
christmas eve (1947 film)

christmas eve is a 1947 american portmanteau comedy drama film directed by edwin l. marin and starring george raft, george brent and randolph scott. it is based on a story by laurence stallings and richard h. landau. an independent production by benedict bogeaus it was distributed by united artists. it was rereleased under the alternative title title "sinner's holiday". it was one of several films raft made with edwin marin and benedict bogeaus.
plot.
the greedy nephew philip hastings of eccentric matilda reed seeks to have her judged incompetent so he can administer her wealth. in an informal meeting with philip and dr. doremus, judge alston rules that she will be saved if her three long-lost adopted sons, whom she can trust, appear for a christmas eve reunion.
separate stories reveal with the help of private detective gimlet that: 
finally, the gathering at christmas eve happens, featuring the three sons and jean. jonathan and jean, end up bringing three girl orphans from the orphanage that is a front for human trafficking. mario confronts phillip about taking the rap for a bad deal in new orleans ten years ago, for which he makes sure to have each leave town before matilda gets hurt. aunt matilda feels like the day she got the three little boys for adoption.
production.
the film was produced by benedict bogeaus who had previously made an episodic film "on our merry way". this involved using multiple stars in different storylines so they could be filmed at different times. in november 1946 bogeaus announced that raft, scott and brent would star. each star would film for two weeks individually and then act together for one week. filming started 18 november with the brent-joan blondell sequence.
dolores moran, who appeared in the cast, was bogeaus' wife at the time. the film marked ann harding's first appearance since "it happened on fifth avenue".
the film was financed through money from walter e. heller & co, a finance company.
during filming, george raft suffered first-degree burns in his right leg when a maritime engine caught fire and set his clothes alight.
reception.
critical.
the "los angeles times" said the premise of the film had "considerable appeal" but the "plot lacked cohesion" and the story was done in by its "slow pace".
box office.
the film did not do very well at the box office. according to "variety" it earned an estimated $1 million.
walter heller and co initiated foreclosure proceedings to recover money for the film, claiming they were owed $223,000. (they also did this for "bachelor's daughters".) this was rare in hollywood at the time.
1986 remake.
the film was remade as a made-for-tv movie that first aired on nbc, december 22, 1986. it was directed by stuart cooper and starred loretta young, trevor howard, arthur hill, ron leibman, patrick cassidy, and season hubley.