Thursday Movie Picks - TV Edition: Holidays
1) The Office - This show is often playing for background noise in my house, so it was easy to think of the Christmas Party episode in season 2.
2) The Brady Bunch - I wanted to pick at least one classic show for this theme, and the Brady Bunch Christmas episode was the first that came to mind.
3) Rugrats - I also wanted to pick something Hanukkah related so I went with one of the shows from my childhood. Living in a small Midwestern town, I'm fairly sure this show was the first time I had even heard of the Jewish holiday, and I'm thankful for it.
The only one of these I've watched with any regularity is The Brady Bunch, which is probably true of everyone under the age of 70 in the US! I loved it when I was a kid but I watched the TV movie A Very Brady Christmas a couple of weeks ago and it triggered my gag reflex.
ReplyDeleteI've tried with The Office but I couldn't get into it. I like most of the cast so maybe I'll give it a try again some time.
I don't watch much series television so I went the holiday TV movie route with one from each decade from the 70's to the 90's.
Unlikely Angel (1996)-Dolly Parton plays selfish honkytonk singer Ruby Diamond who dies when she swerves to miss a deer in the road. Getting to the heavenly gates Saint Peter (Roddy McDowell) noting her final act of compassion gives her one shot at total redemption or it’s hellfire for her. She gets to return to earth and has less than two weeks, until Christmas natch, to bring a widower (Brian Kerwin) and his estranged children (one of whom is played by Allison Mack, currently doing time in stir because of her involvement in the notorious NXIVM cult) back together. It all goes as expected but Dolly’s force of personality makes it worth watching…. once.
The Night They Saved Christmas (1984)-There’s trouble abrewin’ at the North Pole when the evil oil companies decide to dynamite in the Arctic. Santa (Art Carney) and his elves set their sights on one corporate executive-Michael Baldwin (Paul Le Mat), his climate change fearing wife, Claudia (Jaclyn Smith) and their youngsters to try and turn the tide. Just when things look their bleakest a trip to Santa’s workshop just might save the day!
The House Without a Christmas Tree (1972)-Young Addie’s (Lisa Lucas) most fervent wish is for once in her life to have a tree in her home for Christmas. Her father James (Jason Robards) however, having lost Addie’s mother at the holidays when she was just an infant, is dead set against it. Despite his mother’s (Mildred Natwick) attempts to persuade him James will not be swayed. But then Addie wins her class tree in a contest setting in motion a chain of events that leads to a healing for them all. A Hallmark Hall of Fame production from the time when that name stood for the finest television had to offer, not the sad pablum producer it’s devolved into now.
That's a fun way to take this theme! The House Without a Christmas Tree sounds so familiar. I think I must have seen that at some point. I know I haven't seen the other two though.
DeleteI just saw the Dolly film within the last two weeks, it ran on one of the nostalgia stations that was running a bunch of Christmas movies from the 80's & 90's. It was Dolly and I love her so I decided to give it a shot. My last sentence in the description says about all there is to say about it.
DeleteI stumbled across the Art Carney movie online last year and watched it while I decorated the Christmas tree. It was good for that but pretty puerile, I'll never watch it again.
The House Without a Christmas Tree though is the quality flick. Very touching and beautifully acted. It used to be run every holiday season along with A Christmas Memory and The Thanksgiving Visitor both starring Geraldine Page and both based on Truman Capote stories. That's when you probably saw it, unfortunately they don't do so any more.
Could be! Dolly is lovely, I should look up hers too.
DeleteOh! I loved that episode of Rugrats. It made me learn a lot about Channukah as I often feel like we should respect are Jewish brothers and sisters as they do get more craziness in their holidays.
ReplyDeleteIt's a little sad that a Nick Jr. show was my intro into Judaism but here we are. lol
DeleteI am trying to get into The Office but I just find most of the characters irritating. I’d like to see the original British show with Ricky Gervais. Of course I have seen the Brady Bunch and this episode. I always hated Cindy with a lisp and those stupid pigtails. I have not seen the last one.
ReplyDeleteI've seen a few of the British episodes but I by far preferred the American version. I love Cindy's little pigtails! She was so cute lol
DeleteI've definitely seen your first two picks because I've seen the first few seasons of the two shows. However I can't actually remember details of the episodes.
ReplyDelete