Forgotten Christmas specials

[jmyrlefuller]

I'm a big fan of the old western or comedy Christmas episodes. In particular Gunsmoke and The Rifleman. And Andy Griffith with the mean old man. Don't know if they still air.

There used to be a couple of movies that aired during Christmas that I remember when I was a kid and don't see any longer...Boys Town and All Mine To Give.
Not true Christmas stories...just heart tuggers about people doing the right or hard thing.

Gunsmoke and The Rifleman are both still in reruns.

I'm not sure if your cable provider has it, but one to check out is INSP (the Inspiration Network). It carries a lot of those old Westerns.
https://www.insp.com/insp-2019-christmas-guide/

[skeeter]

Doesn’t exactly fit the description of Christmas special but there was a movie I saw years ago which really broke me up, havent seen it since, called The Christmas Tree. I think William Holden starred.

[Cyber Liberty]

Doesn’t exactly fit the description of Christmas special but there was a movie I saw years ago which really broke me up, havent seen it since, called The Christmas Tree. I think William Holden starred.

It was in 1969:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064037/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3

[skeeter]

It was in 1969:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064037/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3

Ok it was a foreign movie, that explains it. It could be because I was 12, but i thought it was a real tearjerker.

[jmyrlefuller]

Bumping for the season.

The City that Forgot About Christmas

Year: 1974

The sequel to Christmas Is, it returns much of the star-studded cast, with a somewhat more heavy-handed plot: Benji and his dog Waldo encounter Matthew, a carpenter from a vague historic past who tries to proselytize a misanthropic town, and succeeds.

Status: Like Christmas Is, it remains in reruns on AMGTV. Also bootlegged to Youtube.


Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

[GtHawk]

Does Laurel and Hardy's March of the Wooden Soldiers count? If you can't deal with the singing interludes then just fast forward to the end for the battle with the Bogey Men.


Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

[LegalAmerican]

Did Hermy, the Dentist wannabe, come out of the closet, yet?

I laughed so hard, I did a "putt."   

[LegalAmerican]

Does Laurel and Hardy's March of the Wooden Soldiers count? If you can't deal with the singing interludes then just fast forward to the end for the battle with the Bogey Men.


Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

Love it!   Shot with toilet paper?   

[jmyrlefuller]

Does Laurel and Hardy's March of the Wooden Soldiers count? If you can't deal with the singing interludes then just fast forward to the end for the battle with the Bogey Men.

A great choice!

March of the Wooden Soldiers (Babes in Toyland)

Year: 1934

Synopsis: Laurel and Hardy star in this movie, heavily inspired by Mother Goose nursery rhymes. They must save the Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe from having her shoe repossessed by the Crooked Man, and rescue the old woman's daughter, Little Bo Peep, from the Crooked Man's clutches and schemes.

Status: A 1950 edit has largely been left into the public domain without much resistance from the copyright owners. Available just about anywhere.

[GtHawk]

A great choice!

March of the Wooden Soldiers (Babes in Toyland)

Year: 1934

Synopsis: Laurel and Hardy star in this movie, heavily inspired by Mother Goose nursery rhymes. They must save the Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe from having her shoe repossessed by the Crooked Man, and rescue the old woman's daughter, Little Bo Peep, from the Crooked Man's clutches and schemes.

Status: A 1950 edit has largely been left into the public domain without much resistance from the copyright owners. Available just about anywhere.

I'm not much on cartoons, though at least one thing my son got from us(not politics) is that he has collected all the old claymation and cartoon Christmas specials for his two daughters. I prefer old movies like the Lemon Drop Kid, Holliday Inn(OMG Blackface!!), White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, the original not the remakes and The Bishops Wife. I'm a heretic, I dislike It's a Wonderful Life. A special favorite is We're No Angels, the '55 Bogart film not the De Niro crap.

[jmyrlefuller]

I'm not much on cartoons, though at least one thing my son got from us(not politics) is that he has collected all the old claymation and cartoon Christmas specials for his two daughters. I prefer old movies like the Lemon Drop Kid, Holliday Inn(OMG Blackface!!), White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, the original not the remakes and The Bishops Wife. I'm a heretic, I dislike It's a Wonderful Life. A special favorite is We're No Angels, the '55 Bogart film not the De Niro crap.

I found It's a Wonderful Life to be kind of boring and drawn-out. I like the concept but I think Capra could have told that story in a lot shorter time than he did. It just could never hold my attention.

As far as the movies... I have a lot of fondness for the trashy ones. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Santa Vs. Satan in Mexico City (OK, that's officially just "Santa Claus,") and so on.

