What classics did you see last week, Nov 28 to Dec 4?
Dec 5, 2021 13:38:02 GMT
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teleadm, wmcclain, and 4 more like this
Post by claudius on Dec 5, 2021 13:38:02 GMT
It’s been 5 years ago since I added my viewings to this thread (back in the original IMDb Classic Film Board in November 26-December 2016). I remember upsetting some members by starting the board myself. One person gave me polish insults for it. Again my apologies for my impatience five years ago.
And this week’s MASTERPIECE 50 is: THE FORTUNES AND MISFORTUNES OF MOLL FLANDERS (1996) “Part 1” 25TH ANNIVERSARY Adaptation of Daniel DeFoe’s novel. Starring Alex Kingston, Daniel Craig, and Diana Rigg. Saw parts of this on MT 25 years ago. Was my first introductions to Kingston (who I will see next year on ER) and Craig (although that one took the turning of the century for recognition). Anchor Bay DVD.
A bunch of penultimate episodes (be they series or season).
28
40TH ANNIVERSARY
-THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW (1981) “Kwicky’s Karnival Kapers/Bearly Alive/ Sea dawg” Warner Archive DVD
-THE SMURFS (1981) “Now You Smurf it, Now You Don’t/ The Fountain of Smurf/ Smurfette’s Dancing Shoes/ The Fake Smurf” Warner DVD.
-FONZ AND THE HAPPY DAYS GANG (1981) “Give Me a hand, Something’s a Foot” In the final episode, the gang travel to Victorian London and meet Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty. The series never resolved the Happy Days gang’s return to 1957, although it was pretty much a foregone conclusion considering the parent series. Ron Howard and Donny Most had left HP at this point, which probably motivated the cancellation of the cartoon (Howard beginning his directorial career). However, although this is Cupcake’s final appearance, the animated Fonz and his dog Mr Cool will move over to the next season of the animated LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY. CBS/Paramount DVD.
-LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY (1981) Two Mini-Cooks” YouTube.
-HEATHCLIFF AND MARMADUKE (1981) “Double Trouble Maker / Cat Kit/ Caper Cracker“ The penultimate set of episodes. Dailymotion
-HERO HIGH (1981) The Girl of His Dreams/ The Blow-Away Blimp” The Penultimate set of episodes includes a guest appearance from Mary Marvel. BCI Eclipse DVD.
-SHAZAM (1981) “Star Master and his Solar Mirror” The final episode has Captain Marvel team up with several Hero High members. YouTube.
-GOLDIE GOLD AND ACTION JACK (1981) “Return of the Man Beast” The Penultimate episode
-BLAKSTAR (1981) “Crown of the Princess” The Penultimate episode. YouTube.
-THE NEW ADVENTURES OF ZORRO (1981) “The Conspiracy “ The Penultimate episode. Swedish Dubbed Episide. YouTube.
-SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS (1981) “Pawns of the Kingpin” The Kingpin brainwashes Captain America to trick Iceman into helping him. Amazon Prime.
-SPIDER-MAN (1981) “A B Cs of DOOM” Doom teams up with a mutant named Goron (whose appearance in the intro made me mistake him for Kingpin). The Latervia storyline also gets focused, with Doom fooling ambassadors with his fake scientific wonders (in contradiction to the comics where Doom didn’t make anything fake). YouTube.
-JOURNEY BACK TO OZ (1974) Dorothy (voice of Liza Minelli) returns to the land of Oz, getting new friends (Paul Lynde’s Pumpkinhead and Herschel Bernardi’s Woodenhead), reuniting with old (Mickey Rooney’s Scarecrow, Larry Storch’s Tin Man and Milton Berle’s Lion) and facing new enemies (Ethel Merman’s Mombi) in an adaptation of MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ (without Tip/Ozma, Jinjur, the Powder of Life, etc.). This production by Filmation had something of a THIEF AND THE COBBLER-esque shelf- life. Filmation producers Hal Sutherland and Lou Schiemer kept putting the production (starting in the mid-1960s) on hold due to financial problems, always waiting for money to continue and finish it. It was not a success in theaters but found new life under the SFM Holiday Network program, which made the film a popular holiday broadcast since the late 1970s; one of those broadcasts, on November 28, 1981, had been recorded on VHS and viewed on the 40TH Anniversary of its airing. This TV version added live-action sequences of Bill Cosby as the Wizard playing Greek chorus to the proceedings. Commercials in this broadcast includes a JC Penneys’ clothing promo (with a young Carey Lowell), several Ore Ida French Fries advertisements (one a Rich Little gallery of impersonations of John Wayne, Paul Lynde, Jimmy Durante, Boris Karloff, and Humphrey Bogart, the other concerning a live-action Lois Lane making fries for an animated Superman) and an SFM Holiday Network promo for EL CID (1961), which was my introduction to that movie. Also, some local commercials of stores that no longer exist: John V. Schultz, Taggarts, Paddens, etc.
-HERE ARE THE SMURFS (1981) In view of its recent success as a Saturday Morning cartoon, NBC gave a prime-time showing of several episodes: “SuperSmurf,” “The Smurfette” (an early episode, noted by Frank Welker still not quite getting the hang of voicing Hefty Smurf), and “The Baby Smurf” (No, not the debut of that character. That will happen two seasons later). The special includes the original intro with a narrator (not the syndicated intro that includes footage from THE SMURFIC GAMES special in 1984) but ends with a preview of scenes, climaxing with a freeze frame of a terror-stricken Smurf facing a tidal wave as the credits roll. This special too was broadcast the night of November 29, 1981. Commercials include a Hallmark Commercial, promos for LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, CHIPS, THE FACTS OF LIFE, short-lived items like THE REGIS PHILBIN SHOW, James Garner’s BRET MAVERICK, and Tony Randall’s LOVE SIDNEY, as well as the Robert Blake-Randy Quaid version OF MICE AND MEN, which broadcast the next night. Viewed on a VHS recording 40 years ago.
