Your Favorite Christmas Movies and TV Episodes?

[MagnumsLeftShoulder]

Watched a New Year's episode of Route 66 today. "A Fury Slinging Flame" has Leslie Nielsen as a scientist who's convinced his friend in Russia has been sending him coded messages that the Soviets are going to nuke us New Years Day. He gets some people to take refuge in Carlsbad Caverns with a plan to re-populate the earth after Nuclear annihilation. It's not a great episode, but some of the doomsday prediction stuff is still relevant.

[Steve]

Watched a New Year's episode of Route 66 today. "A Fury Slinging Flame" has Leslie Nielsen as a scientist who's convinced his friend in Russia has been sending him coded messages that the Soviets are going to nuke us New Years Day. He gets some people to take refuge in Carlsbad Caverns with a plan to re-populate the earth after Nuclear annihilation. It's not a great episode, but some of the doomsday prediction stuff is still relevant.

I was just thinking about if there were any Route 66 episodes about the holidays. Even the most mediocre of Route 66 shows written by Stirling Silliphant are at least a 8 out of 10 from me, just look at the title, right out of a Tennyson poem. Good find MLS!

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Watched a New Year's episode of Route 66 today. "A Fury Slinging Flame" has Leslie Nielsen as a scientist who's convinced his friend in Russia has been sending him coded messages that the Soviets are going to nuke us New Years Day. He gets some people to take refuge in Carlsbad Caverns with a plan to re-populate the earth after Nuclear annihilation. It's not a great episode, but some of the doomsday prediction stuff is still relevant.

Great minds think alike, I too watched it last night. It was originally shown on 12-30-60 and set on the next day, New Years Eve. For some reason the SHOUT DVD release
and other official versions are missing 4 minutes, which you can only see on bootlegs. Missing bits include real life reporters from the NY Daily News and other papers.
I traded for a bootleg DVD in order to have a complete Route 66 collection as I am a fan.
I agree it's not a great episode, but the Carlsbad Caverns setting helps.
For those who have never seen it, the entire series was filmed on the road. Many times by mid season the writers would hit town first with no idea for or just a vague outline for a script. They'd spend 2 weeks soaking up the sights and the locals and incorporating them into a story, by which time the cast and crew - with their families in tow -
and trucks teeming with production gear would roll in after filming at the last location.
As a result the series is a time capsule of 20th century America before it changed forever with the arrival of the "60's", ie The Beatles, drugs and rock and roll.
Two episodes were filmed in Canada. The roster of then and future stars who appeared on it is amazing.
Ed Asner appeared in 2 episodes and to this day claims Route 66 is the best written series of all time. Today star George Maharis is 91, looks 60 and if you write him he
will respond, with both a letter and a autographed photo.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Route 66 episode "Love is a Skinny Kid":
Tommy(Burt Reynolds): "No offense fellah, I've just run outta guys to hit. I've already hit all the guys around here."
Buz(George Maharis): "They give cats scratching posts. You ought to get one."

[eagle]

I've always wanted to see Route 66. It looks like it might be available on tubi; is that the same show? Thanks.

[MagnumsLeftShoulder]

For some reason the SHOUT DVD release
and other official versions are missing 4 minutes, which you can only see on bootlegs. Missing bits include real life reporters from the NY Daily News and other papers.

I watched it on Amazon Prime and noticed the shortened length and the real reporters names and their newspapers in the credits. I wondered why they would list the newspapers instead of just the actors names, makes sense now.

I've always wanted to see Route 66. It looks like it might be available on tubi; is that the same show? Thanks.

Yes. It's also on Amazon Prime. Be warned that if you are watching a big screen, that some of it looks terrible. It hasn't been re-mastered and it makes it look much older than it actually is. The video quality of the first episode is especially bad, but it does start to look better by episode 4 or 5.

[eagle]

Cool, thanks, I have added it to my queue on Tubi.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

For some reason the SHOUT DVD release
and other official versions are missing 4 minutes, which you can only see on bootlegs. Missing bits include real life reporters from the NY Daily News and other papers.

I watched it on Amazon Prime and noticed the shortened length and the real reporters names and their newspapers in the credits. I wondered why they would list the newspapers instead of just the actors names, makes sense now.

I've always wanted to see Route 66. It looks like it might be available on tubi; is that the same show? Thanks.

Yes. It's also on Amazon Prime. Be warned that if you are watching a big screen, that some of it looks terrible. It hasn't been re-mastered and it makes it look much older than it actually is. The video quality of the first episode is especially bad, but it does start to look better by episode 4 or 5.

Hi Guys,
I am in no sense a Tech person, but I might be of help in regards to the remastering issue. The following is not in regards to SHOUT Factory's decent release
of the Route 66 series. Rather I refer to Roxbury's earlier version.
Roxbury(now defunct) issued the first 3 seasons starting in 2008 with season one. It did a crap job on season one, the aspect ratios so poor that the fandom, led by the Route 66 Yahoo Group, got them to reissue a "fixed" season one again. Perhaps Amazon Prime is using the initial sub-par season one from Roxbury?
Even after the "improved" release for season one and the ensuing good quality - audio/visual wise - 2 seasons, Roxbury DVD's often would be rejected
when you put them in the tray, after 3 tries they would work but when viewing the Menu section there would often be heard loud grinding sounds.
Why I have no idea, perhaps one of you tech types might tell us.
However I did buy the complete season 3 set 5 times. I kept the odd working(no grinding) discs and returned the junk ones till I assembled a workable season three, which includes two episodes that are better audio wise than SHOUT's, though of course SHOUT is superior over the series' 4 seasons(Roxbury only made 3 seasons).
Avoid the Roxbury ones even if they are in the 2 dollar bin at the supermarket. Route 66 can also be seen for free on You Tube.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sandy Mason(John Larch) in the Route 66 episode "Go Read The River":
"Somewhere, somehow a beautiful thing, a simple morality, a single set of standards was shattered, and now what's good for a man may not be good for his company, and what's good for his company may not be good for his country, and what's good for his country may not be good for his world."

