Welcome to...the end of 2017. 2018 is next week. I am already making resolutions, though. I resolve to not title a post "Straming" Video Power Rankings like I did last week.
1) PIX11: I have a simple rule here: You add 5 vintage clips related to The Honeymooners, you get strong consideration in the rankings. And WPIX isn't streaming its NY Eve 'Mooners marathon, but it is having one, and that's more than I can say for 99% of the country.
2) Netflix: I get a kick out of the fake-out countdown clips Netflix makes for parents to trick tykes who want to stay up to see 2018. Maybe they can make videos that try to trick us into not noticing our rates are going up soon. Wait. Maybe they are...
Black Mirror and Bill Nye are getting the headlines this week, but I am still enjoying playing catch-up on some of the other originals. Also, it's great to catch The Dick Van Dyke Show on here to pay tribute to Rose Marie (though we should all own the excellent DVD set).
3) Hulu: I really want to see Gilbert, which premieres this weekend, and I think Hulu had an outstanding 2017 overall. People are really starting to pay attention. But I have to say that in my household, it's still all about Teen Titans Go! when the kids are over. How many episodes of that show are there? Oh, and The Thundermans is big right now
4) Boomerang: Friends, I am on board for several more months thanks to a super-cheap deal. I enjoyed the Christmas specials on there, but I am hoping Boomerang kicks it up a notch because this is a nice add-on service, but I don't think it's worth 4/99 a month until it adds more rarities...or just more, period.
5) YouTube: Seriously considering ringing in the new year with the 1970s New Year's Rockin' Eve that was uploaded this week. I don't care if it is 40 years old; I don't want Ryan Seacrest to be the first person I see on my TV in 2018.
Also, I give credit to Rassle Reel for uploading several episodes of All-American Wrestling from 1984. I don't see as much of that on YT as other old WWF shows.
6) The CW: Crisis on Planet X is pretty cool.
7) Amazon Prime: I saw my usual hodgepodge of goofy junk on here this week, and it sure isn't Amazon's fault I wasted 21 minutes of my life with an episode of !st and 10 (the syndicated "clean" version, no less). I am looking forward to wrapping up Red Oak this week.
8) Nosey: I was all set to lambaste them for editing out the Conway Twitty segments on a Joan Rivers Show, but then they added a new batch of Sally, including--yes!--more troubled teens. Could Sgt. Julu finally make his Nosey debut?
9) PBS: Here for one reason and one reason only: I wannatellya I plan to watch that American Masters Bob Hope special. It won't be up for free for very long, I'm sure, but it's up there.
10) Slacker: A final holiday shout-out to what became my go-to for streaming holiday music this year. Yes, I heard the Mariah Carey song at least 3 or 4 times.
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Monday, December 25, 2017
TV Time Revisited: A "classic" holiday column from ClassicFlix
NOTE: For those of you looking for a nice long read on this holiday...well, this is long, at least. This is a piece I wrote for ClassicFlix in 2014. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas, everyone!
Even though the 'holiday shopping season' now begins right after Halloween, it flies by more quickly each year. I loved all the Christmas episodes and specials on television as a kid, but they somehow made the wait even more agonizing. Today it's all a blur, but at least with DVD I can slow down and get a dose of yuletide cheer whenever I need it.
Let's examine some of the best Christmas episodes of the classic television era, a simpler time when the medium focused more on telling entertaining, heartwarming stories than shoving us all into stores to buy stuff. Incidentally, did I mention that most of these programs are available here at ClassicFlix and make great stocking stuffers?
The Dick Van Dyke Show , 'Alan Brady Presents': It's no surprise that one of the classiest sitcoms of all time delivers a classy Christmas episode. I love the premise: Mel Cooley convinces his brother-in-law/boss Alan Brady that it would be nice holiday gifts to let the talented people who work on his show perform on it. We're not talking about shuffling them in front of a camera to hum 'Silent Night.' No, Alan hands the entire show over to his writers and their families.
Apparently the only people who work on the show are Rob, Buddy, Sally, and Mel, who just happen to be The Dick Van Dyke Show regulars, and the only family members talented enough to participate happen to be Rob's wife Laura and son Richie. Can't they find a key grip that can carry a tune? Doesn't the show have a costume designer, a lighting technician, ANYONE else who'd like to be on camera?
Other than poor Rich's rendition of 'The Little Drummer Boy,' (it's sweet, but maybe they should have just let him do that old standby, a 'dramatic reading' of ''Twas the Night Before Christmas'), all of the segments are great entertainment, showcasing the gang's talents while keeping them in character. Rose Marie's solo number as Sally includes a Jimmy Durante reference. Rob's duet with Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) includes a nod to Van Dyke's Stan Laurel impersonation. In another fun routine, Rob conducts a vocal rendition of a special holiday song lauding the boss. The only negative I can say about 'Alan Brady Presents' is that when you hear the cast sing 'Al-an Bra-a-dy,' it'll be in your head until St. Patrick's Day.
Adam-12, 'Log 122 Christmas -- The Yellow Dump Truck': We move from the mean streets of New Rochelle to sunny Los Angeles. If you think snow is a prerequisite for Christmas cheer, this might not seem like your thing, but I assure you there is plenty of joy to go around.
