Story Review: Gift of the Magi

This is a classic O' Henry story.  This story was first published in 1905 in The New York Sunday World.  It was published in book form in 1906 as part of an anthology of O'Henry stories.  It tells the classic tell of a couple struggling to by their new spouse the perfect Christmas gift on very little money.  The ending is a classic comedic irony, and is well known to most.  This story has been made into several movies and plays.  He gives her combs for her hair, which he purchased by pawning his watch.  At the same time she buys him a nice chain for his watch, by selling her hair.  That they take it so well is what makes this story a classic.

Christmas Movie Review: ***A Gift of Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YQHtEUSp3Y
one of the songs

This is a 1978 made for TV movie.  This movie stars Marie Osmond.   It is a cute story based on  “The Gift of the Magi.” It does not follow faithfully the O’Henry story.  It actually starts sometime before the present exchange which makes the story famous, but is the love story of the young woman (Osmond) who has two suitors, the rich man she does not love, and the common laborer she does.  The story is familiar to everyone, of the gift exchange, he selling his watch to buy her combs for her hair, and she cutting her hair to buy him a chain for his watch, it is still moving.  To love such that you would give up your most prized possession is love indeed. 
Marie Osmond sings a couple songs.  However the songs do not sound period and don’t really add to the story.  The ice skating of the couple is cute.  Also the bird hunting of her first fiancé is also very funny.  It was actually the first fiancé, who realized they would not be happy, and suggested breaking off the wedding.  He, in the end, had more courage than he was given credit for.
And so she displeases her uncle, and goes after the man she loves.  It is Christmas Eve they are married, and Christmas day the gifts are presented.  I enjoyed this show, and feel others might as well.

Movie Review: ***The Gift of the Magi (2010)

This is a remake of the O. Henry classic.  However in this version we substitute an antique car and a camera for the hair and watch.  This version adds a marital fight and separation just before the giving of gifts.  I didn't really care for this part, because if they were truly people who sacrificed so much as they did, I think they would have had more trust.  The two things did not fit in my mine.  The separation was based on a misunderstanding and lots of pride.  He saw her with a man, who in fact was her second boss at a job she took to make money for his gift.  There is a side story of the best friends of each of the main characters needing to find someone, and having been unlucky in love in the past.

Movie Review: ***^ O'Henry's Full House

This is a movie which present five short stories of O'Henry and is narrated by John Steinbeck.  Some of the stories were familiar to me.  The first is "The Cop and the Anthem."  This is the basis for a Red Skelton sketch.  Briefly, the story is of a "bum" who is down on his luck.  Winter is coming on, so he determines three months in jail would be nice and warm.  However he finds it difficult to get arrested.  He throws a rock through a window, and they chase someone else; he eats a fine meal with no means to pay, and gets thrown out.  Nothing seems to work.  He finds himself in a church, and his heart is pricked and he decides he should get a job and start a new life.  However he is arrested for vagrancy, and thrown in jail for three months, he gets what he wants, the second he doesn't want it.

The Clarion Call is a police story which pits a detective against his old friend he grew up with.  His friend turned out to be a criminal, who has just killed a man in a burglary.  However he holds a mark over the detective, a $1000 mark of money he loaned the detective.  He knows the detective cannot repay, and cannot turn him in as long as he is in his debt.  The detective gets out of the bind by getting the reward money offered by a paper for his arrest, and giving this to the criminal.

The third is "The Last Leaf,"  I recently reviewed the BYU version of this movie.  This version is more a period piece.  It does not have such a close relationship between the painter and the girls, but mostly one of acquaintance.  However the sacrifice of the painter is just as real as he paints his masterpiece.

The Ransom of Red Chief is well done and very funny.  It is about a kidnapping.  The con men have an old car which is humorous all to itself.  I am pretty sure there is a Don Knots movie of the same theme (No Deposit No Return.)  This movie is very funny, as the family enjoys a couple days without their terror of a son, and the kidnappers are forced ts pay him parents to take him back. 

The last movie is "The Gift of the Magi."  There is a similar movie with Marie Osmond.  This version is very well done as well.  It does not show what their pride and joys are, but shows the anguish at getting money to but Christmas.  There is no bonus this year, but she has the barber cut her hair for a wig, and she is able to but a chain for his watch.  He sells his watch so as to get combs for her hair.  They know they love each other after they have given their most priced possession for the other.

This movie is worthy of watching.  It was enoyable and is good family fair.