Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck, Double Indemnity) is a successful food writer whose wholesome life on a Connecticut farm with her husband and baby has made her a much-loved fixture in the lives of housewives across America. However, unbeknownst to her many fans – or her publisher – Elizabeth’s life is entirely fictitious. She in fact leads a bachelorette lifestyle in New York and ‘borrows’ recipes for the magazine from her honorary uncle, Felix (S. Z. Sakall). When a returning war hero (Dennis Morgan) takes a particular fondness for her writing, Elizabeth is pressed by her publisher to host him for a special Christmas dinner at her house – and Elizabeth must quickly find herself a husband, baby, and a Connecticut farm to maintain her charade or risk a career-ending scandal.
This classic romantic comedy of errors delighted audiences upon its release and even spawned a 1992 remake directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger – the original 1945 release directed by Peter Godfrey, however, has endured as a beloved festive favourite.