Dr. Caligari's cabinet is now so crammed that he had to stow stuff in the Cupboard. Time may wound all heels but once in a while you need a cup of tea.
Although the new year has been celebrated since prehistoric times, it was celebrated on the vernal equinox rather than what we now consider the first of the year. The Romans were the first to recognize New Years Day on January first. Rather than tie the day to some significant astronomical or agricultural event, in 153 BC the Romans selected it for civil reasons. It was the day after elections in which the newly elected assumed their positions.
Years later, Julius Caesar wanted to change the date to a more logical date but that year, January 1, 45 BC was the date of a new moon. To change it would have been bad luck. He did, however, change the calendar system from the Egyptian solar calendar to the "Julian" calendar, named for Caesar. July, the month of Caesar's birth, was also named after him to recognize him for his calendar reform. And look what it got him.
Up unto 1582, Christian Europe continued to celebrate New Years Day on March 25. Pope GregoryXIII instituted additional calendar reforms bringing us the calendaring system of the day. The Gregorian calendar was adopted by Catholic countries immediately while the reformists, suspect of any papal policy, only adapted it after some time. Today most countries around the world have adopted this calendaring system.
From primitive man to today, it has been recognized as a day in which rites were done to abolished the past so there could be a rejuvenation for the new year. Rituals included purgations, purifications, exorcisms, extinguishing and rekindling fires, masked processions (masks representing the dead), and other similar activities. Often exorcisms and purgations were performed with much noise as if to scare away the evil spirits. In China, Ying, the forces of light fought Yang, the forces of darkness with cymbals, noisemakers, and firecrackers.
Early European-Americans adopted the New Year celebrations from their homelands. However, it was noted by early settlers that native Americans already honored News Years Day with their own customs. Their rituals coincided with those around the world including fires, explosions of evil spirits, and celebrations. Today many of the New Year celebrations actually begin with a countdown to the New Year on the evening prior. It is customary to kiss your sweetheart when the clock strikes midnight as one of the customs of these New Years Eve parties.
Around the world, different cultures have their own traditions for welcoming the new year. The Japanese hang a rope of straw across the front of their houses to keep out evil spirits and bring happiness and good luck. They also have a good laugh as the year begins to get things started on a lucky note. In Argentina, people wear brand-new pink underwear to attract love. While in Brazil, people wear none; that usually works better.
In Germany, every year on December 31st, TV networks broadcast an 18-minute-long skit in English called Dinner for One.
In 1963, Germany’s Norddeutscher Rundfunk television station recorded the sketch, performed by the British comics Freddie Frinton and May Warden. Since its initial recording, the clip has become a New Year’s Eve staple in Germany. The clip holds the Guinness World Record for Most Frequently Repeated TV Program, (although Dinner For One has never been broadcast in the U. S. or Canada.)
In Siberia, brave divers plant the New Year's Tree underneath frozen lakes — sort of like a polar plunge. Much like a Christmas tree, the Siberian New Year Tree (or yolka) is supposed to signify the coming of Father Frost, but its planting also symbolizes starting over. The jumping-into-a-frozen-lake challenge is just another addition to the year-end festivities.
In Italy, nothing says “Happy New Year” like red underpants. Red underwear is a staple of the New Year’s tradition in Italy. The color choice invokes centuries-old superstition that the color keeps bad luck and evil at bay, and encourages good luck. Now, even if you find yourself in Rome without a pair of rosy unmentionables, no worries. Shops and street vendors have plenty for sale.
In South Africa, people throw appliances out the window (watch out!!). In Denmark, you break a dish for a friend. They save their old dishes only to throw them by the dozen at the doorsteps of family friends on New Years. In theory, the bigger the pile of broken dishes you find on your door steps, the bigger pile of friends you have.
New Year Resolutions are simply another way to wish away the past in exchange for hopes of the future. It is where the phrase turning over a new leaf originated. I hope 2023 brings good health and better luck to all.
Good Riddance, But Now What? - Ogden Nash
Come, children, gather round my knee;
Something is about to be.
Tonight’s December thirty-first,
Something is about to burst.
