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Favorite Christmas Episodes (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Gary OS
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Jack P
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Into the homestretch.
Six Million Dollar Man, S4-"A Bionic Christmas Carol"
-One of the best 70s Christmas shows with Ray Walston in the Scrooge role of an industrialist who keep saving money by cutting corners to the bone. Dick Sargent as "Bob Crandall" in the combination Cratchit/nephew role. This is the only time I've ever seen Antoinette Bower, so memorable with her raw feral quality in "Twilight Zone" and "Star Trek" playing a wife and mother, but she's actually convincing (she had a great radio voice and was in a lot of late 70s "Sears Radio Theater" dramas). One amusing moment is that when Steve Austin goes into a toy store to buy toys for "Bob's" children, you can see a Six Million Dollar Man action figure/doll on the shelf! (along with the "Jaws" game showing another Universal tie-in).
A Christmas Without Snow (1980)
-I didn't think I was going to have room for this great TV movie but I'm glad I found time for this tale of a San Francisco church choir being whipped into shape by new taskmaster director John Houseman for a performance of Handel's "Messiah." Michael Learned, James Cromwell, Valerie Curtin also star. It's one of the most believable depictions of ordinary people who attend church I've ever seen and while Houseman is just giving us another variation of his Professor Kingsfield role it works because I know from experience that there are stern taskmaster type choir directors who might be hated for their demanding qualities but who always get results. The great thing also is that these churchgoers are shown as people with real problems in their lives and not all of them are fully resolved by story's end with the concert, but we still see a community of people that knows how to look out for each other. The modern day industry has totally forgotten how to depict people like this.
Have Gun Will Travel, S1-"The Hanging Cross"
-I've said it before but I'll say it again. This is the greatest thing Gene Roddenberry ever wrote for TV with more timelessness than any Star Trek episode could ever hope to achieve.
Have Gun Will Travel, S6-"Be Not Forgetful Of Strangers"
-While not as strong as S1, this episode is the best "Nativity parable" type Christmas episode I've ever seen. Richard Boone directs and at one point gives us an innovative shot of a man's perspective as he's thrown out through a glass door.
We now have the two best for last in "Dragnet" and "Dr. Kildare" waiting.
Six Million Dollar Man, S4-"A Bionic Christmas Carol"
-One of the best 70s Christmas shows with Ray Walston in the Scrooge role of an industrialist who keep saving money by cutting corners to the bone. Dick Sargent as "Bob Crandall" in the combination Cratchit/nephew role. This is the only time I've ever seen Antoinette Bower, so memorable with her raw feral quality in "Twilight Zone" and "Star Trek" playing a wife and mother, but she's actually convincing (she had a great radio voice and was in a lot of late 70s "Sears Radio Theater" dramas). One amusing moment is that when Steve Austin goes into a toy store to buy toys for "Bob's" children, you can see a Six Million Dollar Man action figure/doll on the shelf! (along with the "Jaws" game showing another Universal tie-in).
A Christmas Without Snow (1980)
-I didn't think I was going to have room for this great TV movie but I'm glad I found time for this tale of a San Francisco church choir being whipped into shape by new taskmaster director John Houseman for a performance of Handel's "Messiah." Michael Learned, James Cromwell, Valerie Curtin also star. It's one of the most believable depictions of ordinary people who attend church I've ever seen and while Houseman is just giving us another variation of his Professor Kingsfield role it works because I know from experience that there are stern taskmaster type choir directors who might be hated for their demanding qualities but who always get results. The great thing also is that these churchgoers are shown as people with real problems in their lives and not all of them are fully resolved by story's end with the concert, but we still see a community of people that knows how to look out for each other. The modern day industry has totally forgotten how to depict people like this.
Have Gun Will Travel, S1-"The Hanging Cross"
-I've said it before but I'll say it again. This is the greatest thing Gene Roddenberry ever wrote for TV with more timelessness than any Star Trek episode could ever hope to achieve.
Have Gun Will Travel, S6-"Be Not Forgetful Of Strangers"
-While not as strong as S1, this episode is the best "Nativity parable" type Christmas episode I've ever seen. Richard Boone directs and at one point gives us an innovative shot of a man's perspective as he's thrown out through a glass door.
We now have the two best for last in "Dragnet" and "Dr. Kildare" waiting.
Flashgear
Senior HTF Member
A lot of great viewing ideas here. Thank you all for the leads and links, I've discovered or rediscovered so much great Christmas programming thanks to you guys!
I might be wrong, but I don't think anyone has mentioned this great Christmas episode...(believe it or not) Combat! season two's The Party, first aired on Christmas eve 1963...a rare comedic episode in what was one of the great drama series of the '60s, often grim in it's honest portrayal of war and known for it's violence and great action sequences...in this episode, what first plays out as a hilarious caper and slapstick chase turns into a very charming depiction of real Christian charity and compassion in a newly liberated but devastated Normandy village...and not a single shot is heard in the whole episode...
Kirby (Jack Hogan), Caje (Pierre Jalbert), and Billy (Tom Lowell) are waiting for their truck to be repaired so they can move on from what Kirby calls a "hole"...they are eager to leave, until they spot three young French lovelies giggling joyously at the newly reopened cafe patio...before they can move in on the girls for some welcome female fraternization, three burly sergeants horn in and sit down with the girls...my screen caps from the Image DVD set...
L to R, Billy, Caje and Kirby are entranced by these beauties...big man "Little John" (Dick Peabody) warns them "it just won't work..." They can't help themselves, ha, ha...
