Christmas TV History

Friday, July 14, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: A Diva's Christmas Carol (2000)

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #14 in the month-long celebration of Christmas entertainment. Each day this month I will be sharing brief reminisces about Christmas TV episodes, specials, and movies that are a creative or imaginative adaptation of Charles Dickens' tale A CHRISTMAS CAROL. 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 will be released soon).

Today's discussion is actually a favorite of mine--the feature-length comedy A Diva's Christmas Carol from 2000 starring Vanessa Williams. The movie made its debut on VH-1 and was written and directed by Richard Schenkman.

Now THAT'S a diva! Vanessa Williams as Ebony

What happens when the biggest pop star in show business behaves like a selfish, demanding diva at Christmas? She’s treated to a rock n’ roll version of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” to give her the opportunity to learn from her mistakes before it’s too late. This holiday story is a parody of show business egomaniacs and the movie is filled with fun music references. Here, the Scrooge character is Ebony, a successful recording artist who wants to make even more money and fame at the expense of her crew and staff. Bob Crachett is her road manager who is forced to work on Christmas day along with all the other staff members when the insufferable Ebony wants to make profits off of holiday tourists in New York City. Ebony is warned by the ghost of her former singing partner Marli Jacob, dressed in leather collar and chains, to change her attitude. Ebony is visited by several more ghosts that evening as well, including a vision of her future courtesy of the VH-1 documentary series “Behind the Music,” where she sees her legacy as a pop star is not as she wants it.

Pardon my thumb! The original TV Guide magazine ad from 2000.

This adaptation with an attitude is rich in references to popular culture, fashion, the music industry and show business. Viewers are also treated to Vanessa Williams singing “Sleigh Ride” and the movie’s opening and closing song “The Heart of Christmas.”

The star-studded cast includes Vanessa Williams as the diva Ebony, Brian McNamara as Bob Cratchett, Kathy Griffin as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Duran Duran’s John Taylor as the Ghost of Christmas Present, singer Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas from TLC as Marli Jacob, singer Brian McKnight as himself, and music producer Nile Rogers as a record exec in Ebony’s documentary “Behind the Music.”

Note: in 2022, VH-1 aired a new TV movie A New Diva's Christmas Carol starring Ashanti. While this more recent release is also an adaptation of Dickens' literary classic and its story centers around a pop singer making a Christmas TV special, it is quite different from the 2000 movie in writing and tone.

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

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: Ms. Scrooge (1997)

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #13 in the month-long celebration of Christmas entertainment. Each day this month I will be sharing brief reminisces about Christmas TV episodes, specials, and movies that are a creative or imaginative adaptation of Charles Dickens' tale A CHRISTMAS CAROL. 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 will be released soon).

Today's discussion is on the 1997 TV movie Ms. Scrooge starring Cicely Tyson as Ebenita Scrooge. Here Ebenita is a successful banker who loves Christmas because people always over-spend and over-borrow money from which she makes her profit. Ebenita is visited by her former boss Maude Marley who warns her about her greed. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows Ebenita visions of her father’s struggle to run his own grocery store, her brother’s death in the war, and her choice of a career over love. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Ebenita her employee Bob Cratchit’s family and his need for a decent health care plan. The Ghost of Christmas Future shows her that no one benefits after her death when the government claims her estate and her wealth.

While this Dickens' adaptation is not the first with a woman in the lead role nor is it the first African-American character as Scrooge, it is the first with a black woman as the central character--a popular feature that has been repeated many times since.

This TV movie made its debut on the USA network and has since been released on home video.

This Scrooge story ends with Ebenita in church after her Christmas Eve transformation. While this isn't the only TV or film adaptation to send Scrooge to church, it is one that forwards the central role of the Black church for African Americans. TV fans may notice that this film is directed by John Korty, the same person who directed Tyson in the TV movie classic The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.

The cast includes Cicely Tyson as Ebenita Scrooge, Katherine Helmond as Maude Marley, and John Bourgeois as Bob Cratchit.

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: Ebbie (1995)

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #12 in the month-long celebration of Christmas entertainment. Each day this month I will be sharing brief reminisces about Christmas TV episodes, specials, and movies that are a creative or imaginative adaptation of Charles Dickens' tale A CHRISTMAS CAROL. 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 will be released soon).

Ebbie is played by Susan Lucci who also known for her long-running iconic role as Erica Kane on the TV soap "All My Children."

