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Christmas Specials! Animation Brer Rabbit's Christmas Carol Christopher Corey Smith, Ginny Tyler. (Animated Christmas Special) When Brer Rabbit learns that Brer Fox is planning to evict Brer Bear on Christmas, he decides to teach the fox a lesson. Brer Rabbit gets the townspeople to stage their own version of "A Christmas Carol" and trick Brer Fox into thinking that the ghost of his friend, Brer Wolf, has returned. The ghost warns Brer Fox to reform his miserly ways by showing him his past, present and future Christmases. Brer Fox is so terrified by these visions he vows to change his ways, and throws a big Christmas party for the whole town. Television 1992 Color 58 minutes Jack Frost Christmas TV Special Robert
Morse, Buddy Hackett, Larry Storch, Dave Garroway, Dee Stratton,
Debra Clinger and Paul Frees. Produced and Directed by Arthur Rankin, Jr.
and Jules Bass. This is a love story told by a loveable and wise old
groundhog by the name of Pardon-Me-Pete. It's about a girl that is so
beautiful that she melts the heart of old Jack Frost himself. There must
be some Christmas magic in the snowflakes cause as Jack falls head over
heels in love with Elisa the prettiest girl in town of January Junction,
he turns into a real boy. Just as their love affairs starts to flourish
Elisa is captured by Kubla Kraus the Cossack and his hateful band of
mechanical men. Jack has to muster all his icy powers to vanquish the
enemy. This is surely one of the most unique of the Rankin Bass made
for TV animated holiday specials. 1979 Color 48 minutes
Little Christmas Burro Lorne Greene Narrator. This is a charming animated Christmas Story told by Lorne Greene. This cartoon is both inspiring and entertaining. Made For Television. 1978 Color Santa and The Three Bears Hal Smith, Robby Rea, Jean Vander Ply, Joyce Taylor. Full length animated Christmas Special with real juvenile appeal. Directed and written by Tony Benedict. Distributed in Canada by Cinelpix and in the USA by Warner Bros (home) and Stellar Film Associates (television.) 1970 Color 76 minutes Live Action Nutcracker Ballet Nora Gallovicova, Jozef Dolinsky. An absolute delight this fairly simple and straightforward production features Artists of The Ballet of The Slovak National Theatre and Children of The Dance Conservatory, Bratislava with music by the Sofia National Opera Orchestra. The role of Clara is danced by Nora Gallovicova, and The Nutcracker by Jozef Dolinsky (who choreographed this production and is also the company’s Ballet Master). This is not the great “tour de force” production that you would expect from some of the better known international companies that have the facility to solve a problem by simply throwing more money at it, but rather a prime example of a company maintaining its integrity by utilizing the available recourses at its disposal, and combining it with the enthusiasm of the dancers and students to produce a very ‘human’ ballet that is absolutely charming and still thoroughly enjoyable. Particularly engaging is a background scene where one of the youngsters is shown fitting other children with cardboard "ears" for the mouse dance. 1995 Color 71 minutes. Angel Doll Keith Carradine. This is a heartwarming Christmas tale about a poverty-stricken family that lives with such daily troubles as an ailing mother. Whitey, the son of the family, and his best friend Jerry set out on a determined trek to find a present for Whitey's 4-year-old sister who is awe of angels in story books. Their mission is to find an angel doll. The story all comes together, ending with a warm holiday message. here is a comment from one viewer, "Just as "It's A Wonderful Life" shows the triumph of the human spirit over life's obstacles and injustices, so "The Angel Doll" transports the viewer to a time of loyalty and simplicity. At Christmas and beyond, the film reminds us that what truly matters is choosing to care enough to go the extra distance. We can recall that, like the Littlest Angel, giving that which is dearest to our hearts -- our love -- is the greatest gift of all. 2003 Color 93 minutes. A Christmas Without Snow Michael Learned, John Houseman, James Cornwell. A divorced woman moves to a new city with her child, trying to build her life again. She joins the choir of a local church but has some personality conflicts with the choirmaster, a curmudgeonly old gentleman who will accept nothing but perfection from his group. As Christmas approaches and the choir practices for a big show and the director pushes them all to their emotional limits, she contemplates quitting the group. Made For TV. 1980 Color 95 Minutes. Christmas Stallion, The Sian Maclean, Daniel J. Travanti. Filmed against the exquisite vistas of the Welsh countryside, Gwen Davies is a sixteen year-old orphan girl who lives on her grandfather's beautiful farm. Her happy life is suddenly shattered when her beloved grandfather is thrown from a horse and killed. Gwen must confront the loss of her family's farm and her beloved horse, the great stallion Mabon. She's left to handle the family farm and all the horses on it until her uncle enters the picture, wanting to sell the property to a greedy land developer. One possible way to keep the farm is for Gwen to enter her beloved black stallion Mabon (named for a Pagan holiday) in the Christmas Costume Race. The climatic scene showing Gwen as an angel riding against Father Christmas and an elf, among others, is certainly one of the more unique racing scenes ever in the movies Also know as The Winter Stallion 2002 Color 94 minutes Littlest Angel, The Johnny Whitaker Johnny Whitaker, Fred Qwynne, Tony Randal, Cab Calloway, Connie Stevens, James Coco, John McGiver. Ten-year-old Johnny Whitaker was still playing little red-headed "Jody" on the "Family Affair" television series (with Sebastian Cabot and Brian Keith) when he portrayed a little shepherd boy lured off the side of a cliff by a white dove sent by God (E. G. Marshall) in this musical television special. Killed by the fall, the boy wakes up in heaven, where he encounters a guardian angel named Patience (Fred Gwynne), choir-leader Gabriel (Cab Calloway); ancient Greek atomic theorist Democritus (Tony Randall) and an attractive blonde angel known as "Flying Mistress" (Connie Stevens). John McGiver and James Coco also appear in this heartwarming story of a deceased child's gradual acclimation to his new home in heaven. 1969 Color New Adventures of Heidi, The (Heidi visits New York for Christmas) Burl Ives, Katy Kurtzman, John Gavin, Marilyn Mason, Sean Marshal. Heidi leaves the mountains of Switzerland for a trip to New York City. Burl Ives plays Grandfather who is going blind. Originally shown as a "NBC Thanksgiving Holiday Special Presentation. There are some touching Christmas scenes in this film including, "This is Christmas". 1978 Color 98 minutes. Rupert The Great Terry
Moore, Jimmy Durante This is a heartwarming holiday classic about a New
York family (led by Durante) who is down on their luck at Christmas time.
