Christmas in July

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Overview

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 ...
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More About This Product

Overview

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.
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler
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.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 5/10/2011
  • UPC: 025192100512
  • Original Release: 1940

    • Rating:

  • Source: Universal Studios
  • Region Code: 1
  • Presentation: Subtitled / Pan & Scan
  • Time: 1:08:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 16,820

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Dick Powell Jimmy MacDonald
Ellen Drew Betty Casey
Raymond Walburn Mr. Maxford
Alexander Carr Mr. Schindel
William Demarest Mr. Bildocker
Ernest Truex Mr. Baxter
Franklin Pangborn Radio Announcer
Harry Hayden Mr. Waterbury
Rod Cameron Dick
Michael Morris Tom
Harry Rosenthal Harry
Georgia Caine Mrs. MacDonald
Ferike Boros Mrs. Schwartz
Torben Meyer Mr. Schmidt
Julius Tannen Mr. Zimmerman
Al Bridge Mr. Hillbeiner
Lucille Ward Mrs. Casey
Kay Stewart Secretary
Victor Potel Davenola Salesman
Jan Buckingham Secretary
Jimmy Conlin Thin, Sour Gentleman
Byron Foulger Mr. Jenkins
Arthur Hoyt Mild Gentleman
Arthur Stuart Hull Cashier
Esther Michelson Sophie's Mother
Charles Moore Porter
Frank Moran Patrolman Murphy
Georges Renavent Sign Painter
Dewey Robinson Large, Rough Gentleman
Preston Sturges Man at Shoeshine Stand
Fred "Snowflake" Toones Porter
Robert Warwick Large Gentleman
Pat West Man with Telephone
Technical Credits
Preston Sturges Director, Editor, Screenwriter
Hans Dreier Art Director
Earl Hedrick Art Director
Ellsworth Hoagland Editor
Paul Jones Associate Producer
Sigmund Krumgold Score Composer
Harry Lindgren Sound/Sound Designer
Victor Milner Cinematographer
Walter Oberst Sound/Sound Designer
George Templeton Asst. Director
Wally Westmore Makeup
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Menu

Disc #1 -- Christmas in July
   Play
   Languages
      Spoken Languages: English
      Subtitles: English SDH
      Subtitles: Français
      Subtitles: Español
      Subtitles: Off
   Theatrical Trailer
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