You won't be disappointed!

So much average

As Good As It Gets

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Director: DON HARTMAN. Screenplay: Isobel Lennart. Based on a story, "Christmas Gift", and a novelette called "The Man Who Played Santa Claus" by John D. Weaver. Photography: Milton Krasner. Film editor: Harry Marker. Art directors: Albert D'Agostino and Carroll Clark. Set decorators: Darrell Silvera and William Stevens. Miss Leigh's costumes: Howard Greer. Music composed by Roy Webb, directed by Constantin Bakaleinikoff. Hair styles: Larry Germain. Make-up: James House. Assistant director: Sam Ruman. Sound: Frank Sarver and Clem Portman. Producer: Don Hartman.Copyright 23 November 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. U.S. release: 24 December 1949. New York release at Loew's State: 23 November 1949. U.K. release: 6 February 1950. Australian release: 6 April 1950. Sydney release at the Esquire: 10 March 1950. Australian length: 7,943 feet (88 minutes). U.K. length: 7,812 feet (87 minutes).SYNOPSIS: Comparison shopper inadvertently gets toy salesman fired from New York department store. Salesman romances shopper and her six-year-old son.COMMENT: A slight little Christmas romance with a foregone conclusion that seemed a lot more entertaining and engrossing back in 1950 than it does now. Admittedly, the two principal characterizations are fairly intriguing - Mitchum is likeably off-beat at first but becomes more conventionally outspoken as the film progresses; Miss Leigh's profession is refreshingly original - but the rest of the players are handicapped by their strictly clichéd roles, particularly Wendell Corey's stuffy attorney and Gordon Gebert's gap-toothed wonder. The players are not helped by direction that only comes to life with fluid camerawork in some of the crowd scenes, elsewhere letting the cast and the dialogue do all the work in a series of long takes. The dialogue is occasionally witty or pointed but mostly it and the situations are dull to the point of boredom. Even the episode in the police station which could have been fairly amusing seems somewhat strained as Henry Morgan makes heavy weather out of rather thin clouds. Miss Leigh looked good to indulgent males in 1950, but Father Time has stripped a lot of her illusion away, forcing her to rely on a charm and personality that is otherwise blandly inadequate. Photography and other credits are capable enough - even occasionally attractive. A Holiday Affair also has some historical interest as Mitchum's first starring essay into the field of romantic comedy and it must be admitted that he handled the lightweight part with a professional flair of delightful nonchalance (when he wasn't buried under sticky dialogue of the sentimental kind). However, despite mildly enthusiastic reviews and a domestic release that coincided with Christmas, Mitchum's fans were unimpressed and A Holiday Affair added little to RKO's coffers. It was not until his final RKO film, She Couldn't Say No (1954) that Mitchum was again cast in a comedy.

Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh) is a war widow with son Timmy. Carl Davis asks her to marry him. She's a corporate spy and comparative shopper. Store clerk Steve Mason (Robert Mitchum) catches her but he lets her finish her job anyways. That gets him fired and he joins her on a 'date'. He loses her and tracks her home. He meets Carl who gets jealous and the night ends badly.Robert Mitchum is too perfect. He's a full out Hollywood movie star and his character is even better. He's a saint. I wouldn't have been surprised if Mason turned out to be an angel or the return of her husband's spirit. At least, that would be more interesting. It's a romance without intensity. The only tension comes from wondering if Carl would beat the boy. This is not at the same level as other Christmas classics but the two legendary leads keep it interesting.

Directed by Don Hartman and written by Isobel Lennart and John D. Weaver, Holiday Affair stars Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh and Wendell Corey. Story finds Leigh as Connie, a widower with a young son still trying to get over the death of her husband. Semi-courting the safe and reliable Carl (Corey), Connie's head is spun when she meets the more macho and up-front Steve (Mitchum). This is all she needs at Christmas time!A lovely Christmas Cracker of a movie, Holiday Affair never over eggs the eggnog with the love triangle axis beating at the core story. The spectre of grief is a prominent character here, where thankfully the writers have come up with a smart and respectful screenplay that's blessed with quality actors able to make the script have resonance.The seasonal staging is delightful, especially when involving a white coated Central Park. Comedy is also rife, none more so than during a court hearing sequence when Harry Morgan pops in to add his delightful wry skills. The wonder of toys and trees, of snow and ice, of families and love, all come together in a seasonal film that should be on every movie lovers list of Xmas films to see. 8/10

