Monday, November 30, 2009

The Childrens Book Of Christmas Stories (Kindle Edition)

The Childrens Book Of Christmas Stories
The Childrens Book Of Christmas Stories (Kindle Edition)
By T. Godwin

Special Price at Amazon Click Here

The Year Without a Santa Claus / Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey / Rudolph's Shiny New Year (DVD)

The Year Without a Santa Claus / Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey / Rudolph's Shiny New Year
The Year Without a Santa Claus / Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey / Rudolph's Shiny New Year (DVD)
By Shirley Booth

28 used and new from $4.48
Customer Rating: 4.7

Customer tags: rifftrax(39), christmas movie(36), christmas(33), christmas classics(32), animation(15), holiday(12), movie(6), dvd(5), rankin and bass(3), mike nelson(3), claymation(3), antique(2)

Review & Description

At the North Pole, the Christmas rush is on. Everyone from elves to reindeer are merrily preparing for Santa Claus’ yearly sleigh ride. Everyone…except Santa! Feeling forgotten by the children of the world, old St. Nick decides to skip his gift-giving journey and take a vacation. Eager to help, Mrs. Claus and two spunky little elves set out to see where all the season’s cheer has disappeared to. Aided by a magical snowfall, they reawaken the spirit of Christmas in children’s hearts – and put Santa back in action. Shirley Booth and Mickey Rooney (as Mrs. And Mr. Claus) are the starring voices in this wonderful Yuletide favorite. Year: 1974This DVD contains three holiday titles from Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass.

The Year Without a Santa Claus
Even Santa can suffer a case of the holiday blues. In this 1974 stop-motion holiday family favorite, a sparkly eyed Mrs. Claus (voiced by Shirley Booth) sings and tells about the year her hubby felt too weary and too unappreciated to prepare for his annual Christmas rounds. Mickey Rooney stars as the voice of Santa, a rosy-nosed puppet who travels incognito to Southtown in search of his tiniest reindeer, Vixen, and two well-meaning elves. Seems Mrs. Santa sent them to find proof of Christmas spirit--but all they've discovered is ambivalence about Santa's year off. Luckily, when Santa arrives and befriends a buck-toothed lad named Ignatius Thistlewhite, spirits begin to lift rapidly. Adult fans of this cousin to the 1970 television special Santa Claus Is Coming to Town will remember it as the Heat and Snow Miser movie. Their vaudevillian theme songs, complete with trombone and piano riffs, are hard to forget, but other treasured musical moments include "I Believe in Santa Claus," "I'll Have a Blue Christmas Without You," and "Here Comes Santa Claus." --Liane Thomas

Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
The wondrous story of Christ's birth is told by an unlikely source: Nestor, a gentle donkey with incredibly long ears and a first-hand knowledge of life in a stable. This simple tale, which takes place in the days of the Roman Empire, is about a humble couple about to take a long journey to Bethlehem and a small, insignificant donkey that is destined to help them along. By all outward appearances, Nestor does not deserve such a privilege. Stable animals tease him incessantly for his long appendages until, finally, he is cast out of the barn into the winter cold. Snow and ice bring about even greater calamity for Nestor until he receives a dose of divine goodness. Nestor meets Tilly, a heavenly cherub (voiced by Brenda Vaccaro) who imparts guidance to the despairing burro and tells him that soon he will be chosen to participate in a miracle involving a star, a baby, a lowly stable, and some travelers named Mary and Joseph. Short and sweet, this stop-motion Christmas gem from Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass is narrated by Roger Miller. Get out the hanky for an understated holiday classic that will appeal to families of all ages. --Lynn Gibson

Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Rudolph is legendary for saving Christmas, but did you know he saved the New Year as well? While Santa Claus is recuperating from his December sleigh ride, he receives a letter from an old friend, Father Time. Seems that Baby New Year is missing, and if the little tyke isn't found, Old Year will continue forever--a catastrophe for Father Time, whose job it is to keep things moving forward. A search party is essential, yet with such thick fog, there's only one reindeer fit for the job. "Rudolph with your nose so bright, you've six days left to set things right," says Santa. Trouble hits immediately when Rudolph discovers that Aeon the Terrible, a big-beaked monster bird, is also searching for the missing baby. Rudolph gets help from a giant whale and a good-natured caveman, who dish up plenty of song and dance in between narrow escapes in their race against the end of the calendar year. Sound far-fetched? Perhaps, but it contains as much magic as its predecessors, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, all produced and directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., and written by the esteemed Romeo Muller. The same stop-motion animation we've grown to love is here as well, and narrator Red Skelton has as trusted a voice as Burl Ives and Fred Astaire. While the New Year holiday will never be as celebrated as Christmas, this title is a welcome addition to any Rankin and Bass collection of holiday films. --Lynn Gibson Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

