# Forgotten Christmas specials/movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157 "2012-12-06T04:34:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/61 "2012-12-07T15:03:56Z")
No one ever knows what I’m talking about when I mention _Bernard and the Genie_. > **[Bernard and the Genie \[VHS\] : Amazon.co.uk: DVD & Blu-ray](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bernard-Genie-VHS-Lenny-Henry/dp/B00004CMPA)** > > Bernard and the Genie \[VHS\] : Amazon.co.uk: DVD & Blu-ray Remember, Say the words “I wish” with the caution you would normally reserve for “Please castrate me.” ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/62 "2012-12-07T15:11:37Z")
Oh yeah, another one came to me: **A Christmas Memory** , the 1967 version narrated by Truman Capote. Basically just a sweet tale of an eccentric woman and a young boy, who can’t afford anything more as Christmas presents but fruitcakes, so every year they gather the nuts, save pennies to buy flour and whiskey, and bake the cakes. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/63 "2012-12-07T15:19:18Z")
[The Three Little Dwarfs.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAGkjFVY43I) ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/64 "2012-12-07T15:33:24Z")
One I had forgotten about until I saw it mentioned in a Cracked article just last night: [Rich Little’s Christmas Carol](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Little's_Christmas_Carol) ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/65 "2012-12-07T15:48:46Z")
I’ve noticed that for the last couple years, ABCFamily will show [The Santa Clause](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111070/) and [The Santa Clause 3](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452681/), often back to back in marathon. [The Santa Clause 2](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0304669/) is never included. Are they trying to _make_ us forget it? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/66 "2012-12-07T16:25:14Z")
> [@Rahne\_McCloud](#): > > John Denver & The Muppets: A Christmas Together. I have the cd and I remembering watching it in the 70’s. The special is forgotten, but their rendition of “The 12 Days of Christmas” still gets played a lot this time of year. I still love Beaker’s part! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/67 "2012-12-07T16:31:18Z")
> [@Hottius\_Maximus](#): > > Several come to mind: > > “The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t” where mean old Mr. Prune (Rossano Brazzi perhaps?) owns the North Pole and threatens to foreclose the mortgage on Santa’s Castle. I remember this used to come out on weekend kiddie matinees every year. > > “Santa Claus & The Three Bears” a feature length cartoon, also broadcast in kiddie matinees during the season. > > I guess I’ll throw in “Littlest Angel” with Johnny Whittaker, “Santa Claus” where he helps a young girl battle the wicked demon Pitch; “The Magic Christmas Tree” and of course the musical version of “Scrooge” starring Albert Finney (although it always bothered me that on network television the best scene in the movie with Scrooge and Marley in Hell is always cut)! Most of these are cheap low-budget foreign films, but there’s still a charm about them when seen in an old one screen movie theater with sticky floors and enjoying hot salty popcorn covered in buttery flavored grease while washing it all down with a high-calorie soft drink. > > Ahh, 70s memories… Older than that- mid Sixties! When I was 5, I used to watch Paul Tripp as host of some kiddie TV show in New York. He was the writer and star of _ **The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t.** _ I saw the commercials for it, and got my parents to take me to it. It was AWFUL! So bad, even a 5 year old couldn’t appreciate it. Worse yet, apart from Paul Tripp, the entire cast was Italian, and their lines were all dubbed in badly later. I also remember _ **The Littlest Angel** _. Incredibly cheesy, but I remember liking the number by the philosopher Democritus (played by Tony Randall). He has died and gone to Heaven, but his strictly logical philosophy leads him to conclude that he is merely dreaming, and he sings a song about how much he’ll miss the angels he’s meeting when he finally wakes up. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/68 "2012-12-07T16:54:02Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I doubt it. At that time the NRA was not the political organization it would later become and didn’t react to TV or movies the way it does to day. It was an organization dedicated to gun safety and marksmanship. Further, in those days when VCR’s, DVD players and such were all still the stuff of science fiction, in what format did the NRA supposedly supply copies of the episode to their members? The quote from the book “My Name’s Friday: the unauthorized but true story of Dragnet and the films of Jack Webb” by Michael J Hayde in dealing with the 1952 telecast. “This time, the NRA chose not to fight City Hall. Instead, they asked for a print of the show to use as an educational tool,as part of a program to encourage parents to teach their children the proper way to handle firearms. Webb obliged”. it appears about 15% into the kindle edition. There were actually ways to distribute filmed material before VHS and DVD. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/69 "2012-12-07T17:03:37Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > The quote from the book “My Name’s Friday: the unauthorized but true story of Dragnet and the films of Jack Webb” by Michael J Hayde in dealing with the 1952 telecast. “This time, the NRA chose not to fight City Hall. Instead, they asked for a print of the show to use as an educational tool,as part of a program to encourage parents to teach their children the proper way to handle firearms. Webb obliged”. it appears about 15% into the kindle edition. > There were actually ways to distribute filmed material before VHS and DVD. I’m still not buying it. The whole story is so grossly “out of character” for the NRA of that time period that it sounds to me like somebody’s fantasy. I’ll email somebody at the NRA when I get a chance and see what they have to say about it. I’m not going to hijack this thread any further. ---
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/70 "2012-12-07T17:12:28Z")
