Full House Christmas (1988)

I've been having so much fun reminiscing about Christmas entertainments that include the cast from The Dukes of Hazzard that I thought I'd share one more.  In the 1988 episode "Our Very First Christmas Show" on Full House, actor Sorrell Booke (that's J.D. Boss Hogg to you and me) makes a guest appearance.  Do you remember this second season episode?

Joey has his Santa suit packed and Danny has a suitcase filled with gifts for the girls.

The Tanner family is on their way to a family reunion to be celebrated at Christmas in Colorado.  Young Stephanie is the only one who doesn't want to go--she's worried that Santa Claus won't be able to find her away from home, in Colorado.

On the airplane, Michelle ends up snatching a toupée off a passenger's head!

The family boards an airplane for their western destination.  Much to their surprise, Rebecca Donaldson, Danny's co-host on his morning TV talk show, is also on-board.  She's coincidentally taking the same flight to reach her connection to go home to Nebraska for Christmas.

Jesse's parents are pressuring him to ask Becky out on a date.

A severe snowstorm forces the plane to make an unscheduled landing and all the passengers are stuck spending Christmas Eve at the airport until flights resume in the morning. Stephanie is upset, fearing that Santa won’t be able to find her.  Danny is frustrated because the airline has lost his baggage--which includes the girls' gifts.  Jesse feels pressured by his parents to romance Becky--who has made it clear to him that she intends to stay friends (we'll see about that!)  And, the other stranded passengers are also upset about spending their holiday away from loved ones.  The mood in the terminal is quite low.

Lionel, the man with the bad toupée, is doing his best to avoid the Tanner family altogether.

Joey attempts to lift Stephanie's spirit by donning his Santa suit--but she's wise to his ruse.

Finally, Jesse inspires everyone to celebrate the spirit of the season despite their surroundings.  Reminding everyone that Christmas is about family, love, and togetherness--Jesse points out that everyone has all they need right here in order to feel the holiday spirit.

DJ admires the creativity that went into making a Christmas tree from a coat rack and ornaments from plastic cups and ribbon.

Becky and Jesse discover a sprig of mistletoe--Have mercy! (Oh, you knew that comment was coming).

Stephanie even gets a visit from Santa that restores her faith in the magic of Christmas.

The Tanner family learns that they can have a merry Christmas any place as long as they are together.  But one question remains:  who was Lionel-- the stranger with the bad toupée?  He may have dressed as Santa Claus and helped restore Stephanie's belief in the magic of the season--but he's disappeared from the snowed-in airport.  Joey's Santa suit is still in its bag and Danny's luggage with the gifts has been found.  Just who was that magic man?

The Tanner family has a merry Christmas afterall.

Remember this fun episode?  Sure enough, that's actor Sorrell Booke playing Lionel.  Here, he's able to get away from playing the Scrooge-like Boss Hogg for a little while.  It's nice to see him play a pleasant role--even if it is just once.  There are four other Christmas episodes and one New Year's episode on Full House--which one is your favorite?

Christmas Comes to Willow Creek (1987)

I had so much fun watching the 1980 Dukes of Hazzard Christmas episode and the Christmas episode of the animated series The Dukes last week.  Watching those two episodes again reminded me of the 1987 Christmas TV movie, Christmas Comes to Willow Creek.  The dream team is back together again:  Christmas Comes to Willow Creek stars John Schneider and Tom Wopat as brothers (not cousins) in another holiday story for the ages.

Brothers Ray (Schneider) and Pete (Wopat) may not get along--but they're both still good lookin'!

THAT'S NOT the General Lee!?  In this TV movie the boys are cross-country truckers.

Rather than Bo and Luke Duke, Schneider and Wopat are now playing Ray and Pete, quarrelsome brothers that haven't spoken to one another in over a year.  The brothers have been forced into working together this Christmas by a family friend, Al.  Trucking company boss, Al, has suddenly come down sick and needs a shipment to go from Los Angeles to Willow Creek, Alaska before the holiday.

Al is played by actor/singer Hoyt Axton.

What is going on in Willow Creek, Alaska?

