ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour (414)

Thank you for joining us today

Before our first holiday feature presentation, ACME would like to start the evening with another ComiColor Cartoons cartoon, the 1934 Jack Frost, produced by Ub Iwerks.



The character Old Man Winter returned in the 1935 film Summertime.


Before the start of our feature presentation, in case you are already overwhelmed by the holidays, we another episode of The Puddles Pity Party Show, tonight featuring Jack Black:



Nothing says entertainment like Puddles and Jack Black.


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! 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 watching the classic 1962 animated film Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol directed by Abe Levitow and features songs composed by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Bob Merrill. Jim Backus provides the voice of Magoo, with additional voices provided by Paul Frees, Morey Amsterdam, Joan Gardner, and Jack Cassidy. The special was the first animated Christmas special to be produced specifically for television



This version of A Christmas Carol is unique in that the first spirit to visit Scrooge is the Spirit of Christmas Present, followed by the Spirits of Christmas Past and Yet to Come, whereas in all other versions, Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past first, then Present, and then Yet to Come.


For the twelfth year in a row, the gentlemen from Bensonhurst were so moved by our themes concerning Frank and Dino that I have be persuaded (strong armed) by those gentlemen to present the 12th Annual Mobbed Up Christmas Special this year (our second theme of the evening).

(Let us be very clear - none of these singers are in anyway associated with organized crime.)

It's just that the usual suspects, Frankie Lupini, Molluschi Vincenzo, Joey Carrozza, etc, 'requested' these songs.


Merry Christmas Baby Dion -




Christmas In Herald Square Tony Bennett -




Silent Night Connie Francis -




It's Christmas At Our House Lou Monte -




Do You Hear What I Hear? Bobby Vinton -




Deck the Halls Vic Damone -




Christmas Tears Frankie Valli -




After many shots of Strega and plates of scungilli, baccalà alla vicentina and fried calamari, the boys want to wish everyone Buon Natale and Happy Hanukkah.

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I once shook hands with Pat Boone and my whole right side sobered up.

I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning, that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.

As you can probably guess, Frank wasn't the only member of the Rat Pack to sing carols -



Today's Holiday Theme is A Dean Martin's Christmas (Dean died on Christmas day in 1995.)


Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer -



Because Gene Autry's reputation was that of a Western star, he didn't feel suited to sing a Christmas song. The songs writer Johnny Marks, however, was determined to change Autry's mind (even though he'd never met him). He enlisted an unknown singer named Al Cernik to record a demo in the style of Autry and shipped it to the star in California. After a long wait - and some prodding from his wife - Autry agreed to record the tune.


Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! -



This was written by the lyricist Sammy Cahn and the Broadway songwriter Jule Styne in 1945. It was first recorded by Vaughn Monroe, and has since become a standard.


I'll be home for Christmas -



The song was written by Walter Kent (music) and James Kimball "Kim" Gannon (words). Though Kent and Gannon collaborated on other songs, none reached the same level of popularity as I'll Be Home for Christmas.


Silver Bells -



This song was originally sung by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in The Lemon Drop Kid. The following year Bing Crosby, together with Carol Richards recorded the first recorded version.


I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm -



This was written in 1934 by Richard B. Smith and Felix Bernard. The lyricist Richard Smith served as an editor of a newspaper before taking up a career in music. The composer Felix Bernard, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, played the piano with popular orchestras and was also a tap dancer and writer of musical comedies for Vaudeville. He later became a composer and though this proved his greatest success, he also earned a steady income writing songs for Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor on radio shows.


A Marshmallow World -



Written by the Brill Building songwriters Carl Sigman and Peter DeRose, Marshmallow World is a popular Christmas song, although it doesn't specifically mention the holiday. A celebration of the joys of winter, besides Dean it has been covered by Frank Sinatra, Brenda Lee, Johnny Mathis, and a Phil Spector-produced version by Darlene Love.


What the hell I'm starting to feel the bourbon, let's watch an entire episode of The Dean Martin Christmas Show -



If people want to think I get drunk and stay out all night, let 'em. That's how I got here, you know

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The best revenge is massive success.

I would like to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living life, a man who had good friends, fine family - and I don't think I could ask for anything more than that, actually.

Welcome to our 14th Annual tribute to Ole Blue Eyes - Acme's tip of the hat to The Chairman of the Board.