Officers Malloy and Reed are delivering bags of goodies to underprivileged households in the community. One child named Harvey Ward just has to have a yellow dump truck. So, of course, the policemen embark on a thrill-packed journey through the streets while tracking the coveted toy, pressuring informants, storming suspected contraband toy warehouses, and roughing up toy smugglers along the way!
Well, actually, no, Malloy just walks into a store and buys the truck, but there is some suspense when someone steals Mrs. Ward's car with the truck still in the back. Finding the criminal isn't the problem, but if the truck is considered evidence, it will be impounded until after Christmas Day. The struggle to free the toy for Harvey is a triumph over the department's true number one enemy: bureaucratic regulations.
Also in 'Log 122' is a domestic dispute between the Buehlers (Bob Hastings and Eunice Christopher) over money. Mr. Buehler urges Mrs. Buehler to be thrifty, but when she orders a chicken for holiday dinner, she discovers he already got 'one of those special hams you have to send away for--.00, .25 a pound!' Her husband fires back that they'll 'get 5 meals out of that ham!' She then reveals something that might well get him carted off to the slammer: 'He's been soaking a fruitcake in brandy since Thanksgiving!'
The officers diffuse the situation and help the couple rekindle their love, but I fear tensions will only resurface next week when Mr. Buehler splurges on Chinese takeout for New Year's Eve. As someone who has long been immune to the charms of turkey dinners, I appreciate the bold stance executive producer Jack Webb takes by allowing Adam-12 to suggest ham and chicken are legitimate alternatives.
Dr. Kildare, 'Season to Be Jolly': On Christmas Eve, the young doctors are hanging decorations in Blair General Hospital at the behest of the public relations department. They're singing, laughing, and generally being festive when chief of staff Dr. Gillespie comes in and barks, 'What is with all this hooliganism?' They're lucky they weren't doing something really delinquent, like marbles or mumblety-peg.
Soon after, a broken-down, alcoholic department store Santa (Dan O'Herlihy) arrives in bad shape and gives Kildare a series of sarcastic responses to routine questions. Gillespie sees this, and all of the sudden he's Mr. Merry, enjoying the give and take and chuckling at the provocation of his young intern. Moments like this must make Kildare wish he had signed up for law school.
Of course, even casual viewers of Dr. Kildare know that Gillespie's heart is not two sizes too small, and that's evident when the veteran doc explores the patient's background to try to understand him. The remarkable thing about 'Season to Be Jolly' from a modern perspective is 1961 television's acceptance of religion. There is a good deal of basic theological discussion as we learn how this Santa became so troubled. You don't see this kind of casual, unironic discussion of spirituality in today's shows. It's tastefully done, in my opinion, sincere and sort of broadly Christian. I can't imagine anybody being offended by the episode, unless it's a female viewer lamenting that the shirtless doctor in the opening scene is Ken Berry and not series star Richard Chamberlain.
The Christmas spirit is strong at Blair General, and a rousing version of 'Joy to the World' is sure to win over any would-be Scrooges by the end, but it's hardly necessary. The series' theme song, 'Three Stars Will Shine Tonight,' is itself a stirring piece of music. When you hear that during the credits as you watch stills from this touching episode, well, you may be 'wiping the glitter out of your eyes' like I was.
Dennis the Menace, 'The Christmas Horse': While Dr. Kildare shows us Christmas as we want it to be, we turn to another classic show to show us Christmas as it really is. Yes, consider the gritty reality of this second-season installment of the adventures of Dennis Mitchell.
It begins with Dennis, after striking out with pleas for a BB gun and a loud siren, asking a department store Santa for the one thing he wants 'more than anything else in the world,' a horse. Dennis knows he's not talking to the real Santa. Mr. Wilson, we find out, is wearing the suit, and he's not very jolly at the thought of the Mitchell kid getting a horse. I have to wonder what kind of establishment would hire Mr. Wilson to play Santa. And why would a guy who is one step away from a straitjacket whenever his kid neighbor rings the doorbell take that gig? This store must have a pretty sweet employee discount.
On Christmas morning, Dennis and his friends engage in a pastime with which many parents are all too familiar: the ritual complaining about what Santa did and didn't bring them. Dennis got a record player, but no pony. Tommy got a microscope, but not an electric train (though his dad is sure having a blast with that microscope)!
Elsewhere, little Johnny Fleming DID receive a pony despite not asking for one. His dad explains that he does indeed want one. How does he know? Simple: HE always wanted one when HE was a kid! Mr. Fleming (Henry Beckman) can't understand why Johnny fears the animal. After all, when HE was a boy, he had to get a paper route just to get spending money, and his folks couldn't afford a horse.
Dennis naturally assumes that Santa brought Johnny the horse by mistake. After all, he messed up on Tommy's train set. Dennis trades his record player for Margaret's typewriter, and then trades the typewriter to Johnny for the pony. This clever episode reveals how different the perspectives of parents and their children are on Christmas presents, but it ends with a heartwarming resolution that makes everybody happy.