-DYNASTY (1981) “Enter Alexis” The second season opener of this High Class Soap Opera resolves the cliffhanger where the convicted Blake gets a surprise witness: his ex-wife Alexis (an unknown actress in the cliffhanger; here portrayed by Joan Collins). Amazon Prime.
SUPERMAN (1941) “The Mechanical Monsters” 80TH ANNIVERSARY The second most famous of the Fleischer shorts, as an evil genius sends robots to rob and steal. The only short to feature Superman’s X Ray Vision. First saw this on the Disney Channel in 1988. Warner DVD.
29
35TH ANNIVERSARY
-DISNEYS ADVENTURES OF THE GUMMI BEARS (1986) “My Gummi Lies Under the Ocean” The second season comes to an end with the introduction of a new Gummi: obsessed artist Augustus “Gusto” Gunmi (voiced by Rob Paulson). Disney DVD.
-THE CARE BEARS FAMILY (1986) “Order on the Court/The All-Powerful Mr Beastly” The first episode is the first Nelvana CC to feature Champ Bear in a prominent role, which he will continue to have in the next season. The second episode, however, marks one of the last times Tender Heart Bear has a prominent role in the series (aside from the two movies). YouTube.
-GALAXY HIGH (1986) “Martian Mumps” YouTube.
-PEE WEE S PLAYHOUSE (1986) “The Group’s All Here” Dailymotion.
-MUPPET BABIES (1986) “Fine-Weathered Enemies” Having established the friendships early this season, this episode causes those relationships to estrange when a pet parrot’s voice mimicry causes rifts. YouTube.
-POUND PUPPIES (1986) “Happy Howlidays” YouTube.
40TH ANNIVERSARY
-CHIPS (1981) “Finders Keepers” The popular LA cop show. Although the promos (from the aforementioned SMURFS Recording) highlights Eric Estrada, he actually only has a minor part in the episode. Dailymotion.
-OF MICE AND MEN (1981) TV Movie adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel starring Robert Blake and Randy Quaid. YouTube presentation of Starmaker VHS.
THE ALVIN SHOW (1961) “Camping Trip/ Crashcup Invents Comedy” 60TH ANNIVERSARY Bootleg DVD.
NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA (1971) 50TH ANNIVERSARY Historical epic (based on the biography by Robert K Massie) on the fall and execution of the Romanov Family of Tsar Nicholas II (Michael Jayston) and his wife Alexandra (Janet Suzman). Starring Michael Bryant, Tom Baker, Irene Worth, John McEnery, Michael Redgrave, Fiona Fullerton, Eric Porter, Brian Cox, and Laurence Olivier. First saw parts of this on Cinemax in summer 1994. I’ve had an interest in Nicholas since 1992. Columbia Tri-Star DVD.
30
30Th ANNIVERSARY:
-BACK TO THE FUTURE (1991) “Gone Fishin” The Brown Brothers and McFly head to 1926 and accidentally alter their father’s attempt to go fishing into a career as a Thrill Comedian/Star. Universal DVD.
-DARKWING DUCK (1991) “The Merchant of Menace” The final ABC Saturday episode centers in DW’s wholesome but annoying neighbor Herb Muddlefoot and his career as a Tupperware salesman. YouTube.
-MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (1991) “Mr B Natural/ War of the Colossal Beast” One of the best MST3K shorts is “Mr B Natural” about a Peter Pan music spirit befriends an introvert. The main film is the sequel to THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN, with a different cast. YouTube presentation of original Comedy Central Broadcast November 30 1991. Commercials include a promo for Comedy Central’s “Merrython” for SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Christmas Episodes. I believe I may have caught a little of that particular marathon that year.
-THE COMMISH (1991) “Two Confessions” Anchor Bay DVD.
20TH ANNIVERSARY
VANDREAD THE SECOND STAGE (2001) “Embrace All” Revelations of Hibiki’s origins are revealed. Japanese with English Subtitles.
ONCE AND AGAIN (2001) “The Sex Show” Recording of Lifetime Broadcast.
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE (1981) “For Love of Nancy” 40TH ANNIVERSARY Later season entry, with Laura now an adult dealing with the machinations of Nancy (a surrogate for the series’ Spoiled brat Nellie). Familiar via the promo of Laura getting a box of a lizard. Dailymotion (which showed the episode in a reverse image).
1
THE TRAPP FAMILY STORY (1991) “Third Reich Invasion” 30TH ANNIVERSARY The Trapps travel to Vienna for a public concert. They receive a suggestion of touring from an American (who speaks English). And then a few months later…This was bound to happen. Yep, the Anschluss has come. A new focus is on the Trapp’s loyal Butler. This episode shows him in a sinister light: he’s a Nazi. Japanese (save for the American agent) with English Subtitles. Bootleg DVD.
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED (1981) “Brideshead Deserted” 40TH ANNIVERSARY Years pass, and the now unhappily married Charles meets Julia again on a cruise. Amazon Prime.
