I can only complement this charming film with another in which Santa visits two children, sits down in a comfy chaie and says, "Now let me tell you two how monkeys celebrate Christmas."
Two Republicans are at a bar. The first Republican says "You know who I really like? I know she's a Democrat, but that Tulsi Gabbard is hot. Mm-mm-mm."
The second one says "She is, but she's got nothing on Ivanka. Beautiful face, gorgeous body, great big perfect tits. I'd fuck her. Would you fuck her?"
And the first guy says "Mr. Trump, I'm not going to answer that."
This has nothing to do with Crawford. (However, I did go to high school in Dyersburg, Tennessee, where she wrangled her twin girls. The ones who supported her till the end. A son of one of them controls the Crawford estate, to some extent. I don't think he has ever spoken to Christina Crawford.)
I am just curious about your opinion. I grew up watching the original Mickey Mouse Club in reruns (early 70s). So I am familiar with the "Spin and Marty" serial (episodes ran about ten minutes - made in the late 50s?). I watched an episode on Disney+ last week, and I kept doing one Danny Thomas spit-take after another. I am a gay guy, and I have to tell you, the dialogue MUST have been intentional. I guess the writers were seeing what they could get away with? Walt Disney was a known homophobe (ironically, if I'm using the term correctly). It was probably just that episode. Granted, a more "innocent" time, so to speak...but..."Come on boys, I'll take you out to the barn and show you a good time." "You've got a thing or two to learn about 'riding.'" "I'll put that rope to good use." Stuff like that. Maybe it's just that I've lived through two versions of "Will & Grace."
If you want to watch a truly bizarre "Christmas" film, Google the low-budget "Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny" (1972). I won't recount the details, easily found, but it's spectacular in its badness.
Darwin...did I miss it? They didn't include "Frasier"'s "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz"? It is damn priceless. When Niles runs across the living room, dressed as Jesus (hiding from a Jewish mother), and Frasier yells "JESUS!"... My 90 year-old, retired Presbyterian minister father howls every time.
That "MTM" episode is also a favorite. It's sad. It's happy. It's fucking brilliant.
Alan, I grew up in Miami, and actually went to Pirates World in the 70s. The Steeplechase ride was pure death. I did Google to see if people died. No luck.
It’s funny that both Santa Claus and the Ice Cream Bunny and Pirate's World are being mentioned in the comments, as they are completely connected. Pirate's World (which was cool to us as kids because you could ride the rides as much as you wanted for one admission, which was unusual then) was located in a suburb of Fort Lauderdale called Dania in Florida. It was planned not only as a theme park but as an entertainment showcase for live concerts and motion pictures, albeit very cheap ones produced by the notorious schlock promoter Barry Mahon.
Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (a dreadful mess that is not only so bad it's worth marveling at but also a look at suburban sixties neighborhoods) is a "donut" movie designed so Mahon could toss a fairy tale film in the middle, either Thumbelina or Jack and the Beanstalk. Most of the prints have Thumbelina, which contains a lot of Pirate's World footage. The Ice Cream Bunny was undoubtedly the mascot of the park.
Mahon did the same thing with legendary Hanna-Barbera animator Tony Benedict's well-produced, made-in-Hollywood TV special Santa and the Three Bears. To make it seem like a movie, Mahon filmed an intro with footage of another Fort Lauderdale park called Ocean World as a frame for the cartoon, but other prints have Hal Smith alone in the frame section instead of the weird, out-of-place Ocean World footage. According to Benedict, Mahon promised him the moon and the film made millions in kiddie matinees. Guess who made all the money and who did not see a dime?
By the way, the Steeplechase ride apparently made the news, at least according to my grandmother (so a grain of salt), because a young girl was bitten by a snake hiding inside one of the fiberglass horses she was riding. We rode on it anyway. My favorite was the tall interior slide, but the log flume was probably the most popular. The park closed but stood unused for many years before being torn down for other development.
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Merry Christmas, Ken.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy this for the artistic beauty, my favorite classical Christmas song:
https://youtu.be/LFBIJgkj_-g
To you, too, Ken.
ReplyDeletewg
"Yes, we hang up our stockings, but not with wire hangers."
ReplyDeleteFor everyone!
ReplyDelete(except Christina)
I can only complement this charming film with another in which Santa visits two children, sits down in a comfy chaie and says, "Now let me tell you two how monkeys celebrate Christmas."
