Self-explanatory.  I love the Karloff Grinch and the Burl Ives Rudolph.
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The Maureen O’Hara Miracle on 34th St, the Cary Grant Bishop’s Wife and the Alistar Sims Scrooge
Okay, but those aren’t technically television . . . aw, who cares.
We’ll just take it as read that the Star Wars Christmas special doesn’t count in the competition for the worst, otherwise this thread would be over before it started.
Worst: that crappy one with “young Santa” and the town where the Eeeeevil Hun had banned toys. I’m drawing a blank on the name, thank all that’s holy…. it was the one that had a puppet postman as the narrator.
Best: Gotta go with the original Rudolph.
What? Huh?
OK. OK.
The worst Christmas movie has to be “Plan 9 From Outer Space”.
I dunno, Dan. All of them get played on tv during the holidays, all have been remade and nothing compares to the original.
Lost Dog: I beg to differ. The worst Christmas movie (as opposed to special was Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Plan 9 had Criswell and Bela Lugosi. SCCTM had no one of any measurable interest (it did have Pia Zadora, but that was long before her “plot devices” had made their appearance).
I do love the bumble-terror, have since the age of 3. And that crotchety Santa…set me up for a cynical doubt of authority figures my lifelong. But can someone tell me what was wrong with that doll?
Charlie Brown Christmas always leaves me feeling redeemed, despite the depressive core of Schultz almighty twinkling through the animated stars. And did it not teach one to dance?
Mr Magoo’s Christmas Carol is another favorite from childhood. The skeleton fingers creeped me out, and the songs were good.
Worst evah – a Rankin Bass schlock-fest that was “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, In which the Burgermeister Meisterburger pushes Ava Garnder out of the Christmas Town space elevator to an icy, crevassy doom. Or maybe my memory is mixing some of the details. But it was awful.
The one with the Heat-meiser rules.
SarahW: that’s the one I was talking about with the postman. I’d thank you for reminding me of the title, but I’m not sure I can do that with a straight face.
Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970) (TV)
The Mailman decides to answer some of the most common questions about Santa Claus, and tells us about a small baby named Kris who was left on the doorstep of the Kringle family (toymakers). When Kris grew up, he wanted to deliver toys to the children of Sombertown. But its Burgermeister (Herr Meisterburger) is too mean to let that happen. And to make things worse, there’s an evil wizard named Winter who lives between the Kringles and Sombertown, but Kris manages to melt Winter’s heart (as well as the comely schoolteacher’s) and deliver his toys.
Voices: Fred Astaire, Mickey Rooney, Keenan Wynn, Paul Frees, and Joan Gardner, all of whom should be ashamed of themselves. I hope the check cleared.
OK.
I give. “Plan 9 From Outer Space” wasn’t the worst Christmas movie ever made, but it is in the running for the worst movie ever.
Heatmiser (and Coldmiser) are from The Year Without A Santa Claus.
Oh, there’s plenty more where that came from.
Not the live-action one from last year.
Er, I mean, they’re in the live-action one, but, I mean, come on. That wasn’t a Christmas special, it was what convinced Jack Murtha we were torturing people.
The worst Christmas special? Anything that had William Shatner in it.
“Frosty the Snowman” was another Rankin Bass abortion. The animation is excreble, the songs…aren’t … and Frosty himself given voice by Jackie Vernon comes off sounding like a perv.
And if anyone can… please explain the fawning over It’s a Wonderful Life
I can’t stand that movie.
The studio neglected to renew the copyright for It’s a Wonderful Life in 1974, thus for a while TV stations could run it without paying much or anything.
Not that they’d allow mercenary motives to interfere with the altruistic Spirit of Christmas or anything like that….
Clay Aiken and Barry Manilow’s Christmas Special was mesmerizing. Wow. Just wow.
I assume “Little Drummer Boy” can’t even be mentioned without triggering CAIR outrage?
“Little Drummer Boy” and “Do You Hear What I Hear” are my favorite Christmas songs.
And the John Denver Christmas album is one of my all-time favorites.
Gotta go with the Grinch.
Darleen!! I’m with you. I’d rather go without Christmas than watch “It’s a Wonderful Life”
I’m with Dan: Rudolph (“she thinks I’m cuuuuute) and Grinch (love Max the Dog in the antlers)
FWIW, I do a fabulous Snoopy dance AND Cindy Lou Who impersonation.
