Forgotten Christmas specials

[jmyrlefuller]

Ah, 'tis the season... OK, if you've been listening to the radio or watching TV, it's been "the season" since late October, because it seems that there are more and more Christmas specials these days. Hallmark has made a meme out of churning out generic Christmas movie after Christmas movie, and I'm almost expecting some big-city successful woman to show up in my small town, fall for me and learn the real meaning of Christmas. (A guy can dream.)

Now a few of these have become mainstays of the Christmas special "canon," if you will. A Charlie Brown Christmas and the 1966 version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! have rightfully earned their place as perennials in the Christmas lineup, and Rankin-Bass's specials, thanks to some shrewd licensing, have made household names out of Rudolph and Frosty if they weren't already. The millennial generation grew up with Jim Carrey's version of The Grinch (which despite its mediocre backstory was made worthwhile by Carrey's equally manic and curmudgeonly tour de force performance) and Will Ferrell's Elf. We have Ted Turner to thank for remembering "you'll shoot your eye out!" as he was the one who put Jean Shepherd's semi-fictionalized paean to pre-World War II America, A Christmas Story, on cable repeatedly every Christmas. (If you really want to stretch the definition, I'll include Die Hard, a Christmas movie for people who don't like Christmas movies.)

But even so, even with over a month of space to program, there have been a few holiday specials that, for some reason or another, have fallen through the cracks—either nobody bothered to renew the rights, or they just didn't hold up to the test of time as some of the others I mentioned. This thread is devoted to some of those oddities: some good, some bad.

Ladies and gentlemen of the Briefing Room, I submit for your consideration...

Forgotten Christmas Classics.

[jmyrlefuller]

Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas Celebration

Year: 1987

Synopsis: A musical compilation created by Will Vinton, whose main claim to fame was The California Raisins, who make an appearance among the seven musical acts (mostly soul music) animated mostly in Claymation. The songs are bookended by Rex and Herb, a classic double act of dinosaurs, seeking the meaning of the word "wassailing."

Status: Last seen on TV in the early 1990s, if at all. Bootlegged to Youtube.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x57fkhi

[jmyrlefuller]

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.


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[skeeter]

Dunno if they still air the 1964 stop-motion TV production of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.

I liked that one 'cause it was the only Christmas special with a monster.

[jmyrlefuller]

A Christmas Carol (1971 animated)

Year: 1971

Synopsis: This is another Richard Williams production. There have been countless adaptations of Charles Dickens's classic novella A Christmas Carol over the years, but this version actually won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, something unusual as it had been originally released to television (the Academy tried to close this loophole but networks got around it by scheduling limited theatrical releases before their TV debuts). Alastair Sim, who had played Ebenezer Scrooge in a 1951 live-action film of the same story (one that continues to see lots of reruns today), reprised his role.

Status: Last airing unknown. Bootlegged to Youtube.


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[jmyrlefuller]

Dunno if they still air the 1964 stop-motion TV production of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.

I liked that one 'cause it was the only Christmas special with a monster.

Yeah, they still play it. Multiple times a year. That one is a perennial.

[dfwgator]

Dunno if they still air the 1964 stop-motion TV production of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.

I liked that one 'cause it was the only Christmas special with a monster.

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

[jmyrlefuller]

Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol

Year: 1962

Synopsis: This particular special, another adaptation of the Dickens novella, took an unusual approach to its source material: the lead characters were largely played by characters from the stable of its producer, United Productions of America. (Disney would take a similar approach with its original story Mickey's Christmas Carol two decades later.) In the lead role as Scrooge is the nearly-blind Mister Magoo, who largely plays it straight; Gerald McBoing-Boing serves as Tiny Tim. An original score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill pads out the special to a full hour. It is notable for being the first animated Christmas special produced for TV.

