Adele Comandini (1898–1987)
Author of Christmas in Connecticut [1945 film]
Works by Adele Comandini
The Mating of Millie [1948 film] — Writer — 2 copies
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Comandini, Adele
- Birthdate
- 1898-04-29
- Date of death
- 1987-07-22
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- screenwriter
biographer - Short biography
- Adele Comandini was born in New York to Italian immigrants. She began her career as a Hollywood screenwriter in 1926 with the adaptation of Subway Sadie. Over the years, she wrote screenplays for more than 20 films and television broadcasts.
In 1937, she was nominated for an Academy Award for best original screenplay for Three Smart Girls (1936). Her other well-known films included Strange Illusion (1942) and Christmas in Connecticut (1945). She also wrote a bestselling biographer of Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb called Doctor Kate: Angel on Snowshoes (1956). - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- New York, New York, USA
- Place of death
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
“Everything seems faint, and far away, except loving people.” — Charles Winninger
This warm and sensitive film often gets classified as a Christmas story, but its tender message is much more far-reaching, making it a fine film to watch anytime. Adele Comandini wrote the screenplay from a story Mildred Gram helped fashion. Some beautiful cinematographer from Lester White and a lovely score by Frank Tours help create a very special film with a gentle mood and sentimental regard for the show more hereafter. A wonderful cast help give this film a charm and glow many films with much larger budgets could not during this era.
It is Christmas Eve as the film opens, and three lonely old men who’ve been friends and business partners for most of their lives are waiting for company which never comes. Michael O’Brien (Charles Winninger), Allan Chadwick (C. Aubrey Smith), and George Milton (Harey Carey) each put ten dollars in a wallet and throw it out the window onto the snowy sidewalk. Michael has bet against the gloomy George, believing someone will pick it up and bring it to them.
Enter singing Texas cowboy James Houston (Richard Carlson). His worn out boots are an indication of how things are going for him, and when the sweet Jean Lawrence (lovely Jean Parker) rings the bell a few minutes later to return one of the wallets, the kindly old men try to play matchmaker.
It is wonderful to watch the three men come to life. Maria Ouspenskaya, who many horror fans will remember as the gypsy fortune teller from Universal’s The Wolfman, is quite moving as their maid. She is actually Russian Royalty, but discovered after fleeing for her life that there was more joy in caring for others. Alex Melesh is also good also as their kindly butler, Joseph. Helen Vinson, a star during the 1930s, is perfect as scheming singing star Arlene Terry, who has no qualms about keeping James from his loving sweetheart, Jean. When tragedy strikes, it becomes a race with time to get the two together.
It is the widely held opinion of film historians and buffs alike that Jean Parker was very special, and should have gotten better roles. She truly shines in Beyond Tomorrow and displays that something unique which separated her from other female stars. The romance between she and Carlson has a sweet charm missing from today’s films.
It is quite moving where everyone ends up in this film, but I can say no more. This is a tender and lovely film that can certainly be enjoyed during Christmastime, but not necessarily one which is exclusive to that most sentimental time of year. Few films are as ultimately touching as this one, and it should be more heralded than it is. A small gem. show less
This warm and sensitive film often gets classified as a Christmas story, but its tender message is much more far-reaching, making it a fine film to watch anytime. Adele Comandini wrote the screenplay from a story Mildred Gram helped fashion. Some beautiful cinematographer from Lester White and a lovely score by Frank Tours help create a very special film with a gentle mood and sentimental regard for the show more hereafter. A wonderful cast help give this film a charm and glow many films with much larger budgets could not during this era.
It is Christmas Eve as the film opens, and three lonely old men who’ve been friends and business partners for most of their lives are waiting for company which never comes. Michael O’Brien (Charles Winninger), Allan Chadwick (C. Aubrey Smith), and George Milton (Harey Carey) each put ten dollars in a wallet and throw it out the window onto the snowy sidewalk. Michael has bet against the gloomy George, believing someone will pick it up and bring it to them.