BEN-HUR THE MAKING OF AN EPIC (1993) Narrated by Christopher Plummer (who had also narrated THE MAKING OF A LEGEND: GONE WITH THE WIND). Created as an accompaniment for the film’s 35th Anniversary VHS/Laserdisc release in 1994, this documentary covers the story from Lew Wallace to Stage to Silent films (with a rather lengthy coverage on the 1925 version, using footage and script from the Kevin Brownlow/David Gill documentary series Hollywood) and finally the 1959 film version. Lacking interviews from the main cast and crew (the only real associate is Gore Vidal and stunt man Joe Cannutt), the focus goes to historians like Rudy Belmer, relatives like Christina Wyler and Edward Carfagno Jr., and archival bits from J.J. Cohn, Yakima Canutt, and Wyler himself (there are several interviews by Richard Edlund and David Raskin in a gallery set of blown-up Ben-Hur stills and a line of eleven statuettes; wonder if this clip was made for the docu or belongs to a different documentary). Plenty of behind-the-scenes footage: a Camera 65 POV shot of chariots crashing into the lens, test reels of Cesare Donova and Leslie Neilsen wearing Robert Taylor’s costumes from QUO VADIS? (1951), plus a test by some unbilled British actor whom I would later recognize as George Baker (who would play ‘The Emperor’ himself in the 1976 BBC serial I, CLAUDIUS; Andre Morell also played Tiberius in the 1968 Granada-TV serial THE CAESARS). Although THE CELLULOID CLOSET (1995) is reported in bringing the story of Gore Vidal putting a homosexual slant to the Judah-Messala friendship into the public mentality, this documentary predates it (then again, the first mention of the story dates back to the late-1970s ). The docu has been a Christmas perennial that I usually begin my Holiday viewings. This comes from the BEN-HUR 35th Anniversary MGM/UA VHS.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1975) “Candice Bergen/ Martha Reeves & Stylistics” ” Aired on December 20, 1975, the series’ first Christmas-themed episode, hosted by Candice Bergen (who compared the experience of working with the Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time-Players as the Symbionese Liberation Party) with music by the Stylistics and Martha Reeves. In its first season, the series began with certain segments that would later go by next season: the ill-fated Muppets Land of Gorch, Bridging pieces (Who’s Tommy playing Pong), home movies (A montage of airport family reunions set to the music of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound”). There is also a serious piece where Bergen promotes the Gray Panthers, an anti-Ageism group. Universal DVD.
SCROOGE (1935) The first sound version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, starring Seymour Hicks, Donald Calthrop, and Philip Frost. First saw this on USA Network in December 1988. For years I would watch a Goodtimes VHS that excised 15 minutes from the film (including Tiny Tim’s “God Bless Us Everyone” quote, most of the “Hark the Herald Angels Singing” montage, and the ending of Scrooge at church). In 2005, I finally got the full cut on DVD. Image DVD.
THE LEGEND OF PRINCE VALIANT (1992) Taking a break from the series’ season 1 30th Anniversary, I watch this episode from the second season: While King Arthur is celebrating Christmas at Camelot, Sir Valiant and his knights-in-training Arn and Rowena are fighting a violent war between the provinces of Gallas and Londom. Created by David Corbett from Hal Foster’s comic strip, this animated series with the voices of Robbie Benson, Noelle North, Tim Curry, Efrem Zimbalist, Alan Oppenheimer, Samantha Eggar, and James Avery (with a guest appearance by Ben Savage) aired on the Family channel in the early 1990s. BCI Eclipse/Ink and Paint DVD.
2
URESEI YATSURA (1981) “Electric Shocks Scare Me!/ Voodoo Dolls of Vengeance” 40TH ANNIVERSARY Japanese with English Subtitles. AnimeEgo VHS.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1951) 60TH ANNIVERSARY Much has been written about this classic adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel starring Alistair Sims and Michael Hordern. A perennial since 1997 (although I have watched colorized versions since 1990), I am watching this from the VCI Entertainment 60th anniversary DVD edition (the print uses its alternative title Scrooge).
TENCHI MUYO MANATSU NO EVE (1997) The second movie based on the TENCHI MUYO! Anime series, this production is a gestalt of the original OVA continuity while including Kiyone of the TV series continuity. An adolescent claims to be Tenchi’s daughter, causing much havoc (comedic and dramatic) to his space-girl harem. This is all part of a plan of a demon seeking to settle a score with Tenchi’s family. Christmas is celebrated at the beginning and end, as well as being a plot point for character motivation. This story shares similarities with the franchise’s second (notoriously infamous) TV series SHIN TENCHI MUYO! (Known in America as TENCHI IN TOKYO) which also has its own rebooted continuity! Although the ending portrays a happy addition to the Tenchi gang, the story had been ignored by future stories. English Dubbed. Pioneer DVD.
THE DARKER SIDE OF A CLASSIC (2011) Sir Christopher Frayling discusses the Alistair Sims’ version. VCI BluRay.
A CHRISTMAS STORY (1982) ) There has been much written about Bob Clark’s adaptation of Jean Shepherd’s nostalgia stories that I see it unnecessary to give any further information. I watched this on an MGM/UA VHS, which allows me to view the ending credits playing Carl Zitter-Paul Zaza’s lovely instrumental for “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” a scene not included in the TBS/TNT annual Christmas Day 24-hour marathon.
3
BERENSTEIN BEAR’S CHRISTMAS TREE (1979) The first animated adaptation of the Bear Family by Jan and Stan Berenstein, this Animated TV special (with songs by Elliott Lawrence) would lead to several other Holiday specials about Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Baseball. A perennial since 2001, this viewing is via a Kids Klassics VHS.
SIMPLE GIFTS: SIX TALES OF CHRISTMAS (1978) Broadcast on PBS (the video includes a 1970s caption of the station), SIMPLE GIFTS deals with six (actually seven) differently-animated tales involving the season, all involving- as host Colleen Dewhurst attests- gifts given, received, or unfulfilled (with the narrations of Jose Ferrer, Hermoine Gingold, and David Jones). The Maurice Sendak intro presents an impoverished and freezing child who transforms into a Christmas Tree to help fellow children in similar problems. The first tale is “A Memory of Christmas” based on Moss Hart’s autobiography Act One (itself a film starring George Hamilton). Portrayed as a series of photograph stills animated by dissolves, it tells the story of a father and son exploring the Christmas gift carts on the marketplace, unable to buy anything and even more unable to recognize the more important gift they could give to each other. The second tale is “Lost and Found” based on Fontaine Fox’s early-20th century comic strip Toonerville Trolley, dealing with a henpecked husband and father (voiced by Paul Dooley) and his role in Christmas. The third tale is the Seymour Chwast-drawn “The Great Frost” from Virgina Woolf’s Orlando, where the title character has a bittersweet romance with a feisty Russian visitor. Tale Four is the brief “My Christmas;” Charles B. Stackman illustrates the diary entry of 11-year-old Theodore Roosevelt’s Yuletide recollections in Rome, Italy. The fifth tale is James McMullan-illustrated “December 25, 1914: A Letter from the Western front by Captain Sir Edward Hulce” relating his experience of the Christmas Truce (with a bittersweet disclaimer). The sixth and final tale Is R.O. Beechman’s “No Room in the Inn,” about the Holy Family being shunned, accepted, patronized, and then shunned again by the Bethlehem residents. A perennial since 2009 (I first saw parts of this on PBS in December 1995), this viewing comes from a PBS Home Video VHS.