I believe that this was a television movie but I don’t recall the title of it. It was a mostly black cast, and a boy of about 10 befriends a stray cat. I believe that Grandma is in a rocking chair and she asks: “What do you want for Christmas, Child?” He replies “A cat.” If I’m not mistaken, at one point he’s feeding the cat and eats some of what he’s feeding the cat. Does anybody know the title or even remember this one? ---
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/71 "2012-12-07T17:13:28Z")
I also forgot: “The House Without A Christmas Tree” starring (I think William Windom and Lisa Lucas). ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/72 "2012-12-07T17:13:42Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > The quote from the book “My Name’s Friday: the unauthorized but true story of Dragnet and the films of Jack Webb” by Michael J Hayde in dealing with the 1952 telecast. “This time, the NRA chose not to fight City Hall. Instead, they asked for a print of the show to use as an educational tool,as part of a program to encourage parents to teach their children the proper way to handle firearms. Webb obliged”. it appears about 15% into the kindle edition. > There were actually ways to distribute filmed material before VHS and DVD. Before VCRs and DVDs shows were distributed on 16mm film and shown with projectors. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/73 "2012-12-07T17:35:15Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer that’s not well-known is the Max Fleischer-directed 1948 color cartoon based on the original book by May: > > [http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;\_ylt=A2KLqIR.psBQZWIAI2L7w8QF;\_ylu=X3oDMTBvcTJzcm5xBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQDVjEzMQ--?p=rudolph+the+red+nosed+reindeer+fleischer&vid=82bba36672f464bf477a62241a1cd6dd&l=8%3A45&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DV.4768926343299150%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DgvaO7SvUU9w&tit=Rudolph+The+Red-Nosed+Reindeer+(1948)&c=0&sigr=11a6shfd4&&tt=b](http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A2KLqIR.psBQZWIAI2L7w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTBvcTJzcm5xBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQDVjEzMQ--?p=rudolph+the+red+nosed+reindeer+fleischer&vid=82bba36672f464bf477a62241a1cd6dd&l=8%3A45&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DV.4768926343299150%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DgvaO7SvUU9w&tit=Rudolph+The+Red-Nosed+Reindeer+%281948%29&c=0&sigr=11a6shfd4&&tt=b) The Rifftrax Live folks did this one a few years ago…Santa’s line at the 5:47 mark (“Rudolph…I need you” while sitting at the foot of his bed) drew the largest laugh I think I’ve ever heard from any viewing audience. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/74 "2012-12-07T17:37:41Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The one I like best is the first made-for-TV Christmas Cartoon\*, **Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol**. I’ve got it on VHS and DVD, so I can watch it every year. It still shows up occasionally on TV, but it’s not vetry commonly shown. > > Good UPA animation, and songs by Broadway songwriters Jule Styne (_Gypsy, Funny Gitl, Sugar_ ,and others) and Bob Merrill (_Sugar, Hello Dolly_ and 1950s novelty tunes). Surprisingly faithful (right down to including the dismissive “Walk—er!” near the end). With the voices of Jim Backus, a surprisingly amiable Jack Cassidy, an underused Morey Amsterdam, and the great Paul Frees. I’ve heard that Styne and Merrill wrote “People” for Mr Magoo but it didn’t make the cut, so they threw it into their next show: Funny Girl. It makes more sense, plot-wise, in Mr. Magoo. And another vote for Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/75 "2012-12-07T18:05:23Z")
> [@Hottius\_Maximus](#): > > I believe that this was a television movie but I don’t recall the title of it. It was a mostly black cast, and a boy of about 10 befriends a stray cat. I believe that Grandma is in a rocking chair and she asks: “What do you want for Christmas, Child?” He replies “A cat.” > > If I’m not mistaken, at one point he’s feeding the cat and eats some of what he’s feeding the cat. Does anybody know the title or even remember this one? [Sounds vaguely familiar. . . .](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15771812&postcount=59) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/76 "2012-12-07T18:07:42Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I’ve heard that Styne and Merrill wrote “People” for Mr Magoo but it didn’t make the cut, so they threw it into their next show: Funny Girl. It makes more sense, plot-wise, in Mr. Magoo. > > And another vote for Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas. I’ve heard this story, too, but the general consensus is that it’s not true. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/77 "2012-12-07T18:17:48Z")
I remember watching this tv movie as a kid, “The Three Kings” [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094136/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094136/) It’s about three mental patients who escape and steal costumes and live camels from a Natvity scene and travel through Los Angeles. I don’t remember much else about it. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/78 "2012-12-07T18:46:28Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > [J.T. (1969)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158681/), about a ghetto kid who wants to keep a cat for a pet. I forgot that was an Xmas movie! ---
**Author:** ![Kieran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kieran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kieran)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/79 "2012-12-07T18:54:53Z")
I remember one Christmas special that was made along time ago and was played on Teletoon about a Bear who was angry at Santa or something and so he used witch craft to put Santa to sleep. I don’t remember the name of the film but I remember it being pretty good. If anyone on her remembers it could you please tell me? been dying to see it again. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157/80 "2012-12-07T19:07:10Z")
> [@Panthan](#): > > The Littlest Angel. I think it was Johnny Whitaker. And Fred Gwynn. Anyone remember one called _The House without a Christmas Tree_? It was about a poor girl who lived with her grumpy father. All she wanted for Christmas was a tree, and he wouldn’t get her one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-christmas-specials-movies/643157.md?page=5)