When we think of Christmas animation, a long list of Rankin/Bass-produced holiday classics quickly comes to mind. However, Hanna-Barbera produced some popular Christmas animation as well. I've already written about the 1964 Christmas episode of The Flintstones. Let's recall another Hanna-Barbera cartoon family yuletide--the 1985 TV special A Jetson Christmas Carol.
Remember where George Jetson is employed? Spacely Space Sprockets. I dare you to say that 3x fast!
Just as the title indicates, this is a space-age adaptation of Charles Dickens' tale A Christmas Carol. George Jetson is asked (okay--he's commanded!) by his boss Mr. Spacely to work overtime late into the evening on Christmas Eve. Adult viewers can immediately recognize the players here. Mr. Spacely is the greedy, business-minded Ebenezer Scrooge character and George Jetson is taking on the Bob Cratchit role. George dutifully works late on Christmas Eve and then goes home to his loving family.
Poor Astro isn't feeling well.
When George comes home, he finds the rest of the Jetson family in distress. The family dog Astro had opened his Christmas gift early and began playing with the toy robot kitty. Astro was having so much fun, he inadvertently broke the toy and swallowed one of its sprockets. They've tried calling for a vet to look at Astro but it's Christmas Eve and there are no vets on duty. As Astro cries out in pain, the Jetson family worries about what to do. Yes--the family dog Astro in this story is the Tiny Tim character.
It's not a reach to see Mr. Spacely play the Ebenezer Scrooge role here.
Mr. Marsley is the space age version of Jacob Marley.
Meanwhile, Mr. Spacely is feeling good about the profits he's collected this holiday season. While he drifts asleep at the desk in his office, he's visited by the ghost of his former business partner Mr. Marsley. Marsley warns Spacely about his greedy ways and alerts him to the three ghosts who will visit later tonight. You know where this is going, right?
This Ghost of Christmas Past is an anthropomorphized viewing screen--I think!?
Spacely sees that he's been stingy with George his whole life.
Mr. Spacely is visited by a ghost who wants to show him visions of his past. The ghost takes Spacely into his past, to a moment from his childhood when his friend George Jetson was working at with him at a Lemoonade stand. Spacely was greedy and kept all the profits from their drink stand back then too.
The Ghost of Christmas Presents--get it? yeah, it's not a far leap.
Next, the second ghost shows Spacely what the Jetson family is doing in the present. He sees how George and the family are worried about Astro--who is suffering in pain. And lastly, the third ghost arrives to show Spacely a vision of the future.
The third ghost is a silent and intimidating computer.
In the future, the Jetsons may be living the life of wealth that Spacely has always wanted!
In the future, Spacely sees a lavish home--just like the one he hopes to own--but it's occupied by the Jetson family! It turns out that the Jetsons have the wealthy lifestyle that he's always wanted. How did they become so successful?
The Jetsons may be wealthy but they'd rather have their dog alive.
Spacely is disturbed to find out that the Jetsons sued him after Astro got sick from eating the broken toy manufactured by Spacely Space Sprockets. Waking up on Christmas morning, Mr. Spacely is looking to change his ways.
Someone as powerful as Mr. Spacely knows how to get a hold of a vet!
There's the problem--right THERE!
Mending his ways, Mr. Spacely brings a vet to the Jetsons home to help treat Astro right away. He also has gifts for the entire family! The Jetson family is so happy that Astro is feeling better--they sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to Mr. Spacely.
Jetson family: Astro, daughter Judy, George, Jane his wife, son Elroy, and Orbitty.
This is a fine introduction to Charles Dickens literary tale for children but I think most adults will find this version a bit disappointing. The story uses broad strokes which means there is very little heart. Some of this is because of the half hour length. It should be noted that this animated story was created during the second wave of Jetsons episodes in the 1980s--and not the original run of episodes, first created in the early 1960s. The attention to detail is just not there. The animated Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol entertained me as a child and it is sophisticated enough to continue to entertain me as an adult. However, A Jetson Christmas Carol lacks any subtleties for adults. Perhaps if this was your introduction to Dickens as a child, you may still have warm feelings for it.
Is there a Hanna-Barbera Christmas special you watch each year with fondness? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Last month I wrote about the 1975 New Year's Eve episode of Good Times and I've previously shared about the 1977 episode "Penny's Christmas" and the 1978 episode "The Traveling Christmas." Since there's one more Christmas episode of the series, I decided to see it once again. Each of these Good Times holiday episodes are quite different from the others. Are you familiar with the 2nd season Christmas episode "Sometimes There's No Bottom in the Bottle?"
