What are you watching on "Little Christmas" - the 25th of each month (1 Viewer)

[Garysb]

Here is TCM's schedule Thursday December 22, 2016. A Great Triple Feature. Glad to see TCM has the rights to A Christmas Carol(1951) again. They apparently no longer have the rights to "Miracle on 34th St." (1947) or "The Bishop's Wife" which is a shame.

8:00 PM
HOLIDAY AFFAIR (1949)

A young widow is torn between a boring businessman and a romantic ne'er-do-well.
Dir: Don Hartman Cast: Robert Mitchum , Janet Leigh , Wendell Corey .
BW-87 mins, CC,

9:45 PM
REMEMBER THE NIGHT (1940)

An assistant D.A. takes a shoplifter home with him for Christmas.
Dir: Mitchell Leisen Cast: Barbara Stanwyck , Fred MacMurray , Beulah Bondi .
BW-94 mins, CC,

11:30 PM
CHRISTMAS CAROL, A (1951)

Ghosts visit a miser during the holidays to teach him the errors of his ways.
Dir: Brian Desmond-Hurst Cast: Alastair Sim , Kathleen Harrison , Mervyn Johns .
BW-86 mins, CC,

 

[davidmatychuk]

That is a great pre-Christmas evening's entertainment right there.

 

[Rodney]

Great lineup! Thanks for sharing.

 

[davidmatychuk]

On October 25, I've been going in a kind of Hallowe'en/Christmas crossover scary direction on this blustery, crisp Autumn "Little Christmas". That means "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (3D Blu-Ray, in 2D); the Christmas episode of "The Addams Family" (Volume 3 DVD); "Brazil" (Criterion Blu-Ray) still the ultimate dystopian Christmas in my mind; the charming Canadian National Film Board cartoon "Lucretia" ("An Animated Christmas" laserdisc); Spinal Tap's live version of "Christmas With The Devil" ("Return of Spinal Tap" laserdisc); "The Futurama Holiday Spectacular" ("Futurama Volume 5" Blu-Ray); and to bring it all back to late October, "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" , but not from the Blu-Ray (which I will watch next Monday), but from Paramount's old DVD from 2000. The newer Blu-Ray has no audio option but a 5.1 track with a lot of echo on it that just doesn't sound right to me (I could have watched the Warner's DVD that comes with the Blu-Ray which does have the mono track, but I'm a terrible snob sometimes). And as a special musical treat, I enjoyed my iTunes downloads of Christopher Lee's small-but-potent Christmas repertoire (more about which here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/10/christopher-lee-heavy-metal-christmas-songs_n_6299590.html). Have a great Hallowe'en, everybody, and see you in November when the season will be pretty much ON!

 

[davidmatychuk]

I just posted this in the "New 2016 Christmas DVD's & Blue Rays" thread elsewhere on HTF. I invite you all to get over there and rant along with me:

Yeah, what gives with the virtual absence of new Christmas home video releases in this cursed year? The new "It's A Wonderful Life" Blu-Ray is just a repackaging of the earlier 2-disc Paramount set. There's a new "Black Christmas", but a very fine new Blu-Ray came out last Christmas. Now, earlier in 2016 - before Easter, I mean - Olive put out "Christmas Eve" on Blu-Ray, and last year's "Love The Coopers", "The Night Before", "Krampus", and "A Christmas Horror Story" each followed their theatrical runs with Blu-Rays the usual two or three months later, but since then we didn't even get the normal annual promise/threat of a new Blu Alastair Sim "Christmas Carol". There's no Blu-Ray of last year's much-heralded Bill Murray Christmas special for him to plug and he is OMNIPRESENT these days? Where's the gorgeous Blu-Ray of Bill Forsyth's masterpiece "Comfort And Joy"? In a world where otherwise-decent Blu-Rays of "The Bishop's Wife" and the aforementioned "Christmas Carol" are missing actual chunks of dialogue, have we really run out of Christmas classics to remaster? Are the home video manufacturers fated to be visited by three spirits this Christmas Eve? Are there no Blu-Ray prisons? Are there no 4K UltraHD Blu-Ray workhouses?

