Holiday viewing

[esteban miranda]

Since Halloween season horror viewing seems to be an annual tradition around here, as I began to watch a few movies where Christmas played some part, I wondered if documenting such viewing had ever been of interest to forum visitors. If nothing else, consider this a reminder that White Christmas is presented in theaters next week as part of TCM Big Screen Classics.

[AndyDursin]

I think this thread is a great idea...I mean if Halloween can get one...

[Eric Paddon]

Every year at HTF I always mark the Christmas TV episodes, films and old specials I manage to find time for. Some are so beloved they get revisited every year, others not as often, and some I watch again simply because it seems appropriate even if its not the best version of something. I tend to at this time start with "lesser-tier" stuff and work my way to the special group of favorites closer to Christmas.

So far, this is what I've seen.

Movies
"Scrooge" (1935). The earliest sound version with Sir Seymour Hicks. Abbreviated at 60 minutes, it gives us an unseen Marley's Ghost and the only beardless Ghost of Christmas Present I've seen on film. The biggest name for modern audiences is an early part of Maurice Evans ("Planet Of The Apes") as one half of a poor couple that the miserly Scrooge refuses to show compassion for regarding a loan payment.

"A Christmas Carol" (1938). This MGM production has sumptuous production values (and a good Franz Waxman score that has been rescued and preserved in the big Waxman Intrada set) but manages to miss the mark a good deal. Reginald Owen (supposedly a substitute for Lionel Barrymore who was not well enough to do the part) is an ineffective Scrooge with a bad skull cap who incredibly is shown already in the spirit of reforming during Christmas Present (big mistake). Christmas Past is truncated and avoids the darker elements and there's also a strange change where Scrooge *fires* Bob Cratchit after Bob, while playing with street children ends up accidentally hitting Scrooge with a thrown snowball! Gene Lockhart is otherwise okay as Cratchit and there's the novelty of his wife Kathleen as Mrs. Cratchit and 11 year old daughter June Lockhart as one of the Cratchit children (amazing to think anyone from this film made 80 years ago is still with us!). But the reason why this and the 35 version come ahead of my viewing the great versions like Sim and Scott is because it's better to get the weaker ones out of the way first IMO and that way they can be appreciated more for having their heart in the right place than for dissecting where they failed completely.

"Star In The Night" (1947). A 20 minute short film starring J. Carroll Naish as the proprietor of a New Mexico auto court/inn where we get to see his hardened cynicism broken down by a modern parallel to the Nativity Story. This is included in the DVD release of "A Christmas In Connecticut."

TV

Naked City, Season 1-"And a Merry Christmas to the Force on Patrol."
Adam-12, Season 1.
The Odd Couple, Season 1-"Scrooge Gets An Oscar"
Kojak, Season 3-"How Cruel The Frost, How Bright The Stars."
MASH, Season 7-"Dear Sis."
The Love Boat, Season 4

All of these Christmas episodes fall in the average/okay category.

Specials

"A Charlie Brown Christmas"
"Twas' The Night Before Christmas"

-I recorded the CBS airings of these specials (running back to back) the first Christmas I had a VCR, 1985. I still watch them every year with the old commercials and that famous "A CBS Special Presentation" intro.

Radio

Lux Radio Theater-"It's A Wonderful Life." Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed reprised their roles for this 60 minute adaptation with Victor Moore taking over the part of Clarence.

[AndyDursin]

HOME ALONE 2- LOST IN NEW YORK



It had been a long time since I entirely sat through this unnecessary 1992 blockbuster sequel -- but I have to admit, I liked this follow-up a whole lot more this time around.

Returning nearly all of its primary cast and crew, HOME ALONE 2 deftly switches its setting to a New York City that's romantically and lushly shot here by director Chris Columbus and cinematographer Julio Macat. The World Trade Center towers, which Kevin takes photographs from its rooftop, is bittersweetly showcased along with a gorgeous assortment of locales dressed up for the holidays in such a beautiful way that it's easy just to soak in the images and feel the yuletide spirit. There's even a Donald Trump cameo!

Columbus and writer-producer John Hughes don't stray much from the formula established by the first movie, but they do keep the slapstick confined to the final third. The notably longer running time enables the characters to grow a bit more and the overriding tone of the film to be less frenetic, with Eddie Bracken's toy store owner and Brenda Fricker's "Pigeon Lady" (an inspired bit of casting for the "My Left Foot" Oscar winner) having a nice amount of screen time. Tim Curry and Rob Schneider, meanwhile, have comedic fun as disgruntled Plaza Hotel employees.

