Take Five: Christmas Movies and TV Shows

 Previously I shared my favorite Christmas songs. This time I am going to do the same for Christmas movies and TV shows. Just like Christmas songs there is no shortage of candidates for favorite movies or Christmas specials. All you have to do is turn to the Hallmark channels right after Halloween and you will begin to see an abundance of holiday themed movies. Hallmark alone produces several dozen new movies every Christmas. There are plenty of others made too. But the fact remains that few stand the test of time and become perennial favorites. Here are my five favorite Christmas movies and TV shows. 

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Ask just about anyone and they are likely to list A Charlie Brown Christmas as one of their favorite shows at Christmas. It is today regarded as a holiday classic. It's hard to believe that as it was about to air in 1965 network executives were afraid it was going to be a flop. Much of their fears revolved around different elements of the show: no laugh track, only child actors doing the voices, a jazz soundtrack, and a Bible reading. These were not considered to be the elements of a hit show. However, audiences apparently couldn't get enough of it. Approximately half of American households tuned into the premiere which was at the time an unheard of audience response. It has remained a favorite largely due to those very elements that were thought to be weaknesses. The success of A Charlie Brown Christmas would lead to numerous Peanuts animated specials in the future as well as other classic Christmas specials. 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

Following the immense success of A Charlie Brown Christmas, CBS hired Dr. Ted Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) and Chuck Jones (famed director of Looney Tunes)  to create a new animated special based on Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Seuss, like Charles Schulz before him, was hesitant about getting into the animation business. It no doubt helped that Seuss and Jones had collaborated previously. During World War II the two men were part of an Army production team that produced animated training films. 

The special contains the entire text of the book. In order to lengthen the special to fit the thirty minute time slot, Jones extended some of the sequences with his visual gags that had become his hallmark. The Grinch was met with a warm reception upon its premiere and has been a holiday staple ever since. 

A Christmas Story (1983)

It's not an understatement by any stretch of the imagination to say that 1983's A Christmas Story is the movie that changed Christmas movies forever. It's also the least likely of all possible films to accomplish that feat. For one thing, it took about 12 years for the film to be developed by director Bob Clark. Plus the story was a tough sell to studio executives. The movie only did a modest amount of business upon it's initial theatrical release. In fact, had it not been for home video and pay television the film would have likely been forgotten. But repeated airings on television have helped the movie build a devoted following. I didn't even discover it until it aired on cable many years after its release. 

The film is about a nine year old boy who wants nothing more for Christmas that a Red Ryder BB gun. His parents object based on the possibility he will get hurt ("You'll shoot your eye out" young Ralphie is told over and over again). But the film really is as much about the family as it is about Christmas. It provides a slice of life that almost anyone can relate to on some level.  

Elf (2003) 

This movie has a couple of connections to A Christmas Story. First, director Jon Favreau has cited A Christmas Story as inspiration for Elf. Secondly, Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in A Christmas Story, appears in Elf as, well, an elf. 

This is another movie that took a while to get made. The script was originally written in 1993 with Jim Carrey slated to take the title role. Initially much darker, Favreau worked with a group of writers (including star Will Ferrell) to lighten up the script. The finished product is a charming movie with absolute perfect casting. Much of the charm in the film is Will Ferrell simply being himself particularly in the improvised montage sequences of him in full elf costume running around New York. 

Eloise at Christmastime (2003) 

In 2003, ABC decided to adapt two of the Eloise books by Kay Thompson into full length movies. Eloise based on Eloise at the Plaza aired during the summer followed by Eloise at Christmastime in the fall. Of the two, Eloise at Christmastime is the better film. Much of the charm of the film has to do with the performance of then ten year old Sofia Vassilleva as Eloise and a strong supporting performance of Julie Andrews as Nanny. The two films were filmed back to back and it's clear by the time the second film rolls around that the cast had really become comfortable with one another. Visually speaking the film looks like the scenes were pulled directly out of the books. It's a joy to watch every year on Christmas Eve Eve.