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It wasn't Christmas without Lionel Barrymore playing Scrooge on the radio. Or for the television generation, there was a yearly presentation of Dragnet's Christmas story, It was the first one shown in color, and the first time they ran it a 16mm print was used instead of the expected 35mm, something about more reliable hues, Time marches on, and perhaps somewhere they ran an old Barrymore transcription, Maybe even the Jack Webb Yuletide show was on. If not, RCA issued a ten-inch LP recording that collectors may trot out to play for their own seasonal amusement,
There just had to be at least one TV station on the continent running Miracle On 34th Street during the past week or two, The Santa Claus in that movie is long gone, and the little girl grew up to become Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof earlier in the month, tempus fugit. Otherwise, stations were scrambling to schedule films with the Christmas spirit; various reference books have compiled lists of them.
Several holiday seasons, a New York City TV station would play The Thin Man for Christmas and After The Thin Man for New Year's, thus giving all of us a double holiday treat. Appropriate too, for Nick Charles solves the mystery of the missing Thin Man during Christmas, and in its sequel the first murder is committed at the stroke of twelve as the old year is ushered out, along with the victim, It became an atmospheric treat to watch these films and to look forward to them, They both are excellent, and to view them in the proper setting adds to the enjoyment,
It's highly doubtful if any station played Robert Montgomery's version of Raymond Chandler's Lady in the Lake because of the time of year, but it works wonderfully well. Montgomery as a tyro director was condemned or praised for using the subjective camera for the length of the film. But he accomplished other neat bits of business too, Since the story took place around Christmastime, instead of the usual MGM lush score Montgomery used an a capella chorus for the opening credit music, singing carols. The main one was "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, "
Back in the good old days, all the theatres would run specially made short trailers featuring a top actor or actress extending season's greetings, They were unfailingly warm, sincere, sometimes presented with a sly sense of humor, One of the nicest--it may have been 1937, or perhaps 1938--was done by Fredric March, After giving a brief word or two about the spirit of the season, March very seriously ended with ",..and so, on behalf of the management of this theatre and all the employees, let me extend to each and every one of you--including that man sleeping, right over there (pointing)--a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, "
Nearly 40 years later, may I wish you the same?