging to rich people on vacation. When drifter Mac McKeever (Moore) crosses paths with newly evicted veteran Jim Bullock (DeFore), the displaced duo decide to share the mansion belonging to the second-richest man in the world for the Christmas season, with hilarious chaos naturally ensuing. It Happened on Fifth Avenue touts festive musical numbers including That’s What Christmas Means to Me and It’s a Wonderful, Wonderful Feeling, and earned widespread praise from critics, with The New York Times lauding its “geniality and humor.”
5 The Bishop’s Wife
RKO Radio Pictures
Debonair leading man Cary Grant starred alongside Loretta Young in the 1947 romantic comedy The Bishop’s Wife, in which the cinema legend appears as a charming angel who is sent to help a struggling bishop (David Niven) with his personal and professional problems. Bishop Henry Brougham finds himself questioning his faith when the angel Dudley arrives to inspire the clergyman, but the frustrated man feels threatened by the heavenly guardian and is compelled to reevaluate his priorities including his loving wife (Young).
The Bishop’s Wife went on to earn five Academy Award nominations and won one, and Grant’s charming performance as the cunning angel has been singled out as the shining spot in the Christmas rom-com.
4 Holiday Inn
Paramount Pictures
Acclaimed crooner Bing Crosby shared the screen with Fred Astaire and Virginia Dale in the 1942 film Holiday Inn, in which the talented trio portray song and dance performers who headline the titular inn that is only open on the holidays. Crosby famously sang the cherished tune White Christmas for the feel-good Christmas musical, bringing the cozy ambiance of the Irving Berlin classic to life with his memorable rendition; the single would go on to become a worldwide hit and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Both Crosby and Astaire delivered knockout performances in the Christmas staple, and Crosby would once again headline a holiday film centered on the iconic song with 1954’s White Christmas.
3 Meet Me in St. Louis
Loew's, Inc.
Hollywood superstar Judy Garland belted out the beloved Christmas classic Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas in the 1944 musical Meet Me in St. Louis, telling the moving tale of four diverse sisters who experience life’s many ups and downs during a pivotal period in time that culminates with the 1904 World Fair.
The enduring film is adapted from Sally Benson’s novel of the same name and focuses on Garland’s character Esther Smith as she falls in love with the boy-next-door despite her family’s impending move. In addition to Garland’s stunning rendition of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, the entertainment icon also performed The Trolley Song and Under the Bamboo Tree in the romantic, visually gorgeous holiday flick.
2 Miracle on 34th Street
Twentieth Century Fox
The fan-favorite, 1947 cinematic smash hit Miracle on 34th Street famously tells the tale of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Kris Kringle, resulting in a media frenzy that results in the old man going on trial to prove his true identity. Edmund Gwenn appears as Jolly Saint Nick, with Natalie Wood as the little girl Susan Walker who becomes transfixed by the kind Kringle and wants to help silence those who doubt his authenticity.
The heartwarming picture went on to win three Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor for Gwenn, and has since become a cult classic that continues attracting new fans each year. Miracle on 34th Street has landed on numerous critics’ lists and placed number nine on the American Film Institute’s100 Years…100 Cheers ranking for most inspiring films.
1 It’s a Wonderful Life
Lauded as one of the greatest films of all time and the perennial Christmas staple, the 1946 fantasy drama It’s a Wonderful Life stars James Stewart as depressed loan banker George Bailey who contemplates suicide and ends up wishing he was never born; George is visited by his guardian angel Clarence Odbody, who grants his wish and demonstrates the unknown yet profound influence the desolate man has had on those around him. Odbody shows George what would happen to his loved ones if he had never existed, causing him to realize the blessed life he actually lives.
It’s a Wonderful Life is based on Philip Van Doren Stern’s short story The Greatest Gift and has gone on to inspire countless adaptations and remakes despite not being an initial success upon its release. The drama gained steam with fans nearly three decades after its debut, becoming a go-to television staple and capturing the hearts of audiences everywhere. On the unexpected legacy of the film, director Frank Capra expressed retrospectively, “It’s the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen. The film has a life of its own now, and I can look at it like I had nothing to do with it. I’m like a parent whose kid grows up to be President. I’m proud.”
