12 Dates of Christmas (2011)

Happy Groundhog Day!!  On February 2nd, my mind connects less with the holiday's namesake, Punxsutaweny Phil, and more with the 1993 movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.  But then, I'm more of a film girl than a person who cares about weather predictions.  Besides, Groundhog Day is a modern classic--yes, I said it!  Everyone I know has seen that movie a million times and can quote their favorite lines ("Watch out for that first step. It's a doozy"--Ned Ryerson).

1993's Groundhog Day trailer

Further proof of Groundhog Day's status as a classic film is that it has been adapted repeatedly.  Remember my post in 2010 about the three Christmas-themed TV movie versions of Groundhog Day?  Click here to see that again.  Last year, I posted about the Christmas-themed episode of The Jamie Foxx Show that takes on Groundhog Day.  Click here to see that again.  Guess what?  Last Christmas, ABC Family Channel went there again.

Actress Amy Smart plays Kate who finds herself reliving Christmas Eve over and over as she learns about love and the role fate plays in her life.  Though Kate has plans to marry Jack, she has to spend repeated Christmas Eve nights trying to let go of her ex-boyfriend as he prepares to marry someone else.  Kate also has to learn new approaches to romance and love as she experiences the same blind date with Miles (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) over and over until she figures out that she can’t change fate.  As Kate repeats the same day, she begins to help everyone with whom she crosses paths with to improve their romantic lives as well.  Miraculously, on the twelfth night, Kate throws a Christmas party for all her new friends she’s shared her day with.  Will Kate get what she wants for the holiday--the chance to wake up on Christmas morning?

2011's 12 Dates of Christmas commercial

A light-hearted comedy, this TV movie has several fun elements.  Kate’s Christmas Eve repeats each day as she awakens from passing out, on the floor next to the cosmetic counter after being sprayed with perfume at the department store.  This film also includes twelve visual cues to the popular carol The Twelve Days of Christmas--can you spot the partridge in the pear tree? how about the Lords a-leaping? 

This film also includes an exceptional soundtrack for a TV movie.  Two favorite songs include “I Hope That It Snows” by Madi Diaz featuring Keegin DeWitt and Michael Bublé’s “Cold December Night” which plays under the closing credits.  Bublé's song is included on his 2011 "Christmas" album, the second best-selling album of 2011, selling nearly 2.5 million copies, according to a recent LA Times article.

"Cold December Night" plays under the closing credits

Did you watch this ABC Family Channel movie last December?  Are you a fan of 1993's Groundhog Day?  What's your favorite Bill Murray movie?

How about a giveaway?  I have a brand new, factory-sealed DVD of the 2006 Christmas TV movie Christmas Do-Over starring Jay Mohr and Daphne Zuniga--which is an adaptation of Groundhog Day!  The first of my readers to comment below and ask for it can have it.  To qualify, I only ask that you follow my blog by GFC (Google Friend Connect) along the right hand side of this blog.  If you already follow this blog--then you're already qualified.  Make sure there is an email address so I can contact you if you win.  Thanks for being a loyal reader.  Happy Groundhog Day!!

 

Justified

I don't just watch classic television shows and movies-- I also watch quite a few new TV series.  Currently, I'm caught up in the third season of Justified which began a few weeks ago on FX.  This crime drama was originally adapted from best-selling author Elmore Leonard's story Fire in the Hole.  The TV series has since expanded beyond the story's original characters and storylines.  One of the things I like most about Justified is that the bad guys (the criminals) in the series are given just as much character development and humanity as the good guys (federal marshals).  It's also interesting to see a show's setting located somewhere other than Los Angeles or New York--Justified takes place in Kentucky.

Would you mess with quick-draw Marshal Raylan Givens?

Have you seen the first season episode "Long in the Tooth?"  While it is not a Christmas-themed story, it does contain a familiar Christmas TV reference.  In this 2010 episode, US Marshal Raylan Givens is after a fugitive, former drug kingpin Roland "Rollie" Pike who has been underground working as a dentist for years.

Different hat and a different series: Olyphant as Sheriff Bullock on HBO's  Deadwood.

It is explained as part of the backstory that Raylan has been chasing Rollie for years.  Roland fled from Raylan’s custody by insisting on watching the end of a Christmas TV special and instead using that time to escape.  Years later, Roland explains that he’s been working as a dentist because he was inspired by Hermey the elf from Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Rollie Pike is played by actor Alan Ruck

You may recognize the actor who plays Roland Pike as Alan Ruck.  Ruck has played other unforgettable chracters such as Stuart from the '90s sitcom Spin City and Cameron in the 1986 teen movie classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Could this character inspire you to be a dentist?

Justified airs on FX on Tuesday nights.  Anybody else addicted to Justified?  I'm also currently watching Downton Abbey on PBS, House of Lies and Shameless on Showtime and The Good Wife on CBS.  What new shows are you watching?