Mr. McGuire, who drives around town selling Christmas trees in a horse-driven cart, is retiring, and the 'deal' he makes to give Dennis his horse is a beautiful example of a grownup manipulating a child into getting--and appreciating--what he needs instead of what he wants. As McGuire, veteran character actor Ernest Truex makes this episode an all-time charmer. He just sounds like the holiday. Each time he opens his mouth, I hear sleigh bells ringing and I see Rockwellian visions of a bundled-up family singing Christmas carols on a brisk winter night. In fact, at the end the Mitchells and Wilsons perform 'Silent Night' in the cart, and even the blatant rear projection can't tarnish a truly heartwarming story.
Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends: The last arc of season 3 includes a Christmas episode of sorts with the original Bad Santa, or should I say Badenov Santa. Boris and Natasha (calling herself 'Alf Elf') pose as Santa and a helper in order to make lots and lots of money. It takes a long time to get to the funny sight of Boris Badenov in Santa Claus gear, so you might want to start the disc, bake some cookies, go out and spruce up the lights, and maybe finish up your shopping while you wait for the Christmas part.
If you stick around, you will see 'Aesop's Fables,' 'Sherman and Peabody,' 'Fractured Fairy Tales,' and countless interstitial bits in addition to an amusing story about, believe it or not, climate change. In this scenario, the North Pole accumulates so much ice that it tilts the Earth, making the tropical island of Riki-Tiki the new North Pole.
Since Rocky and Bullwinkle spending the better part of six episodes debating whether or not it's really getting warmer in Frostbite Falls would be pretty drab television, they set out to make it snow on Riki-Tiki and make the Earth tilt back to where it was. Hey, if you want verisimilitude, watch 'Sherman and Peabody.' If you want classic Rocky and Bullwinkle wordplay mixed with Badenov hijinks, plus an early example of 're-gifting' that ends the saga with a bang, you should see this storyline.
Father Knows Best, 'The Angel's Sweater': Patriarch Jim Anderson's sister Neva is in town for the holidays, and the kids aren't too thrilled about it. You see, Neva just isn't comfortable around children, and when an eager-to-please Kathy drops her suitcase, the overreaction confirms it. She snaps in a prim, mannered way, then quickly adds, 'No harm done. She just shouldn't have attempted it. No harm done.' Distraught, Kathy bolts to her room. Sure, it's overwrought, but we can still identify; who hasn't had an awkward holiday encounter with a relative?
Jim promises to calm everyone a 'big, fluffy Christmas egg nog.' I suspect his glass will have a little extra 'Christmas spirit.' Worse than the Neva-Kathy kerfuffle is the water leak that appears in the wall, forcing a desperate call to Mr. Fix-It, who delights Jim by making a house call on Christmas Eve.
The handyman sees the sulking Kathy and spins a yarn for her about a little girl in a snowy village looking for a special gift to provide as a church offering for the poor. Maybe I'm cynical, but I kept thinking, 'No wonder this guy's willing to come out on a holiday. He's going to charge Jim double time while he sits around and tells his daughter stories.'
His tale is a sweet one, and it may well be the series' gift to the cast. It lets them dress up and play the different characters of the village, with Elinor Donahue (Betty) as the angel who counsels little Katarina (Kathy, as played by Lauren Chapin). It must have been a nice break from the grind of the show for everyone to do something a little different. The villagers' formal speech patterns are a little stilted, but they're still more natural than Neva's earlier 'outburst.'
Kathy learns from the fable what the greatest Christmas gift is, and she shares it with a certain visitor in the house. No, it's not Mr. Fix-It, who demurs when Jim offers to pay him, then adds, 'I'll send you a bill.' I'll bet! You should have asked for a written estimate, Jim! Anyway, when the Andersons exchange a few presents on Christmas Eve, we get an emotional scene that makes me...Darn, there's that glitter in my eye again.
If this assortment doesn't fill you with cheer, there are countless other examples available. In previous columns, I have mentioned two of my favorite Christmas episodes, The Honeymooners 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' and The Twilight Zone 'Night of the Meek.'. Another perennial classic is The Andy Griffith Show, 'A Christmas Story.' In fact, I could fill a whole nother column or two with classic holiday shows, but for now, let's save something for next year. After all, next year's Christmas season is just around the corner...
Even though the 'holiday shopping season' now begins right after Halloween, it flies by more quickly each year. I loved all the Christmas episodes and specials on television as a kid, but they somehow made the wait even more agonizing. Today it's all a blur, but at least with DVD I can slow down and get a dose of yuletide cheer whenever I need it.
Let's examine some of the best Christmas episodes of the classic television era, a simpler time when the medium focused more on telling entertaining, heartwarming stories than shoving us all into stores to buy stuff. Incidentally, did I mention that most of these programs are available here at ClassicFlix and make great stocking stuffers?
The Dick Van Dyke Show , 'Alan Brady Presents': It's no surprise that one of the classiest sitcoms of all time delivers a classy Christmas episode. I love the premise: Mel Cooley convinces his brother-in-law/boss Alan Brady that it would be nice holiday gifts to let the talented people who work on his show perform on it. We're not talking about shuffling them in front of a camera to hum 'Silent Night.' No, Alan hands the entire show over to his writers and their families.