The clock is crouching, dark and small,
Like a time bomb in the hall.
Hark! It’s midnight, children dear.
Duck! Here comes another year.
It's the end of the year there are lots of year end review videos. I usually find the time to post a few: this one, United State of Pop 2023 (Cut The Flowers), is one of the more famous.
I still have to ask the kids to tell me what some of the songs were (I, at least, know who the artist are.)
The staff of Acme Corp are home with their families enjoying the day. (I'm probably still asleep.) So let's all relax and enjoy a little Tony this Christmas.
If this doesn't strike your fancy, then here -
for those of you not in a particularly holiday mood at all.
Here is a brief Puddles Christmas Concert (if I linked the videos together correctly) -
As today is the first night of Christmas, here are some more unusual gifts to consider giving -
You might have to find an old copy of the Savoy Cocktail Book, copyright 1930 (of which I have a copy,) in order to figure out what some of these drinks are.
Also, did you buy anyone a gift as inappropriate as a weasel in a bikini this holiday season?
Put your feet up and read a little bit about the History of Christmas
Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world, although the form of its observation varies widely from nation to nation. In America, our cultural kleptomania has allowed us to assimilate the most enjoyable of those traditions while discarding any stupid superstitions associated with them.
But it's worth reviewing those superstitions along with our traditions, if only to amuse ourselves yet again at the expense of our ancestors.
The winter solstice had long been celebrated by ignorant barbarians throughout the northern hemisphere as the time of the year when the sun stopped getting smaller and smaller and finally started getting bigger and bigger. The sun was important to these poor primitive bastards, in much the same way that we poor modern bastards find it so important. It was, after all, the Sun.
To avoid having to go out much during the darkest and coldest days of the year, the poor shivering Nordic bastards of Scandinavia would bundle up and sally forth into the woods to bring home great big logs which would often burn for as long as twelve days. As long as the log burned they would stay in and eat and drink and fornicate. They believed that every spark their log set off foretold the birth of a calf or pig in the new year, which only underscores the irony of the Nobel prize being awarded in Sweden.
They believed the sun was a big wheel (hwoel) that rolled away from the earth until the winter solstice, at which point it began rolling back toward us. This quaint ignorance charmed the weak and flabby peoples over whom the Vikings later swept like an apocalyptic affliction. However, these peoples could not pronounce hwoel and therefore called it "yule." This irritated the Vikings and eventually forced their retreat.
While the Norse were hauling those logs into their houses, others throughout Europe were enjoying some of the finest dining of the year. Since it was too expensive to feed and shelter animals through the cold weather, those in northern climes killed their livestock at the onset of each winter. This provided their only steady supply of fresh meat all year, and went nicely with the wines and ales which had finally become fermented. The inevitable gastrointestinal distress that followed these binges is probably responsible for the primitive Germans' fear that the god Odin was flying around the sky above them during the solstice, deciding who was naughty and who was nice. It was not entirely academic: Odin's invariable sentence for the naughty was death.
Peasants everywhere also liked to bring sprigs and boughs of evergreens into their homes around the time of the solstice to remind themselves that sooner or later all that awful cold and snow would end and it would get warm enough to eat, drink, and fornicate outdoors. The Druids of the British Isles brought evergreen boughs into their temples every winter as a sign of everlasting life, and the Vikings thought that evergreens were the particular plant of their own sun-god, Balder (so-named because they mistook the sun for his shiny, hairless cranium). Even the Egyptians worshiped their sun-god Ra's "recovery" by bringing palm rushes into their homes. It's not clear how this was intended to help poor Ra, but he always pulled through.
In ancient Rome, the festival of Saturnalia began the week before the solstice and lasted a full month. Romans ate and drank and fornicated during this festival in honor of Saturn, the god of Agriculture. They filled their homes with evergreen boughs to remind themselves that everything would be green again eventually. They also let slaves become masters for the duration of the festival, and the plebeians were put in charge of the city. It was a crazy, topsy-turvy time, with all sorts of nutty mix-ups. Overlapping with Saturnalia around the time of the solstice was Juvenalia, a feast to honor the children of the city.