The girls...L to R, Daniele Aubry, Monique Lemaire and Danielle DeMetz...
The goons move in on their action...and outrank them...to us classic TV fans, familiar faces...Biff Elliott on the right...he's a supply Sergeant...
Nick Georgiade (The Untouchables)...a demolition and bomb disposal man...
And Terry Becker (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)...another demolition and bomb disposal expert...
The caper to cut the Sergeants out of the action starts with Kirby convincing them that they have missed clearing some German mines and booby traps...and that a much feared American General referred to as "Ironpants" will soon arrive in the village to inspect their work in rendering the town safe...Billy has also convinced them that he is the nephew of "Ironpants", having once been his clerk...but that he got tired of just filing hundreds of court martial orders and chose to request a transfer to the infantry!
Kirby, Caje and Billy also enlist the help of a mischievous little orphan girl, who tears around town stealing the soldiers blind...
The little hellion is played by Andrea Darvi...she's adorable in her larceny...she gets paid by our heroes to lure the supply sergeant (Biff Elliott) away from the beautiful trio of young women...
She stomps on the foot of the sergeant and steals his hat...sparking a chase that ends when the little girl trips the sergeant into a mud puddle...
Meanwhile, Kirby, Caje and Billy gather food and wine with the girls, expecting a wild party with these beauties...
And the bomb disposal sergeants dig deep for a nonexistent German bomb that Kirby has stuck in their heads...the supply sergeant has also fallen into the hole...
Having realized they were conned, the angry sergeants go looking for our heroes...
Another chase ensues, with Biff Elliott taking another spill...this time into the hog slop!
The boys have arrived with the girls at the "Party"...it turns out to be something entirely different...
An orphanage of hungry, poverty stricken orphans...singing Hymns for them in gratitude for the food the soldiers have brought to them...salvation for body in time of war...and salvation for the soul found in their deliverance from want, and the blessings of their patron Saint Marie...
The boys return to their now repaired truck...ready for departure...when they are told that some other soldiers will be joining them for the journey to the battlefront...you guessed it, ha, ha...
I might be wrong, but I don't think anyone has mentioned this great Christmas episode...(believe it or not) Combat! season two's The Party, first aired on Christmas eve 1963...a rare comedic episode in what was one of the great drama series of the '60s, often grim in it's honest portrayal of war and known for it's violence and great action sequences...in this episode, what first plays out as a hilarious caper and slapstick chase turns into a very charming depiction of real Christian charity and compassion in a newly liberated but devastated Normandy village...and not a single shot is heard in the whole episode...
Kirby (Jack Hogan), Caje (Pierre Jalbert), and Billy (Tom Lowell) are waiting for their truck to be repaired so they can move on from what Kirby calls a "hole"...they are eager to leave, until they spot three young French lovelies giggling joyously at the newly reopened cafe patio...before they can move in on the girls for some welcome female fraternization, three burly sergeants horn in and sit down with the girls...my screen caps from the Image DVD set...
L to R, Billy, Caje and Kirby are entranced by these beauties...big man "Little John" (Dick Peabody) warns them "it just won't work..." They can't help themselves, ha, ha...
The girls...L to R, Daniele Aubry, Monique Lemaire and Danielle DeMetz...
The goons move in on their action...and outrank them...to us classic TV fans, familiar faces...Biff Elliott on the right...he's a supply Sergeant...
Nick Georgiade (The Untouchables)...a demolition and bomb disposal man...
And Terry Becker (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)...another demolition and bomb disposal expert...
The caper to cut the Sergeants out of the action starts with Kirby convincing them that they have missed clearing some German mines and booby traps...and that a much feared American General referred to as "Ironpants" will soon arrive in the village to inspect their work in rendering the town safe...Billy has also convinced them that he is the nephew of "Ironpants", having once been his clerk...but that he got tired of just filing hundreds of court martial orders and chose to request a transfer to the infantry!
Kirby, Caje and Billy also enlist the help of a mischievous little orphan girl, who tears around town stealing the soldiers blind...
The little hellion is played by Andrea Darvi...she's adorable in her larceny...she gets paid by our heroes to lure the supply sergeant (Biff Elliott) away from the beautiful trio of young women...
She stomps on the foot of the sergeant and steals his hat...sparking a chase that ends when the little girl trips the sergeant into a mud puddle...
Meanwhile, Kirby, Caje and Billy gather food and wine with the girls, expecting a wild party with these beauties...
And the bomb disposal sergeants dig deep for a nonexistent German bomb that Kirby has stuck in their heads...the supply sergeant has also fallen into the hole...
Having realized they were conned, the angry sergeants go looking for our heroes...
Another chase ensues, with Biff Elliott taking another spill...this time into the hog slop!
The boys have arrived with the girls at the "Party"...it turns out to be something entirely different...
An orphanage of hungry, poverty stricken orphans...singing Hymns for them in gratitude for the food the soldiers have brought to them...salvation for body in time of war...and salvation for the soul found in their deliverance from want, and the blessings of their patron Saint Marie...
The boys return to their now repaired truck...ready for departure...when they are told that some other soldiers will be joining them for the journey to the battlefront...you guessed it, ha, ha...
Combat had a Christmas episode?! Good to know...great stuff, Randall!
Got some more goodies watched last night, will report in later...
Got some more goodies watched last night, will report in later...
