Christmas in July 2017: Randall Buie

 
Christmas in July 2017: Randall Buie from Henderson, Nevada

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

Although he never appears in a Santa suit during the movie, my favorite actor portraying Santa is Douglas Seale from Ernest Saves Christmas.  He is jolly without being over the top and he portrays the love of children, the love of his job, and the love of the holiday that you would expect from the man at the North Pole.

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

"Mork's First Christmas" from the first season of Mork and Mindy.  It's fun watching Mork discover the holiday, interpret what he finds in his own unique way, and then save the day after he messes up.  And, hey, it's got Robin Williams!  How can you go wrong.

3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

While I'm not adverse to watching holiday television during the year, I've found that it's most entertaining during the October to December time frame. There are exceptions, of course. If I'm watching old TV series that are being stripped by local or digital stations (M*A*S*H or The Simpsons, for example) I will watch the Christmas episodes when they air.  But I seldom go into my library to find Christmas programs any other time than the last three months of the year. Watching holiday programming during the spring and early summer makes me pine for the season. Christmas entertainment should leave you feeling happy and hopeful, not sad and longing.

4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment?

While we subscribe to basic and premium cable television, I find myself watching very little of it. Any broadcast programs that I watch other than sports or news (and there are very few) are usually DVR'ed and watched as a group.

I've never gotten into the streaming systems. Their content holds very little interest to me. For example, my wife has a Netflix (DVD and streaming) subscription. My tastes are so "unique" that I rarely find anything listed on the site that I want to watch (documentaries mainly).

The vast majority of my Christmas entertainment is stored in my home library. VHS, DVD, and even Beta (yep, I still have an operating Beta player) are my major sources of holiday entertainment. Last year I bought a Blu-Ray player mainly because I wanted to own a copy of Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol with the commentary track along with the Marx Brothers' collection with the recently discovered footage on Animal Crackers and the Monkees' feature movie Head with the commentary track. I think my Blu-Ray purchases will be very few because I don't see much of a difference in picture quality between it and DVD.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

Well, first on the list would have to be Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol although I would hate to take a Blu-Ray player to the island to play only one disc. I also would like to have Muppet Family Christmas and Rich Little's Christmas Carol.  But mainly I would like to take my Christmas CD collection. While video Christmas is important to me, I couldn't make it through the season without hearing music from Elvis, the Fab Four (the tribute Beatles' band that released two sensational Christmas CDs), the Four Seasons or Leon Redbone.

Christmas in July 2017: Jim Inman

 
Christmas in July 2017: Jim Inman - co-admin for the Yahoo Group Christmas Movies and Music

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

I would have to say that I have always enjoyed the realness of Kris Kringle in the original Miracle on 34th Street.  Edmund Gwenn was a real person that you could touch, talk to, see and engage.  He had that twinkle in his eye throughout the movie, and made me believe (at a young age) that he was the real Santa Claus.

A close second would be David Huddleston in the film Santa Claus: The Movie.  The first half of the film, where we meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, was truly magical.  You saw the lights and magic at the North Pole, and the kindness in all of their actions to children around the world.

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

That is a tough question!  While it may not be a favorite, one that I've recently discovered is the Season 1 episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, titled "Christmas and the Hard-Luck Kid II."  As the newest employee at WJM in Minneapolis, Mary has to work on Christmas Eve.  It's the first time she's away from her family, and Mary tries to make the most of the evening by decorating her desk with Christmas pieces, watches The Nutcracker on television and even reaches out to a lonely soul on a CB radio.  When she realizes that she isn't alone in the building, and she begins to panic... well, that's the best part of the episode!  It's definitely a heart-warming episode from one of the greatest television sitcoms ever.

3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

I watch "as needed," so yes - I do watch year round.  I'm glad I was part of a generation who understood the importance of waiting for those specials to come on just one time a year... and how our family planned activities around Rudolph, Charlie Brown, Frosty, etc. As I got a bit older, I can remember the excitement of walking into the local video store and finding those specials available to rent during the summer months - how awesome to be able to watch Christmas movies during summer vacations!  Over the years I've accumulated a lot of Christmas specials on DVD, and found many rare gems on YouTube and other online sources.  Those special cartoons, musical treats and holiday classics are great to fall asleep to, or just to relax and enjoy on a quiet afternoon.

4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment?

