Main Cast: Dick Powell, Ellen Drew, Raymond Walburn, Alexander Carr, William Demarest
Release Year: 1940
Country: US
Run Time: 67 minutes
Plot
This modest Preston Sturges comedy stars Dick Powell as an office clerk dreaming of better things and Ellen Drew as his more pragmatic girlfriend. Powell convinces himself that his fortune will be made if he can win a slogan contest sponsored by a coffee company. Powell's contribution: "If you can't sleep at night, it isn't the coffee, it's the bunk!" Three of Powell's fellow workers decide to have some fun with him; they fake a telegram which announces that he's won the contest. The deception snowballs to the point that even the head of the coffee firm (Raymond Walburn) labors under the misapprehension that Powell has won. When the painful truth is revealed, Powell finds himself broke (because of all the creature comforts he's bought) and jobless, but at least he's retained the love of his wife. A cute deus ex machina to the story appears in the person of William Demarest, the foreman of the "jury" that is judging the slogan contest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Christmas in July finds director/writer Preston Sturges operating near the top of his game, and when he's in good form, there's no one who can touch him. If July is not quite in the same league as an absolute Sturges masterpiece like Sullivan's Travels or The Lady Eve, it's still head and shoulders above most films. July is filled with the sparkling, snappy dialogue one associates with Sturges, dialogue that is all the more remarkable in that it feels natural and unforced; even when placed in the mouth of a regular working-class character, Sturges's words manage to make the character sound eloquent without sounding artificial. The writer clearly has a genuine, deep affection for the "common man," but unlike so many others with good intentions, he doesn't patronize or sentimentalize him. Sturges also displays his skill at creating a perfectly structured screenplay, one that builds to a fade-out that one can clearly see coming but which one welcomes nonetheless. As a director, Sturges knows how to keep his pace from ever flagging, but more importantly he knows just how and where to hit the dramatic and emotional high points. Another director might have overplayed the tragic consequences of the practical joke at the heart of the plot; Sturges modulates the emotions, making it therefore both more palatable and more affecting. He is aided in all of this by a superb performance from Dick Powell and a heartfelt one from Ellen Drew, as well as by a supporting cast of character actors that is perfectly in tune. July is a delightful Christmas present at any time of the year. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Jimmy MacDonald (Dick Powell) dreams of winning the 'Maxford House Coffee Slogan' contest and its $25,000 first prize, and becoming rich enough to take care of his mother and to marry his girlfriend Betty Casey (Ellen Drew).
Three of his co-workers devise a prank, meant as a joke, and place a fake telegram on Jimmy's desk informing him that he has won the contest. Due to the incompetence of Dr. Maxford (Raymond Walburn), the owner of Maxford House Coffee, Jimmy is given the winner's check of $25,000, despite the fact that the judging committee is still deliberating.
Jimmy is now seen as a hidden advertising talent at work, and is given a major promotion and the afternoon off. He and Betty embark on a shopping spree. Purely on the basis of the check, Jimmy is given credit to buy an engagement ring for Betty, a luxury sofa-bed for his mother, and presents for many of the poor families that live on his street.
Soon the truth emerges and the shop manager descends on Jimmy's street where a carnival atmosphere of celebration is taking place. Dr. Maxford follows soon after.
With the truth out, Betty pleads with Jimmy's boss to let him keep his promotion. Meanwhile the judging committee at Maxford House have finally reached a decision. Unknown to them, the winning slogan is in fact Jimmy's, and a telegram is dispatched to the winner.
This was the fourth of ten films written by Preston Sturges that William Demarest appeared in (see note).[1]
Preston Sturges makes a cameo appearance as a man at a shoeshine stand.
Production
The working titles for Christmas in July were "The New Yorkers", "Something to Shout About" and "A Cup of Coffee," which was the name of the play Sturges wrote in 1931 on which the film is based. A Cup of Coffee remained unproduced until 1988, when Soho Rep in New York City mounted a production. In 1934, Universal hired Sturges to direct a film based on the play, but that project fell through when the studio found other work to assign Sturges to, such as doctoring the script of Diamond Jim. Once that was done, Sturges' mentor at the studio, producer Henry Henigson, had left to go to Paramount, and there was no one at Universal to champion Sturges' film. Once Sturges himself moved to Paramount, he got the studio to buy the script for $6,000.[2]
Production on Christmas in July began on 1 June1940 and continued to 29 June.[3] According to author Donald Spoto in his book Madcap: The Life of Preston Sturges, Sturges directed Christmas in July wearing a straw boater and carrying a bamboo cane.[4] It has also been reported that the set was open to allow Sturges to observe the reactions of visitors when he was shooting, that Sturges helped to invent the rigged sofa used in the department store scene, and that Sturges makes a cameo appearances as a man listening to the radio while his shoes are being cleaned.[5]
The film was released on 18 October 1940[6] and was marketed with the tagline: If you can't sleep at night, it isn't the coffee - it's the bunk![7] The film was released on video in the U.S. on 12 July1990, and re-released on 30 June1993.[8] Ironically, the rights to the film would be acquired by Universal in 1962 (see EMKA, Ltd. for more info).