Nice to see this thread heating up with so many contributors talking about all the good seasonal stuff they've been watching. I viewed the following last night, and heartily enjoyed all three:
The Andy Griffith Show - 1.11 "Christmas Story"
This might just be my all-time favorite Christmas episode produced for any TV show - IMO, it's just perfect in every way. It's funny, warm-hearted and includes all the requisite Christmas trimmings. Only in magical Mayberry could a Christmas spent in jail seem like a good time. The scene when Andy and girlfriend Ellie (pretty Elinor Donahue) sing "Away in the Manger" is wonderful. Ubiquitous character actor Will Wright does a fine job in his Scrooge-lite role.
The Good Life - "Silly, But It's Fun"
Known as Good Neighbors when it aired on PBS in the U.S., this terrific Britcom is about a couple, Tom and Barbara Good (played to perfection by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendall), who drop out of the rat race to lead a self-sufficient farming lifestyle in the London suburbs, alongside their posh neighbors, Jerry and Margo Leadbetter (Paul Eddington and Penelope Keith). The show ran for four series (seasons) and two specials, including this special Christmas episode, which aired on Boxing Day, 1977 (that's December 26th for us Yanks).
When perfectionist Margo's dispute with a Christmas goods supply company results in the Leadbetters having to "cancel Christmas" (no deliveries at all on Christmas Day, so no tree, no food, and no booze), Tom and Barbara invite them over to their house for a humble repast and some party games (including hand-made Christmas crackers). Upper-class Margo has a hard time getting into the convivial spirit at first (her reaction to the Christmas cracker joke: "The ooh-aah bird is so called because it lays square eggs," is a deadpan "I don't understand that one.") But eventually, under the influence of Tom's homemade pea-pod wine, she finally relaxes and admits, "That was the best Christmas I've ever had." Manages to be very funny while simultaneously carrying a clear message, that the heart of Yuletide celebrations should be about slowing down, spending good times with loved ones, and rekindling some of that childlike joy in the holiday.
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - 5.12 "Busy Christmas"
Ozzie's good nature gets the better of him as he gets roped into participating in many seasonal events, all culminating on Christmas Eve...and soon finds himself stretched too thin to handle everything he has promised to do. The plot doesn't go exactly where you think it might, which was a pleasant surprise, and the episode ends in a lovely manner as Ozzie's family comes to his aid to make sure Christmas Eve works out just right.
Unlike S1's "Late Christmas Present", which was essentially just a "bottle" episode centered mostly on the Nelson family, this one lives up to its title and is busy with guest appearances, including Frank Cady (Sam Drucker from Petticoat Junction and Green Acres) as the family doctor who enlists Ozzie to play Scrooge in a local production of A Christmas Carol. I got a kick out of the loudspeaker announcements that punctuate an early scene with Ozzie in a crowded department store. I can see why Gary O championed this episode so strongly - it's a special one.
Speaking of Petticoat Junction...will try to get S1's "Cannonball Christmas" watched soon.
The Andy Griffith Show - 1.11 "Christmas Story"
This might just be my all-time favorite Christmas episode produced for any TV show - IMO, it's just perfect in every way. It's funny, warm-hearted and includes all the requisite Christmas trimmings. Only in magical Mayberry could a Christmas spent in jail seem like a good time. The scene when Andy and girlfriend Ellie (pretty Elinor Donahue) sing "Away in the Manger" is wonderful. Ubiquitous character actor Will Wright does a fine job in his Scrooge-lite role.
The Good Life - "Silly, But It's Fun"
Known as Good Neighbors when it aired on PBS in the U.S., this terrific Britcom is about a couple, Tom and Barbara Good (played to perfection by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendall), who drop out of the rat race to lead a self-sufficient farming lifestyle in the London suburbs, alongside their posh neighbors, Jerry and Margo Leadbetter (Paul Eddington and Penelope Keith). The show ran for four series (seasons) and two specials, including this special Christmas episode, which aired on Boxing Day, 1977 (that's December 26th for us Yanks).
When perfectionist Margo's dispute with a Christmas goods supply company results in the Leadbetters having to "cancel Christmas" (no deliveries at all on Christmas Day, so no tree, no food, and no booze), Tom and Barbara invite them over to their house for a humble repast and some party games (including hand-made Christmas crackers). Upper-class Margo has a hard time getting into the convivial spirit at first (her reaction to the Christmas cracker joke: "The ooh-aah bird is so called because it lays square eggs," is a deadpan "I don't understand that one.") But eventually, under the influence of Tom's homemade pea-pod wine, she finally relaxes and admits, "That was the best Christmas I've ever had." Manages to be very funny while simultaneously carrying a clear message, that the heart of Yuletide celebrations should be about slowing down, spending good times with loved ones, and rekindling some of that childlike joy in the holiday.
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - 5.12 "Busy Christmas"
Ozzie's good nature gets the better of him as he gets roped into participating in many seasonal events, all culminating on Christmas Eve...and soon finds himself stretched too thin to handle everything he has promised to do. The plot doesn't go exactly where you think it might, which was a pleasant surprise, and the episode ends in a lovely manner as Ozzie's family comes to his aid to make sure Christmas Eve works out just right.
Unlike S1's "Late Christmas Present", which was essentially just a "bottle" episode centered mostly on the Nelson family, this one lives up to its title and is busy with guest appearances, including Frank Cady (Sam Drucker from Petticoat Junction and Green Acres) as the family doctor who enlists Ozzie to play Scrooge in a local production of A Christmas Carol. I got a kick out of the loudspeaker announcements that punctuate an early scene with Ozzie in a crowded department store. I can see why Gary O championed this episode so strongly - it's a special one.
Speaking of Petticoat Junction...will try to get S1's "Cannonball Christmas" watched soon.
