Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne

 Premiered December 10, 2021.

"Christmas was a letdown.  But New Year's is going to be perfect!"
-Lucy Van Pelt

Christmas is approaching and the holiday season is in full-swing in the Van Pelt household.  Lucy (Isabella Leo) and her brother Linus (Wyatt White) are excited because their grandmother is going to spend Christmas with them.  Linus is a bit nervous, since Grandma always tries to make him get rid of his security blanket.

Even though the year is almost over, Charlie Brown (Etienne Kellici) hasn't fulfilled most of his New Year's Resolutions.  When he visits Lucy's psychiatrist booth, she tells him his resolutions are too ambitious.  Lucy recommends that he should just try to complete "one realistic resolution" and then he'll be "covered for the year."  

Snoopy (Terry McGurrin) is happy to see his five siblings, who have come to visit for the holidays.  They spend time reminiscing over an old photo album and playing music.  His brother Spike (Rob Tinkler) has brought his camera along so that he can take a group photo of him and his siblings.  He has only one photo of the whole family, which was taken when they were puppies.  However, accidents keep preventing the photo from happening and Spike begins to feel unappreciated.  

When Christmas Eve arrives, Lucy is heartbroken when Grandma calls and says she won't be coming for Christmas.  Lucy believes that her grandmother didn't come because she didn't want to see her.  Lucy wonders if Grandma doesn't love her and worries that she isn't "lovable."  

The next morning, Lucy decides that in order to prove she's lovable, she will organize a huge New Year's Eve party.  The event will be called "Lucy's Gala: A New Year's Eve Celebration of Elegant Perfection!"

Lucy "volunteers" Linus into helping her plan the party.  She says "everyone" will attend the party, because she IS lovable.  Snoopy and his siblings are booked to be the house band.  She even rents an old ballroom for the party and writes new lyrics for "Auld Lang Syne" that celebrate her!

Since Charlie Brown is still working on his resolutions, Lucy assigns him to be in charge of decorating the ballroom.  She asks Peppermint Patty and Marcie to build an ice sculpture of her face!  Everyone is excited about attending the New Year's gala, but Lucy's desire to throw a "perfect" party gets in the way of having a good time and her demands start to get on everybody's nerves.

Will the party be a smashing success?  Will it prove that Lucy is lovable?  Can Charlie Brown complete his resolutions?  Will Spike be able to take a new family photo?  

J.A. Morris says:

I'll cut to the chase and say that Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne is a very good special.  For starters, we don't have many movies, specials or episodes that are built around New Year's Eve, so it's nice to add another to that short list.  This special begins in mid-December and shows Lucy decorating for Christmas, so I think it can also be considered a Christmas special.  

What jumped out at me was that the creative team behind For Auld Lang Syne really "gets" the Peanuts characters.  They're all very similar to the kids we've seen in dozens of specials over the past five decades.  The voice actors are also all good fits for their characters.  Isabella Leo, who portrays Lucy, does a great job as the special's lead.  Longtime fans