Today's discussion is on the 1995 Lifetime movie Ebbie. This feature-length adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol" is the first TV movie to cast a woman as Ebenezer Scrooge, here named Elizabeth ‘Ebbie’ Scrooge.

In this story, Ebbie is the business-minded owner of a successful department store, assisted by Roberta Cratchet. Cleverly, the Ghosts of Christmas are embodied by two women, previously seen in the department store as perfume counter girls, now dressed as singers whose costumes change according to the time period Ebbie is visiting--from 1960s girl group singers to 1990s heavy metal performers.

1995 TV Guide magazine advertisement

Jeffrey DeMunn here plays Jake Marley. His long career has also seen him as Dale on "The Walking Dead."

This 90's movie also features an amazing cast: Susan Lucci as Ebbie, Molly Parker as her sister Fran, Wendy Crewson as Robbie Cratchet, Taran Noah Smith as Tim Cratchet, Laura Harris as Martha Cratchet, Jeffrey DeMunn as Jake Marley, and Jennifer Clement and Nicole Parker as the Ghosts of Christmas.

This TV movie is so iconic that it was mentioned as a pop culture reference on the TV series Will & Grace in the 2002 holiday episode “All About Christmas Eve.”

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: John Grin's Christmas (1986)

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #11 in the month-long celebration of Christmas entertainment. Each day this month I will be sharing brief reminisces about Christmas TV episodes, specials, and movies that are a creative or imaginative adaptation of Charles Dickens' tale A CHRISTMAS CAROL. 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 will be released soon).

Robert Guillaume as this story's Scrooge--here named John Grin. Guillaume also directed this program.

Today's discussion is on the 1986 TV special John Grin's Christmas--clocking in at one hour in length with commercials. This holiday special is a contemporary adaptation of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” featuring an African-American cast. Actor Robert Guillaume stars in the lead role of John Grin--this story’s Ebenezer Scrooge. Guillaume also directs this program.

In this story, John Grin is a wealthy businessman and toy factory owner. He is miserly with his money and ignores the spirit of the season. As you expect, he is visited by three ghosts. The first ghost takes him into the past to remind him of the reason he avoids the holiday: his parents and sister died in a house fire on Christmas day when he was ten years old. The second ghost shows John how his selfishness and greed effect those around him in his community. Grin sees how the local orphans live without his charity, how his accountant Sam struggles to provide for his family without a living wage increase, and how a local boy named Rocky scrapes by to find a Christmas gift for his mother without much opportunity for employment. The third ghost visits Grin and treats him to a 1940s jazz-inspired nightmare of his death after a lifetime of treating others so poorly. On Christmas morning, John Grin awakens vowing to change his life and do better for others. After delivering gifts to the orphans and spreading Christmas cheer, John Grin spends the day in church.

There are multiple music references in this story. The song heard during Grin’s vision of his death is the Miles Davis classic “So What.” Canadian jazz singer Phyllis Marshall plays the blind woman in multiple scenes throughout the movie. Jackie Richardson performs a gospel-inspired song in the church scene near the end, singing “Joy to the World." The song “You Forgot About Love” is written and performed by Kevin Guillaume, the real-life son of Robert Guillaume.

Geoffrey Holder as the Ghost of Christmas Future. "Crisp and clean with no caffeine."

The cast includes Robert Guillaume as John Grin, Roscoe Lee Browne as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Ted Lange as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Geoffrey Holder as the Ghost of Christmas Future, Alfonso Ribeiro as Rocky, Kevin Guillaume as Sam, and Jackie Richardson as Mrs. Alcott.

Monday, July 10, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: Skinflint (1979)

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #10 in the month-long celebration of Christmas entertainment. Each day this month I will be sharing brief reminisces about Christmas TV episodes, specials, and movies that are a creative or imaginative adaptation of Charles Dickens' tale A CHRISTMAS CAROL. 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 will be released soon).

Today's discussion is on the 1979 musical Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol. The feature-length contemporary adaptation of Charles Dickens’ tale "A Christmas Carol" features a cast of country music’s hottest recording artists of the 1970s. The country music stars include Hoyt Axton, Lynn Anderson, Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass, Larry Gatlin, Julie Gregg, Tom T. Hall, Barbara Mandrell, Martha Raye, The Statler Brothers, Mel Tillis, and Dottie West. This musical's book is by Mel Mandel with lyrics and music by Mel Mandel, Norman Sacks, and Aaron Schroeder.