Scrooge (DVD)

Scrooge
Scrooge (DVD)
By Albert Finney

Review & Description

A Christmas Carol, by Dickens is transformed into a singing and dancing spectacular.
Genre: Christmas
Rating: G
Release Date: 23-SEP-2003
Media Type: DVDA mixed bag as variations on A Christmas Carol go, this 1970 British musical tells the usual story of Scrooge (Albert Finney) and his spirits on Christmas Eve, although the whole thing is set to music by Leslie Bricusse. Except for Finney's feisty and involved performance, however, there isn't much to recommend this. The songs, which absorb so much of the evolving story line and emotions, are not all that good. Plenty of support, however, from the likes of Roy Kinnear (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory) and Dame Edith Evans (Tom Jones), the handsome production is directed by veteran Ronald Neame (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie). --Tom Keogh Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

ClarkWorld (Video On Demand)

ClarkWorld
ClarkWorld (Video On Demand)
By Peter Billingsley

Buy new: $14.99
Customer Rating: 5.0

First tagged by Deren P. Abram
Customer tags: queen latifah, christmas classics, christmas movie, jon voight, christmas

Special Price at Amazon Click Here

Christmas in Connecticut (DVD)

Christmas in Connecticut
Christmas in Connecticut (DVD)
By Barbara Stanwyck

Buy new: $5.79
Customer Rating: 4.8

Customer tags: christmas classics(61), christmas movie(31), barbara stanwyck(24), christmas(24), holiday movie(14), comedy(11), classic(10), holiday(5), classic movie(4), sydney greenstreet(4), dennis morgan(2), 1945

Product Images


Review & Description

Journalist Elizabeth Lane is one of the country's most famous food writer. In her columns, she describes herself as a hard working farm woman, taking care of her children and being an excellent cook. But this is all lies. In reality she is an umarried New Yorker who can't even boil an egg. The recipes come from her good friend Felix. The owner of the magazine she works for has decided that a heroic sailor will spend his christmas on *her* farm. Miss Lane knows that her career is over if the truth comes out, but what can she do?Christmas in Connecticut is a holiday film that plays 365 days of the year. Barbara Stanwyck gives a brilliant, sardonic performance as Elizabeth Lane, a columnist for Smart Housekeeping magazine, whose enticing descriptions of the exquisite meals she prepares for her husband and baby on their bucolic Connecticut farm earns her fame as "America's Best Cook." A writer, she is; a cook, she is not. As she types the words, "From my living room window, as I write, the good cedar logs cracking on the fire..." the view is of clothes flapping on the line outside her bachelorette Manhattan apartment. An able supporting cast keeps her lie on life support: her editor, her stuffy and detestable architect suitor, and the wonderful "Uncle" Felix (S.Z. Sakall), an English-garbling Hungarian chef who provides the recipes that fill her column.

Cut to Jefferson Jones, a sailor adrift at sea for weeks after his destroyer is torpedoed. Memories of the food described in Lane's columns are central to his survival. After his rescue, as he's recuperating in a naval hospital, a marriage-minded nurse thinks she might nudge Jones to the altar if he could only experience a real domestic Christmas. And it just so happens that she was nurse to the grandchild of Alexander Yardley, the wealthy and powerful publisher of --you guessed it--Smart Housekeeping magazine. And so, she pens the letter that could unravel Lane's carefully constructed fraud. She writes to Yardley asking that Jones be included in America's ultimate Christmas--the one to be held at the Lane family farm in Connecticut. The pompous Yardley (ably portrayed by Sidney Greenstreet) believes the Lane myth and instantly sniffs a story that will send his magazine's circulation skyrocketing. And staring down a lonely holiday, he decides to join the Lanes for Christmas on the farm, too. Now, all Lane has to do is come up with a farm. And a husband. And let's not forget the baby. Christmas in Connecticut is classic screwball entertainment of the best kind, with its on-target skewering of social convention and house-of- cards-about-to-tumble tension: a perfect farcical vision of domestic blitz. --Susan Benson Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

The Night Before Christmas & Other Christmas Stories for Children (Kindle Edition)

The Night Before Christmas & Other Christmas Stories for Children
The Night Before Christmas & Other Christmas Stories for Children (Kindle Edition)
By T. Godwin

