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Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Christmas in July 2019: Jim Inman





Christmas in July 2019: Jim Inman - Christmas Movies and Music admin 

1. What is your favorite Saturday Night Live Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's sketch?

I've always loved the voice of Darlene Love... and to have her participate in a fun, slightly risque song on SNL makes me appreciate her even more.  From 2005, Season 31, Darlene Love's song "Christmastime for the Jews" is a take-off on class Rankin/Bass animation, with the usual SNL touches. TV Funhouse: Christmastime For The Jews - SNL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGzO1ghRKp4


2. Do you most look forward to watching holiday episodes from series? Specials? Movies? Animation? or, all of it?

There are select options from all the above... watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, followed by the original version of Miracle on 34th Street... finding Rudolph, Charlie Brown, Frosty on television... looking for some classic TV holiday episodes throughout the weeks... and enjoying It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story are all must-do activities during the holiday season.  With YouTube and streaming services, many of the old, rare TV specials with The Carpenters, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby and more are accessible to enjoy on a long winter's night. 





3. What's your favorite soundtrack from a holiday program? (it doesn't have to have been officially released as an album--just what program features your favorite collection of music?)

This is a tough one.  There are a number of songs that are closely tied to a special ("Christmastime is Here" for Charlie Brown's Christmas, "White Christmas," etc).  As for a collection or album, I would have to include National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - "Holiday Road" and Ray Charles' "That Spirit of Christmas" are vastly different, but capture the heart of that film so well.  Of course Vince Guaraldi's "Charlie Brown Christmas" is timeless... and also the soundtrack to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  Burl Ives' voice cannot be duplicated, and he brings a kindness and genuine affection to every song he sings on the album. 

Side note -- I think a fun project would be taking a collection of Christmas songs (a "favorites" album, so to speak) and creating a holiday special from those.


4. What one program are you patiently (or impatiently) waiting for me to review on this blog?

Another tough question.  This blog is such a tremendous resource for Christmas fans, and your books and blog have covered so many holiday programs already.  The only thing I might think of would be conducting interviews with people who have ties to those holiday programs, to get some additional behind-the-scenes information (but I know you've done some of this already)...


5. What change in Christmas entertainment have you noticed over the years? Do you like the trend?

I miss the choral arrangements of holiday music. As an avid record collector, I have a lot of albums from the 1960s-70s that were church groups and ensemble singing. When you have a large group of voices coming together, and creating those natural sounds... it's pretty amazing and awesome.  The sounds of an orchestra can really change the listener's perspective on a song that everyone may already know...

I would also say that the stories of Christmas entertainment don't seem as "real" as they once were.  The depression George Bailey felt in It's a Wonderful Life and the elation on the children's faces in Santa Claus: The Movie are no match for computerized, animated shows today.  And I have to say that the Hallmark Christmas films don't do much for me at all - too focused on romance and predictable storylines don't cut it for me.  But, to each his own... and we can still all love Christmas and the music, television and films that make us smile and feel the holiday spirit! 




2 comments:

  1. I discovered Ray Charles' "Spirit of Christmas" through the movie and the scene of Clark playing the home movies in the attic is particularly poignant for me. When I was editing our own Christmas Super 8 home movies from when I was a child, I naturally had to add that as the soundtrack.

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  2. Great answers Jim, I love Darlene Love and this cartoon is part of my annual Christmas TV viewing.

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