TENKO (1981) “Part Seven” 40TH ANNIVERSARY
HOMEFRONT (1991) “Splitting Hairs” 30TH ANNIVERSARY Internet Archive presentation of ABC Broadcast.
SCROOGE (1970) ) Albert Finney (who, if his recollections of playing Poirot are true, evidently liked playing a role that was an escape from his pretty boy image) heads a cast of British stage and TV actors in this Leslie Briscusse musical. Despite its trappings as a wholesome musical, my early recollections of it were anything but. 1980s TV broadcasts would add these commercial eyecatchers with an eerie music tone (Here’s a link). Already being discomforted by the 1984 NBC Broadcast of MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL and its ‘grave from Hell’ sequence, and this film’s decision to add a skull-face to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, this version left me wary to other adaptations with a ‘will they, won’t they’ anxiety of showing the Ghost’s face behind the hood. But I’ve grown to be more comforted by this version. I like the musical score, and although much has been written against it, this adaptation has led to a stage show, and the ‘Sing a Christmas Carol’ intro is part of Disney World’s Christmas Parade score. A perennial for 21 years, this film is viewd from the Paramount/CBS-Fox Video DVD.
GOOD CHEER (1926) 95TH ANNIVERSARY this year. Our Gang Christmas short. ReelClassics DVD.
THE NUTCRACKER (1987) ) A recording of the 1987 performance by the Bolshoi Ballet (the stage curtains are marked with USSR symbols) by Yuri Grigorovich and starring Yekaterina Maksimova and Vladmir Vasilev. Some sites would misinterpret this production for an earlier 1978 production with the same couple, broadcast to the US with Betty Ford as host. Kino Lorber DVD
4
50TH ANNIVERSARY:
-THE FUNKY PHANTOM (1971) “April’s Foolish Day” Warner Archive DVD.
-HEY IT’S THE HAIR BEAR BUNCH! (1971) “Unbearably Peevy ” Warner Archive DVD.
-THE PEBBLES AND BAMM BAMM SHOW (1971) “Wooly’s Triumph” Warner DVD.
-THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW (1971) “A Friend in Need” YouTube.
HERGE THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (1991) “The Black Island Part 1” 30TH ANNIVERSARY Adaptation of the 8th book has Tintin doing a 39 STEPS adventure. YouTube.
RUROUNI KENSHIN (1996) 25TH ANNIVERSARY “Change Tears into Courage: Kaoru’s Choice” With Kenshin gone, Kaoru, Yahiko, and Sanosuke follow him to Kyoto. Japanese with English Subtitles. Media Blasters/Anime Works DVD.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1984) Much has been written about this classic TV production starring George C. Scott that I feel it unnecessary to write any more. FoxVideo VHS.
THE BOX OF DELIGHTS (1984) "1 The Wolves Are Running" A six-part BBC Serial based on John Masefield’s children’s fantasy book (which was itself a sequel to The Midnight Folk). The first episode is “The Wolves Are Running.” Set in 1930s England, young schoolboy Kay Harker returns home for Christmas to his aunt Caroline Louisa and the additional guests of the Jones children. He encounters shady priests and befriends an old puppeteer Cole Hawling (Patrick Troughton) whose possession of a magic box makes him a target for the priests and their leader Abner (Robert Stephens). This all leads to Kay traveling through time to an ancient fort at war with wolves. A perennial since 2004 (although I had seen bits of it on Nickelodeon on Christmas Eve 1988), this viewing come from a BBC Video PAL DVD
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN (1969) The Rankin-Bass classic with Jimmy Durante and Jackie Vernon. Viewed on Freeform, which seemed to have deleted the "Rankin-Bass Presents" title at the beginning.
RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER (1964) The Arthur Rankin Jr. –Jules Bass ‘Animagic’ (their term for stop-motion) television special that started its series of successful Holiday programming. I viewed this on Freeform, which replaces Rudolph and Hermie’s “Fame and Fortune” duet with “A Couple of Misfits.”
Saw Parts of:
MARY AND JOSEPH: A STORY OF FAITH (1979) TV film on the Holy Family with Jeff East as Joseph, Blanche Baker as Mary, and Colleen Dewhurst as Elizabeth. I only watched the Visitation sequence and Joseph helping Zealots attack a Roman Monument. Warner VHS.
Saw Christmas scenes from several LITTLE WOMEN. The 1933 RKO version (Warner DVD), the 1949 MGM version (Chinese DVD), and two Japanese animations (English Dubbed on YouTube) from 1980 and 1981. The beginning of both Anime adaptations practically are scene-for-scene remakes of the opening act of the 1949 version.
SANTA CLAUS THE MOVIE (1985) Anchor Bay DVD.
THE SANTA CLAUSE (1994) Freeform Broadcast.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III (1993) Cartoon Network Broadcast.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1980) “David Carradine/The cast of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE” Sixth Season episode. The skits I saw were Charles Rocket’s report of a boozing misbehaving Santa & the PoP cast of Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith, and George Rose & chorus singing “O Come Emmanuel”, “The First Noel” & “Joy to the World” First saw this on Comedy Central’s SNL “Merrython” in 1994. Internet Archive presentation of Comedy Channel Broadcast.