In this episode, the Evans family is busy preparing for Christmas. Florida is grateful because members of her family are visiting from out of town. Aunt Millie and Uncle Oscar have brought their daughter Naomi. Although the cousins don't know each other well, Michael, Thelma, and J.J. notice that Naomi is a bit strange. Not only does Naomi spend most of her time in the bathroom but the Evanses have noticed that she laughs at everything.
Even J.J. knows his jokes aren't THAT funny.
It's been three years since Thelma has seen her cousin and she promises to be more friendly to Naomi--if she stops spending so much time in the bathroom.
Teenage alcoholism rears its ugly head over the holidays.
What TV viewers see is that Naomi is hiding in the bathroom so she can finishe off a bottle of whiskey. Although Naomi claims to be enjoying a relaxing steam bath, she's really numbing herself with alcohol. Soon enough, members of the Evans family begin seeing the clues.
Florida reminds James that they have food, their health, and family this year for Christmas--even if he doesn't get a Christmas bonus.
In the meantime, James is anxious about his Christmas bonus at work this year. Last year, he didn't receive a bonus, and this year he's not sure what to expect. When he returns from the car wash Christmas party, he's carrying a new bottle of liquor and a check!
Thelma's experiences in the inner city have shown her this troublesome behavior before.
Eventually, Thelma catches Naomi stealing booze from a kitchen cabinet--and she confronts her cousin's drinking. Thelma is worried about Naomi's lack of concern for her behavior. Thelma tries to offer her cousin some words of advice but Naomi isn't listening.
This vodka tastes watered down!
Later when James, Florida, and Willona decide to drink a toast to the merry holidays, they notice the bottle of vodka in the kitchen cabinet tastes watered down. They know someone has tampered with it but they aren't sure who to suspect. They ask J.J. if he has been drinking and he reinforces what they already know--he doesn't like to drink. Thelma decides to keep her mouth shut about what she knows.
If it's not J.J.--then who is it?
It's time for Christmas dinner.
Naomi's parents Aunt Millie and Uncle Oscar finally return to the apartment after visiting friends around Chicago. The family gathers together around the dinner table to share the Christmas meal. Uncle Oscar offers to make a toast to celebrate the holidays with family--even offering to pour a little wine for the children at the table to toast.
Uncle Oscar is an advocate for responsible drinking.
James and Florida don't want alcohol offered to their children for a toast but Oscar insists that a little bit of wine with a meal won't do any harm. He points to the example set by his own daughter Naomi--who has enjoyed alcohol in the past. Unfortunately, it is at that moment that Naomi stands up to agree with her father and she collapses.
Don't secrets like this always seem to come out during the holidays?
Thelma explains that Naomi has passed out from drinking all day long. Sick with worry, Uncle Oscar expresses relief that his daughter is only drunk--he feared she may be doing drugs! The Evans family expresses concern for Naomi--and the episode ends without any judgement for Naomi (or her father Oscar).
On Christmas morning, each member of the family shares what they hope for the others.
Although it seems like the episode ends abruptly, Naomi's dangerous behavior and Oscar's ignorance continue to resonate while the credits roll. If you grew up watching 1980s sitcoms, you may expect television stories about teenage alcoholism to include not only moral judgement from the other characters but also solutions provided to viewers who may be struggling with similar problems. However, Good Times was created at an earlier time in television when identifying social problems was still considered cutting edge. After all these years, I'm still struck by the powerful force of this episode because it doesn't end with any quick fixes or an inevitable happy ending for Naomi. Don't secrets like Naomi's always seem to come out during the holidays?
Which of the four holiday episodes of Good Times is your favorite? Feel free to share your comments in the section below.
This essay is a part of the TV Sidekicks Blogathonhosted by the Classic Film & TV Café.Click HERE toview the complete blogathon schedule.
HERE is a list of all 20 Rankin/Bass Christmas and New Year's animated programs.