In this musical story, the head of the Flint City Bank, Cyrus Flint, is visited by the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future to inspire him to transform his life. The classic Dickens' tale is updated to modern day, however viewers will easily recognize the familiar story and characters, including Flint as Ebenezer Scrooge, Roger as the nephew Fred, Dennis Pritchett as Bob Cratchit, Emmy as the finacé Belle, and TJ as Tiny Tim.

The cast includes Hoyt Axton as Cyrus Flint, Tom T. Hall as Jacob Burley, Mel Tillis as Dennis Pritchett, Lynn Anderson as Laura Pritchett, Larry Gatlin as Roger, Julie Gregg as Roger’s wife Joan, Barbara Mandrell as Emmy, Dottie West as bank teller Annabelle Williams, Martha Raye as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass as the Ghosts of Christmas Present, David Bond as The Ghost of Christmas Future, Dave Madden as the charity collector, and The Statler Brothers as the singing group The Flint City Four.

The songs in the production include "Christmas is Just Around the Corner" (Tillis/Gatlin), "The Happiest Man with the Million Dollar Smile" (Statler Brothers), "They Call Me Skinflint" (Axton), "Sitting in That Chair" (Anderson), "Turn Around" (Hall), "Honey in the Hive" (ensemble), "You’re Free to Go" (Mandrell), "Sonny, You’re a Dummy" (Raye), "I’ll Go to My Grave Loving You" (Statler Brothers), "All The Loving I Get From You" (Anderson), "Put the Roses Back in my Cheeks Again" (West), "Crossover the River" (Gatlin), "In That Empty Chair" (Tillis), "Dilly of a Day" (Axton), and "If Ever There Was a Christmas" (ensemble).

Wouldn't it be great to see a major network re-stage this Christmas musical with country music's biggest stars of today? I'd watch that!

Sunday, July 9, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: Ebenezer (1998)

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #9 in the month-long celebration of Christmas entertainment. Each day this month I will be sharing brief reminisces about Christmas TV episodes, specials, and movies that are a creative or imaginative adaptation of Charles Dickens' tale A CHRISTMAS CAROL. 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 will be released soon).

Actor Jack Palance makes a wonderful Ebenezer Scrooge.

Today's discussion is on the 1998 feature-length drama Ebenezer starring Jack Palance. This cable TV movie is also a Western, making this familiar British tale particularly American. Jack Palance is perfectly cast as this story’s Scrooge, here a wealthy but greedy saloon owner. Cratchitt works for him tending bar. The story begins on Christmas Eve, with Ebenezer cheating at a poker game against Sam Benson in order to win all that Benson owns: his money, his land, and even his horse. The former saloon owner, the deceased Jacob Marlowe, comes to Ebenezer as a ghost to warn him about changing his fate. In the meantime, Benson discovers how Ebenezer has cheated at cards and challenges him to a shoot-out on Christmas day at noon in the street.

On Christmas Eve, Ebenezer is visited by three ghosts. The Ghost of Christmas Past is a Native American girl, the Ghost of Christmas Present is a sheriff, and the Ghost of Christmas Future is a cloaked figure that shows him the following day’s gun fight in which the young Benson is killed. Ebenezer awakens on Christmas morning, beckoned to come to the street and draw his gun upon Benson.

The cast includes Jack Palance as Ebenezer Scrooge, Rick Schroder as Sam Benson, Albert Schultz as Bob Cratchitt, Richard Halliday as Jacob Marlowe, Daryl Shuttleworth as nephew Fred, and Amy Locane as Benson’s fiance Erica Marlowe.

The setting for this adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is the American West. For an earlier TV movie with an American setting--and a uniquely American capitalist take on charity--see my previous discussion on 1979's An American Christmas Carol linked HERE.

Saturday, July 8, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: Carol for Another Christmas (1964)

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #8 in the month-long celebration of Christmas entertainment. Each day this month I will be sharing brief reminisces about Christmas TV episodes, specials, and movies that are a creative or imaginative adaptation of Charles Dickens' tale A CHRISTMAS CAROL. 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 will be released soon).

Today's discussion is on the 1964 feature-length drama Carol for Another Christmas, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and written by Rod Serling. This version of Charles Dickens’ "A Christmas Carol" is not a faithful adaptation but rather, one with a particular political viewpoint--an anti-isolationist message against war, calling for diplomacy and compassion during the Cold War-era in which it was made. This movie was one among several TV specials the Xerox corporation produced in order to promote the United Nations. Carol for Another Christmas is not the typical feel-good Christmas movie that one would gather the family around the television to watch year after year. Instead, it is a celebrity-filled message movie with a very particular viewpoint.