Betty White: The Golden Palace Christmas (1992)

Betty White at her 90th birthday celebration, NBC's TV special

Happy Birthday Betty White!  January 17th, Betty White celebrated her 90th birthday and I've been inspired to write several blog posts as a tribute to her wonderful legacy on television.  I've already written about Date With the Angels,  The Mary Tyler Moore Show,  Life With Elizabeth, Prep & Landing Stocking Stuffer: Operation: Secret Santa, the 1986 Golden Girls and the 1989 Golden Girls Christmas episodes.

The Golden Girls spin-off

How many of you remember watching The Golden Girls spin-off sitcom, The Golden Palace?  In the final episodes of The Golden Girls, Dorothy marries Blanche's uncle Lucas, played by Leslie Nielsen.  The story continues in The Golden Palace, the name of the hotel that Blanche, Rose and Sophia invest in with their retirement savings. With the restaurant's chef Chuy Castillos, played by Cheech Marin, and the hotel's manager, Roland Wilson, played by Don Cheadle, the girls struggle to keep the hotel in business.  Sadly, the spin-off only lasted one season.

Rose orders Roland (Don Cheadle) to recite the names of the reindeer to prove his worthiness to play Santa Claus for a children's party

The Golden Palace's brief run included a Christmas episode: 1992's "It's Beginning to Look a Lot (Less) Like Christmas."  Sophia accepts a large reservation for the holiday from a therapy group looking to escape from Christmas.  That means the hotel must avoid hanging any decorations and ban any festivities.  The friends agree to set aside their holiday for the sake of the business however, Chuy revels in this bit of humbug.  Overnight, he is visited by three ghosts that convince him that he is missing out on the happiness of the holiday.  Of course, these three ghosts take on the appearance of his three elderly female co-workers Blanche, Rose and Sophia. 

Chuy (Cheech Marin) with the Ghost of Christmas Past (Betty White)

Meanwhile, Roland has volunteered to be Santa Claus for a children’s charity party and Rose gives him strict lessons on how to be a better Santa.  Betty White is hilarious as Rose, demanding that Roland rehearse and perfect his characterization of Santa--you have to see Rose in her ridiculous elf costume as Nicodemus, Santa's head elf.

Rose Nyland in her elf costume

This episode from the rare sitcom can be found on Youtube.  While it's not my favorite Christmas episode, it is noteworthy as yet another interpretation of  A Christmas Carol.  I'm not sure Charles Dickens ever could have imagined a Castillos walking Christmas cake as a part of his classic tale!  I think it's also interesting to see the Academy Award-nominated Don Cheadle in this sitcom.  I'm currently watching him in his new TV series House of Lies which airs on Showtime.  Tell me what you think of The Golden Palace Christmas episode.

Betty White: Golden Girls Christmas (1989)

Happy Birthday Betty White!  Last week Betty White celebrated her 90th birthday and I've been inspired to write several blog posts as a tribute to her wonderful legacy on television.  I've already written about Date With the Angels,  The Mary Tyler Moore Show,  Life With Elizabeth, Prep & Landing Stocking Stuffer: Operation: Secret Santa and the first Golden Girls Christmas episode from 1986.

The second Golden Girls Christmas episode arrives in the fifth season and is titled "Have Yourself A Very Little Christmas."  The girls spend their holiday at the church helping to prepare and serve meals to the needy.

However, they are surprised at the number of women and children among the homeless.  Another surprise:  Dorothy’s ex-husband Stanley Zbornak is one of the men in line for food!  Stan confides in Dorothy that his novelty toy business suffered some bad breaks this past year and his current wife has thrown him out of the house, accusing him of infidelity.  But Dorothy won't allow Stan to feel too sorry for himself, reminding him that he has the ability and resources to help himself out of his current crisis.  Dorothy points out that the other people and families at the church this day are not so lucky.

Dorothy reminds Stan that he has friends and family to help him during his time of trouble

This story has a powerful social message: many people are just a paycheck or two from severe financial troubles or becoming homeless.  The Golden Girls created many of these stories with social issues--remember the episodes where Dorothy confronts illiteracy, Rose suffers from age discrimination when looking for a job, and Blanche is sexually harrassed by her professor?  One of the points I appreciate the most from this story line is that the girls are thoughtful enough to wonder how these needy people will get help with food after the Christmas holiday.  This is a great reminder to all of us that charity and giving should be a year round activity.

Stan Zbornak is played by Herb Edelman

One of Rose's great jokes in this episode.

This 1989 Christmas episode can viewed on the fifth season DVD release on disc 2.  The show is currently airing weekdays on the Hallmark Channel and WE.  Are you a big fan of The Golden Girls?  Which of the two Christmas-themed episodes is your favorite?  Up next: The Golden Palace Christmas episode.

Betty White: The Golden Girls Christmas (1986)

Happy Birthday Betty White!  Last week Betty White celebrated her 90th birthday and I've been inspired to write several blog posts as a tribute to her wonderful legacy on television.  I've already written about Date With the Angels,  The Mary Tyler Moore Show,  Life With Elizabeth and Prep & Landing Stocking Stuffer: Operation: Secret Santa. 

Now what you've been waiting for--Betty White also starred in two Golden Girls Christmas episodes, the first being 1986's "Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas."