I use all the above!  I stream most of my viewing these days (no broadcast television), so much of my holiday viewing comes from finds on Roku channels.  There are a few Christmas channels that offer some special broadcasts (https://www.rokuguide.com/roku-christmas-channels), so I have those added to my options to watch.  I have YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime and more to stream specials, and lots of things are available there.  I have checked my local library for things, but most of what they have is already readily available, so I haven't found much there for viewing (but they have a nice collection of holiday books to enjoy.)

I will add that one of my favorite sources of holiday entertainment is old-time radio.  For over thirty years I have listened to old radio broadcasts from the 1930s and 1940s.  These shows - comedies, dramas, reenactments of films - all create a different experience in Christmas cheer.  If you are a Christmas fan, and want to hear some of your favorite classic entertainers (Bing Crosby, Doris Day, the cast of Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life, and many more), I would highly recommend finding these shows on archive.org or on YouTube (search for "old time radio Christmas") and be prepared for great entertainment!

from the 1968 Dean Martin Christmas show.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!) what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

* I would need It's a Wonderful Life.  When I have challenging days, that movie helps remind me of the good in the world.  Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed complement one another so well in the film, and show how important it is to have loved ones and friends around you.
* I think having the unedited, original Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer would be great to have.  Perhaps if I'm stranded, Rudolph could find his way out to pick me up while headed to the Island of Misfit Toys!
* For my third option, I would like a surprise... but I would like it to be one of those 1960s-1980s Christmas specials full of random Hollywood stars who laugh, sing, dance, drink, play and have fun all in the name of holiday cheer.  Bring out some Bing, some Dean, some John Davidson, some Osmonds, maybe even Lawrence Welk... just some classic characters who would just make us laugh and smile during the broadcast.  There's nothing like that on television anymore, and it's a lost art.

Christmas in July 2017: Ronda Roxbury

Christmas in July 2017: Ronda Roxbury

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

Santa Claus....merciful heavens there are so many....

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

I still love Alf!!!

3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

I love Christmas movies. The meaning of the season is not only about our Savior's birth but love, joy, peace and all those warm fuzzy feelings. I will watch a Christmas movie anytime all year long.

4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment?

We just cut the cable. We now have Sling TV and Amazon Prime. I always watch It's a Wonderful Life. I have it on VHS and DVD.  I also stream it. Usually after all the Thanksgiving meal is over and the family has gone home, Don and I will pop in the DVD and watch It's a Wonderful Life then we know the holidays are upon us!

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

It's a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Charles Dickens' The Scrooge.

Christmas in July 2017: Ed South

Christmas in July 2017: Ed South - "What's Your Favorite Movie?" podcast available on iTunes and Spreaker. Twitter: @edsouth and @WYFMoviePodcast (Don't miss episode 17 with guest Joanna Wilson!)

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus? 

 There's been so many portrayals and depictions of Santa Claus over the years, and some of them have become as much a part of my Christmas season as the real Santa at the mall that it's hard to pick just one! One of my favorites is Hal Smith who has played the Man with the Bag in more than a few of my holiday favorites. He first donned the red suit in the season one Christmas episode of The Brady Bunch, "The Voice of Christmas" from 1969. This is the Santa lap which little Cindy Brady sat upon and asked for her mother's laryngitis to be cured in time for Christmas Eve mass. A clip from the Santa scene was also used in the 1989 TV movie A Very Brady Christmas.

Hal Smith also played Santa in a handful of Hanna-Barbera productions including my all-time favorite Christmas episode "Christmas Flintstone" from the 5th season of The Flintstones circa 1964.  Smith voiced Santa again when H-B essentially remade the Flintstones Christmas episode into an hour long special in 1977, creatively titled A Flintstone Christmas. Smith continued to vocally appear as Santa in the Hanna-Barbera productions Casper's First Christmas and Yogi's First Christmas. Both of those cartoons are favorites of mine as well.

Other favorite Santas of mine are Douglas Seale from Ernest Saves Christmas and Paul Frees' performance in the 1969 Frosty the Snowman special.

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

As I mentioned, I love The Brady Bunch and Flintstones' Christmas episodes. Some of my other favorites are:
-"Santa's Helper," Date With The Angels (1957)
-"A Very Merry Christmas," The Donna Reed Show (1958)
-"No Room at the Inn," Newhart (1982)
-"ALF's Special Christmas," ALF (1987)

3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

I will watch Christmas movies and TV shows exclusively from Nov.1 through the first week of January - but I have a strict rule about watching any Christmas goodness outside of that extended holiday season. When I was younger I did a Christmas in July and watched a bunch of my Christmas videos over the summer, then when the holiday season was upon us - I felt like I had just watched everything and wasn't up for viewing some of the holiday classics again. That was almost 30 years ago and it's still a memory that has made the November and December Only rule a self-imposed law to this day!