It seems the residents of the small, isolated community of Willow Creek are experiencing a bad year economically.  The community's major employer, a cannery, shut down this previous year and the people have had no money, few prospects, and little hope for an economic turnaround.  Al has family in Willow Creek and was planning on bringing a special payload up there to brighten the children's Christmas as well as offer some hope for the adults.  In the meantime, Willow Creek resident, Homer, has become so disgusted by his fellow community members' lack of holiday spirit that he stages a sit-in on top of the city's water tank until he feels like things have changed.  Homer is a well-liked member of the community and he plays Santa Claus for the children each year, so his emotional blackmail scheme is taken pretty seriously by the others in Willow Creek.

Not in the face, boys!

Despite their differences, Pete and Ray are persuaded to drive Al's delivery (it's a two-man job) to Alaska for him.  Along the way, the brothers will have to deal with each other whether they like it or not. 

It's a long journey from California to Alaska--plenty of time for flashback scenes for viewers to see why the brothers no longer get along.

Making matters worse, Pete's delinquent teenage son Mike seems to get along with his irresponsible uncle Ray better than he does with his own father.

Between Los Angeles and the Yukon, the brothers discover they have more to confront than just each other: Pete tries to fix his troubled relationship with his teenage son Mike, and Ray wants to talk with his estranged wife, Jessie who is now living in Vancouver. 

As the story unfolds, we discover that the brothers are no longer speaking because of their dispute over a beautiful woman named Jessie (played by Kim Delaney).

This made-for-TV movie is a quintessential Christmas film.  It contains the common Christmas story motifs of forgiveness, second chances, hope, a crippling blizzard, a baby born on Christmas Eve, and a family reunited.  Making this film even more entertaining, viewers are treated to an amazing cast to bring it all together. 

Christmas Comes to Willow Creek is available for viewing on DVD--but I haven't seen it re-broadcast on TV in a long while.  Anyone else love this older Christmas favorite?

Christmas TV Movies 2013

Ready or not, it's that time of year again!  Readers frequently ask me when Christmas TV programming begins and they are usually surprised by my answer--the day after Halloween.  To be more accurate, Christmas TV programming airs year round.  In fact, every single day, 365 days a year, there are typically multiple Christmas-themed episodes and theatrical release movies to choose from that air throughout the TV networks' daily schedules.  I follow these Christmas listings fairly closely and make suggestions on the best of these listings--or at least the most interesting, and most rare ones--in two places.  You are welcome to follow my suggestions, "SET YOUR DVRs....," on my facebook page Tis the Season TV and also on twitter, @TistheSeasonTV. 

However, now is that special time of year when the TV networks begin to premiere their NEW Christmas TV movies as well as open up their schedules to re-broadcast their older Christmas TV movies.  It's exciting, isn't it?  Let me guide you toward finding the new Christmas TV movies, as well as where to find older favorites airing in the TV listings. 

Christmas TV movies can usually be found in a few places--please review my post from last summer entitled Where to Watch Christmas Movies on TV.   Don't forget to note the difference between theatrical release movies and made-for-TV movies. 

You may have noticed that the Hallmark Channel has already begun airing their Christmas TV movies.  They typically begin airing Christmas TV movies the week after Halloween.  They have already begun airing older Hallmark original Christmas TV movies from their archives and will continue this each day in November--and December.  This year, Hallmark Channel will premiere its first new Christmas TV movie on Friday, Nov. 8th--entitled Pete's Christmas--and the premieres will continue to roll out every weekend through November and into mid-December on Saturdays and Sundays at 8pm(ET).  Hallmark Channel is debuting twelve new movies in the 2013 season alone.  Check out this link to the Hallmark Channel website learn more about these new titles.

Don't overlook the Hallmark Movie Channel.  They begin airing older Christmas TV movies starting Monday, November 11th with all-day marathons.  (The all-day marathons of Christmas movies continue each weekday--and exclude Saturdays and Sundays through November).  This may be the schedule to watch if you're looking to re-watch an older favorite movie.  Skimming the titles, I see rare TV movies airing such as Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue (with Robert Urich), and The Night They Saved Christmas (with Jaclyn Smith and Art Carney), as well as older theatrical release movies such as Holiday Affair (starring Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh), It Happened on 5th Avenue, Christmas in Connecticut (with Barbara Stanwyck), and more.  Hallmark Movie Channel is also premiering the new Christmas TV movie Christmas with Tucker, a prequel to the much-beloved TV movie A Dog Named Christmas, on Monday Nov. 25th at 9pm(ET).