The roommates successfully dodge Rose's story about the St. Olaf stage play of 'The Christmas Carol' with an all-chicken cast.

Hilariously, Blanche has a passion for men dressed in Santa Claus suits.  Concerned with the commercialism of Christmas and overspending on each others' gifts, the four roommates decide to swap homemade presents this year.  Blanche makes a photo calendar--The Men of Blanche's Boudoir.

Dorothy reacts to Mr. September in her new calendar from Blanche.

Everything seems to be going right this holiday, until...

A man in a Santa Claus suit holds the women hostage at Rose’s workplace, a counseling center.  The stranger has no intention of hurting them, he's just desperately trying to avoid spending Christmas alone.  Rose, Blanche, Sophia and Dorothy fear that this delay means that they have each missed their flights to go home to be with their loved ones for the holidays.  At the airport, they learn their flights have been canceled due to stormy weather.

As usual, they discuss their troubles over cheesecake and coffee.

Feeling like their holiday has been ruined, the women end up at a roadside diner sharing their sorrows over cheesecake and coffee.  Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia remind themselves that they are family and they belong together at Christmas time.  They begin to feel better after they volunteer to cover the shift for the man running the restaurant, allowing him to go home to be with his family for a little while on Christmas Eve.

"Let's go surfin' now, everybody's learnin' how..."

It miraculously begins to snow in Miami.  The episode ends with a joke when the ditzy Rose is inspired to select a Christmas song on the diner’s jukebox and ends up playing Surfin’ Safari.

This Christmas episode can be found on the second season DVD set's second disc.  The Golden Girls is currently airing daily on the Hallmark Channel and WE.

Betty White: Prep & Landing (2010)

Betty White from a Saturday Night Live bumper in 2010

Happy Birthday Betty White!  This week Betty White celebrates her 90th birthday and I've been inspired to write several blog posts as a tribute to her wonderful legacy on television.  I've already written about Date With the Angels,  The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Life With Elizabeth.

White also participated in 2010's TV special Disney's Prep & Landing Stocking Stuffer: Operation: Secret Santa giving voice to the animated character of Mrs. Claus.  This follow-up to the first  Prep & Landing TV special is a short film running less than seven minutes.

Magee, Wayne and Lanny

Elves Lanny and Wayne are at it again.  This year they are asked by Magee to use their Mission: Impossible-style special ops skills to help Mrs. Claus.

Mrs. Claus's face is never fully visible as she instructs the special ops elves with their mission

Mrs. Claus wants them to retrieve a wooden box from Santa’s underground private workshop.  A funny gag is that Mrs. Claus, like many of her age, is awkward using the latest technology in order to work with the elves.  Of course, her instructions require Wayne and Lanny to perform their task without Santa’s knowledge. 

Lanny and Wayne sizing up the situation

Their mission becomes more complicated when Lanny and Wayne find Santa napping at his desk when they break in.  What magical secrets could this little wooden box hold?

Mrs. Claus receives conformation of the success of the elves mission

This short film aired on ABC in December 2010 as a teaser to hold viewer’s attention until the second half-hour Prep & Landing TV special could be released in 2011.

The voice cast: Sarah Chalke as Magee; Dave Foley as Wayne; Derek Richardson as Lanny; W. Morgan Sheppard as Santa; and, Betty White as Mrs. Claus.

Did you see this animated short?  Have you seen the 2009 or the 2011 Prep & Landing half-hour specials?  This 2010 short film was recently released as a bonus feature on the DVD release of the first Prep & Landing.

Betty White: Life With Elizabeth (1954)

Betty White: the comeback queen of comedy

Happy Birthday Betty White!  This week Betty White celebrates her 90th birthday and I've been inspired to write several blog posts as a tribute to her wonderful legacy on television.  I've already written about her late 1950s sitcom Date With the Angels and a special Christmas episode featuring her character Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Life With Elizabeth ran from 1953-55.

Here is another Christmas episode featuring Betty White in an early TV series.  Life With Elizabeth is a domestic sitcom with gentle humor in which each half hour episode is comprised of three vignettes.  This 1954 holiday story "Christmas Presents" is the second segment in the episode.  In this story, Elizabeth and her husband Alvin promise each other they won’t peak into each other’s hiding places to see their wrapped gifts.  But neither one can curb their curiosity.  Do you ever sneak a peek at your Christmas presents?

This rare vintage television series can be difficult to find but I found an uploaded video of this Christmas segment on Youtube:



I love Elizabeth and Alvin's gestures surrounding their pact to not peek!  Alvin is played by comedic actor Del Moore--do you recognize him?  Among his many roles, I recognize him as the college dean in Jerry Lewis' movie The Nutty Professor.  I wish there was a good clip of it on Youtube.  Dr. Warfield (Moore) is tricked by Buddy Love into acting out a dramatic scene from Hamlet on top of a table.  It's a classic.

Watching these old television shows is one of my great passions in being a researcher/writer about Christmas TV.  I get a real thrill out of discovering and watching TV shows I've never seen before.  Have you heard of Life With Elizabeth?  What's the oldest TV show you still enjoy watching?