4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment?

During the year I mostly consume television and movies through DVD and DVR. I subscribe to Netflix and Amazon Prime but find I don't use them as much as the Netflix DVD service. I also use the DirecTV app to scour the TV listing looking for unusual and odd programs and movies to record.  When Christmas time rolls around, I turn into a treasure hunter looking for obscure and unheard of titles that I've never seen before. I'll search out Christmas episodes of series I've never watched and try to find them on air or DVD.  I also have a large collection of Holiday DVD and VHS that I have been amassing since I was a kid in the 80's. Now, I know my collection isn't near as extensive as dear Joanna, but I've upped my game in the past few years. This past year my collection outgrew the large tote I keep them all stored in and I now have DVD and VHS split into separate totes.

from Ernest Saves Christmas.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

If I was stranded on an island, my first mission would not be to try and get rescued right away. I'm a stay-at-home dad with three kids. I would certainly enjoy the peace and quiet of a deserted island for a little while...like maybe a couple of months. My three island video rentals would be: 1) A Charlie Brown Christmas - I could watch that one over and over again and probably never tire of it! 2) Ernest Saves Christmas - Another one I could watch endlessly and Ernest is like a dear ol' buddy to me so he would be some welcome company on the island. 3) A Very Brady Christmas - I would kill the hours by dedicating myself to memorizing every line of dialog from this fine 1988 TV-movie!

Christmas in July 2017: Linda Young

Christmas in July 2017: Linda M. Young from  www.flyingdreams.org

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

Oh, I think that has to be Edmund Gwenn from Miracle on 34th Street. *I* would certainly believe his Kris Kringle to be Santa Claus. (Confession: I also have a fondness for Mr. Nicholson in Lassie's "Gift of Love.")

from the 1976 episode "The Best Christmas" of The Waltons.

 
2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

This is like asking Olivia Walton to choose which of the seven kids is her favorite. Probably "Merry Gentlemen" from All Creatures Great and Small because it's so old-fashioned. But must toss in for honorable mention all those black and white Timmy and Lassie episodes, The Good Life/Good Neighbors Christmas episode, and "The Best Christmas" from The Waltons. And "Christmas on the Airwaves" from Remember WENN. And the Christmas episodes from an old favorite I don't mention often enough, WSBK-TV38's local show Ask the Manager. This is too hard!!! :-)

3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

I usually just watch Christmas entertainment at Christmas--but for me that goes from Black Friday to January 6 (or maybe even January 13, St. Knut's Day), so there's lots of time to enjoy it all. Sometimes if I'm depressed I will put on something Christmassy, like one of the Lassie episodes.

4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment?

The majority of my viewing is done on DVD. I recorded a lot of Christmas programs on videotape and transferred them to DVD. Today a lot of what I recorded is now on professional DVD, but I still have the originals I taped, like A Very Merry Cricket and "The Best Christmas" and the Lassie stories. Because, really, how can one celebrate Christmas properly without John Denver and the Muppets, or A Muppet Family Christmas, or watching Joe and Dana/Dan and Dana clown around on the Ask the Manager set? I still have a few pro videotapes, too, like The Raccoons Christmas (with Rupert Holmes and Roberta Flack doing the music) and Perry Como's Christmas in Many Lands. (GetTV repeated several of the Como specials featured on that tape last Christmas. I still have them on the DVR. It was super seeing them again. I love Perry Como. They also had a Carpenters special, an Osmonds and Andy Williams special, the Judy Garland Show Christmas episode, and some Christmas episodes of The Merv Griffin Show.) I've found a few rarities on YouTube and promptly downloaded them, too. I can't really watch Christmas specials on "live television" anymore. The big commercial breaks make the stories too disjointed and I lose all my seasonal feeling when favorite scenes are ripped out for additional commercials. We have Britbox this year, so hoping they come up with something good at Christmas. I would love to see some old British Christmas documentaries, like Christmas Past (my copy is missing 10 minutes), and ones they did about Christmas' pagan roots and also one about Charles Dickens and the "invention" of Christmas. Ditto Acorn TV. Would love to see them pick up some Canadian Christmas programming, including a very weird movie called North Station (Station Nord) that I caught once on Netflix.