One new Christmas TV movie in 2013 is A Country Christmas Story debuting on Lifetime.

Lifetime begins airing older Christmas TV movies starting Wednesday, Nov. 6th.  According to their November schedule, you can watch at least one Christmas movie each day throughout the month!  That's exciting!  Lifetime will premiere their first of seven new Christmas TV movies on Saturday, Nov. 9th at 8pm(ET) entitled A Country Christmas Story--starring Dolly Parton, Brian McKnight, and Mary Kay Place.  I can't wait! 

If you also watch Lifetime Movie Network (LMN), you'll want to check out their schedules as well.  Every Thursday in November--except Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28th)--they are running all-day marathons of older Christmas TV movies.

The newly named UP network (formerly known as Gospel Music Channel-GMC) is another place to find new Christmas TV movies as well as older favorites.  According to this press release, their Christmas programming begins Monday, Nov. 18th.  They are also premiering six new Christmas TV movies in 2013.  Their first new Christmas TV movie is 3 Day Christmas starring George Newbern and Corbin Bernsen debuting Friday Nov. 22nd, at 9pm(ET).  I'm also excited to say that their press release reveals they will be re-airing one of my all-time favorite Christmas TV movies, 1971's The Homecoming: A Christmas Story--the movie that sparked the TV series The Waltons.

Another major source of holiday entertainment is ABC Family channel and their 25 Days of Christmas scheduling (December holiday programming) as well as their Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas (November holiday programming).  Remember the downloadable 25 Days of Christmas schedule is only the highlights!  They actually air more programming during the non-listed hours.  (I always check the network's on-line TV listings to know what they are broadcasting 24 hours a day).  ABC Family Channel will debut two new Christmas TV movies this season.  The first debut is Tuesday Nov. 26th at 7pm(ET) entitled Christmas Bounty starring Mike “the Miz” Mizanin from the WWE.  The Countdown to the 25 Days of Christmas begins Wednesday, Nov. 20th.

This year will also bring a new Christmas TV movie from the Hallmark Hall of Fame, the critically-acclaimed TV movie series.  On December 1st at 9pm(ET), the ABC network will air Christmas in Conway starring Andy Garcia, Mandy Moore, and Mary Louise Parker.

I also expect to see holiday listings eventually released by Ion network.  According to a third party press releases, Ion is premiering five new Christmas TV movies in 2013 to air alongside their growing number of Christmas movies from past years. 

Hold on to your hats, this year is proving to be another bumper year for Christmas movie premieres. 

The Dukes "A Dickens of a Christmas" (1983)

The complete series of The Dukes is available for viewing on DVD from the Warner Archive.

A few weeks ago at Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, I gave a presentation about TV adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  One of the irreverent examples that I mentioned was 1980's "The Great Santa Claus Chase" from The Dukes of Hazzard.  Those same characters got another try at Dickens in the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon spin-off The Dukes in the 1983 animated episode "A Dickens of A Christmas."  This animated version is a far more straight forward adaptation of the classic Dickens tale.  How long has it been since you've seen this episode?

The story unfolds as Uncle Jesse back on the farm reads a letter from Daisy in Europe detailing the Christmas events.

If you will remember, the set-up of this animated series is that the Duke boys and Daisy are racing the General Lee across the world in a contest to earn enough money to pay off the mortgage for Uncle Jesse’s farm so Boss Hogg doesn’t foreclose.  However, Rosco and Boss Hogg are also racing the international competition to win the prize money.  This episode takes place on a leg of the race across England.  The race ceases for one day, Christmas day, while everyone celebrates the holiday.  However, Boss Hogg’s lack of Christmas spirit shows through when he decides he’s going to continue the race and get a head start on everyone else.

The Dukes have the right Christmas spirit.  They invite their racing rivals Rosco and Boss Hogg to share their Christmas party.