Special Price at Amazon Click Here

The Preacher's Wife (DVD)

The Preacher's Wife
The Preacher's Wife (DVD)
By Denzel Washington

Review & Description

Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2003 Rating: PgThis tedious remake of the classic Christmas movie The Bishop's Wife falls on its face by significantly altering the careful design of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert E. Sherwood's story for the original film. In Sherwood's version, a rather wooden, inept bishop and his lonely wife unknowingly take into their lives a heaven-sent angel who aids the former and ends up falling in love with the latter. In this unnecessary update, an inner-city preacher (Courtney B. Vance) and his estranged spouse (Whitney Houston) are visited by a celestial goof (Denzel Washington), whose unsolicited offer of help is enough to galvanize Vance's character to fix his own problems. What that means is this: by the second act, there's no reason to have Washington's angel in the story. Even his infatuation with the missus isn't enough to warrant his hanging around this movie; the change is a colossal blunder by director Penny Marshall. Vance ends up stealing the film from Washington, but it's a Pyrrhic victory; for the most part this movie just seems like a series of random scenes between opportunities for Houston to belt out songs. --Tom Keogh Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

The Original Christmas Classics (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer/Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town/Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns/Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol/Little Drummer Boy/Cricket on the Hearth) (DVD)

The Original Christmas Classics (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer/Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town/Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns/Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol/Little Drummer Boy/Cricket on the Hearth)
The Original Christmas Classics (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer/Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town/Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns/Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol/Little Drummer Boy/Cricket on the Hearth) (DVD)

Buy new: $19.99
43 used and new from $14.46
Customer Rating: 4.1

Customer tags: christmas classics(55), christmas movie(51), animation(29), christmas(28), holiday(20), dvd(20), boxed set(20), full screen(5), holidays(3), classic movie(2), christmas books(2), amazon verifiyed purchase

Review & Description

Includes 7 Holiday Favorites:

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Who’s got a nose for Christmas? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer! Just in time for the holidays, here comes Rudolph in the most beloved special of all time! Packed with a sleigh full of memorable songs and unforgettable characters, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer lights up the hearts of young and old alike.
Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
Where does Santa’s suit come from? Why does he slide down the chimney? Why does he live at the North Pole? The answers to all these questions and the origins of our favorite holiday traditions are revealed in this delightful classic about Kris Kringle, the world’s most famous gift giver.

Frosty the Snowman
Look at Frosty Go! What’s become a bigger holiday tradition than building a snowman? Watching the original Christmas classic, Frosty the Snowman! Grab your scarf, bundle up, and get ready for the incredible adventure of a magical snowman who’s got enough personality to win over the whole family. You can’t go wrong with Frosty!
 
Frosty Returns

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol
Bah Humbug, Mr. Magoo! In this first-ever animated holiday TV special, the bumbling and loveable Mr. Magoo is Ebeneezer Scrooge in a hilarious and heartwarming musical retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic, "A Christmas Carol".

The Little Drummer Boy
This story has touched the hearts of families everywhere. In this holiday classic, the true spirit of Christmas is revealed when a lonely orphan stumbles upon the birth of the baby Jesus and affirms what the holidays are really about – giving and love. Featuring a beautiful soundtrack by the Vienna Boys’ Choir, this timeless tale of generosity makes the perfect addition to your holiday collection.

Cricket on the Hearth
A delightful, animated musical version of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, Cricket on the Hearth, tells the story of a poor toymaker and his daughter whom a helpful Cricket named Crocket befriends on Christmas morning. When tragedy strikes the family, it’s Crocket who comes to the rescue and restores peace and happiness.

Bonus In-pack Holiday CD:

