Christmas in July

Critics Consensus

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95%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 19

77%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 643
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Movie Info

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.

Cast

Dick Powell
as Jimmy MacDonald
Ellen Drew
as Betty Casey
Raymond Walburn
as Dr. Maxford
Alexander Carr
as Mr. Schindel
William Demarest
as Mr. Bildocker
Ernest Truex
as Mr. Baxter
Franklin Pangborn
as Radio Announcer
Harry Hayden
as Mr. Waterbury
Rod Cameron
as Dick
Adrian Morris
as Tom
Michael Morris
as Tom
Harry Rosenthal
as Harry
Georgia Caine
as Mrs. MacDonald
Ferike Boros
as Mrs. Schwartz
Torben Meyer
as Mr. Schmidt
Julius Tannen
as Mr. Zimmerman
Al Bridge
as Mr. Hillbeiner
Alan Bridge
as Mr. Hillbeiner
Lucille Ward
as Mrs. Casey
Kay Stewart
as Secretary
Victor Potel
as Davenola Salesman
Byron Foulger
as Mr. Jenkins
Jan Buckingham
as Secretary
Arthur Hoyt
as Mild Gentleman
Robert Warwick
as Large Gentleman
Jimmy Conlin
as Thin, Sour Gentleman
Dewey Robinson
as Large, Rough Gentleman
Arthur Stuart Hull
as Cashier
Esther Michelson
as Sophie's Mother
Frank Moran
as Patrolman Murphy
Charles R. Moore
as Porter
Georges Renavent
as Sign Painter
Preston Sturges
as Man at Shoeshine Stand
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones
as Porter
Pat West
as Man with Telephone
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Critic Reviews for Christmas in July

All Critics (19) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (18) | Rotten (1)

View All Critic Reviews (19)

Audience Reviews for Christmas in July

  • Sep 05, 2010
    This is a good movie. It's funny and sometimes sad too. The cast is good, and the story is nice. I enjoyed it.
    Aj V Super Reviewer
  • Dec 24, 2009
    Cute Preston Sturges, not his best but enjoyable.
    jay n Super Reviewer
  • Apr 05, 2009
    <I>"If you can't sleep - it isn't the coffee, it's the bunk!"</I> A cruel practical joke gets out of hand when a lowly employee of a coffee company is duped into believing he has won $25,000 in a competition to invent a new corporate slogan. Nothing else in the film can quite match the hilarious and touching opening rooftop scene - in which Dick Powell's Jimmy tries to explain the law of averages and his dismal slogan to his bemused girlfriend (Ellen Drew) - though <I>Christmas in July</I> still manages to be a fairly delightful piece of minor Sturges. If the ironic ending can be seen from several miles away, Powell and Drew make such a charming double act it hardly matters.
    Stephen M Super Reviewer
  • Dec 03, 2007
    A fun movie that seems to perfectly balance drama and slapstick comedy. The performances were enjoyable and the story was fun. Preston Sturges gained some momentum off of The Great McGinty and definitely built up and expanded upon here. A lot of fun moments, namely Powell and Drew's neighborhood attacking the businessmen. "It's not the coffee, it's the bunk!"
    Michael G Super Reviewer
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Christmas in July Quotes

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