Daniel Grudge and the Ghost of Christmas Past (Sterling Hayden and Steve Lawrence, respectively).

In place of Ebenezer Scrooge, the story centers around the wealthy industrialist Daniel Grudge who is home alone on Christmas Eve, immersed in his sadness at holiday time. Daniel’s only son Marley was killed in battle during World War II. His nephew Fred visits Daniel to invite him to share Christmas with him but Grudge is not interested in sharing his Christmas in the company of others--especially someone whose politics he does not share. Grudge clearly outlines his personal values and political views of isolationism, espousing “minding one’s own business” and the backing of military escalation called “peace through strength.”

Later, that night Daniel is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, a World War I soldier minding a troop transport ship loaded with coffins of soldiers from history’s wars. The Ghost reminds Daniel that if we don’t embrace diplomacy and talking, we can not resolve conflict. Daniel is escorted to his own past, to a hospital in Hiroshima where he sees flashburned children, and where the Ghost explains that the weapons of today’s armies threaten humanity’s entire future. Next, Daniel meets the Ghost of Christmas Present, who is enjoying a sumptuous feast in front of a refugee camp filled with hungry, displaced persons. When questioned by Daniel, the Ghost explains that he reflects Daniel’s own beliefs in selective morality. He challenges Daniel’s ability to feel compassion for the hungry only when he can see them and to feel nothing for those he knows are hungry but he doesn’t have to look at. The Ghost reminds Daniel of the current troubling statistics of the world’s hungry, sick, displaced, and those suffering under tyranny.

In the most disturbing scenes, Daniel is escorted by the Ghost of Christmas Future to the crumbling town hall of Daniel’s hometown some time in the future. A devastating nuclear war has destroyed the world, but a few of the survivors gather in the building’s ruins. They are led by a man who calls himself the Imperial Me, who convinces the few surviving individuals to remain alone and unto themselves. He argues that coming together and working towards a common goal is what brought about the civilization that created the nuclear war in the first place--so to survive everyone must remain an individual and alone.

When Daniel awakens Christmas morning, he recognizes the error of his isolationist political philosophy. Newly transformed, he apologizes to his nephew Fred. As the two men listen to a radio broadcast of the children of UN delegates singing Christmas carols, Daniel, now embracing the dictum "no man is an island," remarks that diplomacy may not solve all the world’s nations' problems but it’s a hopeful start towards possibilities.

Although this film doesn’t attempt a faithful adaptation of Dickens’ classic work, it does contain quite a few essential elements and interesting details from the original story. At the film’s start, like Scrooge, Grudge embraces the lack of compassion for- and responsibility to- others including the underprivileged. Like Scrooge, during Daniel’s visits to Christmases past, present and future, the three ghosts remind him of his own cruel words spoken earlier to his nephew Fred--which he comes to regret. And just like in the original, the future is represented as a frightening possibility if Daniel doesn’t change his actions and beliefs in the present.

TV critics and academics have long trashed this production, however its ultimate destiny should lie in the hands of fans of its writer Rod Serling. Watching it feels like an extended Twilight Zone episode: A man finds himself subject to unexpected supernatural influences, forced to live out the logical conclusions of his political philosophy. At times, the movie feels much like a time capsule portraying the political environment of the mid-1960s and its Cold War ethics. However, many of the political views of the 1960s, though couched in different terms, still remain with us today, though perhaps not in such broad strokes.

Some viewers may be surprised by politics working their way into a Christmas story, however as a Christmas TV historian, I've seen numerous political Christmas stories and this isn't even the earliest example!

Carol for Another Christmas was not seen in decades but in the last ten years, it has been airing on Turner Classic Movies and now is often available through streaming platforms that license TCM (including Max).

The cast includes Sterling Hayden as Daniel Grudge, Ben Gazzara as the nephew Fred, Steve Lawrence as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Eva Marie Saint as Lt. Gibson, James Shigeta as the Hiroshima doctor, Pat Hingle as The Ghost of Christmas Present, Robert Shaw as the Ghost of Christmas Future, Peter Sellers as the Imperial Me, Percy Rodriguez as the butler Charles, Barbara Ann Teer as Ruby, and Britt Eckland as the knitting mother in the scenes of the future.

The movie’s theme music was written by Henry Mancini and was released on his 1966 album “A Merry Mancini Christmas.”

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About Christmas TV History