The winter solstice fell on December 25 in the year 274, and the pagan Roman Emperor Aurelian declared that day a holiday: the festival of the birth of the Invincible Sun. The Invincible Sun was also known as Mithra. Mithra was an infant god who had been born from a rock (presumably virgin rock). The Roman upper classes, with their special fondness for rocks, honored this holiday as one of the most sacred in the year.
Meanwhile, the noisy little sect of Christianity had started to gather some steam.
St. Nicholas was born around this time in what is today Turkey, but was then just another primitive desert backwater full of bickering barbarians. One popular story about St. Nicholas was that he had saved three sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution, or both, by sneaking money for dowries into their shoes and socks. He died on December 6, and this was subsequently celebrated as his feast day. It came to be considered a lucky day on which to buy things or get married. He was honored as a protector of children and sailors. By the Renaissance he had topped all the European charts to become the most popular saint ever, probably on account of widespread sailors and children.
In the fourth century, church leaders decided to begin celebrating the birth of Jesus, since it seemed morbid just celebrating his death. No one is really sure when Jesus was born, although most scholars are pretty sure it wasn't late December and most astrologists are quick to point out that Jesus doesn't seem like a Capricorn.
Pope Julius I chose to declare December 25 as Jesus' birthday, since people were already used to celebrating at that time of year. The holiday was called the Feast of the Nativity, and by the end of the eighth century it had spread across all of Europe, even to those remote and primitive corners where people still thought the Sun was a big yellow wheel.
By the middle ages Christianity had penetrated almost all of Europe, but Christmas was still a blend of ignorant barbarian superstitions and unbearable religious seriousness. Christians would attend a Christmas mass on December 25, then eat, drink, and fornicate like they did in the old days. They would crown some wretched beggar the "lord of misrule," and the drunken revelers would happily and laughingly obey his every command. The poor would show up at the doors of the rich and demand food and drink, and if they were denied they would often laughingly burn down the house, beat its inhabitants, and rape the womenfolk and livestock before moving on to the next house. It was a very jolly holiday.
Devout Christians of sixteenth century Germany began trying to outdo the rest of Europe with their usual humorless Teutonic ambition. Instead of hanging a few little evergreen boughs about the hearth at Christmastime, they began hauling whole trees into their homes. According to legend, Martin Luther himself was walking home from a sermon one night when he was struck by the beauty of the glittering stars among the pines. When he got home he promptly decorated his own tree with candles. Despite the obvious fire hazard, this quickly became a popular tradition.
After the Reformation, puritans decided there was too much eating, drinking, and fornication associated with Christmas and that it was therefore bad. Many rulers outlawed it altogether. This was not usually popular: in England, for example, Oliver Cromwell cancelled Christmas, resulting in the restoration of Charles II and the retaliatory cancellation of Mr. Cromwell's head.
All of this was bad for Christmas, but such was St. Nicholas' popularity that it did little to deter from his reputation. He remained on top of the charts. Nowhere was he more popular than in Holland, where he was venerated as Sint Nikolaas, or more familiarly as Sinter Klaas.
The puritan bastards who settled America avoided Christmas as part and parcel of their longstanding commitment to No Fun.Massachusetts Colony actually penalized anyone caught celebrating Christmas with a five-shilling fine. Since it was considered an English holiday, it was ostentatiously ignored in the years during and after the Revolution, and wasn't made a federal holiday until after the Civil War (on June 26, 1870.)
Washington Irving had done his part in sorting through barbarian superstitions for things that were wholesome, pleasant, and commercial enough to be made officially American, and in 1809 he referred to St. Nicholas as the Patron Saint of New York. In 1822 an Episcopalian minister named Clement Clarke Moore wrote a frivolous poem for his daughters entitled A Visit from St. Nicholas. Mr. Moore cleverly ignored all elements of the good saint's biography involving slavery, prostitution, dowries, and sailors. He focused instead on sleighs, reindeer, and presents for good little American boys and girls. It was so silly and frivolous that it became one of the most popular American poems ever—second only to the one about the guy from Nantucket.
