The Drovers Old Time Medicine Show - Prater's Creek Gazette

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CHRISTMAS	The Prater's Creek Gazette 4th Issue Winter 2004 Page #2
The Greatest Christmas Television Shows of All Time Every year at this time, as we are getting ready for Christmas, the radio airwaves are full of Christmas music, and television shows all have their Christmas theme shows. Each network makes and broadcasts their Christmas specials to help get us in the Christmas spirit, and to sell us a new car, or a Norelco electric shaver, or something from Radio Shack. Some TV shows are Christmas traditions such as "Rudolph", "Frosty", "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", and "A Charlie Brown Christmas". We at The Prater’s Creek Gazette wanted to take a look at some other holiday classics. Here are our favorites. (1) ANDY GRIFFITH "Christmas Episode" First aired December 1960. I never am truly in the holiday spirit until I see this episode each year. Andy wants to let Jim Muggins, who he has in jail for making moonshine, out for Christmas. But old Ben Weaver, Mayberry’s own Scrooge, will have none of it, and insists that Andy keep him in jail. Ben’s cold heart is melted and the giant lump comes up in my throat. (2) HAPPY DAYS "Guess Who’s Coming To Christmas" First aired 12/17/76. Mr. C wants a Christmas with only the family, but Richie discovers that Fonzie is spending Christmas alone and invites him to spend Christmas with the Cunninghams. Irving O. Tarbox, Gazette editor says "Call me a wuss, but I love that episode. It’s also the last episode we see Chuck". (3) ALL IN THE FAMILY "The Draft Dodger" First aired 12/25/76. In one of the most powerful and moving episodes of any television show ever, Archie’s friend Pinky, who lost a son in Vietnam, is having Christmas dinner with the Bunkers. Also there is a friend of Mike and Gloria’s who, Archie doesn’t know, is a draft dodger living in Canada. At dinner Archie finds out and says a draft dodger isn’t welcome at their table, especially with the father of a soldier who lost his life in the war. Pinky says that maybe if his son would have dodged the draft he could have been there to share Christmas dinner with them. (4) TJ First aired around 1971. This made for TV movie was a favorite and has been forgotten. It was a Christmas story set in inner city Detroit. TJ was a young black kid around ten years old that found this cat and was taking care of it. His mom wouldn’t let him have it because they were so poor they could not afford a pet. His grandma comes to visit and she asks him, "TJ, What you want for Christmas child?" TJ responds, "I want me this cat I found." Later, after protecting the cat from bullies and other things, the cat gets run over by a car. They should show this movie every year on some cable channel. (5) THE HOUSE WITHOUT A CHRISTMAS TREE 1972 A Hallmark made for TV movie starring Jason Robards as a man in 1946 Nebraska who is widowed and doesn’t ever want a Christmas tree in the house because it reminds him of his dead wife. His daughter Addie, played by Lisa Lucas, wants nothing for Christmas but a tree. A great movie. My family watched this together thirty-two years ago. A great memory. (6) THE ADDAMS FAMILY Pugsley and Wednesday don’t believe Santa is real so Uncle Fester is elected to dress up as Santa and come down the chimney. But he gets stuck so Gomez, Lurch, Morticia, Grandmama, and best of all Cousin IT dress like Ol Saint Nick to convince the kids of his existence. A classic. (7) SHERRY THRIFT ON THE 700 CLUB Christmas Day 1985 Miss SC 1985 clogging on Pat Robertson’s show clogging in the skimpy red, white, and blue outfit she wore while being first runner-up in Miss USA pageant. One of the best Christmas television shows ever! (8) THE SIMPSONS "The Simpsons’ Christmas Special" Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" First aired 12/17/89. The first 30-minute show spun off from The Tracy Ullman Show. There’s no Christmas bonus money from the nuclear plant and Marge spent all of the Christmas money getting a tattoo removed off of Bart. Homer ends up at the dog track betting what little money he made playing Santa at the mall on a dog called "Santa’s Little Helper". Bart is sure he’ll win saying, "If TV has taught me anything, it’s that miracles always happen to poor kids at Christmas. It happened to Tiny Tim, it happened to Charlie Brown, it happened to the Smurfs, and it’s going to happen to us!

