Christmas in July (1940)

Name: Christmas in July (1940)
Duration: 1 h 7 min

1hr 7m

1hr 7m
3.7/5 (2.3K)
80%

After the co-workers of an ambitious clerk trick him into thinking he has won $25,000 in a slogan contest, he begins to use the money to fulfill his dreams.… More Details »

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Official Trailer (02:10)

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Preston Sturges

Producer:

William LeBaron, Paul Jones

Runtime:

1hr 7m

Synopsis

After the co-workers of an ambitious clerk trick him into thinking he has won $25,000 in a slogan contest, he begins to use the money to fulfill his dreams. What will happen when the ruse is discovered?

Cast

Dick Powell
Ellen Drew
Raymond Walburn
William Demarest
Ernest Truex
Franklin Pangborn
Harry Hayden
Rod Cameron
Michael Morris
Harry Rosenthal

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.7

RATINGS 12 FANS

3.7

May 28, 2021

Oh my god, I loved this. Was really expecting a lesser Sturges (and really only put it on because it's a cool 67 minutes) but it's so delightful. Raymond Walburn's Dr. Maxford is incredible. He's got so many little lines that made me giggle. We should bring back calling…

223 Likes

demi adejuyigbe

Dec 21, 2021

Without exaggeration, every single one of Raymond Walburn’s lines in this movie is funny to me. Can’t think of anybody with a bettwr hit ratio. All-time goof!! “I’ve seen better heads on… umbrellas!” “My grandmother was Scottish.” “Mine was Lithuanian.”

194 Likes

demi adejuyigbe

Mar 6, 2021

I knew I was gonna like this the moment the main character got in trouble at work because he wouldn’t stop writing “$25,000” on a piece of paper

154 Likes

brendan o'hare
Dec 18, 2022

Christmas in July is just as imaginary a concept as benevolence in capitalism in Preston Sturges’ 1940 social comedy. The promise of a Santa showing in the film is a false of a premise as that of upward class mobility, as “July” is more occupied with mulling societal…

146 Likes

theriverjordan

May 27, 2021

Some very sneaky satire about the myth of American meritocracy all wrapped up in less than 70 minutes. This has some of the funniest angry guys ever put on film.

113 Likes

Joe

Dec 1, 2024

"I wish I could have given you the news you were so anxious to hear. But since I could not, I will conclude with what the prisoner said when the hangman couldn't find the rope: 'No noose is good noose'." Office worker Jimmy MacDonald (Dick Powell) is eager to earn enough…

106 Likes

Daniel
Dec 25, 2019

I thought beforehand that my favorite swear word in Golden Hollywood movies was 'holy mackerel' but Raymond Walburn certainly topped it with his thundering 'jumping Jerusalem'.

106 Likes

Lara Pop

May 7, 2021

The wholesome imagery of Jimmy and Betty having their sweet rooftop dates and of Jimmy's second-generation immigrant home just barely covers Sturges's acid vision of the rat race of social climbing. A "fake it til you make it" narrative about a man who doesn't even realize…

95 Likes

Jake Cole

Dec 1, 2025

Was pleasantly Click-baited by the title; though not Christmas-related it’s a very sweet and entertaining film! Preston Sturges really shows off his speciality of speedy dialogue with wacky sayings in an almost screwball-esque sorta way (definitely not a screwball but the…

87 Likes

Adrian