...my true love gave to me, six Christmas movies (I can't seem to match these numbers <g>):
• A Christmas Memory, the Truman Capote story starring Geraldine Page as "Miss Sook" and Donnie Melvin as "Buddy" (young Truman). Recorded this off Channel 24 in Macon many years ago; it's plastered with a big, invasive "bug" and the time every so often, but it can't dim the charm of this lovely story. Apparently there's a VHS release, but only in black and white. Huh? DVD, please!
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, starring Loretta Swit as Grace Bradley and Fairuza Balk (back when she was cute) as Beth, was written for the screen by its author, Barbara Robinson. A pretty good translation but I still prefer the book, especially for Robinson's descriptions of characters, especially prissy little Alice Wendleken (who's played in this hour-long special by Ocean Hellman of Danger Bay).
• The Gathering, one of the best television Christmas movies ever made, with Ed Asner as Adam Thornton, a man estranged from his family who finds out he is dying. With his wife's help, he is able to gather the family around him one last time. Could have been mawkish, but is instead adult and splendid, with a wonderful supporting cast (Maureen Stapleton, Lawrence Pressman, Veronica Hamel [whatever happened to Veronica Hamel?], Bruce Davison, Gail Strickland, Gregory Harrison, Stephanie Zimbalist, and John Doucette) and a wonderful score by John Barry.
• The Little Match Girl with Keshia Knight-Pulliam in the title role, ably supported by William Daniels, Rue McClanahan, and John Rhys Davies, among others, and a great "roaring '20s" setting (the set dressings alone make me want to leap into the first time machine that happens by). This movie has particular memories for me because (a) I didn't really like it at first and (b) because I remember seeing my Aunty Alice for the last time on the night it was on. My mom and I were visiting her apartment and she and my mom were in the den watching this story while I talked with my cousin Jimmy out in the kitchen.
• The Voyagers! episode "Merry Christmas, Bogg," one of my favorites. Jeff and Phineas meet and help George Washington and also Jeffrey's great-grandfather, who is Samuel Gompers' attorney. Always loved the voiceover at the end, telling you that if you wanted to read more about the historical characters featured, "take a voyage to your local library. It's all in books!" Yes, indeed!
• And, of course for the season, Rudolph's Shiny New Year. While much inferior to the original, heads, shoulders and all the other body parts above that dreadful Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (shudder). I love the introspective "The Moving Finger Writes" song; very melancholy.
1 comment:
Oooh, "Christmas Memory" is an old favorite of mine, too - my high school had a video copy, and half the school used to show it around the holidays. Turned up briefly in college as well.
Interestingly, "Rudolph's Shiny New Year" also brings back fond memories, as the Disney Channel used to run it constantly in the 80s and early 90s during December (for some strange reason). I wouldn't even see the original until college. I finally picked up "Shiny New Year" as part the "Year Without a Santa Claus" DVD (which also has the touching "Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey").
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