You mention the ones like Holiday Inn and White Christmas... a lot of the stars of those movies ended up doing straight-up variety specials for years afterward, which I haven't even touched on!

[jmyrlefuller]

Bumping for seasonal cheer.

[Cyber Liberty]

Bumping for seasonal cheer.

Merry Christmas and best of luck in all your endeavors, @jmyrlefuller!

[andy58-in-nh]

Did Hermy, the Dentist wannabe, come out of the closet, yet?

I think he wound up marrying Pete Buttigieg.

[Restored]

I can tell you from experience that the song "I'm All Alone In the World" from Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol is not a good thing when you are a homesick freshman.

[jmyrlefuller]

Seasonal bump.

Since I found a few more:

Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas

Synopsis: A late 1970s story about an impoverished hillbilly river otter family whose mother and son hock each other's most valuable possessions to enter a talent contest with a $50 prize: Emmet converts his mother's washtub into a washtub bass to form his jug band, while his mother hocks Emmet's tool kit for a dress.

(Spoiler: They both lose the contest but, when they begin working together, get hired as musicians at the local restaurant, allowing them all to leave their menial jobs behind.)

Status: I don't remember the last time this one was showed, or who even owns it (The Jim Henson Company that released it sold a lot of their assets to Disney a few years back but whether this was part of it isn't clear.) Bootlegged to Youtube.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZqYHS4uzWE

[DefiantMassRINO]

Man, I loved the Riverbottom Nightmare Band ... reminded me of Deep Purple.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ3cWWNXBHg

[jmyrlefuller]

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree

Synopsis: This 1995 special is another Jim Henson effort featuring Robert Downey Jr. at his personal, pre-Iron Man rock bottom as the titular wealthy philanthropist, Leslie Nielsen as his butler (who shows only some glimpses of his comic form) and Stockard Channing, looking a whole lot younger than 50, as a Swedish maid.

The basic plot, taken from a 1960s children's book, follows the titular tree as it is brought into Willowby's house, but is found to be too tall, so the top is cut off and given to the maid. The top is too tall for her room, so the cycle repeats as successively smaller portions of the tree get chopped off, with bears, owls, and finally a family of mice who had been trying to cut off the very top the whole time each getting their piece.

Status: I remember seeing this special exactly once. As with Emmet Otter, it's either in the Henson Studio name or Disney, though I'm inclined to assume the latter since Kermit the Frog serves as narrator. Bootlegged to Youtube.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gvT4x2IkDU

[Polly Ticks]

The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)

The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 stop motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It is narrated by Shirley Booth (her final acting credit before her retirement from acting) and starring the voices of Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, and George S. Irving. It was originally broadcast on December 10, 1974, on ABC.

Santa Claus wakes up with a cold sometime before Christmas. When his doctor sarcastically says that nobody believes in him anymore, Santa decides to forego his annual Christmas Eve run. Mrs. Claus enlists two elves, Jingle and Jangle, to find evidence to Christmas spirit in hopes of changing Santa's mind.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4cfza7

[libertybele]

Miracle on 34th Street


www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrQmDsDcYzk

[libertybele]

My favorite as a kid: Frosty the Snowman


www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDgjeQQNsw

[jmyrlefuller]

Man, I loved the Riverbottom Nightmare Band ... reminded me of Deep Purple.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ3cWWNXBHg

Is it any wonder they won? 

[Hoodat]

.

[Sighlass]

Ziggy's Gift

Year: 1982

Synopsis: Directed by Richard Williams, this special is an adaptation of Tom Wilson's comic strip Ziggy. Ziggy (who does not speak; I always imagined him with a Sterling Holloway-type voice) takes a job as a Santa Claus only to find that he is surrounded by crooks. A soundtrack by Harry Nilsson adds a nice touch to this already touching animated feature.

Status: Bootlegged to Youtube.


Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

I remember this gem... thank you @jmyrlefuller

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The YouTube link to Charlie Brown Christmas is down...

You can download/stream the MP4 free here .... In good quality too.

https://ia904606.us.archive.org/3/items/charlie-brown-thanksgiving-christmas/A%20Charlie%20Brown%20Christmas%201965.mp4

Little factoid: Linus drops his blanket during the "fear not" part of his speech...  just a sweet moment.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Frosty the Snowman is also down.... You can stream/download it here

https://ia803102.us.archive.org/25/items/rudolphtherednosedreindeer_201912/Frosty%20The%20Snowman.wmv

[Timber Rattler]

Heh...watch if you dare!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL-hL6_XR30