The First Noel -



The First Noel is a traditional English carol most likely from the 16th or 17th century, but possibly dating from as early as the 13th century. It appeared in Some Ancient Christmas Carols (1823) and Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern (1833), edited by William Sandys.


Mistletoe & Holly -



The song was written by Frank Sinatra, Dok Stanford and Hank Sanicola, and published by the Barton Music Corporation in New York.


Jingle Bells -



The words and music for this Christmas classic were written by James Lord Pierpont, a popular American composer, in 1857 with the title of One Horse Open Sleigh. Pierpont was a member of a staunch Unitarian Church family, and his father was a minister. It was originally written for a local Sunday school entertainment on Thanksgiving Day in Savannah, Georgia. Its catchy tune was soon taken up by Christmas revelers. Every December, an old battle known as "The Jingle Bell Wars" rages on. The folks of Medford, Massachusetts, claim their town is the real birthplace of the famous holiday tune, as Pierpont was still living there in 1850 when it was allegedly written at the local Simpson Tavern. This isn't a battle the South is prepared to lose: Savannah's tourism guide maintains Jingle Bells was penned in the very church it premiered. That doesn't stop Medford from holding an annual Jingle Bell Festival or dubbing itself "The Jingle Bell City."


I'll Be Home For Christmas -



This was originally recorded by Bing Crosby in 1943, and it quickly became one of America's most popular holiday songs along with White Christmas, which Bing had put onto disc the previous year. The song particularly struck a nerve with overseas GIs and their families awaiting their return from serving their country in World War II. The GI magazine said Crosby accomplished more for military morale than anyone else of that era.


I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day -



On Christmas day, 1864, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow received word that his son, a soldier in the Civil War, had been wounded. Just two years before, Henry had lost his wife in a fire. As Longfellow sat alone with his grief, he penned words of hope to challenge his own despair. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day was set to music by composer John Baptiste Calkin in 1872.


Have Yourselves A Merry Little Christmas -



Songwriters Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine wrote the classic song Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas for Judy Garland's 1944 movie, Meet Me in St. Louis, along with dozens of other songs for MGM and Broadway musicals.


Acme would like to bring you this 1957 Christmas episode of The Frank Sinatra Show - Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank



The special was filmed in color, although ABC originally broadcast it in black and white. The special was directed by Frank Sinatra himself. He and Bing Crosby team up for several musical numbers celebrating the holiday season. Because Bing Crosby liked to pre-record his music in the morning and lip synch on film and Frank Sinatra preferred to record live in the evening, the musical "duets" were recorded ten hours apart with only soft piano accompaniment. Nelson Riddle overrode the piano with the orchestra during editing.

Throughout my career, if I have done anything, I have paid attention to every note and every word I sing - if I respect the song. If I cannot project this to a listener, I fail. .

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Another Caligari heard from

Happy Holidays! I'm sure you are just starting to run around doing your holiday shopping. It's our second guest programmer this year and it has nothing to due with the fact that it's Julietta's birthday. (And I don't want to mention anything about haranguing her for several days to get her actual choices.)

Here are her holiday choices:

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)  Mariah Carey -



Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) is a song originally recorded by Darlene Love in 1963 that Mariah covered for her 1994 Merry Christmas album. “I really did enjoy Mariah Carey's version, I think she stuck so close to me,” Darlene told Variety in 2020. “I was really surprised, because that has a lower voice than how she sings. But when you have a song that has a great melody, like ‘Christmas, Baby’ does, there's no sense in trying to mess with it. And she has such a great, powerful voice. She did an unbelievable version.”


This Christmas  Donny Hathaway -



Like many Christmas songs, this one took a while to find an audience. Released as a single in 1970, it went nowhere, but later became a modern holiday standard, covered by a wide range of artists including Destiny's Child, Aretha Franklin and Lady Antebellum.


Underneath the Tree   Kelly Clarksons -



Accompanied by various instrumental sounds, the song prominently incorporates a Phil Spector-like Wall of Sound treatment along with sleigh bells and bell chimes to resonate a holiday atmosphere


Santa Tell Me   Ariana Grande -



This self-penned holiday single finds Ariana Grande singing of feeling let down by Santa as he didn't grant her Christmas wish. She said during a live stream Q&A with Arianators the song is, "sort of about being fed up with Santa because he doesn't necessarily pull through all the time."