  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer- Burl Ives
  • Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree- Bobby Rydell
  • Holly Jolly Christmas- Burl Ives
  • Silver & Gold- Burl Ives
  • Let it Snow- Chicago
  • Winter Wonderland- Jewel
  • Merry Christmas Baby- Otis Redding
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:
This classic 1964 television special featuring Rudolph and his misfit buddies set the standard for stop-motion animation for an entire generation before Tim Burton darkly reinvented it in the early 1990s. Burl Ives narrates as Sam the Snowman, telling and singing the story of a rejected reindeer who overcomes prejudice and saves Christmas one particularly blustery year. Along the way, he meets an abundance of unforgettable characters: his dentally obsessed elf pal Hermey; the affable miner Yukon Cornelius and his motley crew of puppies; the scary/adorable Abominable Snow Monster; a legion of abandoned, but still chatty, toys; and a rather grouchy Santa. In addition to the title song that inspired it, this 53-minute tape is crammed with catchy tunes such as "Silver and Gold" and "Holly Jolly Christmas." Those who grew up looking forward to watching Rudolph every Christmas season will undoubtedly be able to recite the quotable quotes ("I'm cuuuute. She said I'm cuuuute." "Herbie doesn't like to make toys.") as well as any Casablanca cult audience. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town:
This 53-minute, 1970 animated film may be the most delightful of those sundry, stop-motion animated Christmas perennials that show up on television during the holidays. The clay animation production, boasting a wonderful musical score and art direction that occasionally underscores the flower-power era in which it was born, tells the story of Santa's origins, in which Kris Kringle decides to get toys into the hands of poor children in gloomy Sombertown. Charmingly narrated by Fred Astaire and featuring voices by Mickey Rooney and Keenan Wynn, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town presents a nice bridge between two generations of entertainment, the classic and the hip. --Tom Keogh

Frosty the Snowman:
Jimmy Durante narrates this Christmas story that is based on the song of the same name. To make up for the fact that her students are in school on Christmas Eve, the local schoolteacher hires the magician Professor Hinkle to entertain the kids. Unfortunately, he's not a very good magician. Frustrated in his attempt to pull a rabbit out of his hat, he throws it away in anger. Outside, the kids build a snowman (what to call it? Harold? Oatmeal? Frosty!), and when the hat blows onto it--Happy Birthday!--it comes to life. Professor Hinkle decides he wants the hat back so he can make money off of its newfound magical properties, but the kids want to save Frosty. When the temperature starts to rise, a new problem threatens Frosty's existence. Karen, the leader of the children, comes up with a plan to save him: take him on a train to the North Pole, where it's always cold. With a cameo by Santa Claus, and the promise of Frosty's return every year, this story of life, death, and holiday cheer is glazed with the sweet frosting of hope and happiness. A true holiday classic. --Andy Spletzer

Frosty Returns:
n the same way that many a Hollywood sequel has little to do with the first film, Frosty Returns has almost nothing in common with the original Frosty the Snowman, aside from a man made of snow. The biggest difference is that this Frosty doesn't need a magic hat to come to life. The story: In the town of Beansboro, old Mr. Twitchell has invented an aerosol spray that can remove snow without the hassle of shoveling or plows. This frightens Frosty, who enlists the help of amateur magician Holly and her friend Charles to stop the old coot. Made in 1992, Frosty Returns has an animation style that looks like a cross between the old Schoolhouse Rock and Peanuts cartoons, with voice talent that includes Jonathan Winters, Andrea Martin, Jan Hooks, Brian Doyle-Murray, and John Goodman as Frosty. The story may be divisive, pitting children against adults and a pro-snow contingent against anti-snow people, but the songs are catchy and the message is one that ultimately empowers kids. Like a hero from an old Western, this Frosty is a wanderer who leaves when his job is done so he can work his magic elsewhere. --Andy Spletzer

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol:
This 1962 special marked the last hurrah of Mr. Magoo, who starred in 43 cartoon shorts, including two Oscar® winners, from the UPA Studio between 1949 and 1959. Magoo appears as Scrooge in a Broadway production of "A Christmas Carol" in this minimally animated hour. The play-within-the-show features forgettable songs by Jules Styne and Bob Merrill: Tiny Tim ("played" by the animated character Gerald McBoing-Boing) sings, oddly, of "razzle berry dressing" and "woofle jelly cake." This retelling of Dickens's holiday standard is much tamer than Richard Williams's Oscar-winning adaptation: the ghosts aren't scary, nor does Magoo confront the specters of Ignorance and Want. Small children who might be frightened by more dramatic versions of the story will enjoy this mild program. And the self-satisfied chuckles and bromides Jim Backus gives Magoo in his lighter moments remain as delightful as ever. This film is suitable for ages 6 and older. --Charles Solomon

Little Drummer Boy:
The model animation techniques in this 1968 Rankin and Bass TV chestnut are primitive by today's standards, and picky kids may reject them out of hand. The story, however, which elaborates on the popular Christmas song about a shepherd boy who plays his drum for the baby Jesus and makes the animals dance, is a little more tough-minded than you might expect. The kid begins the story as what we'd now call a neglected child, a surly urchin who says he hates all people. He's pulled back from the brink, first by learning to make music, and then by his encounter with the Christ child. The underlying message alone--that everybody has something worth contributing--qualifies the show for holiday-perennial status. The big-name voice performers, Jose Ferrer and Greer Garson (who narrates), may be a little too ponderous for the occasion, but the familiar cartoony tones of Paul Frees (aka Boris Badenov) and June Forey (aka Rocket J. Squirrel) help liven up the proceedings. It's only 23 minutes long, so it's worth a shot for younger children. --David Chute