The added "breathing time" also enables John Williams to write yet another marvelous score (and a strong soundtrack altogether, the movie wisely not utilizing a ton of songs outside Darlene Love's "All Alone on Christmas," written for the film and a perennial classic ever since).

I've always felt his "Christmas Star" carol is one of the purely loveliest compositions of his career, and he's given two places to use it, effectively, in the picture. He also weaves in numerous reprisals of "Somewhere in My Memory" (sans vocals this time) and caps the picture with his rousing "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas" over the end credits -- putting the final wrapping on a mostly contrived and yet still endearingly sweet and satisfying sequel.

[AndyDursin]

BABES IN TOYLAND (1986)

Not to be confused with Irwin Allen's ALICE IN WONDERLAND mini-series, this all-star 1986 NBC TV movie finds a 12-year-old Drew Barrymore, Jill Schoelen and -- yes -- KEANU REEVES whisked off to a fantasy land in this holiday musical featuring new songs from the sometimes-reliable Leslie Bricusse. Richard Mulligan provides the villainy and Pat Morita is also around in this singing and dancing affair, shot in Munich with loads of pretty much forgettable tunes (and a few carryovers from the old operetta). Sadly there's not a lot of charm to this -- the music is sprightly but definitely not up to, say, Bricusse's SCROOGE, while the sunny locations resemble less a dreamy holiday world than Europe in the middle of July (likely when it was shot).

It's also a tough movie to track down, at least how it originally aired -- the original broadcast of this ran 3 hours (142 minutes sans ads), but when Orion released the film to theaters overseas, it was hacked down to 94 minutes. With many songs edited out, the original long version hasn't been seen since (only the cut version was released on video and available to stream), meaning you miss out on songs like this! (and this is one of the better ones, seriously)

[Eric Paddon]

More viewing.

TV

Night Gallery S2-"The Messiah On Mott Street". I imagine others have attempted to write interfaith stories for the season but this is the only on that lands because its genius is that it allows Jewish and Christian viewers to interpret the deeper meaning of the story through their own prisms while simultaneously showing those prisms coexisting in the season equally. A true classic.

Dick Van Dyke Show S3-"The Alan Brady Show Presents." Van Dyke Christmas show is of the "show within a show" device as it presents a Christmas production of the fictional Alan Brady Show that Rob and company write for with the behind the scenes people (Rob, Sally, Buddy etc.) performing. This was a device that Perry Como did on his own variety show in the late 50s (The episode even acknowledges it).

TV Specials

I don't own many CDs of individual singers doing Christmas music (I prefer choral groups, orchestral groups, brass ensembles etc.) but one exception is Julie Andrews. When she did Christmas music it was absolutely angelic. And over the decades she had her share of Christmas specials that I have been discovering for the first time.

1961-Garry Moore Show. Julie for the first time did "My Favorite Things" four years before "Sound of Music" when she appeared on the Christmas show of this weekly variety show that was also in the days when Carol Burnett was still a regular. Gwen Verdon also guests. I have always known Garry Moore principally for his work as a game show host with "I've Got A Secret" and "To Tell The Truth" that it's always been hard for me to realize he was a top-rated variety show star for nearly a decade.

1972-Julie Andrews Hour. Julie had her own ABC variety series in 1972-73. Her Christmas show has a galaxy of guests headlined by Jimmy Stewart. Rich Little was a regular, frequently doing his spot-on Jack Benny impression. But along the way I got a reminder that while Little was the most technically brilliant impressionist there ever was, he was never a great comedian or comic actor in the way that another impressionist Frank Gorshin was able to show he could be. When Little performed, you marveled more at his technical brilliance than laughed, but on this program when he appears with Stewart as his "nephew" and is conversing with Jimmy and both sounding alike, and Jimmy trying not to break up or to stay one step ahead of him, it is priceless.

1973-Julie's Christmas Special. After ABC cancelled her series Julie did a Christmas special the next year (produced by Blake Edwards) for British TV that aired on ABC. It's more avant garde compared to the more traditional special from a year before. Julie has a "dream" about Santa (Peter Ustinov) wanting to quit. Peggy Lee also guests.

1987-The Sound Of Christmas. Julie returns to Salzberg, where "Sound Of Music" was filmed. John Denver, Placido Domingo guest.

1992-Christmas In Washington. For 30 years this was an annual special that aired first on NBC then TBS which took place in the National Building Museum and ended with a speech by the President (in this case, the defeated George Bush). Julie hosts with other musical guests including Neil Diamond.

[John Johnson]

My three essential Holiday films.