Apparently the only people who work on the show are Rob, Buddy, Sally, and Mel, who just happen to be The Dick Van Dyke Show regulars, and the only family members talented enough to participate happen to be Rob's wife Laura and son Richie. Can't they find a key grip that can carry a tune? Doesn't the show have a costume designer, a lighting technician, ANYONE else who'd like to be on camera?
Other than poor Rich's rendition of 'The Little Drummer Boy,' (it's sweet, but maybe they should have just let him do that old standby, a 'dramatic reading' of ''Twas the Night Before Christmas'), all of the segments are great entertainment, showcasing the gang's talents while keeping them in character. Rose Marie's solo number as Sally includes a Jimmy Durante reference. Rob's duet with Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) includes a nod to Van Dyke's Stan Laurel impersonation. In another fun routine, Rob conducts a vocal rendition of a special holiday song lauding the boss. The only negative I can say about 'Alan Brady Presents' is that when you hear the cast sing 'Al-an Bra-a-dy,' it'll be in your head until St. Patrick's Day.
Adam-12, 'Log 122 Christmas -- The Yellow Dump Truck': We move from the mean streets of New Rochelle to sunny Los Angeles. If you think snow is a prerequisite for Christmas cheer, this might not seem like your thing, but I assure you there is plenty of joy to go around.
Officers Malloy and Reed are delivering bags of goodies to underprivileged households in the community. One child named Harvey Ward just has to have a yellow dump truck. So, of course, the policemen embark on a thrill-packed journey through the streets while tracking the coveted toy, pressuring informants, storming suspected contraband toy warehouses, and roughing up toy smugglers along the way!
Well, actually, no, Malloy just walks into a store and buys the truck, but there is some suspense when someone steals Mrs. Ward's car with the truck still in the back. Finding the criminal isn't the problem, but if the truck is considered evidence, it will be impounded until after Christmas Day. The struggle to free the toy for Harvey is a triumph over the department's true number one enemy: bureaucratic regulations.
Also in 'Log 122' is a domestic dispute between the Buehlers (Bob Hastings and Eunice Christopher) over money. Mr. Buehler urges Mrs. Buehler to be thrifty, but when she orders a chicken for holiday dinner, she discovers he already got 'one of those special hams you have to send away for--.00, .25 a pound!' Her husband fires back that they'll 'get 5 meals out of that ham!' She then reveals something that might well get him carted off to the slammer: 'He's been soaking a fruitcake in brandy since Thanksgiving!'
The officers diffuse the situation and help the couple rekindle their love, but I fear tensions will only resurface next week when Mr. Buehler splurges on Chinese takeout for New Year's Eve. As someone who has long been immune to the charms of turkey dinners, I appreciate the bold stance executive producer Jack Webb takes by allowing Adam-12 to suggest ham and chicken are legitimate alternatives.
Dr. Kildare, 'Season to Be Jolly': On Christmas Eve, the young doctors are hanging decorations in Blair General Hospital at the behest of the public relations department. They're singing, laughing, and generally being festive when chief of staff Dr. Gillespie comes in and barks, 'What is with all this hooliganism?' They're lucky they weren't doing something really delinquent, like marbles or mumblety-peg.
Soon after, a broken-down, alcoholic department store Santa (Dan O'Herlihy) arrives in bad shape and gives Kildare a series of sarcastic responses to routine questions. Gillespie sees this, and all of the sudden he's Mr. Merry, enjoying the give and take and chuckling at the provocation of his young intern. Moments like this must make Kildare wish he had signed up for law school.
Of course, even casual viewers of Dr. Kildare know that Gillespie's heart is not two sizes too small, and that's evident when the veteran doc explores the patient's background to try to understand him. The remarkable thing about 'Season to Be Jolly' from a modern perspective is 1961 television's acceptance of religion. There is a good deal of basic theological discussion as we learn how this Santa became so troubled. You don't see this kind of casual, unironic discussion of spirituality in today's shows. It's tastefully done, in my opinion, sincere and sort of broadly Christian. I can't imagine anybody being offended by the episode, unless it's a female viewer lamenting that the shirtless doctor in the opening scene is Ken Berry and not series star Richard Chamberlain.
The Christmas spirit is strong at Blair General, and a rousing version of 'Joy to the World' is sure to win over any would-be Scrooges by the end, but it's hardly necessary. The series' theme song, 'Three Stars Will Shine Tonight,' is itself a stirring piece of music. When you hear that during the credits as you watch stills from this touching episode, well, you may be 'wiping the glitter out of your eyes' like I was.
Dennis the Menace, 'The Christmas Horse': While Dr. Kildare shows us Christmas as we want it to be, we turn to another classic show to show us Christmas as it really is. Yes, consider the gritty reality of this second-season installment of the adventures of Dennis Mitchell.
It begins with Dennis, after striking out with pleas for a BB gun and a loud siren, asking a department store Santa for the one thing he wants 'more than anything else in the world,' a horse. Dennis knows he's not talking to the real Santa. Mr. Wilson, we find out, is wearing the suit, and he's not very jolly at the thought of the Mitchell kid getting a horse. I have to wonder what kind of establishment would hire Mr. Wilson to play Santa. And why would a guy who is one step away from a straitjacket whenever his kid neighbor rings the doorbell take that gig? This store must have a pretty sweet employee discount.