Sunday, November 29, 2009

White Christmas (DVD)

White Christmas
White Christmas (DVD)
By Rosemary Clooney

12 used and new from $15.88
Customer Rating: 4.7

Customer tags: christmas classics(63), bing crosby(42), musical(41), christmas movie(38), danny kaye(35), romantic comedy(20), christmas(19), rosemary clooney(9), classics(8), classic movie(7), classic comedies(3), vera-ellen(3)

Review & Description

Two talented son-and-dance men (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) team up after the war to become one of the hottest acts in show business.This semi-remake of Holiday Inn (the first movie in which Irving Berlin's perennial, Oscar-winning holiday anthem was featured) doesn't have much of a story, but what it does have is choice: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, an all-Irving Berlin song score, classy direction by Hollywood vet Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood), VistaVision (the very first feature ever shot in that widescreen format), and ultrafestive Technicolor! Crosby and Kaye are song-and-dance men who hook up, romantically and professionally, with a "sister" act (Clooney and Vera-Ellen) to put on a Big Show to benefit the struggling ski-resort lodge run by the beloved old retired general (Dean Jagger) of their WWII Army outfit. Crosby is cool, Clooney is warm, Kaye is goofy, and Vera-Ellen is leggy. Songs include: "Sisters" (Crosby and Kaye do their own drag version, too), "Snow," "We'll Follow the Old Man," "Mandy," "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," and more. Christmas would be unthinkable without White Christmas. --Jim Emerson Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

MGM Holiday Classics Collection (The Bishop's Wife / March of the Wooden Soldiers / Pocketful of Miracles) (DVD)

MGM Holiday Classics Collection (The Bishop's Wife / March of the Wooden Soldiers / Pocketful of Miracles)
MGM Holiday Classics Collection (The Bishop's Wife / March of the Wooden Soldiers / Pocketful of Miracles) (DVD)
By Cary Grant

20 used and new from $9.58
Customer Rating: 4.1

Customer tags: cary grant(13), christmas classics(11), christmas(10), christmas movie(8), classic movie(5), mgm(4), classics(3), bette davis(3), loretta young(2), frank capra(2), david niven(2), dvd

Review & Description

Disc 1: The Bishop's Wife P&S Disc 2: March of the Wooden Soldiers P&S Disc 3: Pocketful of Miracles WS Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas (Disney Gold Classic Collection) (DVD)

Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas (Disney Gold Classic Collection)
Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas (Disney Gold Classic Collection) (DVD)
By Wayne Allwine

Buy new: $14.99
75 used and new from $9.98
Customer Rating: 4.6

Customer tags: disney(28), christmas movie(18), holiday movie(14), christmas(12), great for kids(9), dvd(6), animation(6), family films(5), christmas classics(4), mickey mouse(4), holidays(2), disney classics(2)

Review & Description

Disney's biggest stars shine in a magical, heartwarming movie sure to become a holiday classic! Mickey, Minnie, and their famous friends Goofy, Donald, Daisy, and Pluto gather to reminisce about love, magic, and surprises in three wonder-filled stories of Christmas past. In the fine tradition of Disney's superb storytelling, Minnie and Mickey recall the year they both gave up what was most important to them for the sake of the other, making for one unforgettable Christmas. Goofy and Max retell when they experienced a series of hilarious but season-shaking events ... until a visit from the real Santa made it a most magical holiday. Thinking back to when they wished Christmas was every day, Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie remember their dream turning into a comical catastrophe, eventually teaching them what true holiday spirit is all about. Featuring the entire cast in a finale of merry, magical Christmas songs -- all the excitement of MICKEY'S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS is ready to unwrap for holiday family fun!Donald Duck's nephews learn why holidays come once a year, Goofy and son discover the spirit of Santa, and Mickey and Minnie reenact a classic tale of giving in this all-new holiday offering. Kelsey Grammer (TV's Frasier) narrates as Donald hosts Christmas at his house, complete with an egg and pancake breakfast, a sled for each duckling in the closet, and Daisy under the mistletoe. But the celebration gets old fast when the boys' wish for Christmas every day comes true. Next up, Goofy's son wonders whether there is a Santa after the villainous Pete tells him there's not and he catches Dad impersonating the portly gift-giver. Goofy demonstrates the spirit of giving by taking a meal and presents to less-fortunate neighbors, and many Goofy-style mishaps later, father and son have a surprise visitor. In the third story, the mouse lovebirds give an updated spin to O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," with Minnie having the heirloom watch with no chain and Mickey a harmonica with no case. This trio of Christmas stories adds up to an hour of heartfelt fun, capped off by the gang singing "Jingle Bells." Perfect holiday cheer for those 4 and up. --Kimberly Heinrichs Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

