He’s all arms and legs, gangly as a teenage boy right after a growth spurt. He’s got a scratchy voice that trembles and he stammers, particularly around women. He’s cute, for sure–but he’s no Cary Grant.
But I find him sexy as hell. In two movies in particular, both of which are holiday films. The Shop Around the Corner is a charming little classic about department store co-workers who are each other’s secret pen pals, but don’t know it. And of course they hate each other. (It’s the film on which that other charmer, You’ve Got Mail, is based.)
James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan..
In the days long before email and texts, they write each other rather passionate little missives like the one below. (Not sure how it got past the Hayes Code.)
Oh, my Dear Friend, my heart was trembling as I walked into the post office, and there you were, lying in Box 237. I took you out of your envelope and read you, read you right there.
Whoa. But if you want real sex appeal, check out the telephone scene with Donna Reed in It’s a Wonderful Life. Poor George Bailey, determined to get out of Bedford Falls, is stopped in his tracks when his childhood friend Mary, played by Donna Reed, is suddenly all grown up.
You can pretty much hear the heavy breathing.
Once he gets close to the luminous Reed, he’s a goner. And so am I. There’s lots of sighing and panting, and a kiss that knocks your socks off. (At least mine, anyway.)
Merry Christmas, Jimmy. You were one wonderful guy.
♥ ♥ ♥
The telephone scene is my most favorite! “Now you listen to me, I don’t want plastics, or ground floors, and I don’t want to get married to anyone ever….”
“…oh George, George, George…” smooch kiss squeeze…
They don’t make romantic moments like that anymore!!
Good lord, you’ve got it committed to memory! I just watched that scene the other night as I was surfing (on Classic Turner Movies, of course) and made hubby drop that remote until the scene was over. Sigh.
I heart Jimmy Stewart in It’s A Wonderful Life, too. At my request, my husband gave me the movie as a Hanukkah present years ago. (Now, I’ll have to go find the other movie you mentioned.) The dialogue I’ve quoted more than once is Violet’s, however. “Oh, this old thing. I only wear it when I don’t care how I look.” (Flips hair, strolls away.)
Hah!!! I adore that line–and have used it myself on occasion. And getting Wonderful Life for Hannukkah delights me no end.
Rose we see this movie every year, only once, and the whole family MUST be present. The past few years we actually go to downtown Albany to the old movie theatre to watch it on the big screen. It’s so much fun to see all the families there and to hear folks in the audience quoting lines as they happen! I always tell people that when we were first married Kevin hated to watch old black and whites, and now he’ll tell everyone that “It’s a Wonderful Life” is the best movie ever made!
OMG, can we come?????
They show the movie in an old movie theatre in Wilton, NH, too!
That’s it–road trip!!!
Ah Rosemary … “every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.” And so Clarence finally got his and George finally understood how wonderful his life was. I can’t let a year go by without this one … remains my all time fav of all the Christmas movies.
And who doesn’t love Jimmy? Great post and thanks for the memories
Waiting to sit down with a nice hot toddy to watch this one some night soon. After the shopping, baking, card writing (and paper grading) is finished. . .