Tonight's Movie: Bachelor Mother (1939)

Though it's not precisely a "Christmas" movie, BACHELOR MOTHER's story takes place between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day, which makes it perfect seasonal viewing.

BACHELOR MOTHER is one of my all-time favorite comedies. Ginger Rogers was never more beautiful or charming than she appeared in this picture. She plays Polly Parrish, a department store clerk who through a strange series of events finds herself caring for an abandoned baby, which is assumed by everyone to be hers. David Niven is the kind department store owner's son who falls in love with Polly and the baby, and the wonderful Charles Coburn plays Niven's father.

The plot is slightly risque for its day, with the incorrect assumptions made throughout the picture about the baby's parentage, but it's delightfully told. The baby is adorable, and there are few movie scenes funnier than Niven and Rogers pretending she can only speak Swedish when they meet his friends at a New Year's Eve dance. Rogers is chiefly known for her musical talents, but she was also one of the funniest women ever to grace the movies, and that scene in particular makes me laugh every time I see it.

BACHELOR MOTHER was filmed in black and white and runs 81 or 83 minutes, depending on the reference source. I should have timed it myself! :) It's available on VHS. It's also part of the Turner Classic Movies library.

Hopefully there will be a DVD release soon; the film certainly deserves it.

November 2010 Update: BACHELOR MOTHER is now available on DVD-R from the Warner Archive.