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.
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 This seriously dampened the holiday mood and the single, as well as the album, were withdrawn.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.)
