Fave Holiday Flicks and Shows

[tomwatson]

OK, let's have 'em - your favorite Christmas specials - from tacky to the sublime. The ones I crank up on the Tivo?

Christmas Vacation
The Grinch
Holiday Inn
Peanuts
It's A Wonderful Life

[Kathleen Maher]

I've heard that the Peanuts Christmas special, which as usual I haven't seen in many years and can't recall well, features a terrific soundtrack. More than one up-and-coming jazz leader that I've caught at the very affordable Jazz Standard has covered various songs from that show, with some excellent improvising. Is "The Skating Song" on included on the Peanuts Christmas show? Because "The Skating Song" gets covered by Roy Hargrove and everyone he's helping to get gigs at the Jazz Standard.

Manny had a friend, Eddie Christman, that used to work for Billboard. For years he made us Xman Xmas tapes that included hours of Christmas songs we'd never heard before. We used to play them every year for our kids. Debbie Harry did one and so did the Ramones. My kids' favorites included one by Kurtis Blow and another by an artist I can't remember called, "Christmas in Jail." An Elvis imitator sang it and my daughter, who was a great mimic before age seven, used to annoy my father by singing "Christmas in Jail," and James Brown's song about Christmas in the Ghetto. My dad couldn't understand why she didn't want to sing, "Silent Night," before going to bed Christmas Eve night.

[tomwatson]

I love those crazy Christmas tunes - everybody does 'em at some time in their careers. Remember the wild Bing Crosby-David Bowie duet?

Incidentally, Amazon tells me Christmas in Jail was a doo-wop number by The Youngsters - does that sound right?

[tomwatson]

In fact, I just added the Bing-Bowie video here:

[Kathleen Maher]

Thanks Tom!
Here's the link to "Christmas in Jail" by the Youngsters (1956):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jxhO2RbGG4