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I finished getting through the Henson-era Muppet Christmas specials:
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (12/3/1978)
One of the best Christmas specials of the decade and one of the highlights of the show's first decade on the air, this one has three interlocking stories. After a credits sequence that features Big Bird skating with a little girl to "Feliz Navidad" while he first has Oscar asking how Santa can fit down a chimney, prompting Big Bird and Kermit to ask children how they think it happens. The second is an homage to O. Henry's Gift of the Magi where Bert and Ernie make trades with Mr. Hooper, each of them giving up beloved things to get something for the other, which happen to be the things they give up in the first place! The third has Cookie Monster trying different means of communication to tell Santa what kind of cookies he wants. In addition to two songs first introduced on the 1975 Christmas album Merry Christmas from Sesame Street, the music includes a new song, "True Blue Miracle," written by the late Carol Hall the same year she had a hit show on Broadway: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas! The more popular and acclaimed of the two Christmas specials the show made this year — the other, more celebrity-driven one was on CBS and made by variety show producer Bob Banner — this Emmy-winning special has always had a special place in my heart because it is where they acknowledge Mr. Hooper was Jewish: Bob (McGrath) wishes him a Happy Hanukkah, and Mr. Hooper wishes Bob a Merry Christmas.
One caveat: the Sony Wonder DVD released about 20 years ago (!), though the picture and sound are good for 1970s analog tape, omits the original CTW logo and the custom jingle that went with it, which was present on the 1980s VHS release by Random House Home Video, released before the name change to Sesame Workshop.
John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together (12/5/1979)
A nice collection of songs and sketches, with John Denver in fine voice and seeming like a natural in front of the camera, even when being pursued by Miss Piggy singing "I Will Wait For You" from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. The highlights include a performance of "Silent Night" in the original German-language version "Stille Nacht" while the Nativity story is told with puppets and with the proper respect, so without the usual caricatures, visual gags, and one-liners. This was shot at ABC Television Center in Hollywood, making it odd to see a Muppet special using the same end credits font as Three's Company. It has something else in common with that show: a music credit for a man named Ray Charles. This one actually was the male singer of that show's Joe Raposo-composed theme, not to be confused with the more famous "Hit the Road, Jack" singer.
Coincidentally or not, December 5 was also Walt Disney's birthday.
Rocky Mountain Holiday with John Denver and the Muppets (5/12/1983)
A reunion from the previous special, this isn't technically a Christmas special, so I cheated, but this one is the first Muppet special aired when I was alive; it uses more location footage of the Colorado Rockies and thus feels less stagebound and variety show-ish than the previous special. Any attempt to send a message has less to do with any particular holiday than with overall conservation of the environment, something both John Denver and Jim Henson cared very deeply about. The late Jerry Weintraub produced both the Denver/Muppets specials. Here, one of the co-producers, Al Lowenstein, also produced Silver Spoons (where, before he worked there, Menudo* sang the same song they sang on Sesame Street) and Roseanne.
A Muppet Family Christmas (12/16/1987)
There is crossover fiction, there is good crossover fiction, and there is A Muppet Family Christmas. This was the last Muppet Christmas special made in Jim Henson's lifetime, it is both a Muppet fan's dream come true and a copyright attorney's worst nightmare. Fozzie's mother's plans to go to Malibu for the winter are foiled when Fozzie shows up with the other Muppet Show Muppets with the Sesame Street Muppets not far behind. Doc and Sprocket from Fraggle Rock had already rented the house while Mrs. Bear was supposed to go on vacation. Meanwhile, Miss Piggy is still in a photo session while a blizzard stands between her and the house, while Kermit and Robin meet the Fraggles and a turkey tries to get the Swedish Chef to cook Big Bird instead! They even watch home movies of themselves as Muppet Babies!
Neither the 1987 nor 1988 ABC broadcasts mentioned Disney in any way, but the 1989 NBC Magical World of Disney rebroadcast (followed by a rerun of 1987's hourlong ALF's Special Christmas), the first IIRC to start making cuts to it that seem (unfortunately) to have stuck to this day in every cable rerun and commercially released video version, obviously did. That broadcast placed a Walt Disney Television logo at the end of it. Disney owning the Muppets then would have been one thing had Jim Henson not died less than six months later. We will never know what could have been.
And finally, I capped it off with The Muppet Christmas Carol* uncut on laserdisc! Whoever made the call to cut "When Love is Gone" should be gone from Disney if he or she isn't already. And the film and TV industry altogether. It's a beautiful song that shows just when and how Scrooge (a still-heartbroken Michael Caine looking back on his former self played by Raymond Coulthard) turned sullen and embittered. Without that song, the emotional impact is lost.
*Not counting Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, note how the last Muppet movie before this one was in 1984, so the span between them was as long as the entire run of Muppet Babies.
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (12/3/1978)
One of the best Christmas specials of the decade and one of the highlights of the show's first decade on the air, this one has three interlocking stories. After a credits sequence that features Big Bird skating with a little girl to "Feliz Navidad" while he first has Oscar asking how Santa can fit down a chimney, prompting Big Bird and Kermit to ask children how they think it happens. The second is an homage to O. Henry's Gift of the Magi where Bert and Ernie make trades with Mr. Hooper, each of them giving up beloved things to get something for the other, which happen to be the things they give up in the first place! The third has Cookie Monster trying different means of communication to tell Santa what kind of cookies he wants. In addition to two songs first introduced on the 1975 Christmas album Merry Christmas from Sesame Street, the music includes a new song, "True Blue Miracle," written by the late Carol Hall the same year she had a hit show on Broadway: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas! The more popular and acclaimed of the two Christmas specials the show made this year — the other, more celebrity-driven one was on CBS and made by variety show producer Bob Banner — this Emmy-winning special has always had a special place in my heart because it is where they acknowledge Mr. Hooper was Jewish: Bob (McGrath) wishes him a Happy Hanukkah, and Mr. Hooper wishes Bob a Merry Christmas.