 

[Garysb]

NBC will be broadcasting the uncut 26 minute version of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" in honor of it's 50th Anniversary on November 25th, Black Friday. First time it has been broadcast uncut in over 10 years per the article.

http://deadline.com/2016/11/how-the...original-version-50th-anniversary-1201856596/

 

[davidmatychuk]

Since the November 25th "Little Christmas" is pretty much part of the regular Christmas season, I decided this year to take advantage of the fact that it was also American Thanksgiving and go that way, just for fun. I watched "Planes, Trains & Automobiles", "Hannah & Her Sisters", "The Big Chill", and lastly and perfectly, the 1947 "Miracle On 34th Street". I toyed with the thought of having any necessary background music be Sly & The Family Stone's "Thank You Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin" on a loop, because it does say "Thank you" and it does say "Elf", but there was no one around except the dog to encourage me in this, thankfully(!). Up here in Canada we've only recently started adopting your "Black Friday" thing, but it hasn't really caught on as a second Boxing Day yet. We're too politely Canadian to comfortably get with that whole "It's Fun Trampling Shoppers" concept. I myself was at a downtown Vancouver Best Buy at 7:15 AM (after work), and it was dead like any Monday evening in March; in fact, two of the Blu-Rays I bought were their single copies of Door Crasher Specials. Sweet! I'm thankful! Anyhow, that's it for "Little Christmas" this year. Happy Thanksgiving to my American chums, Merry Christmas to all my HTF friends, and see you all in January!

 

[Mike Frezon]

Dave:

I put on my mod hat and trimmed a bit of your last post. I removed some political stuff--which we keep out--as it only serves to cause disruption amongst our rather diverse membership.

I think the eggnog WAS talking!

 

[RMajidi]

 

[Bernard McNair]

Watched "It Happened on 5th Avenue" just after midnight (12/25 in Australia). I have had the disc for several years (A WB release) but had never watched it previously. A truly charming film, excellent performances and a DVD that looked really good to me. Glad to have discovered this film and recommend it highly.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Not sure what I'm watching today, but Merry Christmas to all. Here's what I received for viewing pleasure:

 

[Mike Frezon]

We've watched a TON of Christmas movies over the past couple of weeks.

Just in the past few days we have watched the '51 A Christmas Carol...The Bishop's Wife...and the Hallmark presentation, A Dog Named Christmas (a really terrific light drama. I highly recommend it. It has become annual viewing at our house). I also picked up a prequel (another Hallmark show) called Christmas with Tucker.

Both of those last two stories were written by Greg Kincaid. Anyone could really enjoy them, but anyone with an affinity for dogs, especially so.

 

[Keith Cobby]

Thanks for that Ramin. It would be great to have High Society on blu-ray with 'Happy Holidays with Frank & Bing' as a supplement.

 

[davidmatychuk]

Here's me on actual Christmas Day 2016 at work (also monitoring for Santa Claus visitations). I'm holding up a copy of "B.C. Musician" with an article about my Christmas collection/obsession. It's "A David M. Christmas", all right! See you all right here tomorrow!

 

[Keith Cobby]

I shall be watching (again) Cover Up (1949), a crime film set in a small town at Christmas. Lovely blu-ray from KL.

 

[davidmatychuk]

I shall be watching (again) Cover Up (1949), a crime film set in a small town at Christmas. Lovely blu-ray from KL.

Good call! That is a nice Blu-Ray.

 

[davidmatychuk]

I'm a bit late with my January 25th comments due to some recent sad news, but here's what I went with on the day: "Die Hard 2" (Blu-Ray) which is not as good as the first one (what movie is?) but it's still fun, and I especially like that in the final fight with the bad guy, John McClane gets his butt kicked (when does that ever happen in an action movie?); "All Is Bright" (Blu-Ray), which I like more every time I see it; "The Fitzgerald Family Christmas" (Blu-Ray), which is low budget drama with great actors, and a real treat for fans of Edward Burns; and "Uncle Nick" (DVD), which is one of those matters-of-taste comedy/dramas, but I thought the seams between the deliberate offensiveness and the redemptive seriousness were a bit too apparent, and I also thought it was the kind of thing that Louis C.K. seems to triumph with effortlessly. I still enjoyed watching it, though. My "Little Christmas" listening consisted of putting the 6 CD/s in EMI's "Best Christmas 100" set in the CD changer and letting them play. Eclectic is not the word for the mix in this set; my "Shuffle" button was completely redundant.
See you all on February 25th for some "Little Christmas" Winter Romance!

 

[Rodney]

I'm hoping David doesn't mind if I refresh this thread with some information on Turner Classic Movies Christmas Schedule for 2017.
I'm most excited about seeing The Cheaters available on TCM again.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2017: CHRISTMAS DOUBLE FEATURE
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Remember the Night (1940)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2017
Little Women (1933)
Man Who Came to Dinner, The (1941)
It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
Holiday Affair (1949)
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Bishop's Wife, The (1947)
Bells of St. Mary's, The (1945)
Cheaters, The (1945)
Christmas Carol, A (1938)
Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
MONDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2017
Star in the Night (1945)
Meet John Doe (1941)
Babes in Toyland (1934)
Scrooge (1935)
Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)
Fitzwilly (1967)
Bundle of Joy (1956)
Shop Around the Corner, The (1940)