Favorite Christmas Movie/Special Moments: Part 3

#11:

Any moment with The Old Man in A Christmas Story (1983, dir. Bob Clark)

I seriously could not narrow this down! Anytime I thought of my favorite moment I then thought, "Oh wait, that was a good one!" And then I realized, all of my favorite moments involve the Dad (the awesome Darren McGavin). Seriously, every time I quote the movie, I quote him or at least a scene with him in it. His battle against the furnace, the major award, and "Sons of bitches! BUMPUSES!"

Darren McGavin is without a doubt one of the biggest reasons why he is so memorable. We've seen the character attempted to be replicated a few times by talented people but NONE have been able to replicate that magic. But then again those projects both sucked. You know what I'm talking about. 

Despite the massive commercial exploitation of this movie, I will always remember and cherish this classic. 

#12:

Tiny Tim's Grave from Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983, dir. Burny Mattinson)

I think this was the first version of the Dickens classic I saw growing up, that or the Muppets version but I'll talk about that later. Despite this being an animated short, they manage to cram in a lot of the original's themes and story in a great way, all the while maintaining an awesome atmosphere. It also has the best Tiny Tim I've seen. Mainly because he doesn't come off as forcefully "pwecious!"

Awwww!

And speaking of Tim. 

The reveal of what happened to Tim in the supposed future is absolutely heartbreaking and brilliant! In the atmospheric graveyard, Scrooge - played by Scrooge McDuck voiced by the late Alan Young - asks the cigar-chomping Ghost of Christmas Future - Pete (voiced by Will Ryan) - what happened to the youngest Cratchit. The ghost points to the mourning Cratchit family.

Without a single word uttered, we see the pain and grief that the family is going through especially for Bob. 

That single tear and the laying of Tim's crutch by his grave sends a big punch in the emotional gut. I won't lie, I find more powerful than what's done in the book.

Of course, it all works out and we get a happy ending but still, this segment packs a lot of emotions and some great storytelling. 

#13:

Scrooge's chat with Fred and Janet from A Christmas Carol (1984, dir. Clive Donner)

One wouldn't think the gruff George C. Scott would be an awesome Scrooge? But, nope, he was great. I guess that shows what a real talent he was. 

His acting ability really shines during a scene where Scrooge takes up his nephew Fred's (Roger Rees) invitation to have Christmas with him and his wife Janet (Caroline Langrishe). 

One of the strongest things about certain versions is that they expand a bit on certain scenes. For example, in this film, we see just how strained Scrooge's relationship is with his father. We've heard about Scrooge's father but we never really saw him or got an idea as to why he was abusive (at least in an emotional sense). In this one, whoa boy, is he a prick. 

Quick note: Hi, Mark Strickson (aka Turlough in Doctor Who) as young Scrooge!

But the scene I want to highlight is the scene I mentioned before. Usually, in the story we have Scrooge arrive and asking if he can join with Fred quickly accepting him. But in this one, yes those events do happen, but we get a bit more. There's a chat between the two lovebirds and the now former miser. Scrooge reminisces about the days when he was in love and even recalls the love of his sister Fan, whom he sees in her son. 

It's a very touching scene and a nice bonus.

#14:

Santa's first flight from Santa Claus: The Movie (1985, dir. Jeannot Szwarc)

The best description of this movie is from Bob Chipman (aka MovieBob) in his review. It's basically a combination of two movies: The first half is the critically acclaimed movie that goes into the origin of Santa Claus. The latter half is the crappy sequel.

Personally, I like it. It's not perfect but it's still a pretty enjoyable film and David Huddleston (the Big Lebowski in... well, you know) is a great Santa Claus.

The first part is absolutely amazing. The sets, the atmosphere, it's all spectacular. But the best part comes when Santa makes his first Christmas flight.

The main thing that sells the moment in the music composed by Henry Mancini. Want to know how good it is? He makes "Deck the Halls" sound epic!

It's a solid moment and it always gives me goosebumps!

#15:

"It can't be done that way" from Ernest Saves Christmas (1988, dir. John R. Cherry III)

Here's a movie that enters the realm of guilty pleasures. 

Jim Varney's lovable working-class pitchman Ernest P. Worrall in this outing tries to help Santa (Douglas Seale) get his magic bag back to him while he tries to get his replacement - actor Joe Carruthers (Oliver Clark).

Seale - probably most famous for voicing the Sultan in Disney's Aladdin (1992) - is an absolute delight as Kris Kringle. You can tell his version of St. Nick loves his job but he knows that he needs to pass the torch and when asked why he doesn't just continue his duties he explains it in this speech: 

"...what I'm talking about is a torch; a bright, shining torch, that is carried for a while... and then passed on to another. If it's not passed on, the flame flickers and dies. You know, I've carried this torch for more seasons... than I should have done. Because I loved it so much. But now, I've taken to making notes. Well, you can't do it that way. It shouldn't be done that way. It can't be done that way. It's time for someone new. It's time for you, Joe."

I sadly couldn't find a good clip of the full speech in video format but, trust me, if you heard the speech, it would touch your heart. 

Stay tuned for part four!

In the meantime, check out the other posts, and enjoy Mancini's amazing music. 

Honorable mentions, part 1, part 2.