Revisionist History — "Christmas in Connecticut"

Podcast: Revisionist History
Host: Malcolm Gladwell
Guest Host/Narrator: Ben Nadaff-Haffery
Date: December 25, 2025
Theme: The truly bizarre tale behind the 1992 Arnold Schwarzenegger–directed made-for-TV remake of the classic holiday film "Christmas in Connecticut."

Overview

This episode of Revisionist History dives deep into the unlikely and hilarious journey of the 1992 TV movie remake "Christmas in Connecticut," directed by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ben Nadaff-Haffery guides listeners through the history, the absurd production process, behind-the-scenes chaos, and the oddball legacy of a film that most people have never heard of, let alone watched — except, perhaps, for his own family or former inmates with limited streaming options.

More broadly, the episode examines what drives creative people, the joy of making something improbable, and how loving the process (more than the end result) can be a gift in itself.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Contrasting Christmas Traditions: Gladwell vs. Nadaff-Haffery

• Malcolm Gladwell describes his family’s spare, restrained approach to Christmas, jokingly describing it as "mid-century modern" (05:20).
  • Quote: “In the Gladwell family, we do a mid-century modern Christmas. Spare, elegant, minimalist, lots of the baby Jesus in a tasteful Scandinavian leather and rosewood manger. No Santa, no reindeer, no elves.” (05:35)
• Ben Nadaff-Haffery’s family is the opposite: exuberant, elaborate, and obsessed with Christmas movies, especially the 1945 Barbara Stanwyck classic "Christmas in Connecticut" (06:09).

2. The Original 'Christmas in Connecticut' and Its Legacy

• Ben explains the plot and charm of the 1945 original; a screwball comedy revolving around a food columnist whose entire domestic goddess persona is a sham (06:37).
  • Quote: “She doesn’t live in Connecticut. She lives in a tiny apartment in New York. And she has no clue how to cook.” (06:54)
• The film is beloved and watched every year in Ben’s household.

3. Discovery of the 1992 Remake: Enter Arnold Schwarzenegger

• Ben accidentally discovers that his favorite Christmas movie has a 1992 TV remake — directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger — and embarks on a personal quest to learn the story behind it (07:46).
• Stan Brooks (producer) and Janet Brownell (screenwriter) recall the origins of the remake and how it unexpectedly landed with Schwarzenegger at the helm (08:19–11:19).

4. Why Would Arnold Direct This?

• At the time, Arnold was coming off the massive success of "Terminator 2."
• According to his agent Lou Pitt:
  • Arnold wanted a safe, low-budget, uncontroversial project to try his hand at directing, fearing he might flop and not wanting a big studio project riding on his beginner’s skills (12:31).
  • Quote (Stan Brooks): “The directing thing was kind of out of the box, out of left field ... The only one that fit the bill was Christmas in Connecticut.” (12:44)

5. Wacky Pre-production: Rewrites and 'Schwarzeneggerizing' the Script

• Arnold insisted on more action and comedy, prompting a major rewrite of the original script (15:32).
  • Quote (Janet Brownell): “The whole thing took this like 180 degree turn... It just Schwarzeneggerized into, like, this thing that was bigger than life.” (15:51)
• Script doctors included writers from action movies like "Commando," at Arnold’s request, leading to some seriously odd tonal shifts (16:13–18:20).
• Legendary comedy director Ivan Reitman and even Steven Spielberg (per Arnold) weighed in on script notes (18:20).

6. Casting Choices: A Truly Bizarre Ensemble

• Diane Cannon as the Martha Stewart-esque lead, Kris Kristofferson as the rugged love interest (male lead), Tony Curtis (Hollywood legend), and more (19:47–20:22).
  • Quote (Nick Lombardo, TNT VP): “...that is the weirdest cast I’ve ever heard of. The idea that these people fit together made no sense at all.” (20:05)

7. On-Set Chaos: Experience vs. Inexperience

• Filming began in LA (for convenience), shooting scenes in order for simplicity due to Arnold’s inexperience (24:24).
• Early scenes included a "Schwarzeneggerized" action rescue set piece — described as “a snowball fight gone awry” with a mannequin child and questionable stunt work (25:22–26:36).
• Issues with actors’ egos and “trailer size” disputes, particularly starring Diane Cannon (27:13).
• “Screwball comedy” presented unique directorial challenges Arnold wasn’t fully prepared for (27:47).

