Dennis Morgan certainly shines as the all-American sailor recovering from wounds. No wonder he got more fan mail for 6-consecutive years than any other WB's star. But he's up against tough competition in this amusing 1945 comedy. It's more like a situational comedy than madcap or any other sub-type. Stanwyck's big time magazine job depends on fooling her boss (Greenstreet). She's got to make him believe she's an expert cook while living on a picture-book farm in Connecticut with husband (Gardiner) and baby—none of which are true. So she has to put on a big charade when the boss insists on visiting over the X-mas holidays. And to further complicate things, she's got to fool sailor Morgan who she's attracted to into believing she's married with a baby. Talk about one maddening pitfall after another. But she does get help from Szakall, Gardiner and O'Connor.The movie manages its share of chuckles but is no knee-slapper. Szakall gets to do his cuddly grouch, while Greenstreet dominates without scaring. Actually, I was hoping the two chubbies would get a belly-to-belly scene. Comedy was not Stanwyck's strong point, but she does well enough as the flustered pretender. Then too, it's only a year after her Double Indemnity (1944) triumph as a thoroughly nasty seductress. On the other hand, the setting here is like a holiday postcard. The snowy farmhouse setting and grounds are a picture-perfect WB set as they should be, along with a majestic X-mas tree I wish we saw more of. All in all, the movie's an entertaining holiday entry, featuring some of Hollywood's most colorful performers, but crowds out too many laughs to be first-rank.

Some classical stories (novels) have been so popular for so long, that they are remade into movies every so many years. The stories remain virtually unchanged, but the cast, script and sets change. The most obvious of these is Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol." That literary and holiday classic lends itself very well to new productions, much like the works of Shakespeare. On the other hand, some specific movies have become favorite classics or are so part of our annual traditions that the casts have become ingrained in the stories. One can't see anyone else playing certain roles. One of the most obvious of these is Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life." We can't imagine anyone other than James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, and Henry Travers playing the roles they had in that film. "Christmas in Connecticut" is another such film.Although it hasn't reached the stature of Wonderful Life, this film has become a holiday classic as well. It is a favorite of mine. Those of us who have seen it a number of times over the years can't imagine anyone other than those in its cast playing the roles in the film. Barbara Stanwyck is Elizabeth Lane, Dennis Morgan is Jefferson Jones, Sydney Greenstreet is Alexander Yardley, S.Z. 'Chuckles' Sakall is Uncle Felix, and Reginald Gardiner is John Sloan. Even beyond the main cast, some supporting actors are so good and right for their roles, that they have become 'ingrained' in the parts. These include Una O'Connor as Norah, Dick Elliott as Judge Crothers, and Robert Shayne as Dudley Beecham. This movie came out less than a month before Japan's surrender and the end of World War II. It was nearly 1 ½ years ahead of "It's a Wonderful Life." There are no war scenes in "Christmas in Connecticut," but the war had a strong influence and part in the plot of the film. The war that had ended had nothing to do with the plot of "It's a Wonderful Life." While both films have Christmas settings, their stories and intended audiences are quite different. "It's a Wonderful Life" is all family entertainment, with strong seasonal appeal to children as well as adults and strong moral and human overtones. "Christmas in Connecticut" is a very good romantic comedy that is adult all the way. It's approved viewing for children as well – very clean and proper. But the humorous script and sequences are written for adults. It doesn't have tremendously clever dialog with witty wisecracks and comebacks. Rather, it has clever lines that fit visual situations. The film has some hilarious sequences. Watch for Uncle Felix, Elizabeth and Sloan at the buffet table in the restaurant. Another is at Alexander Yardley's home, between him and Elizabeth – and then the butler and Elizabeth. Judge Crothers pops in and out of scenes in a funny sort of cat-and-mouse series of scenes. Then there's the Connecticut square dance. And Yardley's dialog with Sloan about the former's ability to detect lies and fraud. The farm cow plays in another humorous sequence. Elizabeth and Jones have a wonderful sequence, warm and funny, with the baby. Later, the baby switches lead to all sorts of mayhem and humor. There are more, from the opening scenes of two sailors adrift after their ship is torpedoed, to the very end. I noted some reviewers thought the plot was too contrived or silly. I think it's an excellent plot, very well contrived, with several specific twists that fit together perfectly to make it work. This is not an uproariously funny film. It's a warm, entertaining romantic comedy. Its turns with the truth, marriage, fidelity and other virtues are obvious to an adult audience. So, we don't take them as serious but as part of the humor of the plot. Nor is this a film of funny characters. Stanwyck, Greenstreet and Morgan are mostly straight characters, although Greenstreet has some very humorous dialog in a couple places. The only standout humorous role is that of Uncle Felix. To a lesser degree, Norah and Dud are comedic roles. The comedy is mostly in the lines of these three characters, and in the physical responses and scenes with the others. To that extent, Stanwyck and Greenstreet are especially good in their straight roles that lend to the comedy. Greenstreet is a riot as the prudent overseer of morals and propriety of his columnist employee, Elizabeth. This is a most enjoyable film. Its transparent plot seems very straightforward. Yet I seem to discover something new to enjoy each time I watch this movie. I heartily recommend it for anyone who hasn't yet seen it. One viewing should suffice to make it a part of your annual Christmas holidays list.Here are a few snippets of the fun and funny dialog that I enjoy. Elizabeth, "Dud, we're going to be married." Dud, "What? Hey, now, look here Elizabeth, it isn't that bad." John, "Oh, really, Beecham."Judge Crothers, "I suppose you'll give the bride away, Uncle Felix?" Felix, "Me – I don't give nobody away. Always, I keep my mouth shut."Butler, "Pardon me, Mrs. Lane. "I'm planning on having a farm in Connecticut myself one day. I'd like some good bottomland." Mrs. Lane, "Bottomland?" Butler, "Yes. That's the best for farming, isn't it?" Mrs. Lane, "Oh, some people say yes, and some people say no." Butler, "But what do you say?" Mrs. Lane, "Uh, I'm inclined to agree with them." Butler, "Oh, thank you very much."

Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) is a single NYC food writer who is famous for her articles about her fictional Connecticut farm and family. She doesn't know how to cook. Her friend chef Felix Bassenak (S.Z. Sakall) gives her the recipes. The publisher Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet) insists that Elizabeth host a Christmas dinner for returning war hero Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan). Her editor Dudley Beecham (Robert Shayne) fears being exposed. In desperation, Elizabeth reluctantly agrees to a loveless marriage to the insistent John Sloan (Reginald Gardiner) and somehow get a baby before the dinner.The story is rather boring until Stanwyck starts faking in Connecticut. The war hero isn't very compelling. Dennis Morgan is not that special as a leading man. It takes awhile for the movie to set up the premise and there are no good jokes in that section. The loveless marriage is kinda sad. The movie finally gets to Connecticut after 30 minutes and it takes awhile for the comedy to pick up. Stanwyck has some fun as she fakes a modern-day Martha Stewart starting with changing the baby.

The first half of the 1940's was marked by well known performers from other film genres stepping out of character to star in what may be the last wave of remembered Hollywood screwball comedies still marketed for home viewing and seasonally aired on television. Barbara Stanwyck does her usual professional job as the hard as nails career woman fudging a domestic column for a magazine whose bluff is called in thirties type screwball involving a runaway horse and cow, mixed up babies, Cuddles Szakall stealing the show at every turn with his comic flair and a rural farmhouse which lacks the central iconic focus of every movie advertising the charm of a rural farmhouse - the welcoming, party sized period kitchen. The storyboard is a nonsensical enough fantasy to work yet the editing takes most of the true comic flair out of the film. It seems to me most of the way through a decent musical with at least Dennis Morgan singing once but not truly a top flight comedy.