Enter singing Texas cowboy James Houston (Richard Carlson). His worn out boots are an indication of how things are going for him, and when the sweet Jean Lawrence (lovely Jean Parker) rings the bell a few minutes later to return one of the wallets, the kindly old men try to play matchmaker.
It is wonderful to watch the three men come to life. Maria Ouspenskaya, who many horror fans will remember as the gypsy fortune teller from Universal’s The Wolfman, is quite moving as their maid. She is actually Russian Royalty, but discovered after fleeing for her life that there was more joy in caring for others. Alex Melesh is also good also as their kindly butler, Joseph. Helen Vinson, a star during the 1930s, is perfect as scheming singing star Arlene Terry, who has no qualms about keeping James from his loving sweetheart, Jean. When tragedy strikes, it becomes a race with time to get the two together.
It is the widely held opinion of film historians and buffs alike that Jean Parker was very special, and should have gotten better roles. She truly shines in Beyond Tomorrow and displays that something unique which separated her from other female stars. The romance between she and Carlson has a sweet charm missing from today’s films.
It is quite moving where everyone ends up in this film, but I can say no more. This is a tender and lovely film that can certainly be enjoyed during Christmastime, but not necessarily one which is exclusive to that most sentimental time of year. Few films are as ultimately touching as this one, and it should be more heralded than it is. A small gem. show less
C+ (Okay)
A cooking columnist who can't cook has to entertain her boss and a soldier who thinks she's married.
There's some good fun, especially in the first half. Some great dialog, and even a little Hays-Code-skirting sassiness. But it's not fun enough to make up for the ending. There's a brief subplot about false accusations of kidnapping babies, which is just unpleasant. And then we learn that all this career woman at the top of her field Really Wants is to stay at home and make babies for show more her man.
(Mar. 2025) show less
A cooking columnist who can't cook has to entertain her boss and a soldier who thinks she's married.
There's some good fun, especially in the first half. Some great dialog, and even a little Hays-Code-skirting sassiness. But it's not fun enough to make up for the ending. There's a brief subplot about false accusations of kidnapping babies, which is just unpleasant. And then we learn that all this career woman at the top of her field Really Wants is to stay at home and make babies for show more her man.
(Mar. 2025) show less
Christmas in Connecticut (4 Film Favorites- Warner Brothers: Classic Holiday Collection, Volume 1) [DVD] by Peter Godfrey
Acting: 4.5; Theme: 5.0; Content: 5.0; Language: 5.0; Overall: 4.5
Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck), a columnist for a housekeeping journal, has created a fictionalized version of her true life. It all comes to a head when her boss invites himself (Sydney Greenstreet), and a recent returning war hero (Dennis Morgan), into her make-believe world. Highly recommend.
***December 20, 2024***
Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck), a columnist for a housekeeping journal, has created a fictionalized version of her true life. It all comes to a head when her boss invites himself (Sydney Greenstreet), and a recent returning war hero (Dennis Morgan), into her make-believe world. Highly recommend.
***December 20, 2024***
Worst adaptation ever! The only part they took from the book were the names of the characters!
Forget the fact that it is greatly condensed (that was the least of the issues with this movie): Throughout this movie Jane is described as beautiful (they : even made Blanche Ingram jealous of her from the first) & Mr Rochester did not fit the description at all in the book of being moody as well as not handsome.
I guess everyone is better off that this being a short movie, because it was just show more awful would have been unbearable to sit through had it were any longer.
(I was VERY reluctant to list it as a classic in my tags, & only did so because the story is a classic, although this movie is anything but!) show less
Forget the fact that it is greatly condensed (that was the least of the issues with this movie): Throughout this movie Jane is described as beautiful (they : even made Blanche Ingram jealous of her from the first) & Mr Rochester did not fit the description at all in the book of being moody as well as not handsome.
I guess everyone is better off that this being a short movie, because it was just show more awful would have been unbearable to sit through had it were any longer.
(I was VERY reluctant to list it as a classic in my tags, & only did so because the story is a classic, although this movie is anything but!) show less
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