One caveat: the Sony Wonder DVD released about 20 years ago (!), though the picture and sound are good for 1970s analog tape, omits the original CTW logo and the custom jingle that went with it, which was present on the 1980s VHS release by Random House Home Video, released before the name change to Sesame Workshop.
John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together (12/5/1979)
A nice collection of songs and sketches, with John Denver in fine voice and seeming like a natural in front of the camera, even when being pursued by Miss Piggy singing "I Will Wait For You" from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. The highlights include a performance of "Silent Night" in the original German-language version "Stille Nacht" while the Nativity story is told with puppets and with the proper respect, so without the usual caricatures, visual gags, and one-liners. This was shot at ABC Television Center in Hollywood, making it odd to see a Muppet special using the same end credits font as Three's Company. It has something else in common with that show: a music credit for a man named Ray Charles. This one actually was the male singer of that show's Joe Raposo-composed theme, not to be confused with the more famous "Hit the Road, Jack" singer.
Coincidentally or not, December 5 was also Walt Disney's birthday.
Rocky Mountain Holiday with John Denver and the Muppets (5/12/1983)
A reunion from the previous special, this isn't technically a Christmas special, so I cheated, but this one is the first Muppet special aired when I was alive; it uses more location footage of the Colorado Rockies and thus feels less stagebound and variety show-ish than the previous special. Any attempt to send a message has less to do with any particular holiday than with overall conservation of the environment, something both John Denver and Jim Henson cared very deeply about. The late Jerry Weintraub produced both the Denver/Muppets specials. Here, one of the co-producers, Al Lowenstein, also produced Silver Spoons (where, before he worked there, Menudo* sang the same song they sang on Sesame Street) and Roseanne.
A Muppet Family Christmas (12/16/1987)
There is crossover fiction, there is good crossover fiction, and there is A Muppet Family Christmas. This was the last Muppet Christmas special made in Jim Henson's lifetime, it is both a Muppet fan's dream come true and a copyright attorney's worst nightmare. Fozzie's mother's plans to go to Malibu for the winter are foiled when Fozzie shows up with the other Muppet Show Muppets with the Sesame Street Muppets not far behind. Doc and Sprocket from Fraggle Rock had already rented the house while Mrs. Bear was supposed to go on vacation. Meanwhile, Miss Piggy is still in a photo session while a blizzard stands between her and the house, while Kermit and Robin meet the Fraggles and a turkey tries to get the Swedish Chef to cook Big Bird instead! They even watch home movies of themselves as Muppet Babies!
Neither the 1987 nor 1988 ABC broadcasts mentioned Disney in any way, but the 1989 NBC Magical World of Disney rebroadcast (followed by a rerun of 1987's hourlong ALF's Special Christmas), the first IIRC to start making cuts to it that seem (unfortunately) to have stuck to this day in every cable rerun and commercially released video version, obviously did. That broadcast placed a Walt Disney Television logo at the end of it. Disney owning the Muppets then would have been one thing had Jim Henson not died less than six months later. We will never know what could have been.
And finally, I capped it off with The Muppet Christmas Carol* uncut on laserdisc! Whoever made the call to cut "When Love is Gone" should be gone from Disney if he or she isn't already. And the film and TV industry altogether. It's a beautiful song that shows just when and how Scrooge (a still-heartbroken Michael Caine looking back on his former self played by Raymond Coulthard) turned sullen and embittered. Without that song, the emotional impact is lost.
*Not counting Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, note how the last Muppet movie before this one was in 1984, so the span between them was as long as the entire run of Muppet Babies.
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Flashgear
Senior HTF Member
I previously posted these screen caps from the newly released season 17, over in the Gunsmoke thread...I very much enjoyed watching this episode for the first time in years, a heartwarming and charming Christmas episode indeed...
Continued next post, don't worry, no spoilers...
Continued next post, don't worry, no spoilers...
Flashgear
Senior HTF Member
P.S. Murry Christmas, continued...
The adorable orphans...
The good people of Dodge City provide a memorably warm Christmas for the kids in the Long Branch Saloon!
Murry Christmas to all of you here on HTF!
The adorable orphans...
The good people of Dodge City provide a memorably warm Christmas for the kids in the Long Branch Saloon!
Murry Christmas to all of you here on HTF!
