Christmas classics trump cliched new TV programs

By Charlie McCollum
Knight Ridder News Service

Despite its primitive animation, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" has resonated with viewers since 1964. Advertiser library photo

Each year, starting around Thanksgiving, the networks and cable channels are driven to churn out made-for-TV movies that try to capture the spirit of the season. Most focus on someone who, like Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol," finds the true meaning of the holidays through the love of a) a good family; b) a good woman; c) a good dog; d) a good Santa; or e) all of the above. (Major subset of the genre: A man — or, occasionally, a woman — becomes Santa.)

Where these films often fail is mistaking mawkish cliche for real emotion and warmth. They also fail to appreciate that the very best holiday films often have a decidedly dark side. Charles Dickens' London in "A Christmas Carol," for example, is a very scary place. Ditto Bedford Falls for much of "It's a Wonderful Life."

So rather than steering you away from the flood of new "very special" holiday films and specials, let's stick with the tried and true, the ones we know work year in and year out:

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (7 tonight, CBS): What would the holidays be without this 1964 classic about the little reindeer that could?

"It's a Wonderful Life" (7 p.m. Saturday and Dec. 24, NBC): George Bailey, Clarence the Angel, the original Bert and Ernie, and one of the great villains in the history of film: Potter, the embittered old bank owner. The 1946 Frank Capra film may be darker than most holiday films, but it is still emotionally involving after more than half a century.

"A Christmas Carol" (Sunday, TNT; check daily listings): a very good 1999 remake of the Dickens classic, with a fine cast headed by Richard E. Grant and Patrick Stewart, who makes a wonderful Scrooge.

"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (Dec. 18, WB; check daily listings): Forget the recent overblown live-action version. This little cartoon gem from the genius of Chuck Jones is still the best after nearly four decades.

"It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" (Dec. 17, Hallmark; check daily listings): This Muppet special first aired last December, and it's not only a terrific addition to TV's holiday canon but also the best Muppets movie in years. It overdoes the guest appearances (the cast of "Scrubs"?) but features some wonderful Muppet wit and a good human performance by Joan Cusack as a bank owner who wants to tear down the gang's theater.

"Meet Me in St. Louis" (Dec. 24, TCM); "Holiday Inn" (Dec. 24, TCM; check daily listings): Neither of these films is actually a Christmas movie per se. But "Holiday Inn" is a terrific 1942 musical that features Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas," Fred Astaire dancing up a storm, and some wonderful Irving Berlin tunes. And Vincent Minnelli's 1944 "Meet Me in St. Louis" has one of the great holiday scenes of all time as Judy Garland sings "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" to a tearful Margaret O'Brien. Sniffle.

"A Christmas Story" (Dec. 24, TNT; check daily listings): A personal favorite, this film version of a Jean Shepherd short story is marking its 20th anniversary. This charming tale, about a 1940s family and a boy who wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, has become a holiday classic. As always, TNT will show this for 24 straight hours starting Christmas Eve.