Christmas Shopping in the Funny Papers (1970)

Christmassy Film Ads of 1970

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the newspaper, every film showing in theaters was pandering to movie goers in a festive frame of mind. (Sorry couldn't think of a rhyme.) Of all the flicks touted as perfect Christmas fare only one of them was an actual holiday picture.

I realize this is just marketing 101 and the vast majority of patrons knew there weren't actually Christmas films, I just found the ads amusing and they got me thinking about an alternate universe where all of them were Yuletide themed.

Christmas TV - December 18-21, 1961 (USA / UK)

Monday, Dec 18, 1961

Monday's sole holiday offering was “Christmas Memory”,  from the Robert Young led, single season,  dramedy series Window on Main Street.  

Tuesday, Dec 19, 1961

Tuesday the 19th was a tremendous night for holiday fare.

Things actually started off in the afternoon as Art Linkletter presented highlights of his “Trip tho the Holy Land”.

At 8:00 PM (Eastern) Bachelor Father presented “Deck the Halls”

A quick flick of the channel at 8:30 PM for the (now) classic “Have Reindeer, Will Travel” episode of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

At 9:00 PM Red Skelton brought his comedic touch to holiday with his annual Christmas show. "Freddie and the Yuletide Doll” featuring, you guessed it, Freddie the Freeloader.

There was no need to change the channel after Red because the evenings high point was coming right up. The Garry Moore Show went all festive with guests Julie Andrews and Gwen Verdon joining regulars Durwood Kirby and Carol Burnett.

Wednesday, Dec 20th, 1961

The New Steve Allen Show held it’s Christmas Open House with a plethora of guests including The Smothers Brothers, Tim Conway (back when he was still Tom Conway), and Buck Henry.

Next up was a rerun of the classic 1956 Father Knows Best episode “The Angel’s Sweater”

(More info at Christmas Specials Wiki)

NBC offered another classic rerun -  Project 20’s “The Coming of Christ” which The New York Times hailed as 

“ a work of permanence, a program of exceptional beauty and reverence that will rank as one of television's lasting accomplishments.”

Perry Como celebrated the season with Tom Tichenor’s Marionettes.

Finally, Bob Newhart, in the first of his many eponymous series, gave his buttoned-down take on the Christmas

Over in the UK the afternoon weekly Wednesday Magazine offered

"Carols in Salisbury Cathedral,  Lights in London Music of the Masters family.

Three Homeless Animals in search of new owners.

and Harry Dickens on past and present Dickensian Christmases"

The Sky at Night offered advice on what to do with any telescopes that might find their way under the Christmas tree.

Thursday, December 21st, 1961

In Philadelphia, the annual tradition of airing The Mabel Beaton Marionette’s “The Spirit of Christmas” continued.

“The Girl in the Emporium”, Ozzie and Harriet’s holiday episode from the previous year was  rerun.

The Real McCoys and Doctor Kildare squared off with dueling Christmas episodes.

An hour later “Hazel’s Christmas Shopping" had the genre all to its self.

After Hazel, it was time to Sing Along with Mitch

In England the BBC aired Perspective on Toys and Toymakers in the morning

"Some aspects of the toy world surveyed.

Including Film of Sam Smith, toymaker for grown-ups, and Yootha Rose, toymaker for children.

and A discussion on the present and future trends of toys."

and the film Choirboys Unite! (Of which there was an appeal to reunite the original cast members a couple of years ago)

(Sources include The BBC Genome / Radio Times, YouTube, Daily Motion, The News Leader, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times, The Press and Sunday Bulletin, The Honolulu Star, The Bristol Daily Courier, The Sacramento Bee, The Standard Speaker, The South Bend Tribune, Christmas Specials Wiki)

Festified Tunes - Midnight At The Oasis / Christmas At The Oasis

Festified Tunes -  Midnight At The Oasis / Christmas At The Oasis

I’ve always had an, admittedly perverse, fascination with holiday tunes refashioned from existing pop hits. Most of these attempts at cashing in on past glories during the festive season are forgettable, some absolute soul-crushing cringe, occasionally, though,  it works out OK. I’m not sure where I put this example of the genre though…

Before Festivefication: Maria Muldaur - Midnight At The Oasis

After Festivefication: Christmas At The Oasis (feat. Maria Muldaur)

Now, whichever version you prefer, you'll defiantly have this tune rattling around your brain for the rest of the day.