The Christmas Dinner (Kindle Edition)

The Christmas Dinner
The Christmas Dinner (Kindle Edition)
By Shepherd Knapp

Buy new: $3.88

First tagged by T. Godwin

Special Price at Amazon Click Here

A Christmas Mystery (Kindle Edition)

Special Price at Amazon Click Here

Frosty the Snowman (DVD)

Frosty the Snowman
Frosty the Snowman (DVD)
By Billy De Wolfe

Review & Description

Look at Frosty Go! What’s become a bigger holiday tradition than building a snowman? Watching the original Christmas classic, Frosty the Snowman! Grab your scarf, bundle up, and get ready for the incredible adventure of a magical snowman who’s got enough personality to win over the whole family. You can’t go wrong with Frosty!A double bill starring Frosty:
Frosty the Snowman
Jimmy Durante narrates this Christmas story that is based on the song of the same name. To make up for the fact that her students are in school on Christmas Eve, the local schoolteacher hires the magician Professor Hinkle to entertain the kids. Unfortunately, he's not a very good magician. Frustrated in his attempt to pull a rabbit out of his hat, he throws it away in anger. Outside, the kids build a snowman (what to call it? Harold? Oatmeal? Frosty!), and when the hat blows onto it--Happy Birthday!--it comes to life. Professor Hinkle decides he wants the hat back so he can make money off of its newfound magical properties, but the kids want to save Frosty. When the temperature starts to rise, a new problem threatens Frosty's existence. Karen, the leader of the children, comes up with a plan to save him: take him on a train to the North Pole, where it's always cold. With a cameo by Santa Claus, and the promise of Frosty's return every year, this story of life, death, and holiday cheer is glazed with the sweet frosting of hope and happiness. A true holiday classic.

Frosty Returns
In the same way that many a Hollywood sequel has little to do with the first film, Frosty Returns has almost nothing in common with the original Frosty the Snowman, aside from a man made of snow. The biggest difference is that this Frosty doesn't need a magic hat to come to life. The story: In the town of Beansboro, old Mr. Twitchell has invented an aerosol spray that can remove snow without the hassle of shoveling or plows. This frightens Frosty, who enlists the help of amateur magician Holly and her friend Charles to stop the old coot. Made in 1992, Frosty Returns has an animation style that looks like a cross between the old Schoolhouse Rock and Peanuts cartoons, with voice talent that includes Jonathan Winters, Andrea Martin, Jan Hooks, Brian Doyle-Murray, and John Goodman as Frosty. The story may be divisive, pitting children against adults and a pro-snow contingent against anti-snow people, but the songs are catchy and the message is one that ultimately empowers kids. Like a hero from an old Western, this Frosty is a wanderer who leaves when his job is done so he can work his magic elsewhere. --Andy Spletzer Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (DVD)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (DVD)
By Burl Ives

Buy new: $9.99
50 used and new from $5.09
Customer Rating: 4.6

Customer tags: christmas classics(25), burl ives(11), christmas movie(10), rakin-bass(9), christmas(8), rudolph(6), holiday(3), classics(2), holidays, classic xmas, xmas, dvd

Review & Description

Who’s got a nose for Christmas? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer! Just in time for the holidays, here comes Rudolph in the most beloved special of all time! Packed with a sleigh full of memorable songs and unforgettable characters, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer lights up the hearts of young and old alike.This classic 1964 television special featuring Rudolph and his misfit buddies set the standard for stop-motion animation for an entire generation before Tim Burton darkly reinvented it in the early 1990s. Burl Ives narrates as Sam the Snowman, telling and singing the story of a rejected reindeer who overcomes prejudice and saves Christmas one particularly blustery year. Along the way, he meets an abundance of unforgettable characters: his dentally obsessed elf pal Hermey; the affable miner Yukon Cornelius and his motley crew of puppies; the scary/adorable Abominable Snow Monster; a legion of abandoned, but still chatty, toys; and a rather grouchy Santa. In addition to the title song that inspired it, this 53-minute tape is crammed with catchy tunes such as "Silver and Gold" and "Holly Jolly Christmas." Those who grew up looking forward to watching Rudolph every Christmas season will undoubtedly be able to recite the quotable quotes ("I'm cuuuute. She said I'm cuuuute." "Herbie doesn't like to make toys.") as well as any Casablanca cult audience. --Kimberly Heinrichs Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

A Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas (Audio CD)

A Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas
A Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas (Audio CD)
By George Frideric Handel

Product Images


Review & Description

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR
Title: MORMON TABERNACLE CHRISTMAS
Street Release Date: 08/29/2006
Domestic
Genre: XMAS CLASSICAL VOCALThe Mormon Tabernacle Choir has made more than 20 seasonal recordings since its first one (for broadcast to U.S. servicemen in Europe and the Pacific on Christmas Day, 1945), but none finer than this one, led by the group's newly appointed music director, Craig Jessop. Featuring lush arrangements by Mack Wilberg and Barlow Bradford, it emphasizes the gentler, more rapturous moods of the holiday, especially in such beautiful settings as Wilberg's of "Whence Is That Goodly Fragrance?" and "How Far Is It to Bethlehem?" and Bradford's fantasy on "What Child Is This?" Balancing these are several selections in which the choir's blazing, full-voiced splendor shines forth, including Wilberg's festive arrangements of "Joy to the World" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," as well as Bradford's colorful take on "Pat-a-pan." The choir's singing is magnificent. Listen to the way the men lead off "The First Noel" and to how the full chorus builds the piece to a gorgeous climax, or to the virtuosic job the singers do in the "Carol of the Bells" (with its echoes of Rachmaninoff's The Bells). Impressively backed by the Orchestra at Temple Square, this is a disc to treasure, and a tribute to the admirable work being done in Salt Lake City by maestro Jessop--who now seems poised to inherit the mantle of Robert Shaw. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy or a worthier musician. --Ted Libbey Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Frosty's Winter Wonderland/Twas the Night Before Christmas (DVD)

Frosty's Winter Wonderland/Twas the Night Before Christmas
Frosty's Winter Wonderland/Twas the Night Before Christmas (DVD)
By Patricia Bright

Buy new: $6.49
46 used and new from $3.00
Customer Rating: 4.6

Customer tags: christmas(36), christmas movie(27), animation(23), christmas classics(17), holiday movie(16), 1970s(5), dennis day(4), rankin bass(3), dvd(3), andy griffith(2), bass, anthropomorphic mice

Review & Description

Movie DVDFrosty's Winter Wonderland
It's no secret that sequels to classic TV specials rarely stack up--they're usually guilty of getting too fancy with characters and story lines, causing irritating fissures to form in our perceptions of the originals. Lucky for a new generation of holiday viewers, that's not the case with Frosty's Winter Wonderland. In fact, lining up a Frosty double feature at home in which the original is directly followed by the new title is a fully cringe-free proposition, thanks mostly to the down-homey, pleasant narration of Andy Griffith and the near-perfect portrayal of the Frosty we all know and love by Jackie Vernon. The Wonderland dialogue doesn't trouble itself with tiresome throwbacks, and even the plot isn't overly ambitious: Frosty, lonely at the North Pole, is bent on keeping his famous promise to the kids that he'll be back again someday, so when the news of a snowstorm in their town reaches him, he waddles off. But once the belly-whopping's run its course, he's lonely again. The children, hoping to salvage Frosty's stay with them, hit upon a solution: they'll build Frosty a wife. Crystal fits every snowman's fantasy of a dream bride, but will jealous Jack Frost sabotage their wintry wedding? For all classic Christmas special fans who harbor hopes that the fun can continue, it's worth finding out. Kids 2 and older will love the songs and the still-intact dribbles of silliness. --Tammy La Gorce

Twas the Night Before Christmas
Animators of all things Christmas, Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass (Frosty the Snowman) take on the famous poem by Clement Moore. Narrated by Joel Grey, the story opens on the night before Christmas, but the reading of the poem must be stopped when two creatures in the house begin to stir: family men Mr. Trundle and Father Mouse. Their restlessness stems from the fact that Santa is angry at the residents of Junctionville, returning all their letters without even opening them. The reason? Somebody wrote a letter to the editor of the paper saying that he doesn't exist. In an attempt to fix the situation, Mr. Trundle, a clockmaker, comes up with a plan to lure Santa into town with a clock that will sing an enchanting song at midnight. When the clock doesn't work on its first test, the townsfolk lose all faith in him. Turns out the cause of all the trouble is Albert, a book-smart young mouse who thinks he knows the truth about Santa Claus. There are a few good songs in the 23-minute program, whose the moral is: don't believe the kids on the playground if they say that Santa doesn't exist. --Andy Spletzer Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Deluxe Edition) (DVD)