By 1820, American stores had begun to advertise Christmas shopping, and by 1870 children were flocking to Macy's to see Santa Claus. And so it was that America began applying its curious collective genius for assimilation to the vast storehouse of silly and primitive traditions from throughout the world.
Thus we need not concern ourselves with St. Lucia, the patron saint of the blind, whom Scandinavians honor each December 23 (Little Yule) with elaborate pagan rituals involving candles, torches, and bonfires.
We need not worry about the witch Babouschka, who visits Russian children with gifts each Christmas to compensate for a nasty little joke she once played on the wise men,
or the Italian witch La Befana.
We need not trouble ourselves with the construction of piñatas each holiday season, as Mexican parents must.
We don't have to sit around our tables as they do in Ukraine, waiting for the evening star to appear before we begin our meal. We need not fear the kallikantzeri of Greece, nasty little goblins that cause mischief for the twelve days of Christmas.
And let's not even talk about Krampus
Between the 16th and 19th centuries global temperatures were significantly lower than normal in what was known as a “little ice age”. Charles Dickens grew up during this period and experienced snow for his first eight Christmases. This “White Christmas” experience influenced his writing and began a tradition of expectation for the holidays. Let's all take a moment during these troubled times to express our gratitude and admiration for our American traditions, which are so much better than the traditions of every other country.
I wish for all you gentle readers, a happy, healthy and joyous holiday.
Most of the staff and their family have joined us for the Christmas Eve dinner of the seven fishes; we keep losing track of how many fishes we've consumed, (it might have something to do with the number of bottles of white wine that we've consumed. But please join us - there's always room at the table )
Here's a fun Christmas mashup from DJ Dumpz to get you in the Christmas Spirit.
Well, maybe you were already in holiday way (especially if you've been playing the home version.)
Why not watch these cartoons for your family while we try to sober up -
Alias St. Nick -
The Night Before Christmas -
Toy Tinkers -
Bedtime for Sniffles -
Christmas Night-
One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.
Now that you're in the proper mood for the holidays - I'll leave you with these thoughts from Ogden Nash and his poem: The Boy Who Laughed At Santa Claus.
I've told my kids and maybe you'll tell yours - Dammit kids, get to bed! The sooner you go to sleep, the quicker Christmas will be here.
Before our feature presentation Bunkies, what would the holidays be without Pee Wee Herman's Christmas Special, (and it is so much more poignant that we lost Paul Reubens this past year).
The lighting apparatus used in Miss Yvonne's hair actually shorted and smoked during production and the crew had to intervene to remove the power pack from under her wardrobe and remove the wig which housed the lighting. (Remember to scream 'really loud' when the secret word 'YEAR' is said.)
In case you are still overwhelmed by the holidays (or haven't finished wrapping,) - ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour would like to share with you a set of classic holiday themed TV episodes.
Christmas With The Addams Family The Addams Family - . -
The Maharaja's gift 'flute' is a shehnai, a flared double reed woodwind. Traditional snake charmers use the pungi, a double tube woodwind with a bulbous air reservoir near the mouthpiece.
Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid That Girl-
Christopher Shea, the child-actor playing Tommy, is best known as the voice of Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and several other Peanuts specials. At the time this episode was broadcast, Shea was also a regular cast member in the short-lived Western series Shane.
Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid II The Mary Tyler Moore Show -
James L. Brooks, the writer of the That Girl episode,Christmas and the Hard-Luck Kid wrote a sequel (of sorts) for this The Mary Tyler Moore Showepisode, the sitcom's first Christmas special.
Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas Community -
When you see the cast's reflection in the TV screen at the end of the episode, it's the real actors again, not their stop-motion versions.
Bob Has to Have His Tonsils Out, So He Spends Christmas ... The Bob Newhart Show -
When Bob returns to his room immediately following his surgery, you can see a gold chain around his neck under his hospital gown. This is an error in authenticity as patients are required to remove all jewelry before surgery.
