Classic Holiday Movies that rarely get televised anymore

[Tim from Springfield IL]

There's a few Christmas movies that I hardly ever see repeated on TV anymore (syndicated, cable or network):

--"A Very Brady Christmas" (1988). I last saw this in 2003 on one of my local stations, but haven't since.

--"Santa Claus: The Movie" (1985) (w/ Dudley Moore, John Lithgow and David Huddleston as Santa). I always have enjoyed this movie ever since it first came out, and ABC aired it for a few years in the late '80s/early '90s (and IIRC ABC also aired a behind-the-scenes special on the making of this movie), but have hardly seen it on TV since.

--"One Magic Christmas" (Disney, 1985, with Mary Steenbergen).

And this one I am surprised doesn't seem to see much of the light of day anymore (unless I never stumbled across it): "Home Alone" (1990). Now "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992), that's another story.

Any other Christmas or holiday movies out there that don't seem to get aired much, if at all, anymore?

 

[Braves2005]

The Christmas movie that immediately comes to mind is "The Homecoming" from 1971 that spawned The Waltons series the following year. I don't think this movie has been shown on TV in about 10 years. I know that CBS aired this every year either at night or in the morning hours but I don't think Hallmark Channel has shown this or any station that carried The Waltons on any other cable network.

Another Christmas movie that I haven't seen in a while is the TV movie revival of Miracle On 34th Street from 1973 with David Hartman and Sebastian Cabot playing Santa Claus. I remember the parade scenes from Macy's in that movie.

 

[bpatrick]

"Santa Claus: The Movie" usually turns up on WGN, although
I haven't seen it so far this year.

One that comes to mind is "The Gathering," which originally
aired on ABC in, IIRC, 1977. It starred Ed Asner and Maureen
Stapleton and is my dad's favorite Christmas movie.

 

[Silkie]

Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus is one, although I think ABC Family might have aired it during its Christmas movie marathon, and that in a time slot that was not necessarily favorable to viewing.

 

[Iowan]

Here are some holiday specials that (they're not really movies, but still) I'd like to see:

- The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree
- The He-Man & She-Ra Christmas Special from the 1980s

 

[Wright County Guy]

Here are some holiday specials that (they're not really movies, but still) I'd like to see:

- The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree
- The He-Man & She-Ra Christmas Special from the 1980s

Me-TV is running the He-Man/She-Ra show on Christmas Eve at 5pm CT So...check your local subchannel listings!

 

[Tim L]

Up till this year, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol hasnt been shown that much..MeTV has it several times, as well as He-Man/She-Ra Christmas Special Christmas Eve at 6PM ET..

 

[anotherguyTN]

Home Alone 2 was on ABC Famly this afternoon and is scheduled for Christmas Eve and twice Christmas Day.

Home Alone has been on the Encore Channels earlier this month and will be on for 24 hours Christmas Day on Fox Movie Channel. It isn't spread over several different channels like it has been in the past, but it's still available if you have the right channels.

 

[TomParks]

A favorite of mine is The gift of love: A Christmas story starring Lee Remick and Angela Lansbury. I had it on VHS and copied it to DVD. Mickey Rooney had some classics as well.

 

[tlyle]

"It Happened One Christmas" with Marlo Thomas. This was a remake of "It's a Wonderful Life".

 

[Tim L]

An American Chrismas Carol (1979) was on ABC Family for awhile. Henry Winkler was the "Scrooge" in this one..

 

[chrish]

In the early 80's I remember a wonderful movie I think the title was "Of raisins and almonds" about a lone Jewish family living on the prairie among a majority
of Christians during the Christmas season. The daughter longed for a second doll as a companion for the one she already owned. The mother wrapped her original doll and presented it to her at the town Christmas party. She was thrilled until she found out it was the one she already had.

The second was a production by the Mormon Church division Bonneville Broadcast, it was called Mr. Krugers Christmas. It stared Jimmy Stewart as a lonely widower who was visited by a mother and children singing Christmas carols, was a great staple every year but have not seen it in quite a while.