On Christmas morning, Dennis and his friends engage in a pastime with which many parents are all too familiar: the ritual complaining about what Santa did and didn't bring them. Dennis got a record player, but no pony. Tommy got a microscope, but not an electric train (though his dad is sure having a blast with that microscope)!
Elsewhere, little Johnny Fleming DID receive a pony despite not asking for one. His dad explains that he does indeed want one. How does he know? Simple: HE always wanted one when HE was a kid! Mr. Fleming (Henry Beckman) can't understand why Johnny fears the animal. After all, when HE was a boy, he had to get a paper route just to get spending money, and his folks couldn't afford a horse.
Dennis naturally assumes that Santa brought Johnny the horse by mistake. After all, he messed up on Tommy's train set. Dennis trades his record player for Margaret's typewriter, and then trades the typewriter to Johnny for the pony. This clever episode reveals how different the perspectives of parents and their children are on Christmas presents, but it ends with a heartwarming resolution that makes everybody happy.
Mr. McGuire, who drives around town selling Christmas trees in a horse-driven cart, is retiring, and the 'deal' he makes to give Dennis his horse is a beautiful example of a grownup manipulating a child into getting--and appreciating--what he needs instead of what he wants. As McGuire, veteran character actor Ernest Truex makes this episode an all-time charmer. He just sounds like the holiday. Each time he opens his mouth, I hear sleigh bells ringing and I see Rockwellian visions of a bundled-up family singing Christmas carols on a brisk winter night. In fact, at the end the Mitchells and Wilsons perform 'Silent Night' in the cart, and even the blatant rear projection can't tarnish a truly heartwarming story.
Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends: The last arc of season 3 includes a Christmas episode of sorts with the original Bad Santa, or should I say Badenov Santa. Boris and Natasha (calling herself 'Alf Elf') pose as Santa and a helper in order to make lots and lots of money. It takes a long time to get to the funny sight of Boris Badenov in Santa Claus gear, so you might want to start the disc, bake some cookies, go out and spruce up the lights, and maybe finish up your shopping while you wait for the Christmas part.
If you stick around, you will see 'Aesop's Fables,' 'Sherman and Peabody,' 'Fractured Fairy Tales,' and countless interstitial bits in addition to an amusing story about, believe it or not, climate change. In this scenario, the North Pole accumulates so much ice that it tilts the Earth, making the tropical island of Riki-Tiki the new North Pole.
Since Rocky and Bullwinkle spending the better part of six episodes debating whether or not it's really getting warmer in Frostbite Falls would be pretty drab television, they set out to make it snow on Riki-Tiki and make the Earth tilt back to where it was. Hey, if you want verisimilitude, watch 'Sherman and Peabody.' If you want classic Rocky and Bullwinkle wordplay mixed with Badenov hijinks, plus an early example of 're-gifting' that ends the saga with a bang, you should see this storyline.
Father Knows Best, 'The Angel's Sweater': Patriarch Jim Anderson's sister Neva is in town for the holidays, and the kids aren't too thrilled about it. You see, Neva just isn't comfortable around children, and when an eager-to-please Kathy drops her suitcase, the overreaction confirms it. She snaps in a prim, mannered way, then quickly adds, 'No harm done. She just shouldn't have attempted it. No harm done.' Distraught, Kathy bolts to her room. Sure, it's overwrought, but we can still identify; who hasn't had an awkward holiday encounter with a relative?
Jim promises to calm everyone a 'big, fluffy Christmas egg nog.' I suspect his glass will have a little extra 'Christmas spirit.' Worse than the Neva-Kathy kerfuffle is the water leak that appears in the wall, forcing a desperate call to Mr. Fix-It, who delights Jim by making a house call on Christmas Eve.
The handyman sees the sulking Kathy and spins a yarn for her about a little girl in a snowy village looking for a special gift to provide as a church offering for the poor. Maybe I'm cynical, but I kept thinking, 'No wonder this guy's willing to come out on a holiday. He's going to charge Jim double time while he sits around and tells his daughter stories.'
His tale is a sweet one, and it may well be the series' gift to the cast. It lets them dress up and play the different characters of the village, with Elinor Donahue (Betty) as the angel who counsels little Katarina (Kathy, as played by Lauren Chapin). It must have been a nice break from the grind of the show for everyone to do something a little different. The villagers' formal speech patterns are a little stilted, but they're still more natural than Neva's earlier 'outburst.'
Kathy learns from the fable what the greatest Christmas gift is, and she shares it with a certain visitor in the house. No, it's not Mr. Fix-It, who demurs when Jim offers to pay him, then adds, 'I'll send you a bill.' I'll bet! You should have asked for a written estimate, Jim! Anyway, when the Andersons exchange a few presents on Christmas Eve, we get an emotional scene that makes me...Darn, there's that glitter in my eye again.
If this assortment doesn't fill you with cheer, there are countless other examples available. In previous columns, I have mentioned two of my favorite Christmas episodes, The Honeymooners 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' and The Twilight Zone 'Night of the Meek.'. Another perennial classic is The Andy Griffith Show, 'A Christmas Story.' In fact, I could fill a whole nother column or two with classic holiday shows, but for now, let's save something for next year. After all, next year's Christmas season is just around the corner...