8. Behind-the-Scenes Antics & Arnold’s Directorial Style

• Multiple stories of on-set improvisation, with Arnold pitching wild ideas and expecting them to work (33:36).
  • Quote (Stan Brooks): “While this is happening, while we’re making this little tiny movie, he is in theaters with Terminator 2... and his major concern is whether or not is it in focus?” (33:36–34:32)
• Arnold’s favorite insult—calling people “forehead”—became an in-joke and even made it into the final movie (34:33–34:54).
  • Notable moment in the film (34:54): “Come on, you four heads! Get them up.”

9. The Worst Bath Scene in Movie History

• Comparison between the original and remake’s iconic “bathing the baby” scene.
• In the remake, what should be a sweetly awkward moment is turned into a slapstick disaster, leading to the infamous line: “What happens next is the greatest travesty in the history of bath time. It’s as if you gave two aliens a baby and said, give this a bath...” (31:07)
  • Quote (Janet Brownell): “That is a flat-out director fail. I mean, that right there, like, retake the scene 100%. And there probably were three or four versions of that. That’s the one he chose.” (31:54)

10. Despite Everything: Fond Memories and the Joy of Creation

• Crew and cast recall the chaos with surprising affection—acknowledging the madness, but also the fun and community on-set (33:14, 35:33).
  • Quote (Stan Brooks): “It was a trip to Oz that I knew was short lived, but it was something I was going to take in and enjoy as much as possible.” (35:33)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Malcolm Gladwell on Christmas:

"In the Gladwell family, we do a mid-century modern Christmas. Spare, elegant, minimalist ..."
(05:35)

Stan Brooks on first hearing Arnold’s pitching as director:

“Arnold Schwarzenegger’s not doing a Christmas movie for TNT.”
(11:22)

Janet Brownell on losing creative control:

“The whole thing took this like 180 degree turn. At that point it was just like, what is happening? ... I truly don’t see this. But if it gets the film greenlight, I don’t give a shit.”
(15:51)

On production chaos:

“It was as chaotic as the scene is, but behind the scenes it was even more so.”
(32:49)

Arnold’s unique leadership style:

“So there’s Arnold’s voice, you know, just bellowing out. And that was the other thing I really remember was that...his major concern is whether or not is it in focus?”
(33:36)

Arnold’s favorite put-down – “forehead”

“Come on you four heads! Get them up!”
(34:54—Scene in the movie)

Janet Brownell, post-premiere:

“I remember sitting at the screening with my agent and I was like crying. I mean, I was like, oh my God, why were you crying? Because it’s like, it’s so bad and my name is on this.”
(45:42–45:53)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Gladwell/Nadaff-Haffery Christmas comparison (05:20–06:09)
• Recap of 1945 original film (06:37–07:18)
• Discovery of Schwarzenegger remake (07:46–08:11)
• Schwarzenegger’s unexpected interest & reasoning (11:22–13:11)
• Rewriting and production chaos begins (15:32–18:20)
• Unusual casting recounted (19:47–20:22)
• On-set stories, funniest mishaps
  • Action rescue gone awry (25:22–26:36)
  • Bath-time disaster (31:05–31:54)
  • “Forehead” insult explained (34:33–34:54)
• Fond memories despite (because of?) the chaos (33:14, 35:33)
• Legendary production wrap party—Arnold in a Santa hat, custom sweatshirts: "More snow, you forehead!" (35:54–36:13)
• Mitch Albom plays the original ‘Cooking For Two’ song from the movie, live at 92nd Street Y (39:40–44:18)
• The wild LA premiere & post-release reception (44:36–46:33)
• Its legacy: Schwarzenegger, Brooks, and California film tax credits (47:45–49:56)
• Ben’s reflections on the joy of making something, even if it’s weird (51:08–51:25)
• Closing Dickens quote:

  "His own heart laughed, and that was quite enough for him." (52:38)

The Episode's Legacy & Reflections

• The film was neither a critical nor popular success (IMDb rating: 4.8/10), but the episode argues that the process—and the friendships, memories, and laughter it generated—were invaluable.
  • Quote (Stan Brooks): "I got in the business to make movies, and I get to make two or three a year. ... I'm happy with my life." (50:39)
• Schwarzenegger’s “failed” directorial debut later played indirectly into his political career—and contributed to keeping Hollywood in California.
• The episode closes with a warm message about the true spirit of Christmas: embracing joy, laughter, and the "ridiculous" in life, both on and off set.

Tone & Language

• The episode is playful, conversational, and self-deprecating, with loving ridicule and deep affection for everyone involved—especially the hapless but enthusiastic Schwarzenegger and producer Stan Brooks.
• There’s a strong theme of affectionate nostalgia and the celebration of flawed but earnest creativity.

Closing Sentiment

"Maybe Stan and Arnold didn’t make It’s a Wonderful Life, but it seems to me like their own hearts were laughing." (52:38)

Happy Holidays, you foreheads!