About Christmas TV History

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Christmas in July 2018: Jim Inman


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Christmas in July 2018: Jim Inmanhttps://www.facebook.com/christmasmoviesandmusic/ and https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ChristmasMoviesAndMusic/info

1) Name your favorite Henson's Muppet Christmas program and why.

While I've never been a big Muppet fan, I do enjoy the John Denver and the Muppets soundtrack.  Something about the humor, and the originality of it all, always makes me turn up the volume dial. 


2) Which decade produced the bulk of your favorite Christmas entertainment?

So many of the best specials came out of the 1960s... The Grinch, Charlie Brown's Christmas, Frosty the Snowman and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol.  The animation, uniqueness and style set them apart from most everything else. 

A close second would be the 1980s - the big years of Christmas TV specials with A, B and C-list Hollywood stars celebrating the season.  In a time before the internet and easy access, those specials were videotaped and preserved to enjoy for years to come.


from 1983's A Christmas Story

3) Imagine the entertainment behind your ideal Christmas Eve dinner. Name the appetizer, entré, and dessert.

Some Razzleberry Dressing (from Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol), turkey from Mrs. Parker (before the Bumpus Hounds got it in A Christmas Story) and of course Christmas cookies - homemade, with plenty of sugar and icing!


4) What Christmas episode, special or movie doesn't exist--that you wish did? Feel free to get creative.

I would love to have some of our modern Christmas specials - even those from the 1960s - modified into radio programs, or audio plays. I think it would be so amazing to imagine Rudolph's red nose, or what Frosty felt like in the greenhouse, rather than seeing them in animation. I've been a fan of old-time radio for 30+ years, and several Christmas films were made into radio broadcasts during the 1940s (It's a Wonderful Life - https://youtu.be/D8iBTZmmps8  --- Miracle on 34th Street - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9cn5tTo79U  ---  The Bishop's Wife - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liyM-s_hIXU)
 



5) If one Christmas movie, special or episode was to be selected for a time capsule to opened in 1,000 years, which title do you think should be included?

I would go with It's a Wonderful Life.  It's a testament to hard work, community spirit, kindness, belief in a higher power and celebration of life.  Jimmy Stewart's heart and soul was in that film, and made everyone realize that "no man is a failure if he has friends."



6 comments:

  1. Cheers for the opportunity to share, Joanna! Your Christmas in July Q&A is always fun...

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  2. Wonderful answers, Jim! I wholeheartedly agree with It's a Wonderful Life in the time capsule! I would certainly hope they would still be able to understand the deep meaning behind it a thousand years from now, how every life is precious! Love the line in the film you quoted.

    It's also amazing how so many wonderful classic Christmas cartoons come out of the same decade... The Grinch, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman! So glad we had them all in reruns growing up, and how they continue each year! I love tradition!

    Merry Christmas in July, Net

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  3. Audio drama Christmas specials! You make my mouth water!

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    1. Linda - indulge! There are scads of worthy ones, easily accessible.

      https://www.amazon.com/Standing-Spirit-Your-Elbow-Christmas/dp/1593932200

      - Craig

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  4. With the popularity of podcasts and audio books, you'd think there would be a ready audience for *new* audio dramas--even if they are about sentimental old favorites. C'mon--someone give us what we want :D Thanks Jim.

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  5. Thans for your answers, Jim. I love that your menu comes from the Christmas movies and shows themselves. That is an awesome idea. I would choose the cookies from The House Without a Christmas Tree. They looked so good!

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