I'll Be Home for Christmas

There is another film out by the same name which I caught by accident. What that film did was to expose the superiority of this one. This cast was comprised of veteran pros and lesser known but up and coming at the time (now most have achieved a measure of fame probably never expected by them!). As ensembles go it was really delightful. As messages go it was both touching and beautifully presented.

Very simple in the manner of less splashy Christmas tales. The storyline makes sense and relies on no fancy gimmicks or icky plot turns.

Heartwarming and simple and a lovely cast. It's a keeper.

Of the many movies I've watched over the decades about World War II, I don't recall any before this about a homecoming at Christmas during the war. A number of good films were made about families being notified of the death of a son, brother and husband. Some poignant films looked at families celebrating Christmas with memories of loved ones who had been killed in the war. And, most of those were in the late 1940s to 1960s.

"I'll Be Home For Christmas" is a 1988 TV movie about a family Christmas gathering in 1944, while the war is still underway. And this family is touched by the war in many ways. Joseph and Martha Bundy have four children. The oldest son, Mike, is an Army Air Corps pilot stationed in England who has completed 21 combat bombing missions and is being sent back to the States to train pilots. The next son, Terrel is 17 and has just finished boot camp after enlisting, and he will be shipping overseas after Christmas. The youngest boy, Davey, is a paperboy in town who idolizes Mike and can't wait to be old enough to go off to war. The only daughter, Leah, works as a welder in a steel plant manufacturing for the war effort. She has lost her boyhood sweetheart and fiancé who was killed at Anzio at the start of the year. Living with Joseph and Martha is Nora, Mike's wife, who is pregnant and about to have their first baby.

The family at home are awaiting the arrival of Mike, Terrell and Leah for Christmas. Some other key people in the story are Aaron Copler, a soldier who is on the same bus as Leah heading to her home. He is going to visit a friend in the nearby Army hospital who was badly wounded in the war, and Leah invites him to stay at their home instead of trying to find a motel room. Isaiah Cawley is the town Western Union telegraph operator who gets messages from the War Department about war fatalities, and who has to put them in envelopes and walk and deliver the telegrams to the respective homes of the servicemen. And Pastor Marcus resides at the local church and comforts members of his flock during the war.

This wonderful drama is a picture of family tensions, difficult relationships, anxiety, suffering, healing, loss, living, life and love. The plot is excellent and all of the cast give superb performances. Long-time stars Hal Holbrook and Eva Marie Saint lead the cast as the heads of the Bundy family. A tissue box will be needed - even for men, before the film's ending. It's a story that serves well as a reminder to all, about the sacrifices, losses, and emotional toll of WW II on people everywhere. It's a great film for the Christmas season and should be watched by all generations into the future.

Here are some favorite lines from this film.

Joseph Bundy, "I hope these Christmas lights still work. They were made in Japan before the war." Aaron Copler, "They're making other things now." Joseph, "I'd just as soon they were still making Christmas lights."

Joseph Bundy. "You think that turkey you got for tomorrow is big enough?" Martha Bundy, "Oh, we're going to be eating leftovers for a whole week. Besides, we're also having sweat and sour meatballs." Joseph, "Where'd you get the meat?" Martha, "Huh, huh, what meat? I'm making them out of oatmeal, eggs and ground-up nuts. I'm counting on the sauce to, uh, cover a multitude of sins."

Joseph Bundy, "There's a time for grief, and a time to put grief aside."

Leah Bundy, "They're special shows on Christmas Eve, Davey." Davey, "You mean, 'Fibber McGee and Molly' won't be on either?" Joseph, "Into every life, a little rain must fall."

Davey Bundy, "Pa?" Joseph Bundy, "What?" Davey, "How come when all Christmas songs are about peace on earth, only there's no peace?" Joseph, "It's a hope, Davey. It's what keeps us going. The hope that someday there will be peace on earth."

Nora, "I may waddle like a duck, but I can still walk by myself."

I just loved this movie. I hope it comes out in DVD, because i tell all my friends about the movie. Luckily I taped it on VHS when it came out and watch it still every year. But unfortunately its wearing out and i hope it holds up every year. This is my favorite favorite movie. We need more movies like this. My sixteen year old daughter loves it also. I cant say enough about this movie. I just hope it comes out in DVD. I wished though that it comes out every year on TV for the holidays. I look for it every year hoping that it will be on, and to my disappointment I wont see it on the TV list.This is the all time family movie.After I see it, I just want to call all my family on the phone and say that "I love them".

Smalltown U.S.A. celebrates Christmas with the hope that the boys will return home from the war. One family awaits the return of their eldest son to his pregnant wife while watching fearfully as a younger son prepares to leave for the front. Bittersweet, nostalgic look at a simpler, yet tragic, holiday season.

A white Christmas approaches. WWII rages on in Europe. A smiling mother cashes in all of her ration-stamps to purchase the best Christmas dinner she can. Happiness is where you find it.

This is a small town. Everyone knows everyone. Tough times bring them even closer.

The one person no one wants to see at his door is the local Western Union man, because most of the news he delivers are telegrams from the War Department: We regret to inform you that your son was killed in the war. Unfortunately, he makes his rounds too often.

One family is safe from telegrams. A very pregnant wife awaits the Christmas Day arrival of her long-away love, at last his hitch with the army is over. Her sister-in-law gets off from her welding job on Christmas Eve, and heads home by bus to reunite with her brother, picking up a soldier with no family of his own, on the way home, and inviting him to have a home-cooked Christmas dinner.

This is one of my favorite Christmas movies. Simple things are the best. Watch this one, and have a Christmas dinner on me. Bon appetit.