Movies make merry this season

In this corner, you’ve got buh-buh-buh-Bing, the greatest crooner of his age. And in this corner, you’ve got gosh-well-shucks Jimmy, the noblest everyman.

Try setting up a championship bout between these two icons of humble American decency, and they’d probably just shake hands and swap heartwarming stories about learning the true meaning of Christmas.

That’s what’s in wide release at Clark County’s pair of independent, community-focused movie theaters in late December. The Liberty in Camas and the Kiggins in downtown Vancouver will deliver a Santa sackful of holiday film nostalgia — including simultaneous screenings of “White Christmas” at both locations as well as a run of “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the Kiggins.

The former features Tacoma native Bing Crosby — the top-selling recording artist of the 20th century — as a cynical veteran and showbiz producer who falls in love, against all odds, at Christmastime. And, of course, it features that gorgeous song by Irving Berlin about perfect Christmases of yesteryear. “White Christmas” was released in 1954.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Stewart stars in the almost-tragic tale of a suicidal young striver who is saved from himself, first by an intervening angel and again by the very town he yearns to flee. “It’s a Wonderful Life” wasn’t a smash when it came it out in 1946. The FBI, which disliked the film’s obvious class consciousness — virtuous poor versus evil banker — warned that it seemed like Communist propaganda.

But in 1974, the film’s copyright lapsed and it started showing annually on TV, which is how it became such a sentimental favorite. It’s much more than that, too: movie historians consider the gritty-yet-miraculous “It’s a Wonderful Life” one of the greatest films ever made.

“The film has a life of its own now, and I can look at it like I had nothing to do with it,” director Frank Capra once told The Wall Street Journal. “I’m like a parent whose kid grows up to be president.”

A very Chevy Christmas

Another lovably berserk dad who loses it at Christmastime is Chevy Chase in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” also screening at the Liberty. The “good old-fashioned family Christmas” that Chase insists upon means everything must be the biggest and best: the grandest tree in the forest, the most twinkling lights on his house, the fattest holiday bonus to make his dreams come true — and the SWAT team that eventually storms the place.

We won’t spoil any more surprises, other than to mention that, true to form, this third installment in National Lampoon’s series of wacky family films was panned as a faded gimmick when released in 1989 — but that never dampened its popularity.

At the Kiggins, “Elf” stars Will Ferrell as Santa’s hugest little helper. After discovering that he is adopted — the 6-foot-3-incher is not actually an elf, go figure! — Ferrell travels to New York City to rescue his natural father from the dreaded Naughty list. “Elf,” which features a rousing citywide chorus of “Santa Claus is Coming To Town” while Santa and Ferrell barely survive a sleigh ride through Central Park, was praised for its wholesomeness and smarts when it was released in 2003.

More than movies

Holiday spirits at Kiggins and the Liberty will shine through in more than movies. For one thing, there’s “A Radio Christmas Carol,” the classic tale of greed and redemption, as performed live on the Kiggins stage by the voice actors and Foley artists of the Willamette Radio Workshop. If you’ve never attended one of these old-fashioned radio-drama presentations, this season is the perfect time to join the fun. Admission is free with a donation to the Clark County Food Bank.

And, the Liberty will continue its fine-arts “event cinema” series with a live-in-London film of the Royal Ballet’s sumptuous stage production of “The Nutcracker.” Reviewers have given this version top marks for its stellar cast, gorgeous sets and even a strengthened storyline in the second half, which is usually little more than a dance showcase for all the magical sugarcanes, flowers and fairies hanging out in the Land of Sweets.