Review of Holiday Affair

With a better luck of the draw, this film might have been just as popular and well known as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street". Somehow it's fallen under the radar, perhaps because those other films came out a couple years earlier and established their popularity right out of the gate. This is a charming little picture, with Janet Leigh's character a widowed mom bringing up a young boy, who suddenly finds herself in a romantic triangle between Robert Mitchum and Wendell Corey. Mitchum's casting is unusual and against type, showing that he had a nice range as an actor and could convincingly portray a softer side. He handles his dialog especially well, whether it's explaining some facts of life to young Timmy Ennis (Gordon Gebert), or challenging his mom to break free of her self imposed restrictions on what might make her happy. Three scenes in the picture stand out, the first being Timmy's march up to Crowley's (Henry O'Neill) office and impressing the department store owner with his tale of woe. Another is when Steve Mason (Mitchum) says it like it is at the dinner table with his rival Carl Davis (Wendell Corey) and Connie's (Leigh) in-laws present. But the best could be Carl's 'case summation' when he lets Connie know that "Anything can change a life that's ready to be changed". That was pretty selfless on his part, allowing for a conclusion I think most viewers would look for. Steve let Connie know that he wanted a girl who would run to him, and in the film's feel good ending, that's just what he got.