Christmas Eve (1947)

Production Company : Benedict Bogeaus

Directed : Edwin L Marin

Starred : George Raft, George Brent, Randolph Scott, Ann Harding

Plot : The greedy nephew of eccentric Matilda Reed seeks to have her judged incompetent so he can administer her wealth; but she will be saved if her three long-lost adopted sons appear for a Christmas Eve reunion. Separate stories reveal Michael as a bankrupt playboy loved by loyal Ann; Mario as a seemingly shady character tangling with a Nazi war criminal in South America; Jonathan as a hard-drinking rodeo rider intent on a flirtatious social worker. Is there hope for Matilda?.

Trivia : *This was the final non-western role for Randolph Scott, who portrays Johnny. From 1948 until he retired in 1962, he acted only in Westerns.

*Inexplicably miscast as Aunt Matilda, an old matriarch who raised three boys, Ann Harding was younger than some of the actors who played her sons. At the time the film was released, Ann was 45 years old, and her sons - Randolph Scott was 47, George Raft was 46 and George Brent was 43.

*During filming, George Raft suffered first-degree burns in his right leg when a maritime engine caught fire and set his clothes alight