Unreleased Christmas Specials on DVD. (1 Viewer)

[Mark Collins]

Watch for a new holiday movie on ABC this weekend!

 

[Professor Echo]

Mark, my guess is that DVD is a bootleg dub from the old VHS copies (currently going for big bucks at Amazon). I don't believe the Richard Williams/Chuck Jones version has had an official release on DVD.

 

[JamesSmith]

Professor Echo, that was my guess too. Somehow it didn't look like it was an officially sanctioned copy by Mr. Williams and whoever owns the rights. James

 

[Mark Collins]

HI Guys thanks for the tip. I took down the link. The only thing is the company I bought this from has been in business for some time and sells products on the Irwin Allen Series and all sorts of good things. I read the back and looked it over. Has the ABC rights printed on the back plus all other things you find on a regular DVD. The date however is 1993 which may back up your theory. I wonder if ABC just said put it on dvd but no extra work to be done on it. The way Shout did Peyton Place on dvd. I also must say to back up your theory Guys that I was not to happy with the DVD qualitiy when I watched it. I have only watched it once when I purchased it last year. Still i just do not see this company which sells it putting themselves in a bad position to get sued. Here is where I think ABC may have just said put on dvd with nothing done to the movie. Great thread and Happy Holidays to everyone in the forum!

 

[cajunhillbilly]

I have a PD DVD with The Littlest Angel on it and plan to watch it soon.

 

B.C. Christmas (from the comic strip...also LOVE the Thanksgiving special)

The Little Rascals Christmas (animated, 1978)


...these have never been released on dvd and the vhs copies are soaring in price.

 

[greg.shoemaker]

FYI: The B.C. specials for Thanksgiving and for Christmas were double-billed on a laserdisc release many years ago. Greg

 

[Louis Letizia]

CHRISTMAS IS... was a 1/2 hr animated special that was played on local stations on weekends closer to holiday. About a sheperd boy in a school play-it was quiite extraordinary. I believe it was around '69 or '70. My 20/30 something nieces/nephews would kill for GLO FRIENDS SAVE CHRISTMAS with Ed Asner! THE MAN IN THE SANTA CLAUS SUIT was a nice one. And Dolly Partons SMOKEY MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS and CHRISTMAS COAL MINE MIRACLE should have been on dvd by now.

 

[Eric Vedowski]

"Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree" (1995) with Robert Downey, Jr; Leslie Nielsen, Stockard Channing, Kermit the Frog and the Muppets. Jim Henson Productions-does that mean it's owned by Disney now? They don't even show this on TV. Based on a popular children's book from 1963.

 

[JamesSmith]

Now. Is there anything we can do to change this? Is there any we can draw attention to our favorite forgotten holiday specials? Your ideas are as good as mine. And I don't have any. James

 

[NY2LA]

IT HAPPENED ONE CHRISTMAS was produced by Marlo Thomas' production company and is owned by Universal. I wonder if they no longer have the rights to show it - seems it disappeared right after the current owners of Republic Pictures found a way to reclaim the rights to the original. Remember the reason IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE was on TV so often was because it went into the public domain. I wonder if that was why the remake was done. I like this version myself, amazing that aside from the sex change of the main character, the rest of the movie is remarkably faithful to the original. So much of it is pleasantly familiar because of the (nearly entire) supporting cast and the fact that it was shot on one of the most recognizable backlots in the world. My wish list also includes the missing Mupper/Denver specials, The Sebastian Cabot Hartman/Alexander remake of MIRACLE on 34th ST. plus THE NIGHT THEY SAVED CHRISTMAS (which is available in England in PAL) I would also like to see the uncut version of MUPPET FAMILY CHRISTMAS and THE MUPPETS CHRISTMAS CAROL. The old Rankin Bass specials still aren't all out yet, remember Angela Lansbury as a nun in FIRST CHRISTMAS (SNOW)? Now, at least somewhat related to Christmas, big on my wish list is the original uncut version of the Royal Shakespeare Company's historical and brilliant theatrical production of THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. The story is all pure Dickens (a faithful staging of the entire book) and ends at Christmas. It was a live play that ran 8 and a half hours, divided into two parts, the first with one intermission, the second with two. It aired first on US TV divided into four or five parts by the original breaks. Was released on VHS on four tapes, but then A&E got their hands on it and butchered it up into NINE parts with individual opening and closing credits. Not only are the new interruptions inappropriate to the plotline, they left out material in the process. It originated in London, caused an international popular and critical sensation, was held over and revived, then played on Broadway for the fall to Holiday season of 1981. Totally sold out clean way in advance of opening and every ticket in the Plymouth Theatre cost $100. The cast includes now familiar Roger Rees and others we'd come to know like Bob Peck who is in Jurassic Park.