[Eric Paddon]

I have just finished a record for watching different versions of "A Christmas Carol", film, TV and animated spanning the 1930s to the 1980s. I find that I can never tire of this because each different version, whether its one of the best or not, always brings its own interpretation from the heart.

1935-"Scrooge" British film with Sir Seymour Hicks. A bit creaky given its the early talking era and many of these actors were silent film performers. An early role for Maurice Evans ("Planet Of The Apes"; "Bewitched") as a victim of Scrooge's ruthlessness.

1938-"A Christmas Carol." MGM production has lavish production values but is a bit too abbreviated and makes some unnecessary changes (Bob gets fired by Scrooge on Christmas Eve). Reginald Owen's skullcap is very obvious in a remastered DVD and Leo G.Carroll a surprisingly ineffective Marley's ghost. Gene and Kathleen Lockhart as Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit, and daughter June who is still with us in an unbilled role as one of the Cratchit children.

1949-"A Christmas Carol." A 25 minute filmed short made for TV in its infancy has Vincent Price hosting and among the Cratchit children is 11 year old Jill Oppenheim who grew up to become Jill St. John!

1951-"Scrooge." The Alastair Sim classic remains the best big screen telling of the story and probably the best overall. It's only flaw is not having Scrooge meet the men of charity again after he reforms.

1954-"Shower Of Stars." A semi-musical that aired three straight years on CBS. Frederic March is Scrooge, Basil Rathbone as Marley. Bernard Herrmann does the score and his music for the scarier moments makes you wonder what he might have done in a full-throated big-screen adaptation. Queenie Leonard who was Mrs. Cratchit in the 1949 version plays the role again.

1956-"The Stingiest Man In Town." A more lavish musical production with Broadway level scoring and staging. This time Rathbone has graduated to the part of Scrooge with Vic Damone as the younger Scrooge and opera diva Patrice Munsel as Belle. Rathbone I think was a more effective Marley than he was a Scrooge. The score is pleasant. I had been familiar with the late 70s animated Rankin-Bass remake and not realized just how big a production the original was. Interesting to discover for the first time.

1958-"A Christmas Carol." March and Rathbone teamed up again for this 25 minute short made in England and presumably for TV there originally. It was distributed by the infamous educational film label "Coronet Films." March is just the host/storyteller with Rathbone as Scrooge again.

1962-"Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol." This was the first version of the tale I experienced on WPIX in the late 70s. I hadn't seen it in a number of years since I tended to identify it too much with childhood. It's pleasant fare though its the only telling that reverses the order by having Christmas Present come before Christmas Past!

1969-"A Christmas Carol" (animated). This 45 minute animated production first aired on CBS in 1969.

1970-"Scrooge". The Albert Finney musical version. I think Bricusse's score is the best of all the musical tellings of the tale, but it goes adrift in the screenplay, especially in the Christmas Yet To Come sequence. Alec Guinness after making a scary entrance then becomes the worst Marley of all with his foppish performance. This was the second version I was introduced to. I can still remember the TV bumpers that would play a spooky sounding clock chime.

1971-"A Christmas Carol" (animated). Directed by Richard Williams, executive produced by Chuck Jones and with Alastair Sim and Michael Hordern repeating their roles from the 1951 classic. This is the best animated version with its only weakness being it's just 25 minutes long. The animation is outstanding, and for the first and only time we see parts of Christmas Present never shown in any other version like taking Scrooge out to see the Christmas cheer far out at sea on a storm-tossed ship or in a lonely lighthouse. And we do get to hear Sim doing the one key missing sequence I mentioned from the 51 classic.

1977-"A Christmas Carol" (BBC). Michael Hordern graduates to Scrooge in this one. This is the first time I have ever seen Bernard Lee, M from the Bond films, in another role as Christmas Present.

1978-"The Stingiest Man In Town" (animated). Abbreviated animated version of the 1956 TV musical done by Rankin-Bass. Walter Matthau voices Scrooge. Tom Bosley's "Humbug" narrator doesn't fit well into the action and takes the material down to the children's level it's aimed at but it's interesting to hear him in a musical given how he first became famous for his role in the musical "Fiorello!". It helped to have finally seen the original TV production this year to make me appreciate the source material better.

1984-"A Christmas Carol." And we close with the George C. Scott version, second best behind the 1951 Sim classic (Clive Donner the director had been film editor on that film).

[Monterey Jack]

Deagle-Deagle-Deagle…!

-Gremlins (1984): 8/10



For those who like their Holiday movies plucked from the "naughty" list.

