My favorite holiday film.

One film that I watch every Christmas season, in addition to Alistair Sim in A Christmas Carol, Albert Finney in  Scrooge, and Crosby and Kaye in White Christmas is my favorite of all, 1957's Desk Set. True, it's not actually a Christmas film, but it has enough of the holidays in it to qualify. What do I like about this film? Everything. I love that it's in Technicolor and CinemaScope. I marvel at the brilliance of its script by Phoebe and Henry Ephron, based on the play by William Marchant. I has a superbly talented supporting cast: Joan Blondell, Dina Merrill, Gig Young, Sue Randall and Neva Patterson. Plus it has lots of what few movies have today: moments. The moments in Hepburn's cozy apartment on a rainy afternoon. The witty exchange between Tracy and Hepburn during a chilly rooftop lunch. The moments when research maven Hepburn is on the phone imparting information about the Watusi or dramatically reading, "Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight."  And dozens of other perfectly crafted and unforgettable scenes. And, of course, I love that is so nostalgically conveys the mood of Christmas in Midtown Manhattan in the idyllic late 1950s. Directed by Walter Lang, this taut comedy about the dawning of the computer age is a film that's always a like-new pleasure. If you haven't seen it, do.