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Thursday, December 11, 2014

The Lookback :Christmas Specials 1

The Flashback Christmas 

     Back in July ... we did a Christmas in July  look back   now let's take a look at some Christmas specials ...nearer to Christmas.
 
 1. A Flintstones Family Christmas
     The Flintstones , have done  a few Christmas specials, including my favorite where they did a version of "The Christmas Carol" . (Not bad for a  pre-historic family)  This one we are talking about this time , came a year before "A Flintstones  Christmas Carol" specials wise.  "A Flintstones Family Christmas" came out  in 1993  one week before Christmas on ABC.
   The Flintstones and Rubbles  are waiting for the Christmas arrival  of their children and grand-children . (This episode takes place in the time line after the marriage episodes, so the future of the original 1960's series) .  While shopping ,  Barney and Fred get mugged , by what they find out later was  a family-less child.  So the Flintstones take him in for the holidays , and   things get messy , but  since it's a Christmas special it has a happy ending. (This is  a spoiler : The Flintstones adopt the child, named Stony).  Apparently , this is the only special that  includes  Stony, though it would have been interesting to see what happens after.



2. A Flintstones Christmas
    Two Flintstones for the price of one.  The First of the Flintstones Christmas specials was ..."A Flintstones Christmas" that came out as  a 60 minute special in 1977 on NBC. One thing about  Christmas specials...sometimes bad things happens to Santa Claus... I mean poor guy he gets hit on head , amnesia, arrested, and more. In this special Santa (also again the Flintstones having a Christmas special is always interesting to think about and with Santa to boot)  So Fred takes the job of Santa ( including a weight joke) , and Barney plays his elf ( height joke?)  They go around the world doing what Santa does. (Breaking into your house and eating your food ?, oops that's going to get me on a list) . And they save Christmas.
   
     Santa !!!!!!!!!

3. Grandma , Got Run over by a reindeer
        The Novelty Christmas song ... as  a movie.
   Everybody's heard this song (except that one guy) "Grandma Got Run Over by a reindeer".  So in 2000 , the WB network premiered this 1 hour special.  The story is about a  kid named   Jake Spankenheimer  (who is also narrating the story,  Elmo Shropshire, is  the voice  and the creator of the song) , who lives in a city where every business is owned by one guy , except the store of our star, Grandma. ( Hmm ,odd Town)  Anyway ,the man (also known as Austin Bucks,either that or we are hippies)  wants to buy the store , but Grandma says no. Cousin Mel  on , the other hand likes money and thinks Grandma should sell.
       Wait ,wheres the Christmas ?   Ok, well get to that ....now   , Jake and his sister fight about Santa Claus, she keeps telling him Santa is not real. Cousin Mel ,tampers the baked goods , Grandma (that's her name in the movie, so there)   to  hurt her business so she would have to sell.  Grandma goes out on Christmas  Eve and gets hit by a reindeer.
     Stop!!!!!
    To make this work as  a Christmas special for families , that kids would be watching ... it's probably not the best idea to completely follow the song  where Grandma was drunk  and gets killed by Santa's reindeer. (Merry Christmas kids!!!!)  So , they toned it down , where Grandma wasn't drunk (well, not openly) , and doesn't die .( welllllllll)
     Jake sees the whole event and tells his family  but they don't believe him, and tell him that he is dreaming.  (What kind of reaction is that? )  Anyway the next morning , they call the police, Grandma is missing.    9 Months passes and they still can't find Grandma, the store isn't doing well. ( Cousin Mel, killed Grandma?)  So , now cousin Mel is now trying to sell the store to Austin Bucks ...but Jake puts a wrench into the plan , he asks for one week to find Grandma.  Jake writes Santa Claus to find Grandma.  Santa has Grandma ,who has Amnesia  (old time soap music here) , Couisn Mel is un happy that Grandma is found, so she kidnaps her.  Well anyway it ends well. (In other words we don't want to give away the whole movie)
 
      Hey, this is family show... about ...nevermind  /WB

4.  The Town Santa Forgot
       This is a special that ran in 1993 on NBC , the special is a Grandfather , voiced by Dick Van Dyke ,  telling his grandchildren about a kid named Jeremy Creek.  Jeremy  was  a greedy  kid who had "ever toy in the world". Eventually his parents decide not to give in to anymore toy demands ...so he thinks to write a list to Santa, a really long list.  ( poor trees)  
    Santa gets the letter  he thinks the giant letter was for multiple people  and finds a small town ... called you got it ... Jeremy Creek. ( Darn Town stole my name )  Jeremy  (the kid)  wakes up Christmas morning  sad to find out that Santa didn't come, he later finds out that Santa visited the town that he forgot for many years (that's mildly disturbing that Santa forgets a town)   and Jeremy (the kid)  feels happy inside.  He later meets Santa and is offered to ride with Santa every Christmas Eve  and  he does so until he becomes a teenager (then off with him) .  The story ends and the grand kids are less worried about presents  and then it zooms out to the the mail box which says Creek. (Hmmmmmm I wonder.... )




 5. The Story of the First Christmas Snow
      One of the stop motion Rakin-Bass Christmas specials , it came out in 1975 , first airing on the NBC television network.   It has the voice of  Angela Lansbury (woo hoo)  as a nun  and the narrator of our story. A  Shepard boy , named Lucas was  hit by lighting  and survives (well of course or that would be a short special) , but he is blind from the incident.  The nuns who saw the whole thing take him in .   Also , just to show why this special has the word snow in it  is  they live in an area where it can't snow because it's too close to the sea.  Anyway , the boy as asked to be an angel in the town's Christmas play ,then a miracle happens during the play  real snow starts to fall from the sky. (Uhhh where else does snow fall from?) Wait that's no the only miracle he also sees again.   Anyway a little later  he wants to give his sheep to the Nun , if he is going to be sent away to an orphan age , but the Father of the Parish allows him to stay.
   It's a good warm Christmas special.


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