As always, ACME wants you to join them in celebrating the holidays with your friends at The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour - the official soap of our nation's bald eagles. Remember if your bald eagle's talons are filthy, do we have a soap for you! It's nearly here - after all the shopping and planning. Why join The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour in watching this almost forgotten 1945 holiday film - The Cheaters, starring Joseph Schildkraut, Billie Burke, Eugene Pallette, and Ona Munson. Screwball comedy was not typical studio fare for Republic or even in vogue at the time. Nonetheless, there are echoes in The Cheaters of the classic My Man Godfrey due to the central character Mr. M. (Joseph Schildkraut), "the forgotten man" brought home for the holidays by the family's daughter, and by the casting of Eugene Pallette as the father trying to cope with this, a role similar to the one he had played in the earlier film. The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour would like you to join us in watching this fun movie, so push away from pile of gifts you are wrapping, if you can, get comfortable and enjoy the film.
Paramount originally acquired the rights as a vehicle for Carole Lombard and John Barrymore. After Lombard's and Barrymore's tragic deaths in 1942 the property was sold to Republic as a potential vehicle for Binnie Barnes. Joseph Schildkraut signed a contact with Republic Pictures for financial security in order to do the Marchand role originally intended for John Barrymore. In retrospect, Schildkraut characterized the decision as one of *the* major mistakes of his life.
The staff and management of The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour would like to wish you and yours the happiest and warmest of holiday seasons.
Remember, the best holidays are those spend with the ones we love. We hope we've been able to a a part of yours.
Through out the mid-'60s, Phil Spector was focused on singles, with his definition of an album being "two hits and ten pieces of junk." He took a different approach, however, when he put together a Christmas album in 1963, where he put a great deal of effort into every track. So please join us at ACME while we listen to The Phil Spector Christmas Album.
The only original song on the album was Darlene Love'sChristmas (Baby Please Come Home), which he wrote with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Spector issued the song as a single when the album came out, but unfortunately this was the same day US president John F. Kennedy was shot and killed. This seriously dampened the holiday mood and the single, as well as the album, were withdrawn.
I know it's not Christmas in our home unless we hear Darlene Love sing, so please enjoy Darlene Love's very first Christmas appearance on the David Letterman Show
And here's her 2014 (and final) appearance on the David Letterman Show:
But fear not -
She had a little mini reunion with Dave and Paul just the other day
ACME Eagle Hand Soap would like to share with you another of their annual salute to the holidays via Rock and Roll (well, some Rock and Roll).
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Barenaked Ladies –
This is a traditional English carol dating back to the 16th or 17th century. It was first published in England in 1833, when it appeared in Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern, a collection of seasonal carols gathered by William B. Sandys.
Christmas Lights Coldplay –
Mat Whitecross directed the video for the song, which was filmed at the South Bank of River Thames in London. The band are seen performing the song on a small theater-inspired stage with red velvet curtains. “The idea for the video was like a magical, surreal theater show with loads of tricks packed in,” frontman Chris Martin said.
Christmastime Smashing Pumpkins –
This cut was originally from A Very Special Christmas 3, the third in the A Very Special Christmas series of Christmas-themed compilation albums produced to benefit the Special Olympics.
Someday at Christmas Pearl Jam –
This was written by Motown songwriters Ron Miller and Bryan Wells, the team that also wrote Stevie Wonder’s songs A Place in the Sun and Yester-me, Yester-you, Yesterday. This is one of the first Christmas songs with a social and political message. Released during the Vietnam War, it takes a stand for peace and for equality and compassion.
Pretty Paper Chris Isaak –
This was written by Willie Nelson, who at the time was a successful songwriter but relatively unknown performer. It’s a Christmas song where the singer goes about preparing for the holiday, but notices an unfortunate homeless person who can’t afford the luxuries of the season. Unsure how to handle this, the singer decides he is just too busy and carries on with his preparations. The “Pretty Paper” serves as a metaphor for how we often cover up our problems or choose not to notice them.
I Want an Alien for Christmas Fountains of Wayne –
What do you buy for the person who has everything? An alien, apparently.
And, of course, Santa Claus Is Comin To Town Bruce Springsteen –
Bruce Springsteen released the song as the B-Side to My Hometown in 1985 ( he had been playing it in concert for years,) and it quickly became a holiday staple. Strangely, many people consider it one of the worst Christmas songs.