It’s an overtly religious, pro-life movie about the power of the individual — how even a warped, frustrated dude actually makes the world a better place. And somehow ends up with Donna Reed!
It’s a variation on A Christmas Carol, in its way. Except with Donna Reed!
The Grinch is good. Right up to the “heart growing 3 sizes” part, then it kind of goes downhill.
No pun intended
Well, I’ll be the punching bag; I love “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Could be I have a soft spot for movies made in that period, and who can’t love Jimmy Stewart. That was when Hollywood actors were patriotic.
Anyway, I don’t so much have a favorite Christmas special. I like them all ok (Frosty sucked, though.) How about favorite Christmas music?
I know what my least favorite is: any of the many “new” Christmas albums put out by pop stars every year. JUST STOP! It’s like nails on a chalkboard. Why do they do it?
Carol of the Bells, Prokofiev’s Sleigh Ride, Holly and the Ivy, Handel, Come Immanuel, Christmas in Suburbia, Angels We Have Heard on High, What Child Is This?
Carol of the Bells
For some reason that one always makes me think of 70s horror movies like The Exorcist and The Omen. Creeps me the fuck out.
Dan: My ensemble just performed The Holly and the Ivy at a christmas dinner this past Sunday. It has one of the most brutal alto parts evah!
Silent Night sung with solo classical guitar and harp. The Rocking Carol an old Czech song.
The Grinch has been a family favorite for years. Two trivia points: The composer was the guy who played the foreign music teacher in “Fame” (Albert Hague.) Also, the “You’re a Mean One” singing voice was also the voice of “Tony the Tiger.”
It’s a standing joke in my family that my wife bought me Clay Aiken’s Christmas album because she thought I would like it. The look on my face caused my kids to spasm in laughter for about 15 minutes. My wife was not amused.
I’m gonna go by albums, because that’s the way I roll:
A Winter’s Night (various artists)
Bells of Dublin – The Chieftains
Britten: A Ceremony of Carols (boy’s choir, mostly)
And, of course,
Vince Guaraldi Trio’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
I think my most hated holiday album (who I keep hearing around) is that awful Mariah Carey holiday crap. Makes my ears bleed.
I could watch White Christmas 24/7, and no I do not prefer men.
The campiness is laugh-out-loud funny and Vera Ellen’s 18 inch waist in contrast to her 36 inch boobs hearkens back to a time when women cared enough about their appearance to risk damaging internal organs. So George Clooney’s aunt gets into the swing by using some post-WWII engineering to redistribute mass both upward and downward to create the illusion of a waistline. Mary Wickes shows some pent-up sexual frustration in the kissing scene with Bing. Bing Crosby frantically pulls down his t-shirt to avoid letting the world know that pears constantly write him letters to ask him how he maintains his beautiful figure. Bing’s dancing would make even cynn feel awkward. Make no mistake, it is the perfect Christmas movie.
pears constantly write him letters to ask him how he maintains his beautiful figure
! Now I have to rent it.
Not that I’ve gone pear shaped myself. I have stupid hair, and stuff, but no pearing yet.
It’s just that I never noticed Bing Crosby worry about his figure before.
If you think Frosty the Snowman was bad, check out the sequel.
Vera Ellen had an eating disorder of some kind.
Her measurements were, by the way, 33 1/2-21-34, according to IMDB.
“! Now I have to rent it.”
If you rent it, you will buy it Sarah.
Pay close attention to Mr. Crosby while he and Danny Kaye are changing clothes after the show. Bing positions himself strategically behind a big wardrobe trunk so as not to give his female audience the vapors after a glimpse of him in his tighty-whiteys. Ah, but Bing, you forgot about those incredible pythons you developed by hoisting the alternating microphones and brandies with a goodly portion of bottom-smacking mixed in for definition.
Still it’s the best Christmas movie of all time. I stand by my conviction. ALL HAIL WHITE CHRISTMAS!
“Vera Ellen had an eating disorder of some kind.
Her measurements were, by the way, 33 1/2-21-34, according to IMDB.”
And Wayne Newton was part-Indian.
You can see how emotionally attached I am to this perfect Christmas movie, and yet you urinate all over it with your bulimia assertion. But that wasn’t enough for you, was it? You shaved 2.5″ off of the boobs of one of the Haynes sisters.