Last Christmas   Sabrina Carpenter & Chappell Roan -



There’s nothing in this song about Santa, reindeer, trees, snow, or anything that is typically associate with the holiday. Rather, the song is about a failed romance that just happens to have begun on December 25.


Julietta would like to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy holiday season and a bright New Year.


As always - for an extra added treat, here's a few Christmas songs from Puddles Pity Party



What would Christmas be without our favorite 7 foot tall clown singing Christmas songs -

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It's A Funky, Funky Christmas

Why not slow down your jam and listen to The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour Rockin Soul Christmas Revue (Old School)


Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday   William Bell –




Merry Christmas Baby   Otis Redding –




This Christmas    Donny Hathaway –




Presents For Christmas   Solomon Burke –




What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas?   The Emotions –




Who Took The Merry out of Christmas    The Staple Singers -




Christmas Will Really Be Christmas   Lou Rawls –




What Christmas Means To Me   Stevie Wonder –

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... Snowflakes in the air ...

December 9, 1965

A Charlie Brown Christmas is the first animated television special based on the popular newspaper comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz, and also the first Christmas special for the franchise. Acme is proud to ask you to join us in watching the perennial showing of this depressing little special.



The original broadcast included some brief animated sections which included the logo of Coca-Cola, the show's original sponsor. These have been edited out of subsequent broadcasts and the video release. Right after the opening title, Linus crashed into a sign advertising Coca-Cola after being tossed by Snoopy. The closing carol originally included the complete verse (instead of fading out) with a final on-screen "Merry Christmas from your local bottler of Coca-Cola" right after the United Feature Syndicate credit at the end.





A documentary celebrating the Charlie Brown Christmas special: -



When they first saw the show, CBS executives were horrified at the idea of an animated Christmas special with such a blatant message. They also strongly objected to the fact that the show had no canned laughter. In addition, they greeted Vince Guaraldi's jazz score as an intrusion in the special that audiences would never accept. However, when CBS learned to their astonishment of the special's spectacular ratings earned on its initial broadcast and the glowing reviews for it, the network promptly contracted the producers for more specials.


A Charlie Brown Christmas Vince Guaraldi Trio -



Producer Lee Mendelson wrote the lyrics for Vince Guaraldi's Christmas Time is Here music, and his son Glenn, along with his then sixth-grade class, sang the vocals.


Christmas Charlie Brown mashups











And a couple of Charlie Brown parodies






In honor of our depressed little pal: Let's all get in the mood with our second holiday theme and have a depressing Christmas -

The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot  Nat King Cole -



Written by British composers Michael Carr, Jimmy Leach and Tommie Connor, it tells the tale of a fatherless boy who sent a note to Santa Claus to request presents of soldiers and a drum. On Christmas morning he awoke to find that Santa never came, and therefore, he only had last year’s broken toys to play with. The song was introduced to a completely new generation in 1982 when it featured in the Pink Floyd film The Wall. Vera Lynn’s version is heard during the opening scene, providing an eerie atmospheric effect.


River   Joni Mitchell -



At the start of 1970, Joni Mitchell's relationship with her boyfriend Graham Nash was crumbling. On top of this, she was feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the mass adulation her recordings were receiving. The songstress needed to get away, so she took off on a trip to Europe, metaphorically skating away on a river to escape the crazy scene. While Mitchell was in Crete, she sent Nash a telegram to tell him their romance was over.


7 O’Clock News/Silent Night  Simon & Garfunkel -



In perfect two-part harmony, they sing the song to a piano accompaniment. Into that song bleeds the sound of a news announcer bringing news of the day, thus creating a sound collage of peace set against modern times. That news was actually scripted and read by Charlie O’Donnell, who was a radio DJ then and became the announcer on many TV game shows, including The Wheel of Fortune.


Pretty Paper Roy Orbinson -



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.


And what could be the saddest Christmas song written:
Christmas Will Break Your Heart - LCD Soundsystem



Christmas, I love you but you're bringing me down.


Before you go - since you're in the mood, let's all get together and listen to William S Burroughs read his Christmas story, The.Junky's Christmas.



Francis Ford Coppola produced this short Claymation film based on William S. Burroughs short story The Junky’s Christmas. The piece was directed by Nick Donkin and Melodie McDaniel.

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Love is the flower you've got to let grow.

We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it.

There is a better way to remember John Lennon on this sad anniversary

Beatles Christmas Mash-up




Here's a recently uncovered private record Paul McCartney made for three friends -

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