Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #23 of the month-long celebration of Christmas/holiday entertainment. Each day this month I will be sharing brief reminisces about Christmas TV episodes, specials, and movies with a IT'S A WONDERFUL SUMMER attitude. Yes--this month I'm sharing brief essays about TV adaptations of the 1946 movie "It's a Wonderful Life" along with TV programs with significant references to the movie. Just a little something different and a way for me to show off the diversity of holiday stories I've collected in the encyclopedia Tis the Season TV (the updated and expanded 2nd edition being released soon).
Today's discussion is going to expand to include a Hanukkah episode from the children's live action Disney Channel series Even Stevens. This episode's title is "Heck of a Hanukkah." In this story, mischievous Louis Stevens goes in search for the hidden Hanukkah gifts and when he finds them, in order to avoid being caught, he throws them out the window. When he's punished, Louis feels unjustly penalized for ruining the family’s Hanukkah gifts and wishes he was never born.
In this loose adaptation of the holiday movie It's a Wonderful Life, a guardian angel in the form of one of Louis' ancestors named Bubbe Rose shows him his family members’ lives if his wish were true and he were never born. Louis is horrified to discover a pleasant and thoughtful sibling named Curtis would replace him!
While Curtis brings goodness to the Stevenses, the imbalance brought to the family without a rascal like Louis ends up harming the other members of the family. Louis sees that his family truly needs him! This Hanukkah episode brings thoughtfulness and charm to the familiar story of It's a Wonderful Life.
The cast includes Shia La Beouf as Louis Stevens, Christy Carlson Romano as Ren Stevens, Donna Pescow as mother Eileen Stevens/Bubbe Rose, Nick Spano as brother Donnie Stevens, and Chris Marquette as Curtis.
Joanna Wilson is a TV researcher and book author specializing
in Christmas entertainment. More about the TV programs mentioned on this website can
be found in her book "Tis the Season TV: the Encyclopedia of Christmas-themed Episodes, Specials, and Made-for-TV Movies." Her latest book "Triple Dog Dare:
Watching--& Surviving--the 24-Hour Marathon of A Christmas Story"
was released in 2016. She is currently updating and expanding the
encyclopedia for an upcoming release. Her books can be found at the publisher's website:
1701 press.com
*Support this website and its research by purchasing the books at 1701 press.com
My kids used to watch this, I think. I didn't know Donna Pescow was ever even on it!
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