Holiday Affair

Robert Mitchum plays against type as an ordinary, amiable fellow who works in a department store. He catches single mother Janet Leigh doing “comparison shopping,” which back in the days of writing up sales tickets and eagle-eyed floorwalkers, meant buying stuff so competing stores could find out what the prices were. (Why they couldn’t just walk though and take a look escapes me, but there must have been a reason.) This was a no-no, enough to get you permanently deep-sixed and have your picture circulated all over town, ending your employment. Leigh’s annoying little boy wants an expensive train set for Christmas, and thinks Mom has bought one for him, not realizing it has to go back to the store for a refund. So Bob buys one for him. If you can’t figure out where it goes from there, you must never have gone to the movies.