The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
brb1006 said:
And now for more positivity in this thread since Christmas is just around the corner.

Just got done watching my all-time favorite Christmas Special of Rankin/Bass' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on CBS that aired last night....
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Those Rankin/Bass specials stand the test of time. I just love them! And I'd forgotten how cute Clarice is. I'm putting it on my watch list for December now. I don't think I've seen that one in years and years.

Even as I end tonight's session of card addressing and thoughtful, lovely sentiment to friends and family... I must admit that the Christmas spirit doesn't set in with me until around December 15th.

But when it does, watch out! 🎅:cool:

One of my favorite things to do right around the 15th to get things started is playing the DVD of the Dean Martin Christmas Special from 1968. It's now on YouTube in very good quality. So classy, so sweet! And in Living Color!

If you want some traditional 20th century Christmas cheer, complete with go-go dancing Golddigger Girls, fabulous music, and surprise celebrity guests, it's a much watch! It's a great thing to wrap presents to.

 
brb1006

brb1006

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Those Rankin/Bass specials stand the test of time. I just love them! And I'd forgotten how cute Clarice is. I'm putting it on my watch list for December now. I don't think I've seen that one in years and years.

Even as I end tonight's session of card addressing and thoughtful, lovely sentiment to friends and family... I must admit that the Christmas spirit doesn't set in with me until around December 15th.

But when it does, watch out! 🎅:cool:

One of my favorite things to do right around the 15th to get things started is playing the DVD of the Dean Martin Christmas Special from 1968. It's now on YouTube in very good quality. So classy, so sweet! And in Living Color!

If you want some traditional 20th century Christmas cheer, complete with go-go dancing Golddigger Girls, fabulous music, and surprise celebrity guests, it's a much watch! It's a great thing to wrap presents to.

Click to expand...

Here's a fun fact about the original Rudolph special and a tribute to Clarice's original voice actress.

Janis Orenstein (Clarice) managed to pull of performing "There's Always Tommorow" in a single take at the age of 15. Apparently, the crew loved her performance so much that they kept it in without doing another recording session. Orenstein would later retire from voice acting to start a career as an opera singer. She would perform opera across Europe and other countries during her lifetime.

It's a shame there are no audio or video recordings of her opera performances. Because her singing is so angelic and comforting to hear on par with Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman. While I'm not into opera, I seriously wished to be a fly on the wall just to hear more of her singing during her opera days. Something that's extremely rare in the voice acting community.

Knowing Billie Mae Richards (Rudolph) and Orenstein (Clarice) both passed away on the same year (2010). It makes my heart feel satisfied and comfort to know that Rudolph and Clarice will truely be together forever and Orenstein still singing her heart out to everybody. ❤
 
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Phroobar

Phroobar

Well-Known Member
Some of our favorite Christmas specials are the Muppet ones.
The Muppet Family Christmas - includes appearances from the Sesame Street gang and Fraggle Rock and Jim Henson himself.
The Muppets Christmas Carol - we watch this movie over and over along with the Albert Finney Scrooge musical.
John Denver and the Muppets - A Christmas Together - classic John Denver music. We have the CD.
The Christmas Toy - The same plot as Toy Story but done years earlier. (and better)
Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas - Retelling of the Gift of the Maji.

The Muppets did some great specials back in the 70s & 80s. None of these except Christmas Carol are on Disney+. Today's Disney would probably put a cultural warning on them.
 
Rich T

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Favorite Chirstmas Viewing:

TV Specials:

Chuck Jone’s Grinch (Chuck Jones, Boris Karloff, June Foray, AND Thurl Ravenscroft!!!)
Charlie Brown Christmas (…”Real estate.”)
Rudolph and Frosty (but NOT the one with both of them)
Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol (The world’s FIRST animated Christmas special is still a heartbreaking charmer that transcends its Magoo intro and outro! “When You’re Alone in the World” and “Winter was Warm” are two of the saddest, most amazing Christmas songs ever written.)

Movies:

Klaus. If you haven’t yet seen this Netflix-produced masterpiece, do try to check it out. Stunning animation (hand-drawn and enhanced with CG shading), great voice cast, and a clever, unique, somewhat dark and heartbreaking take on the origin of Santa Claus. Nominated for Best Animated Feature Oscar, and it should have won. I cannot get through the final ten minutes without bawling my eyes out.

Arthur Christmas (The Aardman Studios feature film, NOT “Arthur’s Christmas” the Aardvark PBS kids show). Starts off reminiscent of Prep and Landing, but quickly goes off on its own wonderful story about three generations of Santas.

Polar Express: I’m ok with the creepy mocap here, because it’s supposed to feel like a weird dream. What I love most is how well it captures (in several great scenes) that specific scary feeling when a dream very suddenly turns into a nightmare involving heights, out-of-control speeds, or being suddenly left alone In a scary place.

A Christmas Story. It was more fun before it became a pop culture icon, but it’s so sweet, low-budget imaginative, and perfectly cast, that it still works. One great scene after another. I saw this in a theater during its initial run. No one there had a clue what to expect. It was one of my favorite theater experiences ever.
 