Christmas TV December 21-23, 1970 (USA, Canada, UK)

Christmas TV December 21-23, 1970 (USA, Canada, UK)

Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve (Dec 21), 1970

Early in the evening, Leslie Nielsen guest-starred on this year’s festive installment of the Red Skelton Show which featured, as usual, Freddie the Freeloader.

Later that night a favorite holiday sitcom episode of mine premiered, though I doubt four year old me saw it then.  The Doris Day Show’s “It's Christmas Time In The City”

(More info at Christmas TV History 

Next we take off to the Great White North (It's a beauty way to go) for The Pig and Whistle Show's Christmas Pageant '70. Best clip I could find comes from 1975 but probably gives a good idea of what was going on, eh?

Over in Blighty the morning's Play School offered little ones a reading of "The Christmas Tree" by Nancy Quale, a story I can find nothing about. 

(This clip comes from Dec 24)

 The afternoon brought the kiddies Blue Peter, which was always reliably festive back in the day. 

(This clip is actually from the 17th)

(And this clip is from the 24th)

In the evening, long running police drama Z-Cars aired the first part of the two part story "Christmas is Coming". Z-Cars featured multiple Christmas related story lines throughout its run, and multiple in 1970 alone.

Christmas Eve Eve Eve (Dec 22), 1970

CBS started the evening off with a re-run of 1968’s  Christmas in Hooterville episode of The Beverly Hillbillies…

 ...while NBC countered with an apparently Christmas themed episode of the single-season variety program The Don Knotts Show. Don’s guests included Gina Lollobrigida. 

Back to CBS for UNICEF – A World of Love was a star-studded international affair featuring the likes of Barbara Streisand, Bill Cosby, Julie Andrews, Richard Burton, Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine. 

NBC offered a rerun of 1954’s White Christmas.

CBS closed out the night with 60 Minutes and a pair of holiday adjacent segments on unsafe toys and a “Look at Jerusalem”.

The program took a bit of flak for waiting until the eleventh hour to warn parents about the potential dangers posed by gifts that, at that point. had already been purchased and were waiting to be tucked under the tree.

 In Canada, while much of the programming runs parallel with the States there were some unique programs such a special starring the Dofasco Christmas Choir

In the UK the second part of Z-Cars "Christmas is Coming" aired. Later in the night A Muslim looks at Christmas aired as part of a four part series where non-Christians looked at Christian traditions during Christmas and New Years.

Christmas Eve Eve (Dec 23) 1970

ABC began with a non-Christmas episode with an apropos theme – The Courtship of Eddie’s Father – “Gifts are for Giving”. Back in 2010, it was included on a DVD collection of “classic” Christmas shows which may have been pushing it.

Later there was a country star variety show showdown between Johnny Cash and Eddy Arnold. The Man in Black’s guests included Roy Orbison, Minnie Pearl, and The Everly Brothers while Eddy welcomed Charley Pride and Brenda Lee.

In some markets, the half-hour special Christmas in the White House was aired.

In NYC WNBC’s afternoon film was The Lemon Drop Kid while WABC’s  The 4:30 Movie was the second part of the Old Testament epic The Story of Ruth.

The evenings festive programming in the UK was highlighted by a repeat of the 1969 The Spinners at the Phil live concert special.  This track is from their 1972 live Christmas album but should give a good indication of what their annual Christmas concerts sounded like.

Also airing was a repeat of the 1969  musical special Jesus, based on a collection of songs released in 1965 by Claude-Henri Vic and  Jacques Hourdeaux. 

(sources include The Daily News, The Guardian, TV Guide, The Annston Star, The Corpus Christi Caller Times, The Rock Island Argus, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, The Tennessean, Christmas TV History, Radio Times, The Gazette (Montreal), YouTube, Facebook)