[MagnumsLeftShoulder]

Watched a New Year's episode of Route 66 today. "A Fury Slinging Flame" has Leslie Nielsen as a scientist who's convinced his friend in Russia has been sending him coded messages that the Soviets are going to nuke us New Years Day. He gets some people to take refuge in Carlsbad Caverns with a plan to re-populate the earth after Nuclear annihilation. It's not a great episode, but some of the doomsday prediction stuff is still relevant.

Damn. Back when I watched this on New Years Day, I had no idea how relevant it was going to become in just a few short weeks.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Watched a New Year's episode of Route 66 today. "A Fury Slinging Flame" has Leslie Nielsen as a scientist who's convinced his friend in Russia has been sending him coded messages that the Soviets are going to nuke us New Years Day. He gets some people to take refuge in Carlsbad Caverns with a plan to re-populate the earth after Nuclear annihilation. It's not a great episode, but some of the doomsday prediction stuff is still relevant.

Damn. Back when I watched this on New Years Day, I had no idea how relevant it was going to become in just a few short weeks.

Hi MLS,
Route 66's George Maharis starred in the movie The Satan Bug(1965) about terrorists stealing a flask from a government lab containing a killer virus.
It's terrific, with a superior cast and writing and photography. Leonard Martin's movie guide gives it 3 and 1/2 stars. 4 stars being all time classics.
Free on You Tube and other venues.

[MagnumsLeftShoulder]

Watched a New Year's episode of Route 66 today. "A Fury Slinging Flame" has Leslie Nielsen as a scientist who's convinced his friend in Russia has been sending him coded messages that the Soviets are going to nuke us New Years Day. He gets some people to take refuge in Carlsbad Caverns with a plan to re-populate the earth after Nuclear annihilation. It's not a great episode, but some of the doomsday prediction stuff is still relevant.

Damn. Back when I watched this on New Years Day, I had no idea how relevant it was going to become in just a few short weeks.

Hi MLS,
Route 66's George Maharis starred in the movie The Satan Bug(1965) about terrorists stealing a flask from a government lab containing a killer virus.
It's terrific, with a superior cast and writing and photography. Leonard Martin's movie guide gives it 3 and 1/2 stars. 4 stars being all time classics.
Free on You Tube and other venues.

I'll pass on that Dobie. What used to be science fiction has become science reality.

[MagnumsLeftShoulder]

Anybody got any new suggestions for the Yuletide? I'm sort of burned out on the usual stuff.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Anybody got any new suggestions for the Yuletide? I'm sort of burned out on the usual stuff.

Have Gun Will Travel episode "Be Not Forgetful of Strangers" (1962) is a retelling of Christmas as Sam (Wild Bunch) Peckinpah would have told it.
In fact I was sure he directed it but it was actually done by series star Richard Boone in a brilliant bare bones effort.
It is deeply layered.
Such as the seemingly indifferent rabble of frontiersmen with no family, packing a saloon for a drunken Christmas party, not giving a fig wether "Joseph" - Duane Eddy - can get a room
at the "inn" for his wife to give birth. By their lights it's none of their business, the world is a hard place, else where is their own wife and family.
They represent a needing redemption mankind, but the viewer will be hard put at first to see that as you want to reach thru the screen and pummel them.
Director Boone makes you work to see what he is up to, in my humble opinion the episode is better for that.
This is really good television, a retelling perhaps too much aimed for adult eyes, as that stops it from being alongside the usual Christmas line up of the Clampets in Hooterville
with the Green Acres cast, along with The Brady Bunch Christmas, on MeTV.

Article on movies set at Christmas:

Yes, Incredibly, Another 10 Crime Movies You Forgot Take Place at Christmas ‹ CrimeReads

[Chris109]

Every Xmas eve for the past many years, I always watch The Bishop's Wife with Cary Grant.



And maybe A Christmas Carol from 1938. Which incidentally had June Lockhart, who played Diane Westmore Pauley in MPI, in a small role along side her parents. She was a cute girl back then. Hard to believe she'll be 98 this year.



And, of course, on Xmas day...

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Every Xmas eve for the past many years, I always watch The Bishop's Wife with Cary Grant.



And maybe A Christmas Carol from 1938. Which incidentally had June Lockhart, who played Diane Westmore Pauley in MPI, in a small role along side her parents. She was a cute girl back then. Hard to believe she'll be 98 this year.



And, of course, on Xmas day...

The Bishops Wife, I hadn't thought about that in years, good choice. I always liked the cab driver, the skating bit.
I know the 1951 Christmas Carol is the gold standard but I have always had a soft spot for MGM's 1938 one with the Lockharts,

[Chris109]

Every Xmas eve for the past many years, I always watch The Bishop's Wife with Cary Grant.



And maybe A Christmas Carol from 1938. Which incidentally had June Lockhart, who played Diane Westmore Pauley in MPI, in a small role along side her parents. She was a cute girl back then. Hard to believe she'll be 98 this year.



And, of course, on Xmas day...

The Bishops Wife, I hadn't thought about that in years, good choice. I always liked the cab driver, the skating bit.
I know the 1951 Christmas Carol is the gold standard but I have always had a soft spot for MGM's 1938 one with the Lockharts,

With regards to the 1938 version: if you do watch it, the part in the future where Tiny Tim had (SPOILER ALERT!!!!) died, look closely. June was actually crying.