Remember the Night (1940)
If Jimmy Stewart is the King of Christmas movies, then that makes Barbara Stanwyck the Queen. The hardboiled actress and star of practically every genre during the studio era made a pair of holiday films that are so adorable that they’re instantly rewatchable.
The first is Remember the Night, where Stanwyck plays Lee Leander, a petty jewel thief popped for attempting to steal a diamond bracelet. She’s set to be stuck in prison till after Christmas, but the kind prosecutor, John Sargent (played by Fred MacMurray) decides to bail her out. A series of shenanigans leads to Lee spending the holidays with John and his family, where the criminal learns the true meaning of the holiday and ends up falling for John.
Many probably remember Stanwyck and MacMurray’s scintillating chemistry in the film noir Double Indemnity, but this was the first film they made together, three years before. The movie’s plot could only exist in a movie — pretty sure the conflict of interest happens from minute one — but that’s the joy of classic Hollywood features. You want Lee to walk away from her criminal past, and you want John to forgive her for it. The two actors are utterly perfect together, and there’s a rich homey quality to the film.
Watch it on TCM Dec. 22 at 8 p.m. Eastern.