Do the linear “Big 3” networks still air the Rankin/Bass specials anymore? I know they still show the big one, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but I’m talking about all those “B team” ones they did like The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph’s Shiny New Year, Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July, and Here Comes Peter Cottontail? I know people freaked out when Apple bought the Charlie Brown specials and yanked them off linear, but this all started way before streaming.
Continue reading ‘Here Comes Peter Cottontail’ (1971): Light, jovial tale is perfect Easter viewingTag Archives: holiday specials
Thanksgiving ’71 on TV: Cricket on the Hearth, Laurel & Hardy, Yogi & Marine Boy – a look back
This holiday TV season, let’s go back…waaaaaaaay back, to a Thanksgiving in a more innocent time, a more gentle time, a kinder time.
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‘Perry Como’s Christmas Show’ (1974): The Carpenters join Como for a look back on a world long gone
Despite my wife’s adamant aversion to Karen and Richard, for me it just doesn’t seem like Christmas without the mellifluous strains of The Carpenters warbling out some beloved carol (Donna’s a Quaker, but “smash them in their stupid smiling faces” seems to be her default comment whenever they come on the radio). So why not ditch the stress and strain of today’s world and cool out with not one but two mellow masters of easy listening: The Carpenters and Perry Como?
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‘A Christmas Story’ (1972): Hanna-Barbera special is a sweet, nostalgic time capsule
Hey, listen, readers: if we have to change our name from DrunkTV to All Hanna-Barbera! All the Time!, we will, particularly with the insane number of hits we’ve been clocking lately off that brand.
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‘Yogi’s First Christmas’ (1980): A smarter-than-the-average holiday special
Last week, in a rather desperate bid to fend off my irate editor (his is a simple process: no review from me…no booze for me), I fobbed off a quick look at 1982’s Hanna-Barbera animated holiday TV special, Yogi Bear’s All Star Comedy Christmas Caper. Well, imagine our collective shock when 100s and 100s of readers clicked on it. A veritable bonanza of eyeballs! So…in an unashamedly naked, crass attempt to repeat that fluke, we’re offering up even more Jellystone Christmas cheer, this time with 1980’s syndicated romp, Yogi’s First Christmas!
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‘Yogi Bear’s All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper’ (1982): A sweet & quick last glimpse of that old H-B look
Do they still have animated Christmas TV specials show up in first-run syndication?
Continue reading ‘Yogi Bear’s All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper’ (1982): A sweet & quick last glimpse of that old H-B look
‘Christmas Television Favorites’: A look back at 7 animated specials
It’s that time of year again here at the Drunk TV offices,
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Mice, cavemen, & Garfield: 3 forgotten animated Thanksgiving specials
With the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays approaching, you know what I’m thankful for?
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‘It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown’ (1974): Sweet, light, sometimes amusing
“What’s the matter with you? All you think about is gimmie, gimmie, gimmie. Get, get, get!”
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‘Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown’ (1975): Emotional & engaging, one of the best Peanuts specials
Not pulling any punches, 1975’s Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown successfully translates cartoonist Charles M. Schulz‘ conflicted feelings about love and romance within the standard Peanuts TV special framework. It took guts to put something out there that might make little kids sad—as well as giving the adults watching pause for thought.
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‘Benji’s Very Own Christmas Story!’ (1978): Yo humans, let Benji be Benji!
Seriously, guys: put that damn dog down!
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‘Merry Sitcom! Christmas Classics From TV’s Golden Age’: A yuletide DVD collection
Do the things they call “TV series” today have Christmas episodes?
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‘It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!’ (2012): Modern holiday special is a hit!
Classic stop-motion Christmas fun, SpongeBob-style!
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‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’ (1973): A fun warm-up to better Peanuts specials
In the Midwest, the chilly arrival of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas creates the perfect environment to draw the drapes and hunker down to watch some television.
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‘The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn’t’ (1972): The forgotten tradition of holiday specials
Since you’re not watching the NFL this Thanksgiving…how about some vintage Hanna-Barbera holiday fun?
Continue reading ‘The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn’t’ (1972): The forgotten tradition of holiday specials
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