Peter M Fitzgerald
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Mar 21, 1999
- Messages
- 2,314
- Real Name
- Peter Fitzgerald
I started sort of late this year (Saturday, 12/21), but so far have watched:
Krampus (2015, Blu-ray)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947, DVD)
The Donna Reed Show - "A Very Merry Christmas" (1958, DVD)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946, restored 2019 Blu-ray)
Car 54, Where Are You? - "Christmas at the 53rd" (1961, DVD)
Deadline - "A Story for Christmas" (1960, DVD)
The Jack Benny Program - "Jack Goes Christmas Shopping" (1960, DVD)
The Beverly Hillbillies - "Christmas at the Clampett's" (1963, DVD)
SCTV - "SCTV Staff Christmas Party" (1981, DVD)
Classic cartoon shorts:
Christmas Comes but Once a Year (1936, Fleischer Studios, DVD)
Toyland Premiere (1934, Walter Lantz, DVD)
Santa's Workshop (1932, Disney Silly Symphony, DVD)
The Night Before Christmas (1933, Disney Silly Symphony, DVD)
The Snowman (1933, Ted Eshbaugh, Blu-ray)
The Shanty Where Santa Claus Lives (1933, WB Merrie Melody, Blu-ray)
Gifts from the Air (1937, Columbia/Screen Gems, YouTube)
Frosty the Snowman (1950, UPA, Blu-ray)
Today, I proceed (shortly) with my annual tradition of watching the following, back-to-back, in this order:
SEASIN'S GREETINKS! (1933, Fleischer Studios Popeye cartoon, DVD)
SCROOGE / A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1951, Blu-ray)
THE AVENGERS - "Too Many Christmas Trees" (1965, DVD)
ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (1969, Blu-ray)
Krampus (2015, Blu-ray)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947, DVD)
The Donna Reed Show - "A Very Merry Christmas" (1958, DVD)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946, restored 2019 Blu-ray)
Car 54, Where Are You? - "Christmas at the 53rd" (1961, DVD)
Deadline - "A Story for Christmas" (1960, DVD)
The Jack Benny Program - "Jack Goes Christmas Shopping" (1960, DVD)
The Beverly Hillbillies - "Christmas at the Clampett's" (1963, DVD)
SCTV - "SCTV Staff Christmas Party" (1981, DVD)
Classic cartoon shorts:
Christmas Comes but Once a Year (1936, Fleischer Studios, DVD)
Toyland Premiere (1934, Walter Lantz, DVD)
Santa's Workshop (1932, Disney Silly Symphony, DVD)
The Night Before Christmas (1933, Disney Silly Symphony, DVD)
The Snowman (1933, Ted Eshbaugh, Blu-ray)
The Shanty Where Santa Claus Lives (1933, WB Merrie Melody, Blu-ray)
Gifts from the Air (1937, Columbia/Screen Gems, YouTube)
Frosty the Snowman (1950, UPA, Blu-ray)
Today, I proceed (shortly) with my annual tradition of watching the following, back-to-back, in this order:
SEASIN'S GREETINKS! (1933, Fleischer Studios Popeye cartoon, DVD)
SCROOGE / A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1951, Blu-ray)
THE AVENGERS - "Too Many Christmas Trees" (1965, DVD)
ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (1969, Blu-ray)
KPmusmag
Screenwriter
Wow, thank you for reminding me about The Good Life/Neighbors - I loved it when it was on PBS years ago and I have the DVDs here - somewhere - I must dig it out! What a nice surprise - I really appreciate it!
Some great ones here. Nice pictures too.Nice to see this thread heating up with so many contributors talking about all the good seasonal stuff they've been watching. I viewed the following last night, and heartily enjoyed all three:
The Andy Griffith Show - 1.11 "Christmas Story"
This might just be my all-time favorite Christmas episode produced for any TV show - IMO, it's just perfect in every way. It's funny, warm-hearted and includes all the requisite Christmas trimmings. Only in magical Mayberry could a Christmas spent in jail seem like a good time. The scene when Andy and girlfriend Ellie (pretty Elinor Donahue) sing "Away in the Manger" is wonderful. Ubiquitous character actor Will Wright does a fine job in his Scrooge-lite role.
The Good Life - "Silly, But It's Fun"
Known as Good Neighbors when it aired on PBS in the U.S., this terrific Britcom is about a couple, Tom and Barbara Good (played to perfection by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendall), who drop out of the rat race to lead a self-sufficient farming lifestyle in the London suburbs, alongside their posh neighbors, Jerry and Margo Leadbetter (Paul Eddington and Penelope Keith). The show ran for four series (seasons) and two specials, including this special Christmas episode, which aired on Boxing Day, 1977 (that's December 26th for us Yanks).
When perfectionist Margo's dispute with a Christmas goods supply company results in the Leadbetters having to "cancel Christmas" (no deliveries at all on Christmas Day, so no tree, no food, and no booze), Tom and Barbara invite them over to their house for a humble repast and some party games (including hand-made Christmas crackers). Upper-class Margot has a hard time getting into the convivial spirit at first (her reaction to the Christmas cracker joke: "The ooh-aah bird is so called because it lays square eggs," is a deadpan "I don't understand that one.") But eventually, under the influence of Tom's homemade pea-pod wine, she finally relaxes and admits, "That was the best Christmas I've ever had." Manages to be very funny while simultaneously carrying a clear message, that the heart of Yuletide celebrations should be about slowing down, spending good times with loved ones, and rekindling some of that childlike joy in the holiday.
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - 5.12 "Busy Christmas"
Ozzie's good nature gets the better of him as he gets roped into participating in many seasonal events, all culminating on Christmas Eve...and soon finds himself stretched too thin to handle everything he has promised to do. The plot doesn't go exactly where you think it might, which was a pleasant surprise, and the episode ends in a lovely manner as Ozzie's family comes to his aid to make sure Christmas Eve works out just right.
Unlike S1's "Late Christmas Present", which was essentially just a "bottle" episode centered mostly on the Nelson family, this one lives up to its title and is busy with guest appearances, including Frank Cady (Sam Drucker from Petticoat Junction and Green Acres) as the family doctor who enlists Ozzie to play Scrooge in a local production of A Christmas Carol. I got a kick out of the loudspeaker announcements that punctuate an early scene with Ozzie in a crowded department store. I can see why Gary O championed this episode so strongly - it's a special one.