The first boss of Hazzard County, Boss Jake Marley warns J.D. Hogg about learning the lessons of charity, mercy, and kindness--lessons Marley regrets he never learned in life.

On Christmas Eve, Boss Hogg is visited by the ghost of his former mentor Boss Jake Marley who warns about Hogg's lack of holiday spirit.

The Ghost of Christmas Past--southern style.

Later that night, Boss Hogg is visited by three ghosts showing him his Christmases past, present and future.  In the past, Boss Hogg revisits receiving his favorite Christmas present from his mother--his very first piggy bank.  Boss Hogg also re-lives the moment when he chose money over his fiancé, Elsey McCoy, who went on to marry Jesse Duke instead.  Interesting backstory here for Dukes of Hazzard fans.

I like that the young Jefferson D. Hogg (is THAT his real name?!) dresses all in white.

Elsey gives Hogg an ultimatum:  choose either her or his love for money.

The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Boss Hogg how his friend and employee Rosco--and his dog Flash--are spending their Christmas.  Much like Bob Cratchit and his family, Rosco and Flash don't have enough money for a lavish celebration but they enjoy what they do have and still exchange small tokens of their affection for each other.  The Ghost of Christmas Present also lets Boss Hogg look in on the Dukes enjoying their Christmas party with their guests Roscoe and Flash.

The Ghost of Christmas Present--is he the personification of The Balladeer/narrator, voiced in the live-action series by Waylon Jennings? 

Flash and Rosco share a merry Christmas despite their lack of money.  Here the two make the most of cold tea and day-old biscuits.

Next, the Ghost of Christmas Future shows Boss Hogg what may occur if changes aren't made.

The Ghost of Christmas Future.  A fairly traditional-looking Carol ghost--though not very intimidating in a white robe and healthy flesh tone hands.

Boss Hogg is shown a future where his dirty tricks result in Uncle Jesse sharecropping Hogg's property, Bo Duke dressing as a clown to work the parking lot at the Boar's Nest, Luke Duke converting the General Lee to haul garbage, and Daisy scrubbing floors at the Boar's Nest.  Boss Hogg is actually quite happy with this dark vision of the future--until the Ghost shows him his own over-grown, ignored tombstone in the cemetery.  Hogg is saddened to discover that his money can't buy him friends, respect, and appreciation.

Boss Hogg is content with a future where Bo and Luke Duke are humiliated and under his employ.

Boss Hogg is discouraged by learning he can't buy a better future for himself.

Boss Hogg promises to embrace the spirit of Christmas bringing the Dukes gifts and a holiday meal to share at the party.  Of course, viewers have to wonder if Hogg's generous spirit will last--but even the three ghosts knowingly remark "he's only human."

Can you guess which character utters the line "God bless us, one and all"--a re-write of Tiny Tim's observation? (It was Luke Duke!?) 

I'm quite surprised by this cartoon series' attention to detail in adapting A Christmas Carol for children.  Even the live-action series didn't take Dickens quite so seriously.  Another detail that makes this episode special is that this animated children's series is voiced by many of the original live-action series actors.

end credits

Which adaptation was your first introduction to Dickens' A Christmas Carol?  Mine was Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol.  Do you remember watching The Dukes on Saturday mornings?

Dukes of Hazzard Christmas (1980)

Last month at Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Baltimore, I gave a presentation called Entertaining Spirits: The Many TV Adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  I had so much fun discussing the highs and lows of television's own take on the Christmas literary classic that I thought I'd share The Dukes of Hazzard Christmas episode here on the blog.  My reference to this episode inspired a bit of discussion--and laughter--that weekend in Baltimore.  I hope it brings back good memories for you as well.

Boss Hogg has the Duke boys thrown in jail at Christmas time!

In the 1980 Christmas episode, "The Great Santa Claus Chase," the Duke boys pick up a truckload of Christmas trees for the local boy scouts, who took orders from the townspeople for them.   On their way back to town, Bo and Luke are stopped and their truck filled with Christmas trees is hijacked.  Bo and Luke become even more suspicious of who would commit such a low-down crime when Boss Hogg accuses them of stealing the trees themselves, frames them with circumstantial evidence, and has them thrown in jail.