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN (1970) Freeform Broadcast.
Earliest Film Seen this Month: THE BOAT (1921)
Latest Film Seen this Month: THE DARKER SIDE OF A CLASSIC (2011)
And this week’s MASTERPIECE 50 is: THE FORTUNES AND MISFORTUNES OF MOLL FLANDERS (1996) “Part 1” 25TH ANNIVERSARY Adaptation of Daniel DeFoe’s novel. Starring Alex Kingston, Daniel Craig, and Diana Rigg. Saw parts of this on MT 25 years ago. Was my first introductions to Kingston (who I will see next year on ER) and Craig (although that one took the turning of the century for recognition). Anchor Bay DVD.
A bunch of penultimate episodes (be they series or season).
28
40TH ANNIVERSARY
-THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW (1981) “Kwicky’s Karnival Kapers/Bearly Alive/ Sea dawg” Warner Archive DVD
-THE SMURFS (1981) “Now You Smurf it, Now You Don’t/ The Fountain of Smurf/ Smurfette’s Dancing Shoes/ The Fake Smurf” Warner DVD.
-FONZ AND THE HAPPY DAYS GANG (1981) “Give Me a hand, Something’s a Foot” In the final episode, the gang travel to Victorian London and meet Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty. The series never resolved the Happy Days gang’s return to 1957, although it was pretty much a foregone conclusion considering the parent series. Ron Howard and Donny Most had left HP at this point, which probably motivated the cancellation of the cartoon (Howard beginning his directorial career). However, although this is Cupcake’s final appearance, the animated Fonz and his dog Mr Cool will move over to the next season of the animated LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY. CBS/Paramount DVD.
-LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY (1981) Two Mini-Cooks” YouTube.
-HEATHCLIFF AND MARMADUKE (1981) “Double Trouble Maker / Cat Kit/ Caper Cracker“ The penultimate set of episodes. Dailymotion
-HERO HIGH (1981) The Girl of His Dreams/ The Blow-Away Blimp” The Penultimate set of episodes includes a guest appearance from Mary Marvel. BCI Eclipse DVD.
-SHAZAM (1981) “Star Master and his Solar Mirror” The final episode has Captain Marvel team up with several Hero High members. YouTube.
-GOLDIE GOLD AND ACTION JACK (1981) “Return of the Man Beast” The Penultimate episode
-BLAKSTAR (1981) “Crown of the Princess” The Penultimate episode. YouTube.
-THE NEW ADVENTURES OF ZORRO (1981) “The Conspiracy “ The Penultimate episode. Swedish Dubbed Episide. YouTube.
-SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS (1981) “Pawns of the Kingpin” The Kingpin brainwashes Captain America to trick Iceman into helping him. Amazon Prime.
-SPIDER-MAN (1981) “A B Cs of DOOM” Doom teams up with a mutant named Goron (whose appearance in the intro made me mistake him for Kingpin). The Latervia storyline also gets focused, with Doom fooling ambassadors with his fake scientific wonders (in contradiction to the comics where Doom didn’t make anything fake). YouTube.
-JOURNEY BACK TO OZ (1974) Dorothy (voice of Liza Minelli) returns to the land of Oz, getting new friends (Paul Lynde’s Pumpkinhead and Herschel Bernardi’s Woodenhead), reuniting with old (Mickey Rooney’s Scarecrow, Larry Storch’s Tin Man and Milton Berle’s Lion) and facing new enemies (Ethel Merman’s Mombi) in an adaptation of MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ (without Tip/Ozma, Jinjur, the Powder of Life, etc.). This production by Filmation had something of a THIEF AND THE COBBLER-esque shelf- life. Filmation producers Hal Sutherland and Lou Schiemer kept putting the production (starting in the mid-1960s) on hold due to financial problems, always waiting for money to continue and finish it. It was not a success in theaters but found new life under the SFM Holiday Network program, which made the film a popular holiday broadcast since the late 1970s; one of those broadcasts, on November 28, 1981, had been recorded on VHS and viewed on the 40TH Anniversary of its airing. This TV version added live-action sequences of Bill Cosby as the Wizard playing Greek chorus to the proceedings. Commercials in this broadcast includes a JC Penneys’ clothing promo (with a young Carey Lowell), several Ore Ida French Fries advertisements (one a Rich Little gallery of impersonations of John Wayne, Paul Lynde, Jimmy Durante, Boris Karloff, and Humphrey Bogart, the other concerning a live-action Lois Lane making fries for an animated Superman) and an SFM Holiday Network promo for EL CID (1961), which was my introduction to that movie. Also, some local commercials of stores that no longer exist: John V. Schultz, Taggarts, Paddens, etc.
-HERE ARE THE SMURFS (1981) In view of its recent success as a Saturday Morning cartoon, NBC gave a prime-time showing of several episodes: “SuperSmurf,” “The Smurfette” (an early episode, noted by Frank Welker still not quite getting the hang of voicing Hefty Smurf), and “The Baby Smurf” (No, not the debut of that character. That will happen two seasons later). The special includes the original intro with a narrator (not the syndicated intro that includes footage from THE SMURFIC GAMES special in 1984) but ends with a preview of scenes, climaxing with a freeze frame of a terror-stricken Smurf facing a tidal wave as the credits roll. This special too was broadcast the night of November 29, 1981. Commercials include a Hallmark Commercial, promos for LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, CHIPS, THE FACTS OF LIFE, short-lived items like THE REGIS PHILBIN SHOW, James Garner’s BRET MAVERICK, and Tony Randall’s LOVE SIDNEY, as well as the Robert Blake-Randy Quaid version OF MICE AND MEN, which broadcast the next night. Viewed on a VHS recording 40 years ago.
-DYNASTY (1981) “Enter Alexis” The second season opener of this High Class Soap Opera resolves the cliffhanger where the convicted Blake gets a surprise witness: his ex-wife Alexis (an unknown actress in the cliffhanger; here portrayed by Joan Collins). Amazon Prime.