Speaking of Petticoat Junction...will try to get S1's "Cannonball Christmas" watched soon.
Nice! I didn't know about this episode until now. I only bought up to Season 13. I will have to make sure I pick up this season and check out this Christmas one next year.
I have watched so many Christmas TV shows and movies and specials this year. I still have tomorrow to finish. The cartoons, Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch, Charlie Brown, Santa Claus is coming to Town, Year Without a Santa Claus, Garfield, Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales, Twas the Night Before Christmas, Fat Albert, A Pink Christmas, It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown, Charlie Browns Christmas Tales, I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown, Little Drummer Boy, Cricket on the Hearth, First Christmas Snow, Jack Frost 1979, Pinnochios Christmas, Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol, The Stingiest Man in Town, Leprechauns Christmas Gold , Rudolph's Shiny New Year, Rudolph's and Frostys Christmas in July, Frostys Winter Wonderland, Family Circus, Yes Virginia 1974, Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, Mickey's Christmas Carol, The Small One, The Little Drummer Boy Book 2 , Yogi's First Christmas. These are the cartoon specials I have seen. More to come tomorrow.
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I’m all over the place but loving it all.
Yesterday I watched the Christmas episodes from The Jack Benny Program, That Girl and McHale’s Navy. Last night I finished the Frasier Christmas episodes. This morning I watched the Liberace Christmas special.
I have much more than I can get through so instead of focusing on “the best” I’m just trying to get what feels like a good fit at the moment.
Yesterday I watched the Christmas episodes from The Jack Benny Program, That Girl and McHale’s Navy. Last night I finished the Frasier Christmas episodes. This morning I watched the Liberace Christmas special.
I have much more than I can get through so instead of focusing on “the best” I’m just trying to get what feels like a good fit at the moment.
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Watching the Petticoat Junction Christmas Cannonball episode now (I had a break in my Christmas Eve dinner prep.)
Jack P
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The two best for last among regular programs.
Dragnet, S2-"The Christmas Story"
-Next year I'll probably find room to work in the original 50s version from the battered PD copy but to me the remake is more effective because Harry Morgan was a better TV partner, the color photography and Lynn Murray's score. I utterly get a chill at the final, "Aren't they, Father?" from Friday before he and Gannon walk out to a joyous underscore and a final shot of the lit candles.
-Sadly, the print that was used for the DVD release combined a "Dragnet 1968" title with the end credits from the "Dragnet 1969" rerun (the episode was also reaired again in 1970 with "Dragnet 1970" title and end credit cards. That's the version that used to air on Nick and TV Land). The reason this is unfortunate is because in 1967 and 1968, the writing credits appeared at the back end, but starting in 1969 they appeared in the front credits. So that mean the DVD version by combining 1968 with 1969 unintentionally denies a screen credit to the episode's writer, Richard L. Breen.
Dr. Kildare, S1-"Season To Be Jolly"
-My favorite Christmas episode along with "Dragnet" that justifies their coming last. The core story, a minister who has lost faith due to family tragedy, is a cliche that TV has served up one too many times (even as late as the Mel Gibson movie "Signs") and too often the climactic moment of faith being restored (if faith is restored) ends up being done in an overly mawkish fashion (such is the case with a later "Kildare" episode with Peter Falk). But the power of this episode lies in how it avoids this. Dan O'Herlihy as the minister who has run from his problems by going into the gutter and angrily shouted out his past convictions, acts with brilliant, powerful understatement when he is forced to confront his Maker. The moment of faith restored is done with quiet introspection and not an emotional, mawkish breakdown which in the end is more powerful.
Dragnet, S2-"The Christmas Story"
-Next year I'll probably find room to work in the original 50s version from the battered PD copy but to me the remake is more effective because Harry Morgan was a better TV partner, the color photography and Lynn Murray's score. I utterly get a chill at the final, "Aren't they, Father?" from Friday before he and Gannon walk out to a joyous underscore and a final shot of the lit candles.
-Sadly, the print that was used for the DVD release combined a "Dragnet 1968" title with the end credits from the "Dragnet 1969" rerun (the episode was also reaired again in 1970 with "Dragnet 1970" title and end credit cards. That's the version that used to air on Nick and TV Land). The reason this is unfortunate is because in 1967 and 1968, the writing credits appeared at the back end, but starting in 1969 they appeared in the front credits. So that mean the DVD version by combining 1968 with 1969 unintentionally denies a screen credit to the episode's writer, Richard L. Breen.
Dr. Kildare, S1-"Season To Be Jolly"
-My favorite Christmas episode along with "Dragnet" that justifies their coming last. The core story, a minister who has lost faith due to family tragedy, is a cliche that TV has served up one too many times (even as late as the Mel Gibson movie "Signs") and too often the climactic moment of faith being restored (if faith is restored) ends up being done in an overly mawkish fashion (such is the case with a later "Kildare" episode with Peter Falk). But the power of this episode lies in how it avoids this. Dan O'Herlihy as the minister who has run from his problems by going into the gutter and angrily shouted out his past convictions, acts with brilliant, powerful understatement when he is forced to confront his Maker. The moment of faith restored is done with quiet introspection and not an emotional, mawkish breakdown which in the end is more powerful.
Last night and today/tonight.
