Christmas In The Movies

 

Let's take a break from the music for a while and take in some movies.  Ten movies to be exact.  Here are numbers 11-20 of the Man Holes favorite movies where Christmas makes an appearance.

 

 

20.  Trading Places (1983)

 

Starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd.  Directed by John Landis.  U.S. box office gross of over $90 million.

Philadelphia at Christmas time is the perfect backdrop for this loosely and comedic retelling of Mark Twain's Prince and the Pauper. 

"Looking good Louis!" 

 



19. 1941 (1979)

 

Starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.  Directed by Stephen Spielberg and written by Robert Zemeckis.  Box office gross of over $94 million. 

Frantic Californians react to a possible U.S. invasion after Pearl Harbor in the middle of December.  More drama than a comedy but still has some funny parts. 

" You won't get shit out of me. I've been constipated all week!" 



 18. Love, Actually (2003)

 

Starring Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, and Colin Firth.  Written and directed by Richard Curtis.  Box office gross of over $246 million. 

A romantic comedy following the lives and stories (maybe too many stories) of eight different couples in London all taking place in December.

"Hello, David. I mean "sir". Shit, I can't believe I've just said that. And now I've gone and said "shit" - twice. I'm so sorry, sir."       

 17. Lethal Weapon (1987)

 

Starring Mel Gibson (before he was nuts), Danny Glover, and Gary Busey (also before he went crazy).  Directed by Richard Donner.  Box office gross of over $120 million. 

Buddy-cop movie about miss matched partners whose friendship grows as they are on the hunt for drug smugglers.

"I'm too old for this shit!"

 16. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

 

Starring Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O'Hara, and John Payne.  

The story takes place between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day in New York City, and focuses on the impact of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa.  One of the classics.

"Christmas isn't just a day, it's a frame of mind and that's what's been changing. That's why I'm glad I'm here, maybe I can do something about it."

 15. Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009)

 

Starring Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, and Colin Firth.  Written, directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis.  Box office total of over $325 million.

Disney's animated take on the Dickens's classic.

"BAH! Humbug!" 

14. Scrooged (1988)

 

Starring Bill Murray, Karen Allen, and John Forsythe.  Directed by Richard Donner.  Box office total of over $60 million.

Another modernization of the Dickens's classic more loosely based this time. 

"If you TOUCH ME AGAIN, I'll rip your god damned wings off! Okay?"  

 13. Bad Santa (2003)

 

Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham and Tony Cox.  Box office total of over $76 million.

A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid, and the security boss discovers the plot. This also marks the last movie appearance of John Ritter before his death.

"He's not going to say fuck stick in front of the children, is he?"    

 12. Gremlins (1984)

 

Starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton.  Written by Chris Columbus.  Box office of over $153 million.

A boy inadvertently breaks 3 important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.   

"Bright light!  Bright light!"

                          

 11. Jack Frost (1998)

 

Starring Michael Keaton, Kelly Preston, and Joseph Cross.  Box office of over $34 million.

A father, who can't keep his promises, dies in a car accident. One year later, he returns as a snowman, who has the final chance to put things right with his son before he is gone forever.

"My balls are freezin! I never thought I'd say THAT with a smile on my face. "

 

 

The Man Hole Christmas Song Hall of Fame Inductee #9

 

What better way to celebrate the holidays in music and song than by listening to a 68 year old Jewish man sing a Christmas tune.  Make that song sound like a polka and well only one song comes to mind.  With a raucous party in the background, Bob Dylan celebrates the holiday as well as pokes fun at it. 

 

 

That is a wig he's wearing in the video, right?

 



The Man Hole Christmas Song Hall of Fame Inductee #8

 

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer debuted on NBC in 1964.  Aside from the animated special bringing us such memorable moments like Yukon Cornelius, the Bumble, the Island of Misfit Toys, and of course there's Santa just being an all around dick to Rudolph, the show brought us a new Christmas classic. 

