My Favorite Christmas Movie: From Casablanca to Oz

I have always admired Jack and when reading his autobiography I was struck by a wonderful quote that he said something like: “I have always believed that when you step into the elevator and you reach the floor highest” — which he, apparently, did in action — “you are obligated to take the elevator down and get someone else up.” Actually, that always reminds me of Gay Byrne. The opening is awesome and I love the fact that it’s black and white. I’d say I’ve seen it 100 times. I always find something new in there that I missed.

Joe Duffy Presents ‘Liveline’, One of RTÉ Radio’s Longest Shows

‘This magical childhood favorite is still good’

Pat Kenny

Wizard of Oz is always shown at Christmas even though strictly speaking it is not a Christmas movie. I love it because it takes me back to my childhood and the magic of movies. As a child, I remember seeing it for the first time and it was unbelievable how it went from the black and white of Kansas to this colorful world of Oz. I love all the characters, especially the Lion. Looking at it as an adult, it remains amazingly strong – on the surface it’s about the human condition, about facing fear. It’s a beautiful moral story.

Pat Kenny Presents ‘The Pat Kenny Show’ on Newstalk

‘It’s a TV series but it’s really heartwarming’

Louise Heraghty

Every Christmas, for years, my brother Brian and I would watch Christmas on Division Street. It’s a TV series that came out in 1991. It’s based on a true story. Fred Savage — who everyone will know from The Wonder Years — plays a schoolboy who befriends a homeless man. That’s basically its premise, but it’s really nice and heartwarming. We first came across it on TV, but couldn’t find it again for years, until I was working in a video store in Sligo as a teenager. We will rent it every year. Brian currently lives in Vancouver – he’s a bigger movie fan than I am – but I think that movie means a lot to him too.

Louise Heraghty is the host of the weather show RTÉ

‘I like the concepts of space and time travel but it’s bigger than that’

Zainab Boladale

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I love Which doctor? Special Christmas. I’ve watched them since I was a kid. I love to see the new ones and there’s always real anticipation each year, but I also always watch the old ones avidly. I am passionate about science fiction and love the concepts of space and time travel. It’s bigger than that — the characters are quirky, playful, and engaging no matter your age. I still love them now, at 26, just as I did when I was 12. A lot of people have played Doctor Who, but David Tennant is my favourite, probably because he played that role when I was a teenager and is revisiting him taking me back in time.

Zainab Boladale is a journalist for RTÉ’s ‘Nationwide’

‘I was going to watch 10 minutes but I couldn’t leave’

Ciara Kelly

I admire Casablanca, and its magic never goes away. I first saw it on Christmas Eve and I was in my parents’ house. I was in college at the time and was about to go out for the night and then Casablanca come on television. I thought I would watch it for about 10 minutes, but I watched it to the end. I couldn’t leave – I was glued to it. I loved the characters and got sucked into that war period. There are many great lines of quotes from it too. And it’s black and white, which reminds me of my youth and my parents — I tend to only watch black and white movies at Christmas. I watched it recently Casablanca with my daughter and she loves it too.

Ciara Kelly co-presents Newstalk’s ‘Breakfast’

‘It was an evening the swans played like a great album’

Fiachna O Braonain

A movie that I watch over and over again, Christmas or not, is The Last Waltz. It’s Martin Scorsese’s great concert movie about The Band. It was basically a night of swans, and the respect and love they have for them is evident when you look at the incredible list of musicians who have performed together on stage. [Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison among many others]. The concert footage is great, but what’s really special are the mood swings shot in and around the sound stage in the days ahead. It’s a bit like a great album that every time you pay attention to the little details in it.

Broadcaster Fiachna Ó Braonáin is a founding member of Hothouse Flowers

‘It’s a timeless classic that pulls your heart out, leaves you in tears, fills you with joy’

Luan Parle
It’s a wonderful life is a timeless classic that pulls your heart out, brings you to tears, fills you with joy, and helps you remember what really matters in life. It’s a good family movie with a deep message. I can’t remember exactly how old I was when I first saw it but I knew I was very young and it was Christmas with my family, all sitting around the fire. At that point, I wouldn’t understand the real meaning behind it. Now, with each passing year, as I revisit it, I learn a little bit more from it. Quote from Clarence, the angel in the film: “No man fails when he has friends.”

Luan Parle is an award-winning musician and composer

‘We are all pilgrims trying to get to a better place to live’

John Creedon
My favorite movie to watch at Christmas is, without a doubt, Wizard of Oz. My kids are starting to love it and so are my grandchildren. It was a remarkable movie. The evil witch of the West still scares me! It was only after many years that I realized that it was also an adult movie. It is so socially relevant that, to some extent, we are all pilgrims trying to get to a place where life is better. Above all, the great Oz himself…sometimes these great dictators, whether Putin or someone else, are just a scared little man when you pull the curtain back. I watch it every Christmas and it never loses its enchanting power.

John Creedon is a broadcaster and author whose latest book is ‘The Irish Folklore Treasury’

‘My wife and I watched it on New Year’s Eve and it became a thing’

Rick O’Shea

Important part of When did Harry meet Sally is at the end. Spoiler alert (even though the movie’s been out long enough) — they end up together at a New Year’s Eve party. The film’s finale takes place around Christmas and both are pretty heartbreaking, but there’s a happy ending after that. It is a movie that my husband and I love very much. When we met, about 12 years ago, we watched it on New Year’s Eve and it became a thing. Every year, when we’re not doing something, we watch it. Some years, we even arrange the time of the new year in reality like in the movie.

Rick O’Shea is the broadcaster who runs Ireland’s largest book club

‘An incredible cast and not a single bad song’

Aedin Gormley

high society unusual, is a musical began to appear on the screen. It’s really the musical version of the classic black and white movie The Philadelphia Storyand I loved that version so much that when I recently watched it again, I missed the songs. high society there are songs by Cole Porter, who to me is a master musician, and there is no such thing as a bad song. There’s also an incredible cast, including Grace Kelly in her only role in a musical, and you have Frank Sinatra teaming up with Bing Crosby for the first time. And Louis Armstrong was there, too, playing the trumpet. It’s also very funny – lovely and light at this time of year.

Aedín Gormley Presents ‘Film and Musical’ on RTÉ Lyric FM