We love our favorite TV sidekicks, don't we? Since I limit my discussion here to focus solely on Christmas entertainment, I thought it would be amusing to create a list of Santa Claus' sidekicks: elves! But there are hundreds of elves depicted throughout TV episodes, specials, and movies so I decided to restrict the list to Rankin/Bass animation. You know Rankin/Bass--they're the producer/directors of 20 animated Christmas and New Year's classics. They worked in both cel animation (the traditional style that Saturday morning cartoons were created in) and stop motion animation (the technique that they charmingly referred to as "Animagic.") While not all of the Rankin/Bass animated Christmas stories include elves, I still had no problem naming my TOP 5 FAVORITE RANKIN/BASS ELVES. Let's see if you agree with me.
Jingle (right), Jangle (left), and Santa's reindeer Vixen (middle).
5. Jingle and Jangle from The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
Elves Jingle and Jangle are sent by Mrs. Claus to search the world for a bit of Christmas spirit after Santa has taken to his bed, tired and depressed. The two North Pole innocents find themselves in Southtown U.S.A. looking for someone who still believes in Santa Claus when they meet a young boy named Iggy.
The Snow Miser and his brother the Heat Miser being scolded by Mother Nature in The Year Without a Santa Claus.
This 1974 hour-long animated TV special has an awful lot of story--including two quarrelsome brothers that overshadow everything else that happens in it. If you can't remember the complicated plot of The Year Without a Santa Claus, I guarantee you remember this animated favorite because of the Snow Miser and the Heat Miser. However, Jingle and Jangle are Santa's sidekicks who travel halfway around the world to help make Claus feel like he still matters to children.
This still taken from Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977) shows that Jingle and several other elves were used again from the 1974 production of The Year Without a Santa Claus.
How long has it been since you watched Rankin/Bass' The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus?
4. Tingler from The Live and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985)
Tingler is Claus' first sidekick in the 1985 animated story.
Technically, he's identified as a Sound Imp but the multi-lingual Tingler functions as an elf in this elaborate story. This lesser-known Rankin/Bass holiday TV special is adapted from the book written by L. Frank Baum (whose name you may recognize as the original author of the Wizard of Oz books). The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus unfolds the mythology behind the legendary figure of Santa Claus while the council of Immortals considers making him one of them.
The "elves" are busy painting wooden toy cats for children.
Because of the vibrant fantasy elements in this story, you also see wood nymphs, Knooks, and what looks like fairies also making toys alongside Tingler as Santa's elves. Tingler is such a unique character dwelling in such a rich fantasy world, there's really no confusing him with any other Christmas elf.
Tanta Kringle is Queen of the elves.
3. Tanta Kringle in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970)
Not all of Santa's best elves are male--and Tanta is a striking example of a strong female elf with a distinct personality. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town is an early example of an animated TV special that unfolds the origin story of Santa Claus and the traditions of Christmas. As the story goes, Tanta Kringle takes in the orphan child and raises him among the elves where he learns to make toys.
Why does Santa wear a red suit? because all the Kringle elves wear red suits.
Eventually Kris Kringle grows up and develops a distribution process for the elf-made toys. When he crosses paths with the tyrant Burgermeister Meisterburger who has outlawed toys in his village, Kringle disguises his identity by adopting the name Santa Claus. Tanta isn't just Santa's sidekick, she's also a strong maternal figure to the man known world-wide for making children happy.
Although he's not an elf, the penguin Topper in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town is also an outstanding sidekick to Santa.
Is is "Hermey" or "Herbie?"-- this bad boss doesn't know.
2. Elf Boss in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Even the North Pole's toy shop isn't exempt from the loud-mouthed, know-it-all bosses that we have all faced. This is the same guy that makes Hermey--the elf that doesn't want to make toys but would rather be a dentist--feel like such a misfit that he runs away from Christmas Town. When he's not managing the toy shop, the elf boss is directing the elf choir and orchestra. He may be a bully but that elf knows how to conduct a good performance.
Another outstanding elf in this 1964 animated TV special is the tall elf with glasses. In the video clip above, he's the one that sings the line "We don't like to brag..." I also like the elf with the sunglasses hitching up the team of reindeer to Santa's sleigh.
Most of the elves in the 1964 special don't have names--but you can call him Roy Orbison.
"I want to be...a den-tist!"
1. Hermey from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Everyone's favorite elf is Hermey--even if he doesn't want to be like the other toymaker elves. Rudolph with his red shiny nose and Hermey with his desire to be a dentist leave the North Pole seeking their destinies elsewhere. Rudolph's nose turns out to be a value to Santa Claus when a blinding snowstorm threatens to ground his sleigh. But if you'll remember, it is Hermey's skill at dentistry that allows Rudolph (and his family) to escape from the clutches of the Abominable Snow Monster. So Hermey is as much of a hero at the end of the story as anyone. Maybe Hermey's inspiring story should earn him his own Christmas song as well?