 

 

Burl Ives, a popular folk singer and actor at the time, voiced the character of Sam the Snowman.  At the end of the show he delivers our eighth Hall of Fame inductee.   The stop motion animated special by Rankin and Bass is the longest running Christmas special in TV history.

 

  

The Man Hole Christmas Song Hall of Fame Inductee #7

 

As far back as I can remember Silver Bells by Jim Reeves was a big favorite in my family.  The song was first introduced to me when I could barely walk by my grandmother who passed away in 1983.  Never does a holiday season go by that I don't listen to the song and get choked up singing along.  This version is by Jim Reeves who was a country singer popular in the 50's and 60's.  Elvis Presley also does a very nice version of the song as well.  

 

 

Written in 1951, the song was originally titled Tinkle Bells until the wife of one of the writers told her husband that they could not possibly give the song that title so the name was changed to Silver Bells.  The song first appeared in the 1951 movie The Lemon Drop Kid.  The stars of the movie Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell performed the song.

 

 

The Man Hole Christmas Song Hall of Fame Inductee #6

 

In October of 1984 Bob Geldof and Midge Ure wanted to write a song that could be recorded and sold to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.  Bob Geldof later appeared on BBC radio and called for recruits from British and Irish music stars to help make the sales of the recording larger. On November 24, 1984, the song was recorded at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London, and was released four days later.       

 

 

How many artists could you name?  Of course all of them are thirty years older now!  The song still remains one of the most sold singles ever and is the second highest selling single song in British history.  Band Aid (as the group was named) would go on to spawn Live Aid and We Are The World (a group of American singers who recorded a single with the same name), Northern Lights (a group of Canadian music stars), and Hear N' Aid (a heavy metal super group led by Ronnie James Dio as well as fellow Dio members Jimmy Bain and Vivian Campbell).  Here's hoping for a 40th anniversary version.  But not needing a charity to feed the hunger around the world would be even better.

 

 



The Man Hole Christmas Song Hall of Fame Inductee #5

 

This song I originally downloaded in February of '08.  That's right after Christmas so you would expect it would be another nine months before I would drag it out again, blow off the dust, and dial it up on my I-Pod (remember those?).  That would have been the case if the song was just a regular Christmas song.  Which this isn't.  Far from it.  I pretty much listened to this song all of 2008 and enjoyed the video for it as well.  The video, in fact, is what made the song a favorite of mine.   

 

 

 

 

Let's take stock; we have a demented puppet show, a homicidal Santa, several horrible Christmas sweaters, a festive goat, and the lead singer of The Killers, Brandon Flowers, is tied up using garland and Christmas lights.  That's just the first half of the video.  Mostly light hearted and fun however there is that one line:

"No one else around believes me
But the children on the block they tease me
I couldn't let them off that easy"

gives the song that hard left turn that takes it somewhere else.  Some songs aren't meant to be Christmas songs.  Others probably shouldn't be and although this one definitely leans towards the latter category, I cherish every second of it.
    



The Man Hole Christmas Song Hall of Fame Inductee #4

 

There are countless versions of many Christmas songs.  Most of the time it doesn't matter much who is singing the song.  I say I say I say MOST of the time.  Sometimes a song is performed by an artists and it feels like the song was always meant to be done by that particular performer.  Song number four is one of those songs. 

 

 

 

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band originally only performed this song live in concert the few weeks leading into the Christmas holiday.  They would eventually record a version of the song while on tour in 1978, however the song wasn't released until 1985 as the "B" side to My Hometown, a single off of the Born In The USA album.  Sadly, Clarence Clemons is another who has left us far too soon but we are lucky to still be able to enjoy his "Ho Ho Ho's". 

 

   

The Man Hole Christmas Song Hall of Fame Inductee #3

 

Released in 1983 this song is technically not supposed to be nor was it intended to be a Christmas song.  So what better way to make certain this list is as screwed up as we are by putting a song on it that isn't supposed to be here.       