TwilightZone

TwilightZone

Well-Known Member
Rich T said:
Polar Express: I’m ok with the creepy mocap here, because it’s supposed to feel like a weird dream.
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As a kid, I used to think they were all real actors, same as every other kid from that era. I have lots of fondness for it and the art even though it hasn't aged the greatest due to those childhood memories. Think it was the first movie that gave me a real appreciation for CGI
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Rich T said:
A Christmas Story. It was more fun before it became a pop culture icon, but it’s so sweet, low-budget imaginative, and perfectly cast, that it still works. One great scene after another. I saw this in a theater during its initial run. No one there had a clue what to expect. It was one of my favorite theater experiences ever.
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In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, the book partially adapted into A Christmas Story, is a great little read.
 
brb1006

brb1006

Well-Known Member
Rich T said:
Favorite Chirstmas Viewing:

TV Specials:

Chuck Jone’s Grinch (Chuck Jones, Boris Karloff, June Foray, AND Thurl Ravenscroft!!!)
Charlie Brown Christmas (…”Real estate.”)
Rudolph and Frosty (but NOT the one with both of them)
Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol (The world’s FIRST animated Christmas special is still a heartbreaking charmer that transcends its Magoo intro and outro! “When You’re Alone in the World” and “Winter was Warm” are two of the saddest, most amazing Christmas songs ever written.)

Movies:

Klaus. If you haven’t yet seen this Netflix-produced masterpiece, do try to check it out. Stunning animation (hand-drawn and enhanced with CG shading), great voice cast, and a clever, unique, somewhat dark and heartbreaking take on the origin of Santa Claus. Nominated for Best Animated Feature Oscar, and it should have won. I cannot get through the final ten minutes without bawling my eyes out.

Arthur Christmas (The Aardman Studios feature film, NOT “Arthur’s Christmas” the Aardvark PBS kids show). Starts off reminiscent of Prep and Landing, but quickly goes off on its own wonderful story about three generations of Santas.

Polar Express: I’m ok with the creepy mocap here, because it’s supposed to feel like a weird dream. What I love most is how well it captures (in several great scenes) that specific scary feeling when a dream very suddenly turns into a nightmare involving heights, out-of-control speeds, or being suddenly left alone In a scary place.

A Christmas Story. It was more fun before it became a pop culture icon, but it’s so sweet, low-budget imaginative, and perfectly cast, that it still works. One great scene after another. I saw this in a theater during its initial run. No one there had a clue what to expect. It was one of my favorite theater experiences ever.
Click to expand...
I don't care if The Polar Express gets mocked due to the weird mo-cap. It's one of the very few recent Christmas Movies (especially animated) that perfectly captures the Christmas feeling and atmosphere. Mainly the soundtrack and the film's theme song "Believe".
 
DrAlice

DrAlice

Well-Known Member
Our faves are similar to a lot of yours:

The Grinch (The original with Boris Karloff)
The Polar Express
Muppet Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol (1938 version starring Reginald Owen & Gene Lockhart)
Rudolph TV special (with Clarice, etc.)
Charlie Brown Christmas
A Christmas Story

Now this last one is not a favorite of mine, but since it's a must-see for a family member, we watch it EVERY YEAR: It's a Wonderful Life. I don't dislike it, but I could skip it and wouldn't feel like I've missed out on something. I can't say the same for the likes of Polar Express, Christmas Story and the Grinch. Those MUST be watched every year. :)
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
DrAlice said:
Our faves are similar to a lot of yours:

The Grinch (The original with Boris Karloff)
The Polar Express
Muppet Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol (1938 version starring Reginald Owen & Gene Lockhart)
Rudolph TV special (with Clarice, etc.)
Charlie Brown Christmas
A Christmas Story

Now this last one is not a favorite of mine, but since it's a must-see for a family member, we watch it EVERY YEAR: It's a Wonderful Life. I don't dislike it, but I could skip it and wouldn't feel like I've missed out on something. I can't say the same for the likes of Polar Express, Christmas Story and the Grinch. Those MUST be watched every year. :)
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It’s exactly the same with my family lol. We watch It’s a Wonderful Life every year, but I personally can go without out. I do enjoy the movie and thinks it’s a great story, but I didn’t grow up watching it, and I think that’s why I’m not really attached to it. But, as I said, it’s a good film.
 
Rich T

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Phroobar said:
I guess no one likes the classics White Christmas, Holiday Inn, Christmas in Connecticut or Miracle on 34th Street.
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Love them all; I’ve just got others I enjoy even more! 😃

The only part of White Christmas I can’t stand is that whole third act sequence about the “misunderstanding” caused by the eavesdropping employee. I hate that plot device any time a show or movie uses it. The movie’s charming enough to not need it.
 
Phroobar

Phroobar

Well-Known Member
Rich T said:
Love them all; I’ve just got others I enjoy even more! 😃

The only part of White Christmas I can’t stand is that whole third act sequence about the “misunderstanding” caused by the eavesdropping employee. I hate that plot device any time a show or movie uses it. The movie’s charming enough to not need it.
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Isn't that every episode of Three's Company?
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Rich T said:
Love them all; I’ve just got others I enjoy even more! 😃

The only part of White Christmas I can’t stand is that whole third act sequence about the “misunderstanding” caused by the eavesdropping employee. I hate that plot device any time a show or movie uses it. The movie’s charming enough to not need it.
Click to expand...
I agree with this, especially since Betty and Bob never actually have a conversation about her leaving. She just returns and everything is fine.
 

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