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Streaming Video Power Rankings #92
'Twas the night before--aw, skip it. Suffice to say this was a hectic week, but the rankings are heavily influenced by Christmas and holiday fare this time out.
1) Netflix: Bad Santa 2 is something I almost forgot existed. It's more of the same, but possibly more depraved, though not as funny as the original. I'd rather see that than that El Camino thing or whatever with Tim Allen.
I don't even have to mention the apparent garbage that is Bright, and I'd rather not bring up the email Netflix sent me explaining that it's raising prices to bring me "more of the content I want." Fuller House is not the content I want. How about bringing back Quincy, Columbo, and Rockford Files for starters?
Let's move on before I lose my holiday spirit and demote Netflix.
2) Boomerang: Watching the holiday stuff on here has pushed some of the, uh, much better stuff out of my rotation. Yet here's the thing: I have that other stuff on DVD and can watch it anytime. It's cool that Boomerang has a selection of things like The Cabbage Patch Kids First Christmas. I decided to stick around after my free trial and get an actual paid month to explore more of the service.
3) Amazon Prime: At the risk of damaging the "integrity" of these rankings, Amazon gave me (and many others) 7 bucks in video credits this week. It's hard not to like them when they do that.
4) YouTube: High this week on the strength of all the great holiday vintage ads and songs I have enjoyed lately, and not so much on the basis of all those "young people eat disgusting food combinations" clips my kids watched the other day.
5) Hulu: My kids are still all about Teen Titans Go, but I was all about Gotham this week. I want to see Alfred kick the snot out of Young Bruce Wayne pretty much every episode when the show returns.
6) Pub-D-Hub: They fooled me by posting their update two days early this week. It was an "update" consisting of recycling Christmas stuff that has been up before, but it was an update, and again, it's nice to have it all in one place.
7) Pluto TV: I admit I am occasionally mesmerized by the channel on here that shows nothing but crisp images of Christmas lights and decorations.
8) Warner Archive Instant: Do better in 2018, WAI. At least you have some great holiday content like It Happened on Fifth Avenue and Holiday Affair.
9) Tubi TV: Shout out to Tubi for offering The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas, the subject of this week's holiday special edition of Battle of the Network Shows.
10) PIX 11 Archives: The Roku channel has really slacked off in recent months, but I give credit for reposting the Magic Garden Christmas reunion special. If this channel put all the stuff on Roku that it does on its Facebook page, it would be my favorite.
1) Netflix: Bad Santa 2 is something I almost forgot existed. It's more of the same, but possibly more depraved, though not as funny as the original. I'd rather see that than that El Camino thing or whatever with Tim Allen.
I don't even have to mention the apparent garbage that is Bright, and I'd rather not bring up the email Netflix sent me explaining that it's raising prices to bring me "more of the content I want." Fuller House is not the content I want. How about bringing back Quincy, Columbo, and Rockford Files for starters?
Let's move on before I lose my holiday spirit and demote Netflix.
2) Boomerang: Watching the holiday stuff on here has pushed some of the, uh, much better stuff out of my rotation. Yet here's the thing: I have that other stuff on DVD and can watch it anytime. It's cool that Boomerang has a selection of things like The Cabbage Patch Kids First Christmas. I decided to stick around after my free trial and get an actual paid month to explore more of the service.
3) Amazon Prime: At the risk of damaging the "integrity" of these rankings, Amazon gave me (and many others) 7 bucks in video credits this week. It's hard not to like them when they do that.
4) YouTube: High this week on the strength of all the great holiday vintage ads and songs I have enjoyed lately, and not so much on the basis of all those "young people eat disgusting food combinations" clips my kids watched the other day.
5) Hulu: My kids are still all about Teen Titans Go, but I was all about Gotham this week. I want to see Alfred kick the snot out of Young Bruce Wayne pretty much every episode when the show returns.
6) Pub-D-Hub: They fooled me by posting their update two days early this week. It was an "update" consisting of recycling Christmas stuff that has been up before, but it was an update, and again, it's nice to have it all in one place.
7) Pluto TV: I admit I am occasionally mesmerized by the channel on here that shows nothing but crisp images of Christmas lights and decorations.
8) Warner Archive Instant: Do better in 2018, WAI. At least you have some great holiday content like It Happened on Fifth Avenue and Holiday Affair.
9) Tubi TV: Shout out to Tubi for offering The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas, the subject of this week's holiday special edition of Battle of the Network Shows.
10) PIX 11 Archives: The Roku channel has really slacked off in recent months, but I give credit for reposting the Magic Garden Christmas reunion special. If this channel put all the stuff on Roku that it does on its Facebook page, it would be my favorite.
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Screengrab Theatre Presents Countdown to Christmas: Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper
This is the 1982 Hanna Barbera special that Mark Evanier wrote in two days--literally two days--as he recounts in a great post right here.
My personal favorite part of this special is, without a doubt, the encounter Snagglepuss has with Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble. Snag is in "the big city" trying to find a little girl's parents, and Fred and Barn are sidewalk Santas because...why not? Snagglepuss even asks them if they aren't, oh, about 3 million years away from home. The boys' response--and the special's response--is to ignore it, continue with the scene, and not bring it up again. Works for me!