 

 

2000 Miles is not the distance between two lovers as some suspect from the song lyrics.  The song is actually a tribute for the groups guitarist James Honeyman-Scott who had died the year before the song was released.  It's a good song for anyone who may be missing someone this holiday season or anytime for that matter.  I liked this song since the first time I heard it and over the years I have fallen in love with it.  For us here at The Man Hole this song has an extra special meaning this year.  Tell all your loved ones you love them and hold them close as often as you can because someday they won't be there anymore.  In the words of another Christmas song, this one from the animated classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, "there's always tomorrow".  Until there isn't.

 

 

   

 

 

 



The Man Hole Christmas Song Hall of Fame Inductee #2

 

 

Originally recorded in 1955 by the Trapp Family Singers (yes, the Sound of Music kids) the song was then called "Carol of the Drum".  Perhaps the best known version of the song was recorded by the Harry Simeone Chorale in 1958. 

 

 

 

In 1987 the album A Very Special Christmas was released with proceeds from sales supporting the special Olympics.  Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band recorded the song for the album and it remains one of the most powerful versions ever performed.  I love many and nearly every version of this song that I've heard.  Jimi Hendrix also recorded a version which I highly recommend you put on your holiday listening list if you have never heard it before.  While watching this video if you are of the same age category as I am, meaning anything over 35-ish, *ahem*, you may also be a little astonished and possible even a bit depressed by how old Bob Seger looks in this recent live recording. 

 

  

The Christmas Corner With Denise

 

We all have one or two specific things we look forward to when the holiday season rolls around.  Missing one of them would be unheard of and unacceptable.  For Denise, How The Grinch Stole Christmas is one of those things.  Aside from the fact you have Dr. Seuss teaming up with horror icon Boris Karloff to narrate and you are off to a good start.  I myself have seen the 1966 animated classic more times than I can count but when it's on and Denise is watching it I find that I am watching her watch it more than I am looking at the TV. 

 

 

 

 

 

I almost forgot to add in Thurl Ravenscroft  appears in an uncredited roll to sing the now very famous theme. My fellow Disney addicts will recognize his voice from The Haunted Mansion ride.  But back to Denise watching the show; when she watches it she recites just about all of the lines word for word and has an undying love for Doctor Seuss. 

 

 

That's not a picture of Denise watching the show that's little Cindy Lou Who.  Denise explains to me that she loves the show because the Grinch is so miserable and mean and hates Christmas (which he says he has done for 53 years, so just how old is he and how old is considered old for a Who) because deep down he is jealous of the Who's having all types of things that he doesn't have.  

 

 

After the Grinch "takes Christmas away from the Whos" he makes his way back to his cave on Mount Crumpet and waits to hear the cries of sadness coming from Whoville.  The Grinch is surprised when even with Christmas not coming to town, the Whos still gathered in the town center and joined hands to sing Christmas  carols.  The Grinch then realizes that Christmas doesn't come from possessions but from within.  Suddenly, the Grinch does a one hundred and eighty degree turn.   

 

 

Upon realizing this fact the Grinch, with the strength of ten Grinches, plus two he saves Christmas and brings the sleigh back to Whoville and participates in the celebration of the holiday.  TV Guide ranks it as the best TV Holiday special of all time.  

 

Here's hoping that all of our hearts have the ability to grow three sizes this holiday season.  

The Man Hole Christmas Song Hall of Fame Inductee #1

We here at The Man Hole wanted to mark this holiday season by posting our favorite Christmas songs of all time.  We will be posting one song a day for the entire month of December.  The songs will be in no particular order unless, of course, you count "random" as a particular order.  So the first inductee into The Man Hole Christmas Song Hall of Fame is:

 

In 1966 The Royal Guardsmen released a song titled Snoopy vs. The Red Baron the song was a hit and made it to number two on the Billboard charts.  This was the follow up song released in 1967.  This time the song did not do as well on the charts but it is still a popular song during the holidays.  The song is a reference to a period during WWI called The Christmas Truce when the German and British troops that were fighting decided to put a halt to the fighting.  In some areas it was only for Christmas Day, in other areas it was for the entire week between Christmas Day and New Years Day.  This is one of those songs I loved as a child and still listen to every holiday.