Review & Description
Grace Bradley (Loretta Swit) is called in to direct the community church's child production of the Christmas play. Unfortunately, this is the year the six Herdman children--the dirtiest, most feared neighborhood kids--decide to bully themselves into the lead roles. Barbra Johnson wrote the teleplay based on her novel for this 1978 TV broadcast that has become a favorite over the years. A 9-year-old Fairuza Balk makes her debut as Grace's daughter and narrates the story centering on the seemingly parentless troupe of ragtag ruffians. Of course, the town believes the play is hopelessly lost, but this is Christmas Eve and miracles do happen. Kids can find meaning in the Bible's tale and the Herdmans certainly can bring a fresh take on the age-old story. Not as rambunctious or preachy as later modern-day Christmas tales, the less-than-an-hour production stays away from giving anyone his or her comeuppance and is easily digestible for the whole family. --Doug Thomas * * * * Beware the Herdmans! They're the nattiest, dirtiest kids you could ever meet and they've just deiced they belong in this year's pageant. But the town thinks they belong in the care of the local police. When the curtain finally goes up, a miracle beings and it all turns into...The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Loretta Swit stars in this 1983 TV special written by Barbara Robinson, author of the bestselling book. Read more
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