What are you doing this weekend? Pinching a loaf in a Salvation Army bucket right in front of a frozen bell ringer? You sir, are not in the habit of keeping Christmas. ………eating disorder…..
She also came out as a lesbian, bought a pickup truck and became a finish carpenter in Boulder, CO. This allowed her to finally conquer her eating dsisorder.
I also liked the Norelco ads that came on during Rudolph.
Favorite Christmas special? The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, followed closely by Rudolph. Movie? Bad Santa, but don’t take your kids to see it…
While not technically a Christmas movie, Meet me in Meet Me in St. Louis has been a Christmas eve tradition in my family since I was a kid.
Who cares about anything having to do with Vera Allen… except those freakin’ LEGS. There will never be another set like them. If Mary Hart’s legs were insured for a million, the premium for Vera’s was probably the GDP of Switzerland.
Of course, Miss Vera didn’t actually do her own singing in that movie, but then again, it’s easier to dub sound then legs, especially back in the 40s.
And Gremlins has to be my favorite Christmas movie.
But since I’m here, put me down for Grinch and Rudolph, which are the defacto choices but so what. Second-tier goes to Charlie Brown Christmas, Year w/o Santa, and one that’s gone so-far unmentioned, Berke Breathed’s Wish for Wings that Work. Don’t like the voice acting on Opus, but it grows on you. Breathed’s stuff is somehow funnier on the page than it is on the screen, but it’s still very amusing.
I have to go with Citizen Kane…
….
Ok.. I just said that so it would make me sound intelligent and cultured.. Kane mentions a sled in the movie, doesnt he? That makes it kind of Chistmassy..
As far as the specials go I hate to rate them good or bad.. They’re all good in that they’re a classic part of the holiday season.. As a child you knew it was almost Christmas when the specials came on.. They were an event kind of like The Wizard of Oz was before the DVD and Cable TV..
My favs are The Grinch (of course) & the Rudolph special with the Bumble, the dentist Elf and the Island of Broken Toys…
The Manheim Steamroller Christmas CDs are on permanent repeat at my apartment.
I wanna know when they are going to stop re-making “A Christmas Carol.” George C. Scott nailed it. “Scrooged” was kinda fun, though.
I also kind liked the original “Santa Clause” … oh heck, I’m really a sucker for holiday movies. The kids didn’t give “Fred Clause” raving reviews – but I was watching “Enchanted” with my daughter in the next theater, so I can’t really say. “Enchanted” was enchanting.
No one’s mentioned “KISS Saves Santa”
“The Muppet’s Christmas Carol” is one of the best tellings of the story ever.
Micheal Caine is a perfect Scrooge. The songs are great, the jokes are very funny, and it was the last thing that Jim Hanson did before he died, so it’s bittersweet that way too. (The film is dedicated to him)
Techie- which is the greatest Manheim christmas album? I have a few – ok Two – and am searching around for what to add to this year’s collection of holiday music. I must pick carefully. But, honestly, there isn’t a lot out there that interests me.
My other favorite Christmas special is the one where President Bush is trying to explain logic to a bunch of reporters and the reporters want to talk about moods and emotions and then all of a sudden Santa comes in with an Uzi and strafes the whole press corps.
Trans Siberian Railroad for Christmas Eve with my grown kids.
Is that one on DVD yet? Sounds fantastic.
Crap! Trans Siberian Orchestra! Too much cold medicine.
I really like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra instrumental stuff. The singing … not so much.
I don’t have the newest one, but the first 4 ones are:
Christmas
Fresh Aire Christmas
Christmas Extrodinaire
Christmas in the Aire
After that, sadly, I believe they go downhill as Chip Davis had less and less to do with them.
My mom says that they still rock in concert though.
I’d also recommend the “Very Special Christmas” series. They get a lot of artists who would never release a christmas-album together and release a record for charity. It benefits the Special Olympics.
Ok..Ok.. In all seriousness.. My favorite of All Time.. ALL TIME.. is….
The Greatest Story Ever Told
….
How’s that for a Christmas story.. ? That proclamation should be good for a few points with the old man upstairs.. Besides, how can you not love a movie that features John Wayne as the Centurion responsible for crucifying Christ?
