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Holiday Affair

Play trailer 1:55 Poster for Holiday Affair Released Nov 23, 1949 1h 27m Holiday Romance Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Charming seasonal clerk Steve Mason (Robert Mitchum) catches beautiful Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh) in a fraudulent shopping scheme during the busy Christmas rush. But when he discovers that Ennis is a war widow and single mother, Mason takes pity on her and can't bring himself to turn her in. His supervisor takes notice and fires him on the spot. Mason befriends Connie and her young son, Timmy (Gordon Gebert), and may complicate her plans to marry boring nice guy Carl Davis (Wendell Corey).
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Holiday Affair

Critics Reviews

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David Cornelius DVDTalk.com Mitchum's interplay with Leigh is a sweet treat, carrying the movie through its more routine segments. Rated: 3/5 Dec 11, 2008 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews It's perfect for those who like their holiday films retro, sweet and as laid-back as Mitchum. Rated: B- Dec 22, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Judith C romantic and child friendly-good acting with a moral to the story Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/17/23 Full Review Joel H I think the reason Holiday Affair didn't work for me is that they didn't get the romantic comedy formula correct. It's a lopsided love triangle. The filmmakers try to force you into liking Steve Mason (Robert Mitchum), even though there's not really a reason to want Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh) to choose him over Carl Davis (Wendell Corey). In fact, I found myself liking Carl more as the movie went on and liking Steve less. Plus, the plot is about as thin as Christmas wrapping paper. There were moments of this movie I enjoyed, but I can definitely see why this is not considered a Christmas classic. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/03/23 Full Review joe m A sweet holiday morsel with some snappy language added for spice, "Holiday Affair" is far from a go to movie during the Christmas season, yet it's engaging and short enough at just under 90 minutes for a lazy afternoon. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member A widowed mother finds herself in a love triangle that emanates on Christmas day in this cute and witty holiday film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member The movie is unbelievably cruel and mean-spirited. I can't believe that so many people choose to disregard the disrespectful actions of the young son, Timmy (not quite a bad seed, but pretty damn close), as well as the boorish behavior of both Mitchum and Leigh in their treatment of Wendell Corey, who plays The Baxter; a wannabe boyfriend with a heart of gold. Audience reaction is akin to The Emperor's New Clothes. This is another iteration of Old Hollywood pawning off despicable characters such as Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas (who jumps to every wrong conclusion without simply trying to clear the air of any misconception) and Barbara Stanwyck in Christmas in Connecticut, who was anything but honorable to anyone and everyone, as a means to her own ends. And in true Hollywood fashion... to a one, their despicable-ness pays off and the audience loves it. LoL Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member I wasn't a huge fan of this movie partly because the plot was thin but also the unrealistic grabbing and kissing of Janet Leigh by Robert Mitchum. This was done in many of the 1940s/1950s era movies, where the woman is kissed forcefully and against her will. By Mitchum asking to marry her after less than four encounters (and she was interested) was hard to swallow. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Holiday Affair

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Movie Info

Synopsis Charming seasonal clerk Steve Mason (Robert Mitchum) catches beautiful Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh) in a fraudulent shopping scheme during the busy Christmas rush. But when he discovers that Ennis is a war widow and single mother, Mason takes pity on her and can't bring himself to turn her in. His supervisor takes notice and fires him on the spot. Mason befriends Connie and her young son, Timmy (Gordon Gebert), and may complicate her plans to marry boring nice guy Carl Davis (Wendell Corey).
Director
Don Hartman
Producer
Don Hartman
Screenwriter
Isobel Lennart
Production Co
RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre
Holiday, Romance, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 23, 1949, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 3, 2013
Runtime
1h 27m
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