December 20, 1946 -
The Frank Capra film It's A Wonderful Life had a preview showing for charity at New York City's Globe Theatre, (a day before its official premiere) on this date.
The film is no longer available online – please enjoy the 1947 Lux Radio Theatre broadcast.
The film is regarded as a classic and is a staple of Christmas television around the world, although, due to its high production costs and stiff competition at the box office, financially, it was considered a flop.
There have been countless parody of this classic film -
(Another, more adult alternate ending of the film) -
Acme's annual salute to the holidays via Rock and Roll. First up - Do you hear what I hear?: Female Performers:
Coventry Carol Alison Moyet –
Sorry but this song is ultimately about babies who are about to be murdered. Coventry Carol is a reference to the Massacre of the Innocents, an event described in the Gospel of Matthew. In it, King Herod orders the execution of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two.
A very Merry Christmas indeed
2000 Miles The Pretenders –
While this song is thought of as a holiday song, the lyrics were written after the band’s original guitarist James Honeyman-Scott passed away in 1982, at the age of 25.
Little Drummer Boy Joan Jett And The Blackhearts –
This song was the basis of an animated TV special in 1968, also called Little Drummer Boy. It was about an orphaned child who goes on a quest to find his camel, which he discovers when he finds the Three Wise Men. This TV special never became a holiday classic like Frosty The Snowman or Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.
Joy Tracy Thorn -
The song is from Everything But The Girl singer Thorn's solo album Tinsel And Lights, which consists of mostly covers of seasonal music. Joy is one of the album's few originals.
Last Christmas Florence + The Machine -
Written and produced by George Michael, this song actually has very little to do with Christmas - it's about a failed relationship. Only the phase "Last Christmas," when the relationship comes to a head, refers to the festive season. Despite this, it has become an annual Christmas standard, especially in the UK.
O Little Town Of BethlehemSister Rosetta Tharpe -
On Christmas Eve 1865, a young minister stood on the hill overlooking Bethlehem where the shepherds had watched their flocks on the night Jesus was born. The impression of that starry night never left Phillips Brooks.Three years later he was asked to write a hymn for the children of his Philadelphia parish for their Christmas service. The words "O Little Town Of Bethlehem" were already in his mind. Brooks' church organist, Lewis Redner, set the words to music, declaring that the tune was "a gift from heaven." Brooks became an outstanding preacher and possibly the most highly esteemed American clergyman of his day.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Annie Lennox -
This is a traditional English carol dating back to the 16th or 17th century. It was first published in England in 1833, when it appeared in Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern, a collection of seasonal carols gathered by William B. Sandys.
Silent Night Stevie Nicks -
It is believed that the carol has been translated into over 300 languages around the world, and it is one of the most popular carols of all time.
And of course the holiday favorite -Christmas Wrapping The Waitresses -
When Chris Butler wrote this song, he was not feeling very festive. The Waitresses were signed to ZE Records, whose boss, Michael Zilkha, asked the bands on his roster to each come up with a Christmas song that would go on a holiday compilation issued by the label. The Waitresses were in the middle of a grueling tour, and weren't happy about the task, especially since it was July and they weren't exactly in the Christmas spirit.
We are smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, given Christmas is a mere week away! Why join The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour in celebrating that How the Grinch Stole Christmas! written by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel was published as a book by Random House in December of 1957. The book criticizes the commercialization of Christmas and the holiday season.
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! the CBS animated special based on the book of the same title by Theodor Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss), directed by legendary cartoon director Chuck Jones, premiered on this date. The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour would like you to join us in watching this fun holiday special, so push away from pile of gifts you are wrapping, if you can, get comfortable and enjoy the show.
The special is notably the first prime-time animated television special based on a Dr. Seuss book, it features narration by Boris Karloff (who also voiced the title character) and music written by Albert Hague. Here's a brief interview with Chuck Jones involvement with the special -
Boris Karloff was picked to voice the Grinch after Chuck Jones heard a recording of him reading Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book stories (which Jones was a fan of).
