Christmas TV 1960 Part 2 - Dec. 16-20 (Golden Child, Roy Rogers, Ed Sullivan, Danny Thomas, Andy Griffiths, Dobie Gillis and More)

 

December 16

In the morning kid's tuned into Captain Kangaroo's take on A Christmas Carol

The biggest cultural offering from the networks in 1960, back when networks cared about such things, was the Christmas opera Golden Child.

December 18

The Chevy Show  "Home For Christmas" with Roy Rogers

Jack Benny's Christmas shopping episodes had been a cherished, and hilarious, holiday tradition since his days as the King of radio comedy 

Other musical offering this evening included Mahalia Jackson and Roger Williams on Ed Sullivan and The Sound of Christmas, the first of three Music For a Winter Night specials featuring Florence Henderson and Mindy Carson.

I couldn't find any clips of Music for a Winter Night but here's Mindy Carson from a decade earlier...

...and here's Florence Henderson from a few years later.

December 19

Another premier that falls under the 'cultural', but from a less surprising source - NYC's PBS outlet , was Emmanuel, an off Broadway drama featured in the Play of the Week series.

Tonight was a good night for classic sitcom Christmas episodes starting with The Danny Thomas Show (Make Room for Daddy) going up against the lone Christmas episode of The Andy Griffiths Show.

Later in the evening a less iconic sitcom offered its holiday episode. Hennesey starred Jackie Cooper

as a Navy physician.

  

December 20

The 20th was a busy night for festive viewing with holiday offerings from Dobie Gillis, Stagecoach West, Garry Moore, and Red Skelton 

Things started off earlier in the evening with local stations presenting  popular programs from previous years  including The Joyful Hour and The Spirit of Christmas.

Dobie Gillis "Jangle Bells"

Stagecoach West  "Three Wise Men"

Red Skelton "The Cop and the Anthem"

Garry Moore