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And I have done my usual post-Christmas encore viewings of Kildare and Dragnet which always closes the books on the Christmas season viewings for me, and leaves me with thought of what changes will have taken place in my life and in the world by the time the process begins again in eleven months...

"Operation Petticoat" is one of the few shows left I still hope might make it to DVD. I enjoyed watching it its first season but bailed out when it jettisoned almost the entire cast for its short-lived second series. I still have the two hour pilot film remake of the 1959 movie from a...

These movies watched on Christmas Day. The Nativity Story (2006) Meet Me In St. Louis (1945) The Christmas Candle (2014) It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

And now we close the books on the Christmas specials. I'll be watching a few movies on the 25th. Christmas In Washington (1987) -Barbara Mandrell, Jack Jones, Marilyn McCoo. Julie Andrews: The Sound Of Christmas (1987) -Also with John Denver, Placido Domingo. Julie does this special from...

There were a couple items I'd watched I neglected to put in previous listings so I'm including them here. In addition to 1986 specials, I decided it was time to get to the Big Three. Father Dowling Mysteries, S3-"The Christmas Mystery" Loretta Young Show, S3-"Christmas Stopover" Loretta...

Two westerns and then I revisit all the specials I remember watching and taping in 1984-85. Daniel Boone, S2-"The Christmas Story" -I've reduced my holdings of this show to just the first two seasons. This Nativity parallel story is a good one, and I appreciate the fact that it bucks the...

The next round finishes off all remaining versions of "A Christmas Carol" and I also break the ice with a couple upper tier items. A Christmas Without Snow (1980) -I love this TV-movie about the members of a San Francisco church choir being whipped into shape by choir director John Houseman for...

I cleared out some more animated stuff, and got my toes wet in the movie realm. How The Grinch Stole Christmas/The Tiny Tree -These two were from a back-to-back December 16, 1978 CBS recording I found on YT. I wanted to recapture the sense of what it was like to see these shows with their...

And more. Some old favorites and a couple items revisited for the first time in decades. A Christmas Carol (1999) -The Patrick Stewart version which I had not seen since about a year or two after it was made. This is a version that for the most part just seems to lay there with a listless...

Latest round was some more versions of Christmas Carol (straight and satirical) plus my first forays into old variety specials. Bob Hope Christmas Special (1965) -Bob's first color special. A couple great sketches with Bing and Jack Benny respectively (the camaraderie of these giants from...

These next six items watched are three categories with two each. From the sitcom category: Donna Reed Show, S1 Dick Van Dyke Show, S3 (A certain TV historian who shall remain nameless will no doubt be infuriated!) Two cop drama Christmas shows: Naked City, S1 Kojak, S3 -This was Edward James...

It was always like that. It was just meant to be a quick curtain call of them bowing to the audience. I remember more growing up how as syndicated cuts grew deeper they not only cut this tag (ending when the kiss between Ralph and Alice ends) but they also cut the entire opening when Trixie...

Some more items watched. A Christmas Carol (1951)-The Alastair Sim version. It is the best cinematic version of the story I've ever seen but if it has one tiny flaw it's the fact that the scene with Scrooge's nephew at the beginning is too short and we never see Scrooge make amends to the men...

The next wave of listening and viewing material first started with closing the books on "Miracle On 34th Street" with *four* different radio versions. First, the "Lux Radio Theater" broadcasts of 1947 and 1948 in which Edmund Gwenn, John Payne and Maureen O'Hara reprised their roles (with...

My first batch of regular Christmas episodes I'm taking a somewhat different approach this year. In years passed I tended to start with the "lower-tier" choices and work my way toward the ones I considered the "upper-tier" choices culminating with my favorites. I'm still thinking of holding...

Well here's my first entry for 2023. I decided to begin with "Miracle On 34th Street" and two TV remakes of it. 1-The original film is a genuine classic. If it has one tiny flaw it's John Payne's last line in the film, "Maybe I didn't do such a wonderful thing after all." The line has...

I've never done an in-depth New Year's type of marathon. But I always seem to make room for "The Poseidon Adventure" and the first regular episode of "Ellery Queen" which takes place on New Year's Eve 1946, "The Adventure Of Auld Lang Syne." This year I also for the first time in a couple...

May it be true for you too, Gary. I have just finished the traditional post-Christmas Day encore viewings of "Dragnet" and "Dr. Kildare" which marks the formal end of the viewings for this year. I could watch these two programs a thousand times and never grow tired of them. That said, if...

Two late items added on Christmas day. The Avengers-"Too Many Christmas Trees" =This is not one of my favorite "Avengers" episodes other than the fact that we get an amusing moment where Steed reads a Christmas card from his previous partner, Cathy Gale and muses "What on Earth is she doing at...

A few more items to add: Christmas With Friends (1984) -This was a half hour "Tonight Show" Christmas music special that first aired Christmas Eve 1984 and was repeated again through the remainder of the Carson era on Christmas Eve through 1991. It's a nice low-key no-frills show that I...

Before heading to services, I made sure the top two were taken care of. Dragnet, S2-"The Christmas Story" -Whenever I hear Jack Webb deliver the line, "Are they, Father?" accompanied with the visuals and the outstanding score for the episode by Lyn Murray, it always moves me deeply. A true...

I keep looking for an excuse to do this joke every year and thank you for giving it to me again, Gary. At the top of the list, a certain 1960s western starring James Drury if only to see a Christmas episode titled, "Yes, Virginian, There Is A Santa Claus!" :)

And now we start moving into Tier One for this season as well as taking care of a couple borderline items I'd forgotten to do earlier. Wagon Train, S3-"The St. Nicholas Story" -I probably said this a year ago, but Ward Bond was so *right* in this series that I just don't find the episodes after...

I think this will represent the last of the "second tier" Christmas episodes I'll be doing this year. Gilligan's Island, S1-"Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk." -This revamping of the original pilot into a Christmas episode framing may be the best episode of the series in that they let it end...

A few more items taken care of. A Christmas Without Snow (1980) -This TV-movie is an annual tradition for me as never have I ever seen a more true to life depiction of a church community in a film than this. Michael Learned as a newly divorced woman relocated to San Francisco joins a...

Again this isn't turning into a banner year of viewing for me, which I attribute to the adjustment of my move but some more items were squeezed in. Julie Andrews: The Sound Of Christmas (1987-ABC) Christmas In Washington (1992-NBC) -Two more specials featuring Julie singing Christmas carols as...

Six Million Dollar Man, S4-"A Bionic Christmas Carol" =This perennial favorite of mine is on Blu-Ray for the first time this year and also added a Herbie Pilato commentary that was okay, but for a guy who is supposed to be the expert on the show he goofed a couple aspects of the plot. What I...

Haven't had as much time to add to this year's viewing log, but took care of these three which are always annual must-watch items. Loretta Young Show-"Christmas Stopover" Loretta Young Show-"Three And Two, Please" A Christmas Carol (1971-Animated Richard Williams version) When I see the...

Glad you have those to enjoy Gary! I have to admit the only O&H I'll be seeing this month is their guest shot in the newly released S3 of "Night Gallery" which should be of interest to general O&H fans because one commentary track feature some archival interview clips of Ozzie from around...

Newest items to this year's viewing log. December 4, 1985-CBS Christmas Specials -The first year I owned a VCR I decided I wanted to record some Christmas specials for long-term posterity. This included the annual CBS airings of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and the Rankin-Bass "Twas The Night...