Flintstones - "Christmas Flintstone". Fred gets a job playing a dept store Santa and ends up filling in for the real one. Great latter season episode of an iconic series that never gets old. Highly Recommended
Dennis the Menace - "The 15 Foot Christmas Tree". Mr Wilson takes Dennis and his father into the woods to get the boy a "real" Christmas tree. Mayhem ensues, as one might expect. Interestingly enough this third and final Dennis the Menace Christmas episode concludes with what became a tradition with this show's annual Yuletide offering - Jay North singing "Silent Night". Highly Recommended
Fury - "The Wayfarer". Joey and Pee Wee are too preoccupied with presents to recognize the true meaning of the season, even after Jim and Pete remind them via the Bible. Enter an old prospector named Uncle Kris to save the day by pointing the boys to a needy family. This episode is another one that does a fantastic job of mixing the secular and sacred. Highly Recommended
Have Gun, Will Travel - "The Hanging Cross". This is an annual viewing for me, generally left for Christmas Eve night, but due to family coming in I had to move it and the others underneath to the 23rd. A fantastic episode with Paladin helping a bitter rancher come to grips with the hate he's held for years after his son was kidnapped by Indians. Contains one of my favorite scenes in a church as Richard Boone tries to convince the rancher to stop the hanging he plans for Christmas Eve. Highly Recommended
Ozzie & Harriet - "Christmas Tree Lot". Typical scenario, always rooted in simplicity, in which the boys try to raise money for Christmas by selling Christmas trees. Great moments from all, including Ozzie misunderstanding a sign that reads "Hang one on Christmas Eve" which cracks me up every time. Highly Recommended
Dr Kildare - "Season to be Jolly". This is actually my favorite Christmas episode, bar none. I can't think of another holiday episode that makes use of more Christmas carols throughout the episode than this. The plot is simple yet effectively delivered by Dan O'Herlihy as a drunk Santa who's past is revealed in dramatic fashion on a hectic Christmas Eve at Blair General. Highly, Highly Recommended
It's a Wonderful Life - 'Nuff said. The greatest Christmas film of all time in my book.
Tonight I'll watch:
Charlie Brown Christmas
Ozzie & Harriet (Busy Christmas)
Happy Days (Christmas with the Fonz)
Lassie (the first, and best, holiday episode of many from this series)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Twas' the Night Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol (don't know which film version yet) and several others as time permits.
Gary "Merry Christmas to everyone here!" O.
Flintstones - "Christmas Flintstone". Fred gets a job playing a dept store Santa and ends up filling in for the real one. Great latter season episode of an iconic series that never gets old. Highly Recommended
Dennis the Menace - "The 15 Foot Christmas Tree". Mr Wilson takes Dennis and his father into the woods to get the boy a "real" Christmas tree. Mayhem ensues, as one might expect. Interestingly enough this third and final Dennis the Menace Christmas episode concludes with what became a tradition with this show's annual Yuletide offering - Jay North singing "Silent Night". Highly Recommended
Fury - "The Wayfarer". Joey and Pee Wee are too preoccupied with presents to recognize the true meaning of the season, even after Jim and Pete remind them via the Bible. Enter an old prospector named Uncle Kris to save the day by pointing the boys to a needy family. This episode is another one that does a fantastic job of mixing the secular and sacred. Highly Recommended
Have Gun, Will Travel - "The Hanging Cross". This is an annual viewing for me, generally left for Christmas Eve night, but due to family coming in I had to move it and the others underneath to the 23rd. A fantastic episode with Paladin helping a bitter rancher come to grips with the hate he's held for years after his son was kidnapped by Indians. Contains one of my favorite scenes in a church as Richard Boone tries to convince the rancher to stop the hanging he plans for Christmas Eve. Highly Recommended
Ozzie & Harriet - "Christmas Tree Lot". Typical scenario, always rooted in simplicity, in which the boys try to raise money for Christmas by selling Christmas trees. Great moments from all, including Ozzie misunderstanding a sign that reads "Hang one on Christmas Eve" which cracks me up every time. Highly Recommended
Dr Kildare - "Season to be Jolly". This is actually my favorite Christmas episode, bar none. I can't think of another holiday episode that makes use of more Christmas carols throughout the episode than this. The plot is simple yet effectively delivered by Dan O'Herlihy as a drunk Santa who's past is revealed in dramatic fashion on a hectic Christmas Eve at Blair General. Highly, Highly Recommended
It's a Wonderful Life - 'Nuff said. The greatest Christmas film of all time in my book.
Tonight I'll watch:
Charlie Brown Christmas
Ozzie & Harriet (Busy Christmas)
Happy Days (Christmas with the Fonz)
Lassie (the first, and best, holiday episode of many from this series)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Twas' the Night Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol (don't know which film version yet) and several others as time permits.
Gary "Merry Christmas to everyone here!" O.
And I'll be back to watching this one next year. I took a break to watch the 50's one this season even though the color one is better.
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I’m making Christmas Eve dinner right now and listening to the Christmas episode of the satellite radio program Theme Time Radio Hour With Your Host Bob Dylan. I get this in during cooking every year on either the eve or the day.
Man, CBS/Paramount is doing such a good job cleaning these later seasons of Gunsmoke up...those shots look terrific! Thanks, Randall!
Great line-up as always, Peter! You know how much I adore OHMSS. Will try and give that classic Avengers episode a spin later on today...
Thank you, Kevin! It is a wonderful show, glad to hear from another fan. That Christmas special is, indeed, silly but fun.
Thanks, Tim! Here's another one, inspired by an episode I watched last night:
Will chime in later today about Petticoat Junction's "Cannonball Christmas" and some other goodies. In the meantime, loving all the reviews. Merry Christmas, everyone!
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