Journey Into DVD: Christmas in July

In this delightful little comedy, the great Preston Sturges sends up corporate America, marketing, and human nature; delivers a convincing-enough romance; and, oh, yeah, entertains the heck out of us--all in the span of about 70 minutes. You know how people lament that they just don't make 'em like they used to? Well, here's a prime example--an unpretentious picture that still has something to say, a fast mover that still finds time to get its story across. I mean, when the worst thing you can say about a movie is that there's not enough Bill Demarest in it, well, then you have a good one.

I've put off purchasing Universal's Preston Sturges Collection DVD set because I own superior Criterion versions of several of the discs, and I didn't want to pull the trigger on the whole thing until the price was right since I only "needed" a few. Well, I had never seen "Christmas in July," but now I'm thinking 40 or so bucks is worth it even if I am buying a few duplicates. Plus the box has the only version of one of my all-time favorites, "Hail the Conquering Hero." Am I cheap one or what? I know, I know, I should just buy the thing already.

"July" teams Dick Powell and Ellen Drew, with Powell as a frustrated office drone who yearns for success and fame so that he can have money and not have his sweetheart make more bucks than he does. Drew is, well, the sweetheart. Powell enters a jingle-writing contest for a coffee brand, and a few wags at the office decide to trick him by sending a fake telegram proclaiming him the winner. The clueless Powell goes to the coffee company to collect his prize, and the even more clueless owner, thinking his team of judges finally chose a victor, goes ahead and cuts him a check for the prize money. So Powell buys all sorts of stuff, but with good intentions--a davenport that folds into a bed for his mom, some toys for the neighborhood kids. Chaos ensues when the coffee magnate realizes what happened and wants to stop payment on the check.

Some of the most interest moments in the film come as we see how people view Powell's character according to how they perceive OTHER people view him. In his office, his boss thinks he is a rising star now that he has won the contest and invites him to present some of his business ideas. The owner of the coffee company gives him the benefit of the doubt because he assumes his panel of judges validated his slogan. And that slogan--which I won’t reveal here because it's funnier and weaker in context--suddenly becomes a brilliant one to just about everybody as soon as they think it won a prize. Of course, when things take a turn and people start to question the validity of his win, they go in the other direction and treat him like a nothing.

Sturges makes some very clever points about the way society works--both people in general and the marketing and business worlds in particular. Yet the movie never bogs down in some kind of "message" trap. How could it? It's not even an hour and 10 minutes long. Yet it's plenty long enough to convey the tale, introduce some hijinks here and there, and wrap everything up with a twist that is totally predictable but still funny. After all, Demarest figures prominently at the end as one of the contest judges. He makes the most out of his screen time, as do just about all the members of the fine cast. When you see a Preston Sturges movie, you know you're gonna enjoy colorful performances from his repertory players, guys like Franklin Pangborn.

Too bad the only extra is a so-called "theatrical trailer" that looks and sounds suspiciously like it’s a lot younger than 50-some years; maybe it's something that was made for a previous home video incarnation. If Universal hadn't cheaped out on this set with the extras, I wouldn't have cheaped out and snubbed it. However, there are some real winners in it, and I really do need to pick it up someday. I highly recommend "Christmas in July," which is underseen compared to Sturges' more famous works like "Sullivan's Travels" and "The Lady Eve."