SUPERMAN (1941) “The Mechanical Monsters” 80TH ANNIVERSARY The second most famous of the Fleischer shorts, as an evil genius sends robots to rob and steal. The only short to feature Superman’s X Ray Vision. First saw this on the Disney Channel in 1988. Warner DVD.
29
35TH ANNIVERSARY
-DISNEYS ADVENTURES OF THE GUMMI BEARS (1986) “My Gummi Lies Under the Ocean” The second season comes to an end with the introduction of a new Gummi: obsessed artist Augustus “Gusto” Gunmi (voiced by Rob Paulson). Disney DVD.
-THE CARE BEARS FAMILY (1986) “Order on the Court/The All-Powerful Mr Beastly” The first episode is the first Nelvana CC to feature Champ Bear in a prominent role, which he will continue to have in the next season. The second episode, however, marks one of the last times Tender Heart Bear has a prominent role in the series (aside from the two movies). YouTube.
-GALAXY HIGH (1986) “Martian Mumps” YouTube.
-PEE WEE S PLAYHOUSE (1986) “The Group’s All Here” Dailymotion.
-MUPPET BABIES (1986) “Fine-Weathered Enemies” Having established the friendships early this season, this episode causes those relationships to estrange when a pet parrot’s voice mimicry causes rifts. YouTube.
-POUND PUPPIES (1986) “Happy Howlidays” YouTube.
40TH ANNIVERSARY
-CHIPS (1981) “Finders Keepers” The popular LA cop show. Although the promos (from the aforementioned SMURFS Recording) highlights Eric Estrada, he actually only has a minor part in the episode. Dailymotion.
-OF MICE AND MEN (1981) TV Movie adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel starring Robert Blake and Randy Quaid. YouTube presentation of Starmaker VHS.
THE ALVIN SHOW (1961) “Camping Trip/ Crashcup Invents Comedy” 60TH ANNIVERSARY Bootleg DVD.
NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA (1971) 50TH ANNIVERSARY Historical epic (based on the biography by Robert K Massie) on the fall and execution of the Romanov Family of Tsar Nicholas II (Michael Jayston) and his wife Alexandra (Janet Suzman). Starring Michael Bryant, Tom Baker, Irene Worth, John McEnery, Michael Redgrave, Fiona Fullerton, Eric Porter, Brian Cox, and Laurence Olivier. First saw parts of this on Cinemax in summer 1994. I’ve had an interest in Nicholas since 1992. Columbia Tri-Star DVD.
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30Th ANNIVERSARY:
-BACK TO THE FUTURE (1991) “Gone Fishin” The Brown Brothers and McFly head to 1926 and accidentally alter their father’s attempt to go fishing into a career as a Thrill Comedian/Star. Universal DVD.
-DARKWING DUCK (1991) “The Merchant of Menace” The final ABC Saturday episode centers in DW’s wholesome but annoying neighbor Herb Muddlefoot and his career as a Tupperware salesman. YouTube.
-MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (1991) “Mr B Natural/ War of the Colossal Beast” One of the best MST3K shorts is “Mr B Natural” about a Peter Pan music spirit befriends an introvert. The main film is the sequel to THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN, with a different cast. YouTube presentation of original Comedy Central Broadcast November 30 1991. Commercials include a promo for Comedy Central’s “Merrython” for SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Christmas Episodes. I believe I may have caught a little of that particular marathon that year.
-THE COMMISH (1991) “Two Confessions” Anchor Bay DVD.
20TH ANNIVERSARY
VANDREAD THE SECOND STAGE (2001) “Embrace All” Revelations of Hibiki’s origins are revealed. Japanese with English Subtitles.
ONCE AND AGAIN (2001) “The Sex Show” Recording of Lifetime Broadcast.
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE (1981) “For Love of Nancy” 40TH ANNIVERSARY Later season entry, with Laura now an adult dealing with the machinations of Nancy (a surrogate for the series’ Spoiled brat Nellie). Familiar via the promo of Laura getting a box of a lizard. Dailymotion (which showed the episode in a reverse image).
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THE TRAPP FAMILY STORY (1991) “Third Reich Invasion” 30TH ANNIVERSARY The Trapps travel to Vienna for a public concert. They receive a suggestion of touring from an American (who speaks English). And then a few months later…This was bound to happen. Yep, the Anschluss has come. A new focus is on the Trapp’s loyal Butler. This episode shows him in a sinister light: he’s a Nazi. Japanese (save for the American agent) with English Subtitles. Bootleg DVD.
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED (1981) “Brideshead Deserted” 40TH ANNIVERSARY Years pass, and the now unhappily married Charles meets Julia again on a cruise. Amazon Prime.