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CHRISTMAS

The Prater's Creek Gazette

4th Issue Winter 2004 Page #2

The Greatest Christmas Television Shows of All Time

Every year at this time, as we are getting ready for Christmas, the radio airwaves are full of Christmas music, and television shows all have their Christmas theme shows. Each network makes and broadcasts their Christmas specials to help get us in the Christmas spirit, and to sell us a new car, or a Norelco electric shaver, or something from Radio Shack. Some TV shows are Christmas traditions such as "Rudolph", "Frosty", "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", and "A Charlie Brown Christmas".

We at The Prater’s Creek Gazette wanted to take a look at some other holiday classics. Here are our favorites.

(1) ANDY GRIFFITH "Christmas Episode" First aired December 1960. I never am truly in the holiday spirit until I see this episode each year. Andy wants to let Jim Muggins, who he has in jail for making moonshine, out for Christmas. But old Ben Weaver, Mayberry’s own Scrooge, will have none of it, and insists that Andy keep him in jail. Ben’s cold heart is melted and the giant lump comes up in my throat.

(2) HAPPY DAYS "Guess Who’s Coming To Christmas" First aired 12/17/76. Mr. C wants a Christmas with only the family, but Richie discovers that Fonzie is spending Christmas alone and invites him to spend Christmas with the Cunninghams. Irving O. Tarbox, Gazette editor says "Call me a wuss, but I love that episode. It’s also the last episode we see Chuck".

(3) ALL IN THE FAMILY "The Draft Dodger" First aired 12/25/76. In one of the most powerful and moving episodes of any television show ever, Archie’s friend Pinky, who lost a son in Vietnam, is having Christmas dinner with the Bunkers. Also there is a friend of Mike and Gloria’s who, Archie doesn’t know, is a draft dodger living in Canada. At dinner Archie finds out and says a draft dodger isn’t welcome at their table, especially with the father of a soldier who lost his life in the war. Pinky says that maybe if his son would have dodged the draft he could have been there to share Christmas dinner with them.

(4) TJ First aired around 1971. This made for TV movie was a favorite and has been forgotten. It was a Christmas story set in inner city Detroit. TJ was a young black kid around ten years old that found this cat and was taking care of it. His mom wouldn’t let him have it because they were so poor they could not afford a pet. His grandma comes to visit and she asks him, "TJ, What you want for Christmas child?" TJ responds, "I want me this cat I found." Later, after protecting the cat from bullies and other things, the cat gets run over by a car. They should show this movie every year on some cable channel.

(5) THE HOUSE WITHOUT A CHRISTMAS TREE 1972 A Hallmark made for TV movie starring Jason Robards as a man in 1946 Nebraska who is widowed and doesn’t ever want a Christmas tree in the house because it reminds him of his dead wife. His daughter Addie, played by Lisa Lucas, wants nothing for Christmas but a tree. A great movie. My family watched this together thirty-two years ago. A great memory.

(6) THE ADDAMS FAMILY Pugsley and Wednesday don’t believe Santa is real so Uncle Fester is elected to dress up as Santa and come down the chimney. But he gets stuck so Gomez, Lurch, Morticia, Grandmama, and best of all Cousin IT dress like Ol Saint Nick to convince the kids of his existence. A classic.

(7) SHERRY THRIFT ON THE 700 CLUB Christmas Day 1985 Miss SC 1985 clogging on Pat Robertson’s show clogging in the skimpy red, white, and blue outfit she wore while being first runner-up in Miss USA pageant. One of the best Christmas television shows ever!

(8) THE SIMPSONS "The Simpsons’ Christmas Special" Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" First aired 12/17/89. The first 30-minute show spun off from The Tracy Ullman Show. There’s no Christmas bonus money from the nuclear plant and Marge spent all of the Christmas money getting a tattoo removed off of Bart. Homer ends up at the dog track betting what little money he made playing Santa at the mall on a dog called "Santa’s Little Helper". Bart is sure he’ll win saying, "If TV has taught me anything, it’s that miracles always happen to poor kids at Christmas. It happened to Tiny Tim, it happened to Charlie Brown, it happened to the Smurfs, and it’s going to happen to us!