Chilly weather, cozy sweaters, and warmly-lit celebrations. It’s time for holiday movies. Holidays on Hill Street Series at the Southampton Playhouse continues to offer a range of big-screen encounters with winter season vibes.
“A Christmas Story” will screen on December 17. Director Bob Clark’s beloved 1983 adaptation of Jean Shepherd’s novel “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash” is a big-screen salute to the childhood nostalgia of the holiday season. Following the endearing midwestern exploits of troublemaking nine-year-old Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), “A Christmas Story” is narrated by the adult Ralphie (Jean Shepard) as he looks back on the bullies, presents, and family spats that surrounded his childhood. At once anarchic and heartfelt, “A Christmas Story” embodies the unique energy of a timeless holiday classic.
“It’s A Wonderful Life” will screen from December 22 to 24. The film is director Frank Capra’s seminal look at the despondent George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), who rethinks his plan to commit suicide on Christmas Eve when confronted by his oddball guardian angel (Henry Travers) on a quest to earn his wings. Given the opportunity to see what the world would look like if he’d never been born, George comes to understand the importance of his role in the lives of the people he cares about.
Over the years, “It’s a Wonderful Life” has embodied the resilience of small-town American life and the idealism that so often obscures appreciation for what we already have. George’s eye-opening journey, which first opened theatrically at the tail end of WWII, has come to embody the clarity of purpose that so many people come to appreciate at the end of the year.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit southamptonplayhouse.com.