 

[anotherguyTN]

We were discussing Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas at my wife's family's Christmas party yesterday. We found a copy on DVD last year and it's on Netflix online this year. Our daughter loves it. Netflix may be a place to look for some of the others shows mentioned.

 

[borderblaster]

"The Homecoming" was on Hallmark last Christmas eve as I recall. I've found it odd that I haven't bumped into National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation this year....seemed like it was on 3 times a day in previous years.

 

[BRNout]

I've found it odd that I haven't bumped into National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation this year....seemed like it was on 3 times a day in previous years.

It's been on ABC Family a few times already this season.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

I've found it odd that I haven't bumped into National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation this year....seemed like it was on 3 times a day in previous years.

Just listen to any all-Christmas station...You'll hear half of the movie being used as drops.

Here's a really obscure one: I'm not even sure how old it is; It starred Milton Berle, and it was about a group of Jewish businessmen who volunteered to work for some non-Jewish people on Christmas. I think it was called "Have I Got A Christmas For You!"

 

[timmyb]

Not necessarily movies...

"A Garfield Christmas" - I think was on CBS starting in the late 80's and ran there until - I think - something like 2005 and has since fallen off the face of the earth. The scene with Grandma reminiscing about her late husband with Garfield on her lap always brought my wife to tears.

"A Claymation Christmas" was on for a few years, also on CBS, in the late 80's and early 90's. Loved that jazzy camel "We Three Kings" number.

 

[kirkiefan]

Up till this year, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol hasnt been shown that much..MeTV has it several times, as well as He-Man/She-Ra Christmas Special Christmas Eve at 6PM ET..

USA Network aired it in the late 1980s...but a lot of the content was reduced to make room for commercials which I found annoying...mind you that back then in the 60s, a 60 second commercial(for its original sponsor Timex) was only allowed per spot break back in 1962 when NBC fist aired it.
This was the very first Christmas special made especially for TV predating "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" which came two years later.

I always found the song "We're Inspinkable" (or"We're Despicable") a little amusing...street corner pickpockets thowing flowers into the air while
picking each others pockets,hammering the little guy on the head with a mallett and "stealing your pen or pen-cible."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5zr9pklSF0

 

[bpatrick]

Does anyone still show what is possibly the worst Christmas movie
ever made: "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians"?

I've really been disappointed with the dearth of Christmas movies
this year. Normally, "The Santa Clause" with Tim Allen, and "Elf"
with Will Ferrell, run umpteen times; I don't think I've seen them more
than once each, although "The Santa Clause 2" has been on several times.
I also haven't seen "Santa Claus: The Movie" with David Huddleston. I'm
also waiting for my all-time favorite, "Holiday Inn," with Bing Crosby and
Fred Astaire (the remake, "White Christmas," with Bing and Danny Kaye, has
been on several times, but I like the original better).

A few years ago I saw something on a local channel that I'd love to see again:
a collection of Christmas cartoons, some dating back to the '30s and produced
(mostly, I believe) at the old Van Beuren studios. They may seem a little sticky
by today's standards, but I think that anyone who doesn't find them cute is a
Scrooge.

And I'd like to see the "Pinky And The Brain" Christmas special where Pinky gives
the Brain a snowglobe so he can say he's conquered the world. OTOH, I can do
without the "Animaniacs" special with the jazzed-up version of "The Little Drummer
Boy."

Off-topic, but the "Animaniacs" special has always reminded me of the reason Pete
Fountain parted ways with Lawrence Welk: Fountain wanted to jazz up a carol one
year, and Welk put his foot down. Or as Fountain said later, "Bourbon (referring to
Bourbon Street) and champagne don't mix."

Finally, wasn't there one on CBS around '72 or '73 called "The House Without A
Christmas Tree"?

 

[ssetta]

The classic "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street" (1978). It featured the character Mr. Hooper who passed away in 1982, but the special aired on PBS in many areas as late as 1992. I think they stopped showing it in 1993 when Sesame Street expanded around the corner in 1993, and in 1996 they made a new special called "Elmo Saves Christmas" which I believe only aired for a few seasons. In 2002, they came out with "Elmo's World: Happy Holidays," which aired on PBS for a few years, but is now usually seen on the cable channel called PBS Kids Sprout.