 

[Louis Letizia]

"A Christmas Memory" is part of a feature put out in 1969 by Allied Artists called TRILOGY. It also included "Miriam" and another Truman Capote short story that starred Maureen Stapleton-the title of which I cannot remember. TRILOGY was put out by the long defunct Allied Artists video(they are very rare-the signature of these videos were they were all cream colored in hardcase sleeves with an open end to slide the video out of) -but never rereleased in any form since. Hopefully WB now owns this-it would be a great Warner Archive release. It Happened One Christmas-also a favorite of mine-does seem to show up every year on an off or local channel like WGN , Gospel Network -of caught it many times-usually on a weekend afternoon. If Marlo Thomas owns this I'm surprise she hasnt sold the rights. Her special FREE TO BE YOU AND ME is still on dvd after a decade or more. Otherwise this may belong to MGM thru ABC

 

[Charles Ellis]

Well, the AA catalog is indeed owned by Warner Bros., but I don't know if the Capote-based TV specials from the 60s are part of the package. Keep your fingers crossed!

 

Rankin/Bass: The First Christmas (The Story of the First Christmas Snow) and The Little Drummer Boy Book II are not available on dvd yet, although they were released on vhs....I love them both.

I'll Be Home For Christmas with Eva Marie Saint, Hal Holbrook, and Courtney Cox is a moving television movie that takes place during WWII...it is heartbreaking, but like a Norman Rockwell painting. It aired on NBC in 1988....wonderful Christmas movie/special.

 

[Louis Letizia]

The 1973 Miracle oh Street is now on Netflix instant streaming. With any luck we will get many of our wants here at least through streaming. Here's hoping It Happened One Christmas becomes available. If I'm not mistaken I believe Hulu has I'll Be Home For Christmas (the Cox/Holbrook one) streamed last Holiday season

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Louis Letizia

The 1973 Miracle oh Street is now on Netflix instant streaming.

It's not the '73 version. It's simply the colorized version of the original. Netflix has it labeled wrong.


Gary "they do, however, have the 20th Century Fox Hour version I mentioned in another [url=http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/295423/favorite-christmas-episodes/30#post_3874122]thread for those that might be curious" O.

 

[Ockeghem]

Also forgot about the The Night the Animals Talked.  It was re-run on the Family Channel in the 90's. Really wish this could come out on DVD, or on some re-run channel. It may have not ranked up there with the Grinch, Charlie Brown, or other Christmas specials, but it had it's own charm. I believe it was an Italian production and was run on ABC for two years in the early seventies. I know at least one person a few years ago, tried to track it down. It had a pro-Christ theme to it, as opposed to Santa Clause with many seasonal specials these days. James

James, Seconded. Some sites say that it ran only four times on ABC from 1970-1973. I saw it two or three times during its original run, but missed the times you mentioned when it ran on the Family Channel. I'd love for it to become available one day.

 

[NY2LA]

"A Christmas Memory" is part of a feature put out in 1969 by Allied Artists called TRILOGY. It also included "Miriam" and another Truman Capote short story that starred Maureen Stapleton-the title of which I cannot remember. TRILOGY was put out by the long defunct Allied Artists video(they are very rare-the signature of these videos were they were all cream colored in hardcase sleeves with an open end to slide the video out of) -but never rereleased in any form since. Hopefully WB now owns this-it would be a great Warner Archive release. It Happened One Christmas-also a favorite of mine-does seem to show up every year on an off or local channel like WGN , Gospel Network -of caught it many times-usually on a weekend afternoon. If Marlo Thomas owns this I'm surprise she hasnt sold the rights. Her special FREE TO BE YOU AND ME is still on dvd after a decade or more. Otherwise this may belong to MGM thru ABC

A Christmas Memory is available on streaming Netflix and I think also on demand via cable or else it is just being run a lot because it's been showing up in searches quite a bit lately. Marlo doesn't necessarily OWN It Happened One Christmas, though her company did produce it for whoever actually owns it. Universal definitely holds and controls it. I think If Marlo owned it outright it would have come out long ago.

 

[Radioman970]

I wonder if they will release the Star Wars Christmas special even though I would pass on that one. I wished they had included the I Love Lucy Merry Christmas to the fans in the first year in the DVD set and is included now in the Best of I Love Lucy just released. I watch the color version of 1956 Christmas epsiode every year.

That's what I was going to list. Really fun special, product of the time, etc. I recently was able to watch a copy of it and it's extremely nostalgic and fun. Hopefully Mr. Lucas will let it go...and just put it on a disc for we with lower standards because of our insane love of all things nostlagic. haha! I bought the I Love Lucy Candy Heart Box set...I thought it included all the TV stuff.

... The Littlest Angel (with Johnny Whittaker) ...

Plenty of dollar DVDs of this one. It's on the Mill Creek Xmas sets.. I have several copies of it. Not a bad special, Fred Gwyenne (sic?, Herman Munster! haha) is in it.

 

[cajunhillbilly]

I watched The Littlest Angel just the other day on a PD dvd. Nice Christmas special.