My personal favorite part of this special is, without a doubt, the encounter Snagglepuss has with Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble. Snag is in "the big city" trying to find a little girl's parents, and Fred and Barn are sidewalk Santas because...why not? Snagglepuss even asks them if they aren't, oh, about 3 million years away from home. The boys' response--and the special's response--is to ignore it, continue with the scene, and not bring it up again. Works for me!
Monday, December 18, 2017
'Mooners Monday #37/Screengrab Theatre's Countdown to Christmas
From December 19, 1952, it's "Christmas Party," one of the Lost Episodes and a reworking of a previous version on Cavalcade of Stars in 1951. This early version of the "sketch" (seems odd to call anything that goes more than 40 minutes a sketch) is incomplete, so MPI had to use stills to represent the beginning. Once things get going, though, we get one of the best Lost Episodes, IMO, if only because it gives us a chance to see so many of Gleason's other characters, the ones I'd love to see in a Jackie Gleason Show boxed set someday:
First up is Fenwick Babbitt, first with a big keg of beer, then a huge block of ice. What a moax.
Next, guest star Patricia Morrison has Norton so enthralled with her singing that he doffs his hat:
The great Joe the Bartender arrives to let us know what's going on at the bar--even Fatso Fogerty and Gaylord Farquhard are there!
The Poor Soul is here, and he's an even bigger moax than Fenwick Babbitt. Ladies and gentlemen, start your PATHOS:
Underrated double act: Rudy the Repairman and his assistant Whitey:
He's not one of Gleason's characters, but...Frankie Avalon?
He dances, too. He's almost like a young Tony Danza!
Reggie Van Gleason is all class.
It's always a treat to see Gleason Player Frank Marth as a cop:
Merry Christmas, everyone!
First up is Fenwick Babbitt, first with a big keg of beer, then a huge block of ice. What a moax.
Next, guest star Patricia Morrison has Norton so enthralled with her singing that he doffs his hat:
The great Joe the Bartender arrives to let us know what's going on at the bar--even Fatso Fogerty and Gaylord Farquhard are there!
The Poor Soul is here, and he's an even bigger moax than Fenwick Babbitt. Ladies and gentlemen, start your PATHOS:
Underrated double act: Rudy the Repairman and his assistant Whitey:
He's not one of Gleason's characters, but...Frankie Avalon?
He dances, too. He's almost like a young Tony Danza!
Reggie Van Gleason is all class.
It's always a treat to see Gleason Player Frank Marth as a cop:
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Streaming Video Power Rankings #91
1) Netflix: Enjoy life at the top while you can, Netflix, 'cause Disney is a-coming. First we thought it would merely pull its content and start its own competing SVOD service. Now I suspect it will pull its content, start its own competing SVOD service, AND build up Hulu (of which it will own a majority if the FOX purchase goes through).
Meanwhile, I continue to enjoy Glow, this new Errol Morris hybrid docuseries sounds intriguing even if the word "hybrid" is normally a big red flag, and, hey. Red State America, THE RANCH is back with part 4. What's up with "part 4" and not season 2, part 2 or whatever? How can a series that stars Ashton Kutcher and a disgraced alleged rapist be so pretentious?
Actually, I as amused to see Decider.com screw up and put this description (see #2 on the list) on its site: The Ranch: Part 4 *Netflix Original: A world-renowned martial arts expert and undercover agent for hire comes out of retirement after chance encounter with a long lost flame.
Talk about a change in creative direction! That would be one way to retool the series in the wake of Danny Masterson's firing.
One more thing about Netflix, and it is not related to the Judd Apatow special nor the premiere of the Santa Clause movies: When Ken Levine dropped a Cheers commentary as part of his excellent Hollywood and Levine podcast, he didn't recommend listeners fire up the episode on Amazon nor CBS All Access. He said NETFLIX. And I did so, and I followed along, and it was great.
2) Amazon Prime: I finally started watching the latest and final season of Red Oaks, but I haven't yet seen Jean Claude Van Johnson, which is the true source of that Decider blurb that ran with The Ranch. In truth, I was most excited to dive into the old live Buddy Hackett sitcom Stanley, not to mention adding a bunch of obscure movies I will likely not get around to seeing.
3) Hulu: Now with Bunheads and the most recent season of Younger. I love Sutton Foster, but for some reason I am not sure I really want to watch her shows. I do want to see this Goerge Foreman documentary that just arrived via Epix.
How will the Disney/FOX deal affect Hulu? Who knows. I just want to know when we get those seasons of St. Elsewhere and The Bob Newhart Show that were supposed to arrive this year.
4) Pub-D-Hub: A great week for the Hub as it unveiled its annual Christmas section and also an Edgar Kennedy short (which itself had a Christmas backdrop) and a 1948 episode of Public Prosecutor (which had some pretty cheap backdrops--it WAS 1948, after all).
5) Acorn TV: I know I said good-bye to Acorn last week, but I had it for several more days, and I finished the first seasons of Loch Ness and Grandma's House--solid shows I enjoyed. I say again, Acorn, I will return. Thanks for a nice month of keeping me away from the series I fell behind watching on the services that rank above you.
