Movie Monday: Christmas in Connecticut

Movie Monday: Christmas in Connecticut

Interestingly, Christmas in Connecticut was released in August 1945. However, according to IMDb, the move was purely strategic, “capitalizing on the post-war euphoria sweeping the nation following the end of World War II…recognizing the potential for success in the immediate post-war period, rather than waiting for the traditional holiday release.” A smart decision – the movie earned $3 million, more of a fortune in those days than now – a was one of the year’s most successful movies.

The movie features Barbara Stanwyck as Elizabeth Lane, a single, lifestyle writer who can’t boil water yet writes a regular column with recipes and homemaking tips and Dennis Morgan as Jefferson Jones, the returning soldier, a hero in the eyes of everyone. Sydney Greenstreet plays the publisher who sees a publicity opportunity and insists Elizabeth host a dinner for our intrepid soldier who has read all of her recipes while in the hospital.

Stanwyck who was orphaned at four years old and raised partially in foster homes, worked from a very

young age. At sixteen, she was selected as one of Ziegfield’s chorus girls. She moved into acting and the 1927 play Burlesque made her a Broadway star. Two years later she moved to Hollywood where Frank Capra chose her for his romantic drama Ladies of Leisure. She did well and by the late 1930s was a sought-after actress, and by 1944, she was the highest-paid actress in the US.

Dennis Morgan, not often remembered, yet an actor who appeared in dozens of films, got his start as a singer with a troupe in Chicago. He also spent some time as a radio announcer before moving to Hollywood in 1936 where he almost immediately found work with MGM, then Paramount who cast him as a leading man. Warner Brothers signed him as a contract player which was typical for the time and kept him busy.

British-born Sydney Greenstreet went into acting at the age of 61 and is probably best remembered for his roles in The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and Passage to Marseille. He’d only been in Hollywood for four years when he appeared in Christmas in Connecticut, a “witty performance” according to one source. Making another eleven films, he would retire in 1949.

The movie is referred to by most sources as a screwball comedy which is probably accurate as reality must be suspended for most of the film’s duration. However silly, Christmas in Connecticut is warm and endearing and a feel-good flick worth watching. The remake in 1992 that doesn’t quite hit the mark, stars Dyan Cannon and Kris Kristofferson as the romantic couple, and Tony Curtis as her publisher with an update that has the “fraudulent homemaker as an actress…making a reality TV show.” I’d give it a miss.
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The American World War II Home Front in 29 Objects:

Unlike Europe the American mainland escaped physical devastation during World War II as it was not subjected to full-scale invasions. However, that didn’t mean the United States wasn’t impacted by the war. The ramifications of large economic, cultural, and societal changes forced Americans to reconsider entrenched beliefs and traditions.

Artifacts collected from across the nation tell the stories of the American people whose lives were shaped by this second “war to end all wars,” World War II.

Pre-order Link: https://books2read.com/u/47pLxR



Photo Credits:
Movie poster: Theatrical Release Poster
Stills: Courtesy Warner Brothers

Traveling Tuesday: Connecticut During WWII

Traveling Tuesday: 

Connecticut During WWII

With a production volume worth over $8 billion, Connecticut manufactured 4.1% of the United States’ military armaments and associated items during World War II, ranking ninth among the forty-eight states. The state also provided more than 300,000 men to the armed forces with 4,500 making the ultimate sacrifice. Another one thousand died from disease or accidents.

From one end of the state to the other factories converted from commercial products to war materiél. Founded in 1925 by Frederick B. Rentschlar, creator of the air-cooled radial engine design, Pratt & Whitney manufactured more than 300,000 engines. Pioneer Parachutes, a division of The Cheney Brothers silk manufacturer, sewed parachutes, and Electric Boat built submarines. Hamilton Propellers made, well, propellers. Waterbury Clock constructed a new plant to manufacture mechanical time fuses and other equipment. E. Ingraham Company also converted from clocks to time fuses as well as anti-aircraft artillery. Producer of hand tools and household goods, New Britain company turned to making uniforms, guns, and equipment. North & Judd manufactured uniform buckles, clasps, and other fasteners. Many of these companies earned the coveted Army-Navy E award for excellence in manufacturing.

In addition to manufacturing, Connecticut had six air bases, the Coast Guard Academy, and several

naval stations, including one submarine base. Bradley Army Air Force Base in Windsor Locks was also home to a POW camp when hundreds of German prisoners arrived in October 1944. According to multiple sources, the prisoners were enlisted men and many “reportedly preferred being anywhere, even snowy Connecticut, to being shot at.” Whether it was because they were well-guarded or well-cared for, none of the prisoners ever attempt an escape.

Connecticuters served in every theater of the war, with approximately 4,500 making the ultimate sacrifice. Everett Rossen of West Hartford found himself in the Philippines during its surrender, being forced into the Bataan Death March. He remained a POW for four years until the end of the war, then remained in the military for another two decades before retiring. Ward Chamberlin was an ambulance driver with the American Field Service and served in North Africa, Italy, and India. Artist Deane Keller was a Monuments Man “rescuing Italian masterworks from the threat of combat and looting,” and was “part of the team that returned the Florentine Museum treasures to the city in 1945.”

Even colleges contributed to the war effort. Assigned to the Manhattan Project, Yale University Physics department, led by physicist Ernest O. Lawrence, worked on the development of the magnetic separation process which “allowed for the extraction and purification of Uranium-235 from natural uranium.” The chemistry department was led by chemical engineer John H. Reilly and “focused on the production of heavy water which was used as a neutron moderator in nuclear reactors.”

Last but certainly not least is Norwich native and attorney, Thomas Joseph Dodd, who served on the US prosecutorial team at the Nuremburg trials during which he was the second-ranking lawyer. In addition to shaping strategies and polices, he prepared indictments, presented evidence, and cross-examined defendants.

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The American World War II Home Front in 29 Objects:

Unlike Europe the American mainland escaped physical devastation during World War II as it was not subjected to full-scale invasions. However, that didn’t mean the United States wasn’t impacted by the war. The ramifications of large economic, cultural, and societal changes forced Americans to reconsider entrenched beliefs and traditions.

Artifacts collected from across the nation tell the stories of the American people whose lives were shaped by this second “war to end all wars,” World War II.

Pre-order Link: https://books2read.com/u/47pLxR



Sources:
https://www.ctmq.org/pow-camp/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Connecticut
https://connecticuthistory.org/topics-page/world-war-ii/
https://yankeeinstitute.org/2024/05/24/connecticut-and-the-second-world-war/
https://centerprode.com/ojsh/ojsh0602/coas.ojsh.0602.03057m.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_World_War_II_Army_Airfields
https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-war/waterbury

Photo Credits:
Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major Engine: Courtesy Air Force Museum
POWs: Courtesy Hartford History Center
Thomas Dodd: By http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=D000390, Public Domain.