Saturday, December 5, 2009

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!


My top 7 favorite Christmas movies and T.V. show episodes, in no particulate order!


The Lone Ranger: "Christmas Story" December 20, 1956 Episode # 197 The Lone Ranger & Tonto help Robby Talbot (James Baird) cut down a Christmas tree and then begin a search for Robby's gold hunting father, Ben Talbot (Bill Henry), capture a gang of bank robbers and then convince Ben to return to his wife, Mary (Aline Towne), and Robby in time for Christmas. A great Christmas episode which also stars Robert Burton as Josh Hannah and Mary Newton as Martha Hannah. (Hi-Yo Santa! Supporting acting is so bad it's good! It's just a fun watch)


The New Gidget: "A Christmas Curl" December 17, 1987 The Kahuna (Don Stroud) comes to visit and provide his acting skills for Gidget’s Classic Christmas Carol performance. Well, Gidget, who's the director, gets everyone stressed out and experiences her own ‘classic’ Christmas Carol with all 3 Christmas spirits to set her right. (I always felt this was a great series with some fun stories. I soooo miss the 80's! COWABUNGA dude!)


A Charlie Brown Christmas: December 9, 1965 "MERRY CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN!" (who can resist a round headed kid!)


A Very Brady Christmas: December 18, 1988 Almost 20 years after the start of the original "Brady Bunch", the kids are grown up and have kids of their own. Everyone is having a wonderful time back at the family house for Christmas, until Mike learns of a structural problem in one of the buildings he designed. As he is inspecting the problem, the building collapses, trapping him inside. As the whole family waits by the pile of rubble, they fear the worst. Will Dad be all right? (stupid movie, I still cry at the end!)


Ebenezer: November 25, 1998 A Wild West retelling of Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol," with Scrooge (Jack Palance) as a land baron, gunfighter, and card cheat who is visited by three spirits who attempt to teach him the true meaning of Christmas (cool, with Jack Palance? Believe it or not!)


A Christmas Story: November 18, 1983 It's Christmas time and there's only one thing on Ralphie Parker's Christmas list this year: a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-Shot, Range Model Air Rifle, but many obstacles stand in the way of his dream because every adult that he confronts keeps telling him he'll shoot his eye out. Meanwhile The Old Man just got a major award and Mom is making sure The Old Man doesn't come near her turkey, Ralphie's friend gets his tongue stuck to a flag pole, and Ralphie utters a four letter word in front of his father. Christmas is drawing nearer and Ralphie visits Santa at the department store in hopes of asking him for his dream gift. Will he receive it? Let's hope so. (You'll shoot your eye out, kid!)


It's a Wonderful Life: January 7, 1947 On the Christmas Eve of Bedford Falls, the guardian angel Clarence is assigned to convince the desperate George Bailey to not commit suicide. George is a good man, that sacrificed his dreams and his youth on behalf of the citizens of his small town. He inherited the loan business of his father and he gave up traveling the world and joining University as scheduled. Later he resisted the proposals of the evil banker Mr. Potter, and never sold his business to protect the poor community of Bedford Falls and offer a means to afford to buy their own house. He married his beloved Mary Hatch Bailey and had four children with her and a tough life with his family. When his uncle Billy loses US$ 8,000.00, found and stolen by Mr. Potter, George decides to commit suicide, since he believes he worth more dead than alive. When Clarence sees that he is not able to persuade George to give up his intention, he decides to show the life in town if George had never existed. George concludes that life is wonderful. (fun note, watch for Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer as Freddy. Such a sad life)



And there are more! Of course I love to watch just about all the "Christmas Carol" movies and all the "Santa Clause" movies altho I think they get worse as they go.


So, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!'

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