6) YouTube: I highly recommend Bionic Disco, an uploader who is delivering a lot of great 1970s Christmas ads. The jury is still out on the latest redesign of the Roku channel. Each time I get used to the current one, it changes, though after seeing the battle between Google and Amazon, I tend to be thankful I have YouTube on Roku at all. Then I get angry again. It's a terrible cycle that drives me back to Bionic Disco's channel for more old ads.
7) Warner Archive Instant: Still no new updates, still no Twitter activity (which I only monitor as a sign of life), and I had trouble logging in the other day. Yet how can I (sniff) not rank this (sniff) after seeing the beauty (sniff) of the Eight Is Enough Christmas episode (sniff) "Yes, Nicholas, There Is a Santa Claus"?
8) Slacker: I very much enjoyed listening to Christmas tunes with my kids while we played...until they got tired of it and demanded we switch to "80s, 90s, and Today." I think they may be tired of that Mariah Carey song.
9) Nosey: This is one of the more ambitious (if trashy) free channels out there, adding a bunch of new stuff each week. It just premiered a new batch of The Joan Rivers Show, including one with Howard Stern as the guest.
10) Boomerang: I am going to sign up for a free trial and check this out so I can enjoy a nice, uncut, clean version of the classic Yogi's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper, and I plan to force my kids to wat--uh, plan to enjoy this with the children. There are a lot of other seasonal toons here.
Meanwhile, I continue to enjoy Glow, this new Errol Morris hybrid docuseries sounds intriguing even if the word "hybrid" is normally a big red flag, and, hey. Red State America, THE RANCH is back with part 4. What's up with "part 4" and not season 2, part 2 or whatever? How can a series that stars Ashton Kutcher and a disgraced alleged rapist be so pretentious?
Actually, I as amused to see Decider.com screw up and put this description (see #2 on the list) on its site: The Ranch: Part 4 *Netflix Original: A world-renowned martial arts expert and undercover agent for hire comes out of retirement after chance encounter with a long lost flame.
Talk about a change in creative direction! That would be one way to retool the series in the wake of Danny Masterson's firing.
One more thing about Netflix, and it is not related to the Judd Apatow special nor the premiere of the Santa Clause movies: When Ken Levine dropped a Cheers commentary as part of his excellent Hollywood and Levine podcast, he didn't recommend listeners fire up the episode on Amazon nor CBS All Access. He said NETFLIX. And I did so, and I followed along, and it was great.
2) Amazon Prime: I finally started watching the latest and final season of Red Oaks, but I haven't yet seen Jean Claude Van Johnson, which is the true source of that Decider blurb that ran with The Ranch. In truth, I was most excited to dive into the old live Buddy Hackett sitcom Stanley, not to mention adding a bunch of obscure movies I will likely not get around to seeing.
3) Hulu: Now with Bunheads and the most recent season of Younger. I love Sutton Foster, but for some reason I am not sure I really want to watch her shows. I do want to see this Goerge Foreman documentary that just arrived via Epix.
How will the Disney/FOX deal affect Hulu? Who knows. I just want to know when we get those seasons of St. Elsewhere and The Bob Newhart Show that were supposed to arrive this year.
4) Pub-D-Hub: A great week for the Hub as it unveiled its annual Christmas section and also an Edgar Kennedy short (which itself had a Christmas backdrop) and a 1948 episode of Public Prosecutor (which had some pretty cheap backdrops--it WAS 1948, after all).
5) Acorn TV: I know I said good-bye to Acorn last week, but I had it for several more days, and I finished the first seasons of Loch Ness and Grandma's House--solid shows I enjoyed. I say again, Acorn, I will return. Thanks for a nice month of keeping me away from the series I fell behind watching on the services that rank above you.
6) YouTube: I highly recommend Bionic Disco, an uploader who is delivering a lot of great 1970s Christmas ads. The jury is still out on the latest redesign of the Roku channel. Each time I get used to the current one, it changes, though after seeing the battle between Google and Amazon, I tend to be thankful I have YouTube on Roku at all. Then I get angry again. It's a terrible cycle that drives me back to Bionic Disco's channel for more old ads.
7) Warner Archive Instant: Still no new updates, still no Twitter activity (which I only monitor as a sign of life), and I had trouble logging in the other day. Yet how can I (sniff) not rank this (sniff) after seeing the beauty (sniff) of the Eight Is Enough Christmas episode (sniff) "Yes, Nicholas, There Is a Santa Claus"?
8) Slacker: I very much enjoyed listening to Christmas tunes with my kids while we played...until they got tired of it and demanded we switch to "80s, 90s, and Today." I think they may be tired of that Mariah Carey song.
9) Nosey: This is one of the more ambitious (if trashy) free channels out there, adding a bunch of new stuff each week. It just premiered a new batch of The Joan Rivers Show, including one with Howard Stern as the guest.
10) Boomerang: I am going to sign up for a free trial and check this out so I can enjoy a nice, uncut, clean version of the classic Yogi's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper, and I plan to force my kids to wat--uh, plan to enjoy this with the children. There are a lot of other seasonal toons here.
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