Status: This one actually saw a revival in interest in the early to mid 2010s as NBC and the CW reran it, but has since disappeared again. As UPA's successors have maintained the rights to it, it's not available on the usual video sites, but the musical numbers are on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfcAAgTxni1I0wk4YB0w4_Z6vhaR8Hwyz

[jmyrlefuller]

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

I knew I couldn't be the only one who came to that same conclusion!

[skeeter]

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

Filed under questions I didn't ask in 1965.

[jmyrlefuller]

A Garfield Christmas Special

Year: 1987

Synopsis: One of several animated Garfield specials that eventually led to the long-running Saturday morning cartoon Garfield and Friends, this special features the main trio of Jon Arbuckle, Garfield and Odie as they head to the Arbuckle family farm for Christmas. As Garfield was never particularly deep, the ending may be a little heavier than one might expect for the gag-a-day cat.

Status: This one was a regular on TV up until shortly after the millennium turned. Over the next few years it changed ownership a few times and lost its spot on TV, until finally this year it ended up in Nickelodeon's hands. An account that may or may not be the official Garfield and Friends account posted a copy on Youtube last month.


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[PeteS in CA]

Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol

Year: 1962

Synopsis: This particular special, another adaptation of the Dickens novella, took an unusual approach to its source material: the lead characters were largely played by characters from the stable of its producer, United Productions of America. (Disney would take a similar approach with its original story Mickey's Christmas Carol two decades later.) In the lead role as Scrooge is the nearly-blind Mister Magoo, who largely plays it straight; Gerald McBoing-Boing serves as Tiny Tim. An original score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill pads out the special to a full hour. It is notable for being the first animated Christmas special produced for TV.

Status: This one actually saw a revival in interest in the early to mid 2010s as NBC and the CW reran it, but has since disappeared again. As UPA's successors have maintained the rights to it, it's not available on the usual video sites, but the musical numbers are on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfcAAgTxni1I0wk4YB0w4_Z6vhaR8Hwyz

This one makes Mrs. S in CA cringe - she likes the classic movie versions - but it actually is pretty well done.

The mid-80s made-for-TV version of "A Christmas Carol" with George C. Scott is, IMO, pretty well done, and pretty faithful to Dickens story. An interesting ratio, BTW: ~120 pages, ~2 hours of footage.

[jmyrlefuller]

Tattertown

Year: 1988

Synopsis: This was one that was not very good. It actually wasn't supposed to be a Christmas special; it was a pilot for a series that was going to air on Nickelodeon. In it, an insufferable little girl, her stuffed dog and a toy doll get dragged into a world where discarded items come to life. The doll turns evil and wants to take over. The little girl decides to introduce Christmas there, why?, we have no idea. Apparently no one, including the little girl, has a firm grasp on what Christmas is supposed to be all about, and we shouldn't be surprised. The ever-edgy (and firmly Jewish) Ralph Bakshi, of Fritz the Cat and Heavy Traffic fame, was always the wrong choice to make a Christmas special.

As a series, without being tied to Christmas, Tattertown might have worked, but an overzealous preacher who started harassing him over an episode of Mighty Mouse (which Bakshi was directing at the time) where the lead character sniffs a flower (the preacher tried to say it was suggestive of cocaine) basically destroyed Bakshi's chances of getting the show to series. Bakshi's protege, the equally edgy John Kricfalusi, would get a shot with Nickelodeon with Ren & Stimpy in 1991.

Status: Last aired in 1992. Ralph Bakshi still owns the rights. Bootlegged to Youtube.


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[libertybele]

Thanks @jmyrlefuller  for this thread.  The only one that comes to mind is "Charlie Brown's Christmas", but I think it still airs?


www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwkN6yWHqis

[jmyrlefuller]

Amahl and the Night Visitors

Year: 1951

Synopsis: An opera composed specifically for television in an earlier time when highbrow programming aired live, Amahl and the Night Visitors is a fictional story set around the nativity of Jesus.

Status: Pulled from its annual live performances in 1966 in a dispute with Gian Carlo Menotti, the composer.


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[Hoodat]

Better Off Dead


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[Cyber Liberty]

I doubt we'll see Grumpy Cat's "Worst Christmas Ever" again.