Centurion Wayne: Ya… wanna drink a vinegar from a sponge, Pilgrim, before I spear ya.. in the.. side ? (This is funnier if you say it out loud in a Rooster Cogburn drawl…)
Plus every other actor that was anyone in the early 60’s: Max Von Sydow, Chuck Heston (as John the Baptist this time), Pat Boone, Telly Savalas…
Pat Boone was Mary Magdalene, right?
60:
John Wayne was approached to play the role of Taggart in Blazing Saddles. It later went to Slim Pickins. Now, that would have made a movie.
If you like the “Very Special Christmas” stuff, you should look into “A Winter’s Night.” There are two versions- you want the longer one.
Re: #61 “Pat Boone was Mary Magdalene, right?”
NTTAWWT….
She was good enough for me, al. But I’m not fixated on chest measurements all that heavily, so YMMV.
As for my Christmas-wrecking campaign, think of me as a sort of inverse Santa Claus. Satan Claus, if you will. I do all my damage on Christmas Eve.
Pssst: Thurl Ravenscroft was gay.
Not like them, surely, but Ann Miller possessed an extraordinary set of gams.
Just kidding about Thurl Ravenscroft; you can stop Googling now.
Alright Slart. I was probably a little out of line with the pooping in the Army bucket jab. Truce?
Always kinda liked this Bing Crosby David Bowie number:
Crosby/Bowie Duet
(Apologies if my link statement doesn’t work)
Not out of line at all, al. But, truce it is.
I have to admit I always did have a thing for Miss Turnstiles.
“I have to admit I always did have a thing for Miss Turnstiles.”
Well that forced me to do a little digging and then I stumble on to the anorexia-neck tidbit and now my world is spinning out of control. FOCK!
Apropos of It’s a Wonderful Life — Jim Henson got the names for his Bert and Ernie Muppet characters from the cop and the taxi driver in IAWL.
Best Christmas album of all time? “Homespun Songs of the Christmas Season” by Bobby Horton — instrumentals played in the style of the 1860s performed on mostly 19th Century instruments. It’s hard to get on CD, but you can find it if you Google around.
Oh, Holy Night is another great Christmas song.
Who cares about an eating disorder. Whatever it was that Vera Ellen tied around her waist to makes her breasts and hips nearly perfect, and her legs absolutely perfect, well that should be patented and put back out on the market.
The worst Christmas specials ever?
Anything made since Bing Crosby died.
In the music category, I’ve always been fond of George Winston’s December. Pretty cool arrangements and not nearly as new-agey, monotonous, put-you-to-sleepy as some of his other stuff.
“Apropos of It’s a Wonderful Life  Jim Henson got the names for his Bert and Ernie Muppet characters from the cop and the taxi driver in IAWL.”
And it was filmed in the California desert in 80-90 degree weather, too. Well, Encino, anyway. It was something of a flop when it premiered, and didn’t come close to break-even its first year of release, although it got nominated for five Oscars. Love that movie, and not least for the way Donna Reed looks at Jimmy Stewart when he finally makes it home for his wedding night in their “drafty old house.” It’s the look of purest, perfect adoration every man lives for from the woman in his life. And when that woman is Donna Reed….uh, um, uhhh, what is it we were talking about again?
Oh, and for music, try this one on for size.
Dan, if you like those, I bet you’d love this. Along with Vince Guraldi’s Charlie Brown opus, it’s my favorite Christmas CD.
I hate christmas.
OK. Chew on that awhile.
Best christmas movies- “Scrooged” ,and “A Nightmare Before Christmas”. Except for the schmaltzy endings.
I sorta remember Donna Reed as the whore private Pruit fell in love with in “From Here to Eternity”
I’ve always been partial to the 1938 Reginal Owen version of “A Christmas Carol,” too. I suppose I’m just old-fashioned.
FWIW – My 6 yr. old daughter loved Rudolph tonight.
And Bad Santa was/is an insta-classic.
Best Christmas season show ever – Vicky’s Secret Fashion show. Wow. Just, wow.
Vicky’s?
Victoria’s Secret
I haven’t seen any Christmas specials in a while, so i’ll go with favorite albums because most of you have no taste. (Mannheim Steamroller?! really!?) Anyhoo, Squirrel Nut Zipper’s Christmas Caravan and Oy, to the World by the Klezmonauts, they manage to make a version of Carol of the Bells that’s interesting. some other sooper sekrit recordings I got from being in the dallas symphony chorus. and Dan, my mom always sends me cd’s of classical stuff and a couple of my faves are of the Cambridge Singers (one is called Christmas Day in the Morning), they do a lot of Rutter arrangements (particularly when he’s conducting, duh)
Maggie – All that typing and no John Denver. Good Allah, lady, what is wrong with you?