Shortly before Christmas, they move into a ground floor apartment where
Rupert the squirrel lives in the attic rafters. Just when it seems that
the holiday will come and go without so much as a Christmas tree, Rupert
acts as the family's guardian angel, not only saving Christmas, but
changing their lives forever. The film is enlivened with the warmth and
sweetness of an unforgettable love story between Terry Moore (of Mighty
Joe Young) and Tom Drake (of Meet Me in St. Louis). Rupert the Squirrel
(created using George Pal's Academy Award winning animation technique)
will charm young and old alike. Jimmy Durante shines when he sings Jingle
Bells and other well-loved Christmas carols in the evocative voice that
made him one of America's recording legends. 1950 B&W 87 minutes The Christmas Wife Jason Robards, Julie Harris, Don Francks, James Eckhouse, Patricia Hamiton, Afraid to spend the Christmas holiday alone, an aging widower decides to hire himself a spouse to spend the vacation with him in his lovely mountain retreat and finds true romance in this heartwarming made-for-cable television drama that is based on a story by Helen Norris. Jason Robards and Julie Harris are wonderful in this leisurely film that is reminiscent of the great classic movies. 1988 color 73 minutes. Beyond Tomorrow Richard Carlson, Jean Parker, C. Aubry Smith, Charles Winninger, Harry Carey Maria Ouspensakaya. An RKO Film. Directed by Eric Southrland. Three elderly wealthy men introduce a couple on Christmas eve (Carlson and Parker) which spawns a romance. The three men are later killed in a plane crash but guide the lovers from beyond. This film is known for very effective scenes with the men superimposed in the stars. When the couple has a difficult time one of the ghosts risks his chance at heaven to help in this touching yuletide story. 1940 B&W 84 MIN The Magic Christmas Tree Valerie Hobbs, Terry Bradshaw III, Cris Koreson. The enchanting story of a magic tree that made a prisoner of Santa Claus and opened the heart of a boy to the true meaning of Christmas. A boy is given a ring by an old witch, he uses the ring to bring upon a magic Christmas that grants him three wishes. The film employs a combination of color and black and white sequences as in the Wizard of OZ, 1965 Color/B&W 60 minutes. Babes In Toyland Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.Ollie Dee and Stanley Dum try to borrow money from their employer, the toymaker, to pay off the mortgage on Mother Peep's shoe and keep it and Little Bo Peep from the clutches of the evil Barnaby. When that fails, they trick Barnaby into marrying Stanley Dum instead of Bo Peep. Enraged, Barnaby unleashes the bogeymen from their caverns to destroy Toyland. aka "Laurel and Hardy in Toyland".1934 B&W 77 minutes. Freddy the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner. Red Skeleton, Vincent Price, Imogene Cocoa. Freddy the Freeloader sets out to have Xmas dinner in a very expensive New York restaurant with his good friend, the Professor. Along the way he stops in a hospital to entertain some children on Xmas. Red Skelton does a couple of songs on his own & a duet with Vincent Price. 1981 Color 60 minutes Vincent Price presents "A Christmas Carol" By Charles Dickens Vincent Price tells the traditional Christmas Story. 1941 B&W 29 minutes. Christmas Eve George Brent, George Raft, Randolph Scott, Virginia Field, Joan Blondell. The greedy nephew of eccentric Matilda Reid seeks to have her judged incompetent so he can administer her wealth; but she will be saved if her three long-lost adopted sons appear for a Christmas Eve reunion. Separate stories reveal Michael as a bankrupt playboy loved by loyal Ann; Mario as a seemingly shady character tangling with a Nazi war criminal in South America; Jonathan as a hard-drinking rodeo rider intent on a flirtatious social worker. Is there hope for Matilda? Also released as "Sinners Holiday" 1947 B&W 90 minutes. Other Titles available on approval. Check for availability.
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