Everyone from the Flintstones to the Jetsons has co-opted Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol,” and as sure as Tiny Tim will walk again, you can bet I will be watching each and every version of this holiday chestnut no matter how treacly or far-fetched.
My favorite is “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol,” which I first watched as a tot when it debuted in December 1962 — the first animated holiday TV special. The play within a play “stars” the hilariously nearsighted Magoo (Jim Backus), but most memorable are the alternately delightful and melancholy songs by Broadway composer Jule Styne and songwriter Bob Merrill, who collaborated on “Funny Girl.”
The special was scarce on the tube for years, but NBC — God bless ’em — is bringing it back for a 50th anniversary showing Dec. 22. Sadly, the original 52 minutes have been trimmed to accommodate commercials (bah humbug!), but “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol” remains a touching, funny and uplifting tribute to the season.
I asked some of my Star-Advertiser colleagues to share memories of their holiday favorites; share yours at staradvertiser.com or email them to features@staradvertiser.com, and find listings for some of this year’s holiday shows below.
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‘Miracle’ melts stresses away
Every year I plan to scale back at Christmastime, and every year, I overbake, overbuy and overcommit myself.
Just when the stresses of the season threaten to strangle the joy, I turn on “Miracle on 34th Street” and am reminded of the romance and magic of the holiday.
Skip the poorly remade 1994 version where the courtroom drama crescendos around the words “In God We Trust” printed on a dollar bill. How can a film claim to embrace the joy of the season and center on money? Instead, tune in for the 1947 original (preferably in black and white), starring Maureen O’Hara and John Payne with their folksy, awkward relationship, young Natalie Wood as a gum-smacking, too-smart-for-her-own-good kid and Edmund Gwenn as the authentic, institutionalized Santa Claus.
By the time the bags of mail start pouring out in the courtroom and Kris Kringle is legally declared the one and only Santa, all my cynicism and the chaos have drained away, and only hope and excitement remain.
— Donica Kaneshiro
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Life message meets Muppets
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is the quintessential lesson movie for the holiday season. Behind the comedy, drama and love story is a message that everyone’s life — no matter how insignificant you may think yours is — affects the lives of so many others. Plus it’s the movie from which Jim Henson borrowed the names “Bert” and “Ernie.”
“Merry Christmas, movie house!”
— Joe Guinto
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A sweet reminder of Santa’s purpose
For youngsters of the 1970s, stop-motion Christmas classics were tops because they fit the realm of fantasy much like animation, and that made them way cool. My favorite, hands-down, was “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” the tale of how Kris Kringle brought hope to a town ruled by the child-hating Burgermeister Meisterburger, sneaking toys into houses to evolve into the Santa we know and love.
The show was given some real cred by a voice cast that included Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney. But to my young mind, the story chronicling Kris’ toy-making heritage, his generous and courageous heart, and his romance with the stunning future Mrs. Claus, was the stuff of biography. It made it all make sense: why Santa made toys, why he put gifts in stockings, why he entered homes through the chimney.
Each year, that show strengthened my belief in Santa and his pure, shining purpose.
— Joleen Oshiro
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Innocence never was so hilarious
How much do I love “Elf”? I love it enough to have trekked through Hawaii’s equivalent of sleet and snow — driving rain — to rent a copy at my local Blockbuster on its first Christmas out as a DVD. I own it now, but still stop to watch whenever it screens on TV.
Director Jon Favreau strikes a pleasing balance between charm and cynicism, and lards the movie with too many funny scenes to list. (My fave is a drunken mailroom dance to “Whoomp! (There It Is).”) Will Ferrell’s Buddy has the innocence of a big kid with budding grownup desires, and his duet with department-store elf Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is just too cute. By the time we get to the happy ending, we’re primed to believe in magic again.
— Elizabeth Kieszkowski
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‘Rudolph’ a treat for eyes and ears
Our family loves “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the 1964 stop-motion puppet TV special with Burl Ives singing “Holly Jolly Christmas” and other classics. Whoda thunk you could turn the 60-second “Rudolph” song into a full-blown TV show with Rudolph landing on the Island of Misfit Toys, befriending Yukon Cornelius and turning the Abominable Snow Monster into a softie? And in our touch-screen, CGI age, the herky-jerky animation is endearingly old school.
— Andy Yamaguchi
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Surviving tough times with faith
Tested to the very core of his existence and about to give up completely — that’s Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” But all is not lost as the emotion builds and maybe a few tears flow when the little bell rings at the end of the 1946 Frank Capra classic. The simple, tinkling sound signals that Bailey’s guardian angel has done his heavenly duty and helped him pull through, revealing to viewers that with the right kind of thinking and faith, unbearable pain is nothing more than a rough patch that can be overcome and replaced by utter gratitude for being alive.
— Nick Abramo
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Swap sentiment for Willis action
Christmas movies aren’t all about holiday spirit and cheer. Sometimes they’re about a machine-gun-wielding Bruce Willis yippie-ki-yaying his way through a bunch of baddies in an L.A. skyscraper in one of the greatest action movies ever made. Twenty-four years later, “Die Hard” (1988) holds up great and is worth an annual viewing.
“Love Actually” (2003) is an ensemble romantic comedy done right. This British rom-com shows the many facets of love — from the thrills to the heartbreaks — with intertwining stories revolving around Christmas.
— Sjarif Goldstein
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Music completes ‘Charlie Brown’
I was 10 years old when “A Charlie Brown Christmas” debuted on TV in 1965. I was, and still am, a big fan of the “Peanuts” comic strip, and I remember being thrilled to see my favorite characters come to life for the first time.
Little bits from the show are ingrained in my memory: Sally asking her big brother Charlie Brown to write a letter to Santa Claus requesting a large sum of cash, Charlie buying the puny Christmas tree — the only live one left on the lot — and Linus’ biblical retelling of the birth of Jesus.
But what has stayed with me the most is Vince Guaraldi’s wonderful music. I love the sentimental purity of “Christmas Time is Here.”
— Gary Chun
