Rob_Ray
Senior HTF Member
It's definitely worth catching. Fred MacMurray is prosecuting Barbara Stanwyck on a petty theft charge and when the trial breaks for Christmas, he springs for her bail, so she can spend it with her family. As it turns out, her family lives en route to his own Indiana homecoming, so he finds himself giving her a ride to a home where it turns out she's not welcome. That's just the beginning. From there, a charm rarely seen in Hollywood depictions of Midwestern life comes into play. Without giving away more details, let's just say that by the time the Christmas break is over, he's not so keen on winning his case.
Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson and Sterling Holloway are memorable as MacMurray's family back home in Indiana. Although it has its weaker moments, few other films capture the spirit of an old-fashioned American Christmas as well as this one does.
Universal would own the DVD rights and why it's not available is a mystery to me.