Connecticut  – a Special Place for Christmas

By Frank Whitman

Christmas in Connecticut is something we take for granted, but beyond our borders, it’s seen as something special.  Even in California where we spent Thanksgiving amid palm trees wrapped in holiday lights and balmy weather, there’s a definite New England vibe to the decorations and ambiance. We’re the heartland of an idealized celebration. 

The light bulb went on for me at the Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo, a southern suburb of LA.  With a program of old-time movies from the silent era on up, a performance on its vintage Wurlitzer organ, and a century-old decor, it recalls a theater experience from the past. 

The movie we saw? Christmas in Connecticut!

This 1945 post-war rom-com farce starring Barbara Stanwyck and a host of classic Paramount character actors romps through a crisis-filled Christmas Eve and Day in a Connecticut farmhouse.  The comedy of manners includes incredibly well-dressed people hiding the truth from one another in a charade of misunderstandings, humorous hustles and mischief, all while falling in and out of love. Connecticut has a starring role, drawing this New York City crowd out for an old-fashioned holiday. 

Stanwick plays Elizabeth Lane, a Martha Stewart of her time, who writes a magazine column about cooking, homemaking and her family.  Unfortunately, unlike Martha, she cannot cook, doesn’t keep home on a Connecticut farm, and her husband and child are fictitious. Mayhem ensues when she is forced to host Christmas in Connecticut. (There’s plenty of good food and cooking, but this is as close as you’ll get to it in this column.)

The movie should join It’s a Wonderful Life, Holiday Inn and White Christmas as a family Christmas classic.  

The Old Town Music Hall, built in 1921, was the local movie house in El Segundo.  In the 1960s two partners acquired the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ from the Fox West Theater in Long Beach and opened up as a non-profit venue for classic movies and organ performance. Silent films are accompanied by Randy Woltz on the organ.  (Did you know that the music to accompany silent films was originally to hide the sound of noisy projectors?)  For talkies, Woltz puts on a show before the movie of organ repertoire, lore about the theater and organ, and a sing-long of favorites like Santa Clause is Coming to Town, You are my Sunshine, and Take Me Out to the Ballgame (all with full audience participation.)  The whole thing brings smiles to the crowd.  

There were some young and hip in the theater with leather pants and rock-concert T shirts, but mostly it was a pretty nerdy group. A contingent from the local Model A Ford club occupied several rows. Almost everyone was old enough to know the words to the sing-along. We all had a great time.  Get reserved seat tickets in advance. The small venue usually sells out. 

The organ was an impressive mountain of keys, tabs and pedals that Woltz’s hands and feet effortlessly floated across.  His charming patter and musical proficiency were equally entertaining.  The organ has more than 2,600 pipes, four keyboards, 260 switches, and an array of controls and pedals. From the console, the organist controls a host of percussive instruments at the back of the stage including a xylophone, marimba, piano, drums, and cymbals, all brightly outlined in colorful light. 

The magic begins when you enter the century-old building with period decor and old movie star photos. The auditorium is decorated in the plush style of theaters of that era with red velvet, crystal chandeliers, and, for now, lots of Christmas decorations. The hall is festooned year-round with seasonal themes by the enthusiastic volunteers who staff and run the house. 

Future screenings this season include The Shop Around the Corner, Meet Me in St. Louis, and It’s a Wonderful Life. 

If you’re ever within 50 miles of this place, make plans to go. It might not always be Christmas in Connecticut, but it will always make you smile.