BEN-HUR THE MAKING OF AN EPIC (1993) Narrated by Christopher Plummer (who had also narrated THE MAKING OF A LEGEND: GONE WITH THE WIND). Created as an accompaniment for the film’s 35th Anniversary VHS/Laserdisc release in 1994, this documentary covers the story from Lew Wallace to Stage to Silent films (with a rather lengthy coverage on the 1925 version, using footage and script from the Kevin Brownlow/David Gill documentary series Hollywood) and finally the 1959 film version. Lacking interviews from the main cast and crew (the only real associate is Gore Vidal and stunt man Joe Cannutt), the focus goes to historians like Rudy Belmer, relatives like Christina Wyler and Edward Carfagno Jr., and archival bits from J.J. Cohn, Yakima Canutt, and Wyler himself (there are several interviews by Richard Edlund and David Raskin in a gallery set of blown-up Ben-Hur stills and a line of eleven statuettes; wonder if this clip was made for the docu or belongs to a different documentary). Plenty of behind-the-scenes footage: a Camera 65 POV shot of chariots crashing into the lens, test reels of Cesare Donova and Leslie Neilsen wearing Robert Taylor’s costumes from QUO VADIS? (1951), plus a test by some unbilled British actor whom I would later recognize as George Baker (who would play ‘The Emperor’ himself in the 1976 BBC serial I, CLAUDIUS; Andre Morell also played Tiberius in the 1968 Granada-TV serial THE CAESARS). Although THE CELLULOID CLOSET (1995) is reported in bringing the story of Gore Vidal putting a homosexual slant to the Judah-Messala friendship into the public mentality, this documentary predates it (then again, the first mention of the story dates back to the late-1970s ). The docu has been a Christmas perennial that I usually begin my Holiday viewings. This comes from the BEN-HUR 35th Anniversary MGM/UA VHS.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1975) “Candice Bergen/ Martha Reeves & Stylistics” ” Aired on December 20, 1975, the series’ first Christmas-themed episode, hosted by Candice Bergen (who compared the experience of working with the Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time-Players as the Symbionese Liberation Party) with music by the Stylistics and Martha Reeves. In its first season, the series began with certain segments that would later go by next season: the ill-fated Muppets Land of Gorch, Bridging pieces (Who’s Tommy playing Pong), home movies (A montage of airport family reunions set to the music of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound”). There is also a serious piece where Bergen promotes the Gray Panthers, an anti-Ageism group. Universal DVD.
SCROOGE (1935) The first sound version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, starring Seymour Hicks, Donald Calthrop, and Philip Frost. First saw this on USA Network in December 1988. For years I would watch a Goodtimes VHS that excised 15 minutes from the film (including Tiny Tim’s “God Bless Us Everyone” quote, most of the “Hark the Herald Angels Singing” montage, and the ending of Scrooge at church). In 2005, I finally got the full cut on DVD. Image DVD.
THE LEGEND OF PRINCE VALIANT (1992) Taking a break from the series’ season 1 30th Anniversary, I watch this episode from the second season: While King Arthur is celebrating Christmas at Camelot, Sir Valiant and his knights-in-training Arn and Rowena are fighting a violent war between the provinces of Gallas and Londom. Created by David Corbett from Hal Foster’s comic strip, this animated series with the voices of Robbie Benson, Noelle North, Tim Curry, Efrem Zimbalist, Alan Oppenheimer, Samantha Eggar, and James Avery (with a guest appearance by Ben Savage) aired on the Family channel in the early 1990s. BCI Eclipse/Ink and Paint DVD.
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URESEI YATSURA (1981) “Electric Shocks Scare Me!/ Voodoo Dolls of Vengeance” 40TH ANNIVERSARY Japanese with English Subtitles. AnimeEgo VHS.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1951) 60TH ANNIVERSARY Much has been written about this classic adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel starring Alistair Sims and Michael Hordern. A perennial since 1997 (although I have watched colorized versions since 1990), I am watching this from the VCI Entertainment 60th anniversary DVD edition (the print uses its alternative title Scrooge).
TENCHI MUYO MANATSU NO EVE (1997) The second movie based on the TENCHI MUYO! Anime series, this production is a gestalt of the original OVA continuity while including Kiyone of the TV series continuity. An adolescent claims to be Tenchi’s daughter, causing much havoc (comedic and dramatic) to his space-girl harem. This is all part of a plan of a demon seeking to settle a score with Tenchi’s family. Christmas is celebrated at the beginning and end, as well as being a plot point for character motivation. This story shares similarities with the franchise’s second (notoriously infamous) TV series SHIN TENCHI MUYO! (Known in America as TENCHI IN TOKYO) which also has its own rebooted continuity! Although the ending portrays a happy addition to the Tenchi gang, the story had been ignored by future stories. English Dubbed. Pioneer DVD.
THE DARKER SIDE OF A CLASSIC (2011) Sir Christopher Frayling discusses the Alistair Sims’ version. VCI BluRay.
A CHRISTMAS STORY (1982) ) There has been much written about Bob Clark’s adaptation of Jean Shepherd’s nostalgia stories that I see it unnecessary to give any further information. I watched this on an MGM/UA VHS, which allows me to view the ending credits playing Carl Zitter-Paul Zaza’s lovely instrumental for “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” a scene not included in the TBS/TNT annual Christmas Day 24-hour marathon.
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BERENSTEIN BEAR’S CHRISTMAS TREE (1979) The first animated adaptation of the Bear Family by Jan and Stan Berenstein, this Animated TV special (with songs by Elliott Lawrence) would lead to several other Holiday specials about Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Baseball. A perennial since 2001, this viewing is via a Kids Klassics VHS.
SIMPLE GIFTS: SIX TALES OF CHRISTMAS (1978) Broadcast on PBS (the video includes a 1970s caption of the station), SIMPLE GIFTS deals with six (actually seven) differently-animated tales involving the season, all involving- as host Colleen Dewhurst attests- gifts given, received, or unfulfilled (with the narrations of Jose Ferrer, Hermoine Gingold, and David Jones). The Maurice Sendak intro presents an impoverished and freezing child who transforms into a Christmas Tree to help fellow children in similar problems. The first tale is “A Memory of Christmas” based on Moss Hart’s autobiography Act One (itself a film starring George Hamilton). Portrayed as a series of photograph stills animated by dissolves, it tells the story of a father and son exploring the Christmas gift carts on the marketplace, unable to buy anything and even more unable to recognize the more important gift they could give to each other. The second tale is “Lost and Found” based on Fontaine Fox’s early-20th century comic strip Toonerville Trolley, dealing with a henpecked husband and father (voiced by Paul Dooley) and his role in Christmas. The third tale is the Seymour Chwast-drawn “The Great Frost” from Virgina Woolf’s Orlando, where the title character has a bittersweet romance with a feisty Russian visitor. Tale Four is the brief “My Christmas;” Charles B. Stackman illustrates the diary entry of 11-year-old Theodore Roosevelt’s Yuletide recollections in Rome, Italy. The fifth tale is James McMullan-illustrated “December 25, 1914: A Letter from the Western front by Captain Sir Edward Hulce” relating his experience of the Christmas Truce (with a bittersweet disclaimer). The sixth and final tale Is R.O. Beechman’s “No Room in the Inn,” about the Holy Family being shunned, accepted, patronized, and then shunned again by the Bethlehem residents. A perennial since 2009 (I first saw parts of this on PBS in December 1995), this viewing comes from a PBS Home Video VHS.
