And the No. 1 holiday movie to watch during the end-of-year celebrations? Like anything else, it depends on who you ask or where you look.
Since 1989 the National Film Registry has selected 25 movies a year that it believes showcase the range and diversity of the country’s cinema and are worthy of preservation. Two of the films, It’s a Wonderful Life, released in 1946, and A Christmas Story, released in 1983, were added to the list in 1990 and 2012 respectively.
Though it hardly bears repeating, Jimmy Stewart starred in It’s a Wonderful Life as George Bailey, a down-on-his-luck banker who is about to kill himself when a guardian angel, Clarence, (Henry Travers), working to get his wings, is assigned to stop him and show him his life is meaningful. Trivia bonus: The film got five Academy Award nominations, didn’t win any and tanked at the box office.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” placed 26th in box office revenues, one spot ahead of another dripping-with-cheesy-sentiment Christmas classic, “Miracle on 34th Street.”
Moving right along … A Christmas Story, which is set in 1940 and based on a Jean Shepard short story, is the uplifting tale of dysfunctional family preparing for the holidays.
Ralphie (Peter Billingsley), age 9, spends the film dodging a bully, trying to protect his glasses, and hoping for a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. In one of the most memorable scenes, one of the kids at the playground (Scott Schwartz) is goaded into sticking his tongue on a flag pole and … well … watch here and read here to find out how it was done.
Finally, Darren McGavin plays Ralphie’s utterly crazed, crazed I say, father who wants only to read his paper in peace, and have an early taste of the Christmas turkey, none of which really happens. Trivia bonus: No Academy Award nominations, but the film was popular.
The film was released just before Thanksgiving and became a surprise hit. By the time Christmas rolled around, the movie had already been pulled from most theaters because it had been "played out". After complaints were lodged at the theater owners and the studio, the film played on select screens until after the first of the year 1984.
Certainly these are not the only holiday films worth watching after dinner or between football games. RottenTomatoes.com lists its top 25 Christmas films, which includes Elf (2003) at No. 21, Trading Places (1983) at No. 19. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) at No. 8. Holiday Inn (1942) at No. 3 and It’s a Wonderful Life at No. 1.