“The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”
Directed by……………….
Chuck Jones.
WE HAVE A WINNAH!
I used to have some fondness for Victoria’s Secret stuff, but sometime in the last decade they went from sexy to slutty. They’ve nearly managed to morph themselves into Frederick’s of Hollywood.
“They’ve nearly managed to morph themselves into Frederick’s of Hollywood.”
And the problem with that would be….what?
Maggie:
Rutter is a big part of my Church’s Christmas season. We’ll be doing “Angel’s Carol” this Sunday and my Ensemble will tackle “Shepherd’s Pipe Carol” which is a hoot due to the Rutter style of multiple back to back time signature changes. One of the guys in my group assures me that “The Donkey Carol” is one of the most burtally difficult chorus pieces he’s ever done.
John Rutter is an interesting man. Here’s a guy who writes some of the best, most original sacred music around and he’s really not a Christian. Quite wierd, in fact. Everything I’ve ever done by him has at least one or two parts in it where I’m convinced he cackled with glee as he wrote it, perfectly aware of how us poor schlubs would struggle to perform it.
BJ – Did the fact that he wrote a song called “Donkey Carol” give you the hint that he might just be screwing with you?
Yea, yea, I know how it looks but it’s actually a very serious sacred Christmas songs written by a guy who’s written dozens who doesn’t believe in Christ.
wierd beyond all measure. Oh, and he’s butt ugly, too!
Don’t mind me, I’m just another myth ingesting clueless God-botherer.
BECAUSE OF THE UNCRITICAL FAITH!!!
So, I had to google Donkey Song and Sheperd’s Pipe Song just to make sure you were not screwing with all of us. When you google Donkey Song, you should find a video of Lizzy Yoder singing about a donkey on youtube. Not too good. But that Rutter guy, he gets some pretty high praise.
My mother has a disc of a children’s choir singing traditional Christmas carols, and I think she has worn that disc out a couple of times.
I must be the only one to actually enjoy John Denver round here. And, I am still laughing at BJ owning the Clay Aiken Christmas album.
And the problem with that would be…what?
For you? Nothing, I’m guessing. For me, though, the product and presentation has traveled toward the wrong side of that grey area between tasteful and sexy garments and undergarments, and fetish costumes.
Damn Godbotherer.
BJTex, yeah, about half the stuff on the disc I always think, “oh, I remember singing that one.” the other day the shuffle played the Cambridge Singers and the DSC version of the same song within a couple tunes of each other. I kinda prefer the smaller ensemble in a church to 250 odd people in a concert hall, but that’s probably just me and with that particular piece.
Maggie & JD: Here’s my Ensemble sing list for this past Sunday:
Zither Carol
Past Three O’Clock
Masters in the Hall
The Holly and the Ivy
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
All but “Masters” were done A Cappella. that’s my favorite singing of all!
Holly and the Ivy is one of my faves, did you do all five million verses? and I’m not familiar with Zither Carol or Past 3 o’clock.
We do 5 verses, typically, maggie, at our Advent wreath.
“They’ve nearly managed to morph themselves into Frederick’s of Hollywood.â€Â
And the problem with that would be….what?
Fredericks is mostly cheap, cheaply made, cheap materials, etc … crotchless panties, etc. Victoria Secrets has (or use to have) the added benefit of actually making a woman feel sexy when she wore it.
Maggie & Dan:
The arrangement we do has five verses, each with it’s particular voicing always ending back at “The Rising of the Sun” chorus. I sing bass and that part is pretty easy. the tenor part is hard and the alto is brutal.
Past three o’clock, and a cold frosty morning.
Past three o’clock, good morrow masters all!
The Zither Carol is a hoot: The sopranos sing a melody while the rest of us harmonize singing only “zing” or “zoom.” Big fav with the kids. Both would be considered madrigal style medieval folk hymns.
perhaps it only seems like five million when you have to memorize it. ;D
somewheres I have a Christmas zither album, I haven’t listened to it yet. maybe next week.
oh, oh! Christmas song I hate that every stinkin’ choir seems to sing… African Noel. honk-shoo.
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