I love this movie so much

the audience applauded

Memorable, crazy movie

Just perfect...

Pretty World War II widow Janet Leigh (as Connie) works as a "comparison shopper" in New York City. This means she buys merchandise from rival department stores, brings the goods to her employer for comparison (of price and quality, presumably), and finally returns the items as something she really didn't want. She's not a very good "comparison shopper," but she is very pretty and usually wears tight clothing. Leigh buys a train from down-on-his-luck department store clerk Robert Mitchum (as Steve Mason). He recognizes Leigh's scam, but doesn't report her to the manager. Being pretty has its advantages. While this costs Mr. Mitchum his job, it does gets him a lunch date with Leigh in Central Park. They are mutually attracted, but there are complications...Leigh has a 6½ years old son, Gordon Gebert (as Timothy "Timmy" Ennis). While washing up for dinner, young Gebert peaks in the newest box his mom has bought home as a "comparison shopper." It's an expensive train set, which Gebert assumes to be a Christmas gift for him...It's not...When visiting Leigh, Mitchum makes a fatherly connection with Gebert and decides to buy him a train set, although Mitchum can't afford one, either. Mitchum, as you may recall, lost his job for not reporting Leigh to his store manager. Buying the train set renders Mitchum homeless. No doubt many boys seeing "Holiday Affair" asked their parents for train sets they couldn't afford, in 1949. A bigger problem for Leigh and Mitchum is that she's engaged to marry nice lawyer Wendell Corey (as Carl Davis). After a couple years of dating, Leigh has finally agreed to wed Mr. Corey, on New Year's Day. We're supposed to wonder who she will pick, in the end...But wait, maybe Mitchum has a dark side...After the first 30 minutes, watch for an interesting part of the story. Mitchum is allowed to visit Gebert alone, in the boy's bedroom. After he emerges, Mitchum grabs Leigh and forcibly attacks and kisses her, then leaves abruptly. Times have certainly changed. Other than that, this is not a bad film at all. The four main players perform well and the story, while dated, engages.****** Holiday Affair (1949-11-23) Don Hartman ~ Janet Leigh, Robert Mitchum, Gordon Gebert, Wendell Corey

Well, after watching 1949's "Holiday Affair", I'm convinced of just one thing - Robert Mitchum was clearly not suited for Rom/Coms. No way. Believe me, Mitchum was utterly wasted here, playing a Romeo-type to Janet Leigh's Juliet.In my opinion - There are only 3 genres of film where Robert Mitchum's charm and screen-charisma really stands out. And those genres are Westerns, Film Noir and War pictures.So, to cast this rugged dude in this fluffy, dead-end, "dud-of-a-Rom/Com" was the biggest mistake that this film's producers could have ever made.Another big strike against "Holiday Affair" was the unwelcome attention and screen-time that was given over to Janet Leigh's character. I sure got sick & tired of her "sweet-as-cherry-pie", single-mother shtick, real fast.I seriously think that we could have done with a lot less of Leigh, and, maybe, a lot more of Mitchum making a total fool of himself, playing a menial store-clerk at Crowley's Department Store, plugging toys to gullible kids.Anyway - Even though "Holiday Affair's" story was set (in NYC) during the festive, "Yuletide Season", it certainly didn't succeed in putting this dissatisfied viewer into the Christmas spirit. No way. Not even for a minute..... (Bah! Humbug!)

"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.

If you were flipping channels, you would never know these were great actors from glancing at this movie, but don't let that fool you. It's got a fine script: a plot with plenty of O. Henry curve balls and mature, romantic dialogue. The situations are realistic. Guys, if you are with your girlfriend, don't yell at her kids - discipline is the mother's job. The Mitchum character got it right: you need to be able to speak to kid man to man/boy to boy. Right there, Steve won her heart, and Carl nearly lost her. Speaking of Carl, Wendell Corey's little Dear Jane speech was very wisely written and delivered. Corey had the hardest job in the movie, and he delivered the nuances just right. The Steve and Connie roles almost seem like generic acting. It was Harry Morgan who stole the show in the police station. That said, any movie with Robert Mitchum in it is worth watching. He has 1,000 watt charisma, even if it is turned down here. I suppose if he were overly radiant, it wouldn't seem plausible for Connie to keep turning him down. This role is Mitchum the humble. The directing is surprisingly good, in light of the nondescript credits of Don Hartman. The movie could have been brightened up with someone with more of a Capra touch - or George Seaton, the director of Miracle on 34th Street, which came out two years earlier. I think this movie holds up remarkable well over time because of the mature, realistic writing. It would work well as a chick flick, a couples flick, or a family flick. There are life lessons for guys, gals and children.It's interesting to see that it wasn't a success at the time, though. Perhaps it was a bit too mature -- I was a surprised by the graphic smooching for the time. And perhaps it didn't work too well shown at Christmas, when a more fun, upbeat movie was called for. But now it would work any time of year, and is better appreciated as a dryer alternative to the overly saccharine fare sometimes shown around this time.Spoiler alert:I suspect people were hoping for something more like Miracle on 34th Street. There are echoes of of the earlier story here, including a child wishing for something impossible, a woman getting remarried, a lawyer courting her. And the child, Timmy, really wants his mother to marry Steve, so he gets his real wish - but the movie doesn't hit that note clearly at the end. We do, however, see a reversion to the toy train, which was clever. But the movie almost might have been better if Timmy had hugged Steve aboard the train, instead of the drunk. Or was that Timmy?