[jmyrlefuller]

Thanks @jmyrlefuller  for this thread.  The only one that comes to mind is "Charlie Brown's Christmas", but I think it still airs?

Indeed, that one does (and as I noted in the intro, rightfully so), but there was a sequel that does fit the description.

It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown

Year: 1992

Synopsis: A sequel to the original classic, without some of the heavier material, It's Christmastime Again consists of stories adapted directly from the Peanuts comic strip.

Status: The Peanuts specials that were not part of the traditional favorites were fading in popularity in the 1990s and this one only got a few airings. It was replaced by Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales in 2001 when the original moved to ABC (also based on Schulz's strips), then another Christmas special, I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown! was added in the mid-2000s. It's Christmastime Again has been bootlegged to Dailymotion now on Apple TV+ along with the rest of the Peanuts library.

BONUS:

The version of A Charlie Brown Christmas we see today is somewhat altered from the original airing. See the differences in this video:


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[jmyrlefuller]

I doubt we'll see Grumpy Cat's "Worst Christmas Ever" again.

RIP Grumpy Cat, but yeah, that's one that would—and should—be buried in a vault, never to be seen again.

Oh, heck with it.

Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever!

Year: 2014

Synopsis: A star vehicle for Internet meme Grumpy Cat (Tardar Sauce, 2012-2019, as herself). Aubrey Plaza (really?) provides the cat's voice.

Status: Bootlegged to Youtube. Other than that, hopefully never seen again.


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[dfwgator]

Indeed, that one does (and as I noted in the intro, rightfully so), but there was a sequel that does fit the description.

It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown

Year: 1992

Synopsis: A sequel to the original classic, without some of the heavier material, It's Christmastime Again consists of stories adapted directly from the Peanuts comic strip.

Status: The Peanuts specials that were not part of the traditional favorites were fading in popularity in the 1990s and this one only got a few airings. It was replaced by Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales in 2001 when the original moved to ABC (also based on Schulz's strips), then another Christmas special, I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown! was added in the mid-2000s. It's Christmastime Again has been bootlegged to Youtube.

Charlie Brown It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown - video dailymotion

BONUS:

The version of A Charlie Brown Christmas we see today is somewhat altered from the original airing. See the differences in this video:


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I love this.


Hey Ya,  Charlie Brown Style

 
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[jmyrlefuller]

Christmas Is

Year: 1970

Synopsis: A young boy in a Christmas play is disheartened that he has yet again been cast as a shepherd and doesn't understand the story of which he is a part. He is mysteriously transported to Bethlehem where he witnesses the nativity story in person. Featuring the voices of Hans Conreid, June Foray and Don Messick, Christmas Is was produced by the Lutheran Church (the same arm that gave us Davey and Goliath).

Status: Technically, this one isn't forgotten: AMGTV, a small network, still carries this one every Christmas morning.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJRZ0LozzEM

[GrouchoTex]

There was one I recall called The little drummer boy, but I don't believe it is aired anymore.
A Charlie Brown Christmas has been on twice this season.

[berdie]

There was one I recall called The little drummer boy, but I don't believe it is aired anymore.
A Charlie Brown Christmas has been on twice this season.

I loved "The Little Drummer Boy"

[berdie]

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.

[jmyrlefuller]

There was one I recall called The little drummer boy, but I don't believe it is aired anymore.
A Charlie Brown Christmas has been on twice this season.

That one is currently on Freeform (what used to be the Family Channel before ABC bought it), part of their 25 Days of Christmas lineup.

[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.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYKg4sDJajU

[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.


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[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.


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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: As of 2024, owned by Shout! Factory, as part of the deal with The Jim Henson Company that included the stuff his estate didn't sell to Disney. Bootlegged to Youtube, but grab it while it lasts because Shout! Factory might take it down.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKp5A9j06fo

[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.


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I remember this gem... thank you @jmyrlefuller

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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.

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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