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Deluxe Edition)
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Deluxe Edition) (DVD)
By Christine Baranski

Buy new: $13.99
37 used and new from $11.20
Customer Rating: 4.6

Customer tags: christmas(27), jim carrey(18), christmas classics(13), dr seuss(11), grinch(11), dvd(10), movie(10), holiday(5), little people(4), dvd - universal(3), christmas movie(2), 2 disc dvd

Review & Description

The bitter Grinch plots to steal Christmas from Whoville.
Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: PG
Street Date: 08/22/06
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
Language: ENGLISH
Foreign Film: noSubtitles: no
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: no
Re-Release: no
Packaging: SleeveUnder a thick carpet of green-dyed yak fur and wonderfully expressive Rick Baker makeup, Jim Carrey is up to all of his old tricks (and some nifty new ones) in this live-action movie of Dr. Seuss's holiday classic. He commands the title role with equal parts madness, mayhem, pathos, and improvisational genius, channeling Grinchness through his own screen persona so smoothly that fans of both Carrey and Dr. Seuss will be thoroughly satisfied. Adding to the fun is a perfectly pitched back-story sequence (accompanied by Anthony Hopkins's narration) that explains how the Grinch came to hate Christmas, with a heart "two sizes too small." Ron Howard proves a fine choice for the director's chair with a keen balance of comedy, sentiment, and light-hearted Seussian whimsy. Production designer Michael Corenblith gloriously realizes the wackiness of Whoville architecture, and his rendition of the Grinch's Mt. Crumpit lair is a marvel of cartoonish, subterranean grime. Then there's Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), the thoughtful imp who rallies her village to recapture the pure spirit of Christmas and melts the gift-stealing Grinch's cold, cold heart. You've even got a dog (the Grinch's good-natured mongrel, Max) who's been perfectly cast, so what's not to like about this dazzling yuletide movie? The production gets a bit overwhelmed by its own ambition, and the citizens of Whoville (including Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon, and Bill Irwin) pale in comparison to Carrey's inspired lunacy, but who cares? If a movie can unleash Jim Carrey at his finest, revamp the Grinch story, and still pay tribute to the legacy of Dr. Seuss, you can bet it qualifies as rousing entertainment. (Ages 5 and older.) --Jeff Shannon Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

It's a Wonderful Life [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

It's a Wonderful Life [Blu-ray]
It's a Wonderful Life [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
By James Stewart

Review & Description

George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all – and it’s Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn’t been for all of his good deeds over the years. Will Clarence be able to convince George to return to his family and forget suicide?Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

Looks Like Christmastime Is Here (MP3 Download)

Looks Like Christmastime Is Here
Looks Like Christmastime Is Here (MP3 Download)
By Glenn Mohr Chorale

Special Price at Amazon Click Here

3 Classic Episodes of the Lawrence Welk Show (DVD-R)

3 Classic Episodes of the Lawrence Welk Show
3 Classic Episodes of the Lawrence Welk Show (DVD-R)
By Lawrence Welk

Buy new: $14.49
Customer Rating: 4.2

First tagged by Torn Hyman
Customer tags: christmas classics, dvd, dementia, lawrence welk, dildo

Review & Description

Includes three episodes that aired on June 18, 1960, April 4, 1962 and April 7, 1962.

This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here

Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition) (DVD)

Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition)
Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition) (DVD)
By Edmund Gwenn

Buy new: $12.49
80 used and new from $7.43
Customer Rating: 4.3

Customer tags: christmas movie(89), christmas classics(71), christmas(63), classic movie(42), santa claus(32), family(26), dvd(19), dvd classics(12), family films(10), natalie wood(8), comedy(6), maureen ohara(4)

Review & Description

Six year old Susan has doubts childhood's most enduring miracle Santa Clause. Her mother told her the "secret" about Santa a long time ago, so Susan doesn't expect to receive the most important gifts on her Christmas list. But after meeting a special departement stare Santa who's convinced he's the real thing, Susan is given the most precious gift of all - something to believe in.


Beyond Miracle on 34th Street


Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

Christmas Classics Box Set

Horton Hears a Who!



Stills from Miracle on 34th Street (Click for larger image)








Read more


Special Price at Amazon Click Here