"Holiday Affair" isn't a film that ranks with the traditional Christmas classics – "A Christmas Carol," "Miracle on 34th Street," "White Christmas" or "It's a Wonderful Life." But, it is an interesting and heartwarming story from a time when many people found Christmas observance difficult. The film came out on Christmas Eve, 1949, but was set around Christmas of 1947. World War II had been over just two years. While the American and world economies were in recovery, many people were still struggling personally. Especially those who had lost loved ones in the war. Many returning GIs were struggling to make it in the work place. So, it is very much a Christmas film of a special time in history.The movie is based on a story by John D. Weaver, "Christmas Gift." It has just the right mix of drama, romance and comedy woven around a Christmas setting. Janet Leigh plays Connie Ennis, a war-widow for two years. She has a 6 1/2-year-old son, Timmy (played by Gordon Gebert). He had never seen his father. They call each other Mrs. Ennis and Mr. Ennis. Wendell Corey is a young attorney and friend, Carl, who wants to become more than Connie's friend. But, she can't let go of the memories of her dead husband so she can move on with her life. Robert Mitchum plays Steve Mason. He's a five-year war veteran himself. After the war, he worked on a ship going to South America. Since then, he's been in New York working, and he nearly has enough money saved for his dream plans on the West Coast. He wants to design and build sailing boats. Steve enters the story by chance while working as a sales clerk in the toy department of one of the big department stores. Connie comes to buy an electric train that Steve is demonstrating. She has the exact amount and wants to take it with her now. Steve spots her for what she is – a comparison shopper (aka, spy for another store). She'll buy the train then bring it back the next day. He should report her to the store detectives, but he doesn't. That sets the stage for the rest of the film that involves comedy, romance and endearing actions by little Timmy. One can guess how it turns out, but it's still much fun to watch as the romance unfolds. The cast are all very good, and the direction and technical production are excellent. It isn't so much a stretch having this couple fall for each other in a very short time as it is Connie falling for Steve at all. Because Mitchum plays his role in his most comfortable and familiar persona as someone who isn't terribly excited about romance or anything else. He says he loves her, but he doesn't emote that love. That was an avowed characteristic of Mitchum's acting persona. Leigh gives more life and reality to her role. But, Timmy will capture one's heart for sure, and it's a happily ever after movie. "Holiday Affair" has two very funny, memorable scenes. The first is an exchange between Steve and Carl after they meet in Connie's apartment. While she's fixing them a drink they stand with their backs to the fire and exchange single lines of general talk. It's a very clever sketch, and very funny. The second is a longer scene toward the end in a police court with Harry Morgan as the police lieutenant. It involves Steve, Carl, Connie, the lieutenant and uniformed and plain clothes cops. It's hilarious and one of the funniest court scenes I've ever seen in the movies.Here's a little trivia. Comparison shoppers worked on the sly for large stores until the mid to late 20th century. It was one way retail businesses had to know what their competition was doing. They could alter their prices to draw more shoppers and sales. With the spread of television stations and sets after 1950, stores no longer needed these secret spies. In time, technology advances also led to the evaporation of other retail jobs such as floorwalkers and store detectives. Incidentally, Robert Mitchum was 24 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He was one of a handful of actors who didn't rush off to enlist in the Armed Forces. But, he did wind up serving a short stint in the Army when he was drafted in early 1945. The war was nearly over and he never had to leave the States. From April 12 to Oct. 11, 1945, he served as a medic in California. My dad was in the medical corps and served in Europe. After the war ended there, he was assigned to the West Coast. He met Mitchum in a bar one night, and knew who he was. Mitchum was short on cash, so my dad gave him $10 and Mitchum wrote him a check. Needless to say, dad never cashed that check, but carried it in his billfold for years to show people after he told them the story.This is an enjoyable movie with a heart-warming story and a nice cast of popular stars of the time. It also has considerable historical value. It shows a slice of life for many thousands of families who were personally and emotionally affected by the war for many years afterward.