Here's a 'making of' documentary of the special, hosted by the late Phil Hartman -
and finally some very rare original commercials from the original broadcast -
Much like the Coca Cola sponsor plugs from A Charlie Brown Christmas, the original broadcast of How The Grinch Stole Christmas was sponsored by the Foundation for Full Service Banks and featured plugs for them at the beginning and end of the special. These have since been edited out of subsequent airings and are quite difficult to find, however they recently resurfaced in 2021.
So, welcome, Christmas, bring your cheer. Cheer to all Whos far and near. Christmas Day is in our grasp, so long as we have hands to clasp. Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we. Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart, and hand in hand.
(Sorry for those who checked out the post before; it posted in an early unformatted version.)
I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?
Today is the 190th anniversary of the publication of Charles Dicken's story - A Christmas Carol.
There are literally dozens of adaptations of A Christmas Carol. Let's take a look at a few of them:
A Christmas Carol (1910) -
This is one of the earliest film adaptations of the story. It featured Marc McDermott as Ebenezer Scrooge and Charles S. Ogle as Bob Cratchit.
Scrooge (1935) -
Seymour Hicks first played Scrooge onstage in 1901 and it became his most popular role. Throughout his career he played it over a thousand times, often at fund-raising benefits.
The Christmas Carol (1938) -
Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge McDuck was probably based physically on this version of Ebenezer Scrooge, with the fringe of hair and the small tuft of hair on the top of his head.
The Christmas Carol (1949 TV special) -
This is a very rare example of a 1940s television broadcast still surviving in entirety. In the infancy of television, programs were always broadcast live because videotape recording technology did not yet exist.Although crude (a film camera was pointed at a television monitor filming the broadcast,) it was the only available method to record a live broadcast during the earliest days of television.
Scrooge (1951) This is the favorite in the Caligari manse-
Changes to the screenplay from the Charles Dickens book were made, mostly in the Christmas Past sequence. Among these changes are: Reversing the birth order of Scrooge and his sister, so as to add that Scrooge's mother died giving birth to him. Creating a character named Mr. Jorkin, who does not appear in the book. Flashbacks of several incidents in Scrooge's past (his sister's death, meeting Jacob Marley, taking over Fezziwig's warehouse, and Marley's death) which do not appear in the book.
Scrooge (1970) -
Alec Guinness did not enjoy doing this movie. It required much more time than he expected, with the need of wires, and a harness for his floating character. He suffered a double-hernia that required surgery to repair.
Blackadders Christmas Carol (1988) -
Ebenezer Blackadder is the only incarnation of Blackadder who is not named Edmund.
A Christmas Carol (1999) -
This is one of the very few movies to include a certain short scene when Scrooge is with the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come: Bob Cratchit visiting Tiny Tim's body lying in repose in an upper bedroom. In the book, this takes up only one paragraph.
Please join us in watching what could be the greatest mash-up ever, or at least the most labor intensive. Heath Waterman spent 18 months putting together this labor of love, retelling the story of Ebenezer Scrooge in his video A Christmas Carol Encyclopedia, Stave 1 (which is an update of his original Twelve Hundred Ghosts - A Christmas Carol in Supercut.)
Mr. Waterman uses clips from over over 850 sources to make this holiday classic. (Make it your business to watch this!)
And there is no better way to get into the holiday spirit than drinking spirits -
Eggnog is usually thought of as a Christmas beverage and to tell the truth I am not a huge fan of Eggnog. So I find it amusing that the recipe that I'm posting is for Eggnog (Above is a copy of my family recipe - my father sent it to his sister in 1962.)
Coquito, a Puerto Rican twist on the classic, is a family favorite and I thought I'd share it with you and perhaps you can try it out on your family.
Please note: these drinks go down quite smoothly and are very potent - they could be administered as a calmative for frayed nerves during the holiday season.
Ingredients:
* 4 large egg yolks * 1/4 cup of sugar * 1/2 can of (14-ounces) condensed milk * 1 14-ounce cans evaporated milk * 1 1/2 cans of 15-ounce cans cream of coconut * 1/2 of a Fifth of white rum (or more) * 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon * 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg * 1 teaspoon coconut (or vanilla) extract
Tools:
* Drink Blender * Can opener * Glass
Directions:
Add the egg yolks, sugar, spices and vanilla into the blender. Mix until well blended.