Much like Rudolph, Hermey turns his unique ability into an asset.
Do you have a favorite elf from Rankin/Bass animation that I didn't mention? Please make sure to check out the other essays about TV Sidekicks in the Classic Film & TV Café blogathon.
Now I have the song "We are Santa's Elves" stuck in my head.
The 80s family sitcom Mr. Belvedere always stood out to me. I remember the series initially grabbed my attention because retired baseball player Bob Uecker played the role of the father George. You may also remember that Uecker was in those attention-getting Miller Lite beer commercials in the 80s too. But what kept me watching the sitcom was the relationship between young Wesley and the butler Lynn Belvedere. Those two loved to tease and torture each other but they shared an engaging affection that was enjoyable to watch. Are you a Mr. Belvedere fan too?
Remember this cast of characters? Top row: Mr. Belvedere. Seated: left to right-George, Heather, Kevin, Wesley, and Marsha.
The fourth season of the series produced a memorable holiday episode. 1987's "Christmas Story" offers a gentle plot but one that ends satisfyingly. Let me remind you about it.
George and Marsha are trying to create a pleasant holiday for every member of the family.
The family is decorating for Christmas and planning the upcoming celebration. Mr. Belvedere explains to the family that he will help prepare the holiday meal but he'll leave it for them to serve themselves reminding them that Christmas is his day off. Marsha welcomes Mr. Belvedere to join them for the special feast, making it clear that they consider him a member of the family too. However, Belvedere says that his tradition is to spend Christmas alone and he prefers it that way.
Mr. Belvedere refuses to help Kevin go on a ski trip over Christmas.
In their own way, each of the children are also looking to separate themselves from the family's traditional celebration. Kevin is hoping to convince his parents to let him skip the family Christmas plans so he can go skiing in the Poconos with a group of sorority girls. Heather has been invited by her best friend Angela to join her family in the Bahamas. And, greedy Wesley has declared a religious conversion to Judaism so he can cash in on eight nights of gifts during Hanukkah.
Wesley wants to light the menorah but George gives his son a lesson on the true meaning of Hanukkah--and it's NOT about receiving gifts.
These efforts to evade the family's holiday time together hurts Marsha's feelings and she refuses to give her permission to her children for their plans. Everyone begins bickering so they barely notice when Wesley abandons his latest get-rich-quick scheme.
This is turning out to be a miserable Christmas for everyone.
Heather should have known better than to let her little brother dig through Mr. Belvedere's things.
It turns out Wesley and Heather went snooping in Mr. Belvedere's private belongings hoping to get an idea for a Christmas gift for him. They find a pocket watch and a note hidden in a box. Based on the watch's inscription and a cherished letter written in December 1941, Wesley thinks Mr. Belvedere mourns a lost love each Christmas and that's what makes him sad. Wesley decides to hunt down the woman Pamela who wrote the letter some 40 years earlier. He reasons that if he can bring these two love birds together again, Mr. Belvedere will thank him later.
Pamela and Lynn are reunited after more than 40 years apart.
Wesley does indeed track down Pamela in northern England and brings her to Pittsburgh for Christmas. Mr. Belvedere is caught more than a little off-guard when he discovers this guest on the doorstep on Christmas Eve. Young Wesley has jumped to conclusions from reading the inscription and the letter--causing an awkward reunion for Lynn and Pamela.
Who is going to pay for Pamela's travel expenses?
Later, Mr. Belvedere explains that he did share a few tender moments with Pamela during the dark days of the Blitz many years ago. However, he keeps the letter and the pocket watch to remind him of his friends he lost during the war--and that is why he feels sad at Christmas time. His feelings of loss help him stay connected to the people that he was once close with.
Don't worry--this show never gets too dark! Even a soft moment like this includes comedy gold.
In the end, Heather and Kevin choose to stay home for Christmas to spend time with the family. Everyone is happy again--except for George who realizes he may have to pay for Pamela's first-class flight from England as Wesley's gift to Mr. Belvedere.
It's nice to see Lynn's feelings--even his mournful, sad ones--aren't expected to change. For many of us, a variety of feelings and emotions come up at Christmas time and I think it seems authentic and respectful to let the character of Mr. Belvedere feel whatever he chooses. For this, I find the episode satisfying.