TENKO (1981) “Part Seven” 40TH ANNIVERSARY
HOMEFRONT (1991) “Splitting Hairs” 30TH ANNIVERSARY Internet Archive presentation of ABC Broadcast.
SCROOGE (1970) ) Albert Finney (who, if his recollections of playing Poirot are true, evidently liked playing a role that was an escape from his pretty boy image) heads a cast of British stage and TV actors in this Leslie Briscusse musical. Despite its trappings as a wholesome musical, my early recollections of it were anything but. 1980s TV broadcasts would add these commercial eyecatchers with an eerie music tone (Here’s a link). Already being discomforted by the 1984 NBC Broadcast of MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL and its ‘grave from Hell’ sequence, and this film’s decision to add a skull-face to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, this version left me wary to other adaptations with a ‘will they, won’t they’ anxiety of showing the Ghost’s face behind the hood. But I’ve grown to be more comforted by this version. I like the musical score, and although much has been written against it, this adaptation has led to a stage show, and the ‘Sing a Christmas Carol’ intro is part of Disney World’s Christmas Parade score. A perennial for 21 years, this film is viewd from the Paramount/CBS-Fox Video DVD.
GOOD CHEER (1926) 95TH ANNIVERSARY this year. Our Gang Christmas short. ReelClassics DVD.
THE NUTCRACKER (1987) ) A recording of the 1987 performance by the Bolshoi Ballet (the stage curtains are marked with USSR symbols) by Yuri Grigorovich and starring Yekaterina Maksimova and Vladmir Vasilev. Some sites would misinterpret this production for an earlier 1978 production with the same couple, broadcast to the US with Betty Ford as host. Kino Lorber DVD
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50TH ANNIVERSARY:
-THE FUNKY PHANTOM (1971) “April’s Foolish Day” Warner Archive DVD.
-HEY IT’S THE HAIR BEAR BUNCH! (1971) “Unbearably Peevy ” Warner Archive DVD.
-THE PEBBLES AND BAMM BAMM SHOW (1971) “Wooly’s Triumph” Warner DVD.
-THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW (1971) “A Friend in Need” YouTube.
HERGE THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (1991) “The Black Island Part 1” 30TH ANNIVERSARY Adaptation of the 8th book has Tintin doing a 39 STEPS adventure. YouTube.
RUROUNI KENSHIN (1996) 25TH ANNIVERSARY “Change Tears into Courage: Kaoru’s Choice” With Kenshin gone, Kaoru, Yahiko, and Sanosuke follow him to Kyoto. Japanese with English Subtitles. Media Blasters/Anime Works DVD.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1984) Much has been written about this classic TV production starring George C. Scott that I feel it unnecessary to write any more. FoxVideo VHS.
THE BOX OF DELIGHTS (1984) "1 The Wolves Are Running" A six-part BBC Serial based on John Masefield’s children’s fantasy book (which was itself a sequel to The Midnight Folk). The first episode is “The Wolves Are Running.” Set in 1930s England, young schoolboy Kay Harker returns home for Christmas to his aunt Caroline Louisa and the additional guests of the Jones children. He encounters shady priests and befriends an old puppeteer Cole Hawling (Patrick Troughton) whose possession of a magic box makes him a target for the priests and their leader Abner (Robert Stephens). This all leads to Kay traveling through time to an ancient fort at war with wolves. A perennial since 2004 (although I had seen bits of it on Nickelodeon on Christmas Eve 1988), this viewing come from a BBC Video PAL DVD
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN (1969) The Rankin-Bass classic with Jimmy Durante and Jackie Vernon. Viewed on Freeform, which seemed to have deleted the "Rankin-Bass Presents" title at the beginning.
RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER (1964) The Arthur Rankin Jr. –Jules Bass ‘Animagic’ (their term for stop-motion) television special that started its series of successful Holiday programming. I viewed this on Freeform, which replaces Rudolph and Hermie’s “Fame and Fortune” duet with “A Couple of Misfits.”
Saw Parts of:
MARY AND JOSEPH: A STORY OF FAITH (1979) TV film on the Holy Family with Jeff East as Joseph, Blanche Baker as Mary, and Colleen Dewhurst as Elizabeth. I only watched the Visitation sequence and Joseph helping Zealots attack a Roman Monument. Warner VHS.
Saw Christmas scenes from several LITTLE WOMEN. The 1933 RKO version (Warner DVD), the 1949 MGM version (Chinese DVD), and two Japanese animations (English Dubbed on YouTube) from 1980 and 1981. The beginning of both Anime adaptations practically are scene-for-scene remakes of the opening act of the 1949 version.
SANTA CLAUS THE MOVIE (1985) Anchor Bay DVD.
THE SANTA CLAUSE (1994) Freeform Broadcast.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III (1993) Cartoon Network Broadcast.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1980) “David Carradine/The cast of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE” Sixth Season episode. The skits I saw were Charles Rocket’s report of a boozing misbehaving Santa & the PoP cast of Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith, and George Rose & chorus singing “O Come Emmanuel”, “The First Noel” & “Joy to the World” First saw this on Comedy Central’s SNL “Merrython” in 1994. Internet Archive presentation of Comedy Channel Broadcast.
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN (1970) Freeform Broadcast.
Earliest Film Seen this Month: THE BOAT (1921)
Latest Film Seen this Month: THE DARKER SIDE OF A CLASSIC (2011)