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eunKX0NSK80&t=9s
Really makes you think about what goes on behind the curtain.
ReplyDeleteA great joke I read online.
ReplyDeleteTwo Republicans are at a bar. The first Republican says "You know who I really like? I know she's a Democrat, but that Tulsi Gabbard is hot. Mm-mm-mm."
The second one says "She is, but she's got nothing on Ivanka. Beautiful face, gorgeous body, great big perfect tits. I'd fuck her. Would you fuck her?"
And the first guy says "Mr. Trump, I'm not going to answer that."
Cheers, MASH and Mary Tyler Moore feature in the Hollywood Reporter's list of most memorable Christmas episodes.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/christmas-tv-episodes-shows/
Whew. I don't think Christmas is supposed to come with chills.
ReplyDeleteHo ho ho!
ReplyDeleteM.B.
This has nothing to do with Crawford. (However, I did go to high school in Dyersburg, Tennessee, where she wrangled her twin girls. The ones who supported her till the end. A son of one of them controls the Crawford estate, to some extent. I don't think he has ever spoken to Christina Crawford.)
ReplyDeleteI am just curious about your opinion. I grew up watching the original Mickey Mouse Club in reruns (early 70s). So I am familiar with the "Spin and Marty" serial (episodes ran about ten minutes - made in the late 50s?). I watched an episode on Disney+ last week, and I kept doing one Danny Thomas spit-take after another. I am a gay guy, and I have to tell you, the dialogue MUST have been intentional. I guess the writers were seeing what they could get away with? Walt Disney was a known homophobe (ironically, if I'm using the term correctly). It was probably just that episode. Granted, a more "innocent" time, so to speak...but..."Come on boys, I'll take you out to the barn and show you a good time." "You've got a thing or two to learn about 'riding.'" "I'll put that rope to good use." Stuff like that. Maybe it's just that I've lived through two versions of "Will & Grace."
If you want to watch a truly bizarre "Christmas" film, Google the low-budget "Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny" (1972). I won't recount the details, easily found, but it's spectacular in its badness.
ReplyDeleteDarwin...did I miss it? They didn't include "Frasier"'s "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz"? It is damn priceless. When Niles runs across the living room, dressed as Jesus (hiding from a Jewish mother), and Frasier yells "JESUS!"... My 90 year-old, retired Presbyterian minister father howls every time.
ReplyDeleteThat "MTM" episode is also a favorite. It's sad. It's happy. It's fucking brilliant.
Necco, I just recently saw Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny. The Rifftrax treatment makes it somewhat watchable.
ReplyDeleteAlan, I grew up in Miami, and actually went to Pirates World in the 70s. The Steeplechase ride was pure death. I did Google to see if people died. No luck.
ReplyDeleteIt’s funny that both Santa Claus and the Ice Cream Bunny and Pirate's World are being mentioned in the comments, as they are completely connected. Pirate's World (which was cool to us as kids because you could ride the rides as much as you wanted for one admission, which was unusual then) was located in a suburb of Fort Lauderdale called Dania in Florida. It was planned not only as a theme park but as an entertainment showcase for live concerts and motion pictures, albeit very cheap ones produced by the notorious schlock promoter Barry Mahon.
ReplyDeleteSanta and the Ice Cream Bunny (a dreadful mess that is not only so bad it's worth marveling at but also a look at suburban sixties neighborhoods) is a "donut" movie designed so Mahon could toss a fairy tale film in the middle, either Thumbelina or Jack and the Beanstalk. Most of the prints have Thumbelina, which contains a lot of Pirate's World footage. The Ice Cream Bunny was undoubtedly the mascot of the park.
Mahon did the same thing with legendary Hanna-Barbera animator Tony Benedict's well-produced, made-in-Hollywood TV special Santa and the Three Bears. To make it seem like a movie, Mahon filmed an intro with footage of another Fort Lauderdale park called Ocean World as a frame for the cartoon, but other prints have Hal Smith alone in the frame section instead of the weird, out-of-place Ocean World footage. According to Benedict, Mahon promised him the moon and the film made millions in kiddie matinees. Guess who made all the money and who did not see a dime?
By the way, the Steeplechase ride apparently made the news, at least according to my grandmother (so a grain of salt), because a young girl was bitten by a snake hiding inside one of the fiberglass horses she was riding. We rode on it anyway. My favorite was the tall interior slide, but the log flume was probably the most popular. The park closed but stood unused for many years before being torn down for other development.