MY TOP 10 CHRISTMAS MOVIES

 Every year, at this time, I prepare myself to watch my favorite Yuletide Season movies and I have ranked them in order of preference. They're all great films and their place in the list does not deter from their merits. All 10 are highly recommended if you like classic films and/or Christmas themed movies.

1.-   A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983)

2.-   NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)

3.-   BABES IN TOYLAND (MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS) - 1934

4.-   THE BISHOP'S WIFE  (1947)

5.-   WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954)

6.-   IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)

7.-   MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947)

8.-   ELF (2003)

9.-   POLAR EXPRESS (2004)

10.- THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992)

There's also the matter of the excellent and essential Christmas TV specials which I never miss during this season, but that is the subject of my next blog entry!

More Halloween Memories

As I always do around this time, here are some few samples of my Halloween themed cartoons:

13 Days Before Halloween...

 As Halloween draws closer, I'm reposting these few Halloween-inspired cartoons from several seasons ago:

 

                                    

KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER

KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER was a television series which aired during the 1974-75 season on ABC and was preceded by two TV movies, THE NIGHT STALKER (1972) and THE NIGHT STRANGLER (1973). The series was inspired by writer Jeff Rice who created the character of Carl Kolchak for his unpublished novel THE KOLCHAK PAPERS.

The series presented the adventures of reporter Carl Kolchak, played brilliantly by Darren McGavin, who investigated strange and sometimes eerie and unexplainable crimes which always baffled the law enforcement authorities.
Kolchak's boss, Tony Vincenzo, head of the Independent News service, played by Simon Oakland, was permanently flustered, irritated and downright infuriated by Kolchak's relentless pursuit of the macabre and unbelievably far-fetched stories.
McGavin, a personal favorite actor of mine, had been the star of the 1950s series MICKEY SPILLANE'S MIKE HAMMER and RIVERBOAT, the 1960s THE OUTSIDER and was a seasoned veteran of stage and screen. He would also become memorable as the Old Man in 1983's A CHRISTMAS STORY.

It's been reported that THE X-FILES creator Chris Carter named KOLCHAK as one of his main sources of inspiration in creating the series. McGavin even appeared in a couple of X-FILES episodes as retired agent Arthur Dales.
Today, the series and character have developed a cult following and for me, every Halloween season is welcomed by repeated viewings of the films and TV series on DVD.

      

THE NIGHT STALKER (1972)
Starring Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak and Barry Atwater as the vampire Janos Skorzeny.

KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER -
The TV series with Jack Grinnage, Simon Oakland and Darren McGavin

   Jack Grinnage as Ron Updyke

1970s TV CARICATURES

Back in 1970, I did a weekly one page strip about local TV shows for a national television schedule magazine in the TV Guide mold, called TV FARÁNDULA. Sometimes I had the chance to do a piece on American TV series and these are two samples from those articles.