"We look like the bad guys!"

The Duke family name is so tarnished that Uncle Jesse's children's Christmas choir concert is cancelled.

Bo and Luke are feeling down because no one in Hazzard will have a Christmas tree now that their truck was stolen.  They're also frustrated because Uncle Jesse had to spend all the family's Christmas money on bail to spring them from jail.  On top of it all, the Duke family reputation is now tarnished as J.D. Hogg has made them look like criminals and everyone in town doesn't know what to believe.

Can these three get Boss Hogg to reveal his guilty feelings for his greedy crimes?

When Boss Hogg begins selling his own truck-load of Christmas trees at three times the price, the Duke boys know who is behind the hijacking.  Not sure how to catch J.D. Hogg at his game, Bo, Luke, and Daisy conspire to trick Boss Hogg into confessing his scheme.

While Hogg naps, Daisy turns on the radio receiver in his office.

Each of the Dukes takes a turn, speaking across the top of the jug to create a spooky voice--and hopefully frighten a confession out of Boss Hogg.

Using the police radio, Daisy, Bo and Luke each give voice to the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, speaking to Boss Hogg during his daily 4:30pm nap in his office at the Boar's Nest.  The three Dukes try to inspire a Dickens-style Christmas conversion in their hillbilly nemesis, making him think he is visited by three ghosts teaching him to be less greedy.  Unfortunately, the well-intentioned scheme fails.

Bo, Luke, and Cooter "stealing" back their own stolen Christmas trees.

Trying another tack, the Duke boys and Cooter make plans to "steal" back their own Christmas trees from Boss Hogg and deliver them to the residents of Hazzard as originally promised.  They decide to try to confuse law enforcement by each disguising themselves in a Santa Claus suit and driving three identical pick-up trucks for the deliveries.  Sure enough, Cletus, Roscoe, and J.D. Hogg are driving around the dusty country roads trying to follow one gray-colored pick-up truck driven by a Santa Claus--never realizing there are three of them driving in different directions.

The three hijackers return to take more of Boss Hogg's bounty.

Uncle Jesse and Daisy following the hijackers at top speed in Daisy's white Jeep.  YEE-HAW!!

Adding to the chaos, the three original hijackers, once employed by Boss Hogg, have returned to Hazzard County in order to rob Boss Hogg's safe in his office at the Boar's Nest.  The three hijackers have coincidentally disguised themselves in Santa Claus suits as well.  When Uncle Jesse and Daisy interrupt the professional thieves' heist, they begin a car chase hoping to identify and capture the thieves and prove that the Duke boys have been innocent all along.

The car chases and jumps by the General Lee are always the best parts in every episode.

The high-speed chase ends in one dusty crossroad when all the vehicles involved end up in the same place at once!

The climax is Bo, Luke, and Cooter dressed as three Santas in a classic car chase delivering Christmas trees and evading Boss Hogg and his corrupt law enforcement team, while the three thieves--also dressed as Santas--try to escape the high-speed chase from Uncle Jesse and Daisy Duke.  Can Boss Hogg ever learn his lesson about greed?

Alone on Christmas Eve, Boss Hogg has nothing better to do than read his new book, Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Though the Duke boys are able to get themselves out of trouble with the law and restore the family's reputation, the episode's story isn't finished yet.  We see Rosco P. Coltrane and Boss Hogg exchange Christmas gifts.  It turns out that Rosco gives his boss a copy of the much beloved holiday classic, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  Reading it (and not recognizing the references from his experiences earlier in the episode), J.D. Hogg is moved by the book and has a change of heart!  He decides to set aside his greedy ways for once and join Rosco at the Duke family's Christmas party.

"Merry Christmas everybody and God bless us, everyone!"--Boss Hogg, of course!

If you've seen this series even once, you've got to recognize Hogg's Christmas transformation as a temporary state.  What would be the point of this series without their number one villain?  But it is nice to see Boss Hogg change his heart--even if it doesn't last very long.  I'll leave it to you to decide if this is an example of a high or a low in TV versions of Dickens' classic literary tale.  But if you're anything like me, watching this ridiculous Christmas episode always makes me laugh.