This article was originally written by me and published on the DVD Netflix blog, Inside the Envelop, in December 2019. DVD Netflix was shuttered in Sept. 2023, so I am republishing my work for DVD Netflix here: 

Sometimes a story is so good, Hollywood decides to tell it again.

Since the silent film era, films have been remade in Hollywood.

Remakes can either be a mirror image of the original film; nearly scene-for-scene with similar lines. Others reimagine the story and take on a different angle, sometimes adding music or an updated plot.

When it comes to holiday feature film classics, several have been retold. Here are a few:

Christmas in Connecticut
1945: The original “Christmas in Connecticut” was release in 1945. In the story, Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) is a successful magazine writer who presents herself as the perfect housewife. She is an exceptional cook who also lives on a farm in Connecticut with her husband and baby.
Her publisher Alexander Yardley (Sidney Greenstreet) invites himself and a World War II hero Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) to the Lane home for Christmas. The only problem is that Elizabeth Lane can’t cook, isn’t married and has no baby, and she has to create a ruse in order to keep her job.
1992: In 1992 with the same title, the story was retold in a made-for-TV movie directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The plot was updated from magazines to television. In the remake, Dyan Cannon plays Elizabeth Blane, a cooking show TV star who has also penned several cookbooks. Her manager Alexander Yadley (Tony Curtis) wants her to film a live TV show focused on cooking dinner for a forest ranger hero, Jefferson Jones (Kris Kristofferson). Other than one “Tales from the Crypt” episode, this is the only movie directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Bishop’s Wife
The Bishop’s Wife (1947): In “The Bishop’s Wife,” Henry Brougham (David Niven) is a bishop who is constantly busy and stressed about a new cathedral he is trying to have built. Henry’s fundraising for the new facility is at the mercy of wealthy widow Agnes Hamilton (Gladys Cooper). Henry’s wife, Julia (Loretta Young), misses when life was more simple and their marriage struggles because of Henry’s position as bishop. An angel, named Dudley (Cary Grant), comes down to help Henry and Julia during the Christmas season.
Preacher’s Wife (1996): In 1996, “The Bishop’s Wife” was remade as “The Preacher’s Wife” with Courtney B. Vance as Rev. Henry Biggs and his wife Julia, played by Whitney Houston. Denzel Washington plays Dudley the angel. The premise is similar, but the setting is changed from building a new cathedral to helping a small, struggling Baptist church. The antagonist is a real estate developer, played by Gregory Hines, who wants Rev. Biggs to sell the property. The remake is also more of a musical with 13 songs performed by Whitney Houston throughout the film.

Miracle on the 34th Street
1947: At the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the man who is playing Santa Claus is drunk. Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is outraged and brings it to the attention of Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara), who is running the event. Kris replaces the intoxicated Santa, and does such a great job that he is hired as Macy’s department store Santa for the holiday season. As Kris works in the store, he befriends Doris and her young daughter Susan (Natalie Wood). Doris is no-nonsense and disillusioned from her divorce. Because of this, she never taught Susan about fairy tales or Santa Claus. Kris tries to teach Susan how to make believe and how to be a child. As Kris continues to say he is Santa Claus, the Macy’s psychologist questions his sanity. In the end, lawyer Fred Gailey (John Payne) defends Kris in a court hearing to determine if Kris really is Santa Claus.
1994: When the story was remade in 1994, Macy’s department store did not want to be involved in the film, so the story takes place in the fictional Cole’s Department Store. Much of the story is similar to the original but with some updated names. Elizabeth Walker plays Dorey Walker and Richard Attenborough plays Kris Krinkle. In the 1947 film Doris is not dating Fred at the beginning of the film – though he is interested in her. But in the 1994 film, Dorey has a boyfriend named Bryan Bedford, who is played by Dylan McDermott. Mara Wilson plays young Susan.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Dr. Seuss’ book about the Grinch, a hermit who hates Christmas, has been transformed three times.
The story is about the Grinch who lives alone on a mountain. His hatred for the holiday makes him devise a plan to stop Christmas. He will dress as Santa Claus and steal all the Christmas items from the nearby town of Whoville on Christmas Eve. But on Christmas morning when everyone wakes up, the Grinch hears them gathered and singing, rather than being sad. He travels down the mountain to return their Christmas items and joins in their celebration.
1966: The first time the story was told on screen or television was in a cartoon television special, which aired on CBS on Dec. 18, 1966. The TV special was directed by Chuck Jones, and Boris Karloff narrated and talked for the Grinch.
2000: A live-action feature film of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” was released in 2000 with Jim Carrey as the Grinch. The film was directed by Ron Howard.
2018: Most recently, a second feature film was released in 2018 titled “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch.” This time, the story was 3D computer-animated with Benedict Cumberbatch voicing the Grinch and Pharrell Williams as the narrator.

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Based on a 1937 Hungarian play called Parfumerie by Miklós László, this story has been adapted three times:
Shop Around the Corner (1940): The 1940 version stars Maureen Sullavan and James Stewart. Set in Budapest, Alfred Kralik (Stewart) works in a leathergoods store owned by Mr. Matuschek (Frank Morgan). Klara Novak (Sullavan) comes to the store looking for work, and Klara and Alfred immediately clash. However, both have a secret pen pal that they are falling in love with, and they don’t know it’s the coworker they hate. On Christmas Eve, the are each other’s pin pal.
In the Good Ole Summertime (1949): In 1949, the story was remade as a musical starring Judy Garland as Veronica Fisher and Van Johnson as Andrew Larkin. This time, instead of working in a leathergoods store, they both work in a music shop.
You’ve Got Mail (1998): In 1998, the story was updated from letter correspondence to e-mail pen pals.
The story is changed big business versus small business. Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) owns a small, independent book store which is threatened by a big box book store owned by Joe Fox (Tom Hanks).

Which is your favorite of each version? 

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