Add the evaporated & condensed milk to the blender and briefly mix. (Condensed milk is very thick - you may want to open the can up all the way and scrap out all of the milk with a spatula.)
Vigorously shack the can of cream of coconut (it tends to separate.) Pour the cream of coconut into the blender and mix well. Scrap out any remaining coconut stuff from the can.
Add the rum and mix. Taste. If you think you need more rum, add it.
Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Serve cold.
Before our feature presentation, ACME would like to start the evening with another Fleischer Christmas cartoon, the 1936 Somewhere in Dreamland, directed by Dave Fleischer.
This was Fleischer Studios' first film in three-strip Technicolor. The title of the short was taken from a popular song of the era. It was sung during the film as well.
Happy Holidays! I'm sure you are just starting to run around doing your holiday shopping. So why not sit back and relax (quick, find the most comfortable seat on the sofa,) get a snack (perhaps, some popcorn,) and a beverage before our special starts, here's our final guest programmer with her favorite Christmas jingles (once again, I had to gently press her for two days to get her to give me this list.)
Remember, it's the holidays (there are no bad choices, especially if the guest programmer lives in my house. There also seems to be some duplication between some of the guest programmers)
Santa, Can't You Hear Me Kelly Clarkson & Ariana Grande -
This is the second time Ariana Grande has sung of feeling let down by Saint Nick. Her 2014 single Santa Tell Me finds her imploring him to pull through this Christmas after previously delivering her a boy who'd gone by New Year's Day.
You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch Tyler The Creator -
This was written and recorded for the classic 1966 Dr. Seuss TV Holiday Special How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Seuss wrote the lyrics and Albert Hague wrote the music.
A Nonsense Christmas Sabrina Carpenter -
The original song Nonsense was first released as a part of the album, emails i can't send, in July of 2022 and later released as a Christmas remix titled A Nonsense Christmas in December of that year. It was written by Sabrina Carpenter, Julian Bunetta and Steph Jones.
I’m Gettin Nuttin for Christmas Barry Gordon -
Barry was a child actor in the '50s and '60s. He performed in a lot of TV and stage roles, including the Broadway production and 1965 movie A Thousand Clowns.
The Chipmunk Song Glee -
This was written and produced by Ross Bagdasarian (a.k.a. David Seville). The inspiration came to him from his youngest son, Adam, who had a habit of asking in September if it was Christmas yet. He figured if his son was already asking about the holiday so early, other kids probably were too.
Christmas will be shortly here. ACME wants you to join them in celebrating the holidays with your friends at The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour - the official soap of our nation's bald eagles. Remember if your bald eagle's talons are filthy, do we have a soap for you! We're sure you're busy with all of your holiday plans. Take a break - why not put The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour on in the background and let watch something different today - The television version of the 2000 revival of the 1939 Broadway hit, The Man Who Came To Dinner, starring Nathan Lane, Jean Smart, Harriet Sansom Harris, and Lewis J. Stadlen. The play introduces us to Monty Woolley, a celebrated author and radio celebrity, on a lecture tour in Ohio, where he slips on the ice and is confined to the home of a bourgeois couple. He proceeds to plunge the household into chaos, ruling the place like a czar and meddling in everyone’s love life. As they say in the ads ... hilarity ensues. So please join us here at The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour and sit back, get comfortable and watch The Man Who Came To Dinner -
This production restored some lines that had been censored or omitted from the 1941 film, among them Sheridan Whiteside's opening line "I may vomit". It also restored the line "you have the touch of a sex-starved cobra", which had been changed in the old film to "you have the touch of a love-starved cobra".
Before you go - Once again, I'm going to play a perennial favorite bonus track (in our house, anyway) - the inspired mash-up of Mariah Carey'sAll I Want for Christmas Is You and My Chemical Romance's Welcome To The Black Parade.
This is so perfectly matched that it seems it was written this way. I didn't think this one would work but give it a listen
We'll end this session with the Mariah Carey/ Marilyn Manson mashup (by the brilliant Bill McClintlock.)