[Monterey Jack]

-Miracle On 34th Street (1947): 9/10



This is actually the first time I've sat down and watched this Holiday perennial (hey, give me a break...I never watched It's A Wonderful Life for the first time until about five years ago ), and I found it sweet and charming, with l'il Natalie Wood a particular delight. Edmund Gwenn is an ideal Kris Kringle.

-Die Hard (1988) 11/10



Never gets old.

[esteban miranda]

Deagle-Deagle-Deagle…!

-Gremlins (1984): 8/10



For those who like their Holiday movies plucked from the "naughty" list.

Haven't watched Gremlins since it was in theaters. You must have the year wrong, it could not have been that long ago!

[esteban miranda]

Donovan's Reef (1963) 4/5

Don't recall when I first saw this, many years ago, but this has always been a favorite, movie equivalent of comfort food. More free-wheeling than profound, hitting the right (expected) notes, and being a big John Wayne fan doesn't hurt.

[Monterey Jack]

-Anna And The Apocalypse (2018): 8/10



Bloody merry British zombie Christmas musical(!) offers enthusiastic geysers of gore...as well as a toe-tapping pop song score and a fresh, sassy sense of humor that give the gruesomeness a giddy yuletide edge. Ella Hunt, as the titular Anna, suggests a young Anne Hathaway, and anchors the Glee-fully absurd proceedings with a beguiling sweetness and charm (and some impressive pipes). Certain to join Shaun Of The Dead and Zombieland on the shortlist of great zomcoms, and Krampus for its festive frights.

[AndyDursin]

Donovan's Reef (1963) 4/5

Don't recall when I first saw this, many years ago, but this has always been a favorite, movie equivalent of comfort food. More free-wheeling than profound, hitting the right (expected) notes, and being a big John Wayne fan doesn't hurt.

Very entertaining film -- and also one of my Dad's favorite movies. I bought the 1080p version on Vudu for my folks and they watch it on their Roku stick.

[Monterey Jack]

"Just once, I'd like to have a nice, normal Christmas. Some eggnog, a Christmas tree, a little turkey...but no, I gotta crawl around inside this forkin' tin can...!"

-Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990): 10/10



Is this the most underrated great sequel ever made? To this day I can't understand the revisionist attitude to this, the "bad" Die Hard movie, when so many series fans claim to prefer the slapdash, clearly inferior With A Vengeance. It's the only sequel that actually stays true to the formula set down by the first (confined, claustrophobic setting, John McClane butting heads with condescending authority figures, the Christmastime setting), where as the remaining three films just play like generic "action movie" spec scripts with Bruce Willis inserted in at the last minute. And it's also one of the very few sequels that does hew so closely to the overall plot structure of the previous film without seeing like a crass rehash (like, say, The Hangover 2, or whatever). Yes, the film does have its contrivances (while it's fun to see William Atherton's wonderfully slimy reporter Richard Thornburg back, the idea that he JUST HAPPENS to be sharing a flight to DC with Bonnie Bedelia's Holly McClane stretches credulity), but when it delivers the action, thrills and laughs that it does, why carp? Director Renny Harlin handles the mayhem beautifully, with the shootouts, beatdowns and rolling fireballs delivered with a crisp efficiency (Oliver Wood's cinematography is exemplary), and William Sadler, while lacking Alan Rickman's dolefully erudite menace in the first, nevertheless has a feral nastiness that gets under you skin (his emotionless expression as he deliberately misleads a 747 into a devastating crash landing never fails to get me infuriated). And the movie is smart enough to lampshade the fact that McClane is "The wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time" (with Bedelia's hilarious delivery of the line, "Why does this keep happening to us...?!" the perfect capper). Plus, the movie has my favorite individual shot of the series, that gorgeous image of Willis jogging down the runway as the plane lands behind him, with its engines causing the billowing smoke behind him to form this beautiful "whirlpool" as Sibelius' "Finlandia" plays triumphantly on the soundtrack. Nowadays, Willis would be jogging on a treadmill in a greenscreen stage, and the plane and runway would be added later in CGI, but no, that was done for real with an actual landing jet. That's what's missing from today's action cinema, nuts & bolts, you-are-there verisimilitude. Every Christmas season, I feel like a viewing of Die Hard is "incomplete" without viewing the first sequel shortly thereafter, and the remaining films are pretty much dross (I like Live Free Or Die Hard for what it is -- and it's infinitely superior to the sequels on either side of it -- but it doesn't feel much like a Die Hard picture, and the PG-13 rating does hurt it). Time to wake up and smell the 90's and appreciate Die Harder as one of the best action sequels ever made.