 

from the 1972 TV movie The House Without a Christmas Tree.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

As much as I hate to leave Rudolph and Charlie Brown out of the mix, this has to be The Homecoming, The House Without a Christmas Tree, and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. The others I love, but these three live in my heart. (I still want to sneak aboard my Ask the Manager and Lassie episodes, though.)

Christmas in July 2017: Cathie Kahle

Christmas TV Party - Cathie Kahle, member of Christmas Movies and Music

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

Wow, this one is hard. I think my favorite all time Santa has to be the Coca Cola Santa, David Huddleston (Santa Claus: The Movie) and the Santa from the 1959 movie Santa Claus. It's funny because Patch is the Elf in Santa Claus: The Movie and Pitch is the devil in Santa Claus.

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

I think my favorite episode is I Love Lucy where Lucy, Ricky, Ethel and Fred all dress up as Santa for Little Ricky. Season 6 Episode 11 shown on 12/24/56. I like the surprise at the end when there is a 5th Santa!!

3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

I watch occasionally. Not because I don't like to watch, but because it gives me something to look forward too! And I like looking forward to watching. It keeps it special for me. I'm really looking forward to Christmas in July on Hallmark and HMM. :)

4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment?

I have Satellite and a DVR. I'm able to create my own DVD's on my laptop with the Honestech VHS to DVD software and modem. I have around 700-800 DVD's that I've recorded. The rest I've purchased. I have over 1100 DVD's.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

Unfortunately, I'm unable to picture myself on a deserted island. Lol Too Hot...and no electricity. Lol I know, I'll be on a deserted island in Alaska! I'd take White Christmas, which is my all time favorite Christmas movie! I watch it Christmas Eve every year while wrapping presents. Elf, because it's such a fun movie, and to include something sappy, I'll take A Season for Miracles. I love this one a lot. Patty Duke and Vanessa Redgrave are fantastic in it!! The rest of the cast is wonderful too!  And I am going to throw another good one in the mix. A Smoky Mountain Christmas with Dolly Parton and Lee Majors. I love the kids in this movie, and of course you can't go wrong with Dolly's music!!

Christmas in July 2017: Mitchell Hadley

 
Christmas in July 2017: Mitchell Hadley, from It's About TV!

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

Easy answer here - Edmund Gwenn from Miracle on 34th Street. He convinces you that Santa Claus not only has a British accent, but should have one. His interaction with children is marvelous. Runner-up: Fred Astaire in The Man in the Santa Claus Suit. Santa should be omniscient, don't you think?

from 1967's Christmas episode of Dragnet.

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

Tough one, because most of the series television I've watched doesn't really offer a Christmas episode, per se. (I don't think I've ever seen "a very special episode of The Fugitive, for example). But I'll go along with "The Big Little Jesus" on the classic Dragnet because it avoids excess sentimentality, and gives us a chance to see Friday and Smith working this job just like any other. Until you get to the end, you really fear for the criminal who has to explain his actions to Friday!

3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

Only during the holidays. For me, Christmas is a time of great anticipation, and it's always been inextricably intertwined with sensations - the weather turning cooler, the sun setting earlier, snow on the ground (at least in Minnesota), decorations going up (even though that seems to happen earlier every year), Thanksgiving. Personal opinion only, but for me if the anticipation is drawn out too far, it loses its appeal. Besides, Advent doesn't start until the end of November!

4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment? 

A combination of my own DVDs and streaming services such as YouTube and Amazon prime. I like to think I've got a pretty good collection of classic movies and television shows, but it's always fun to find more and more obscure specials from the '50s and '60s online. It's nice to have something new to look forward to each year, and we've been fortunate enough in that respect that we don't even try and watch everything every year - if you feel like you have to force it in, it just isn't as much fun.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

Wonderful question! I'll say (1) Amahl and the Night Visitors, because I've written enough about it that I have a reputation to defend, (2) the "Christmas Through the Ages" episodes of The Bell Telephone Hour, because they remind you of what Christmas really did feel like once, and (3) a tie between We're No Angels, because it's a terrific Bogart comedy and there's great interaction between the "angels," and Miracle on 34th Street, which is such a good satire on so many levels, from the law to psychiatry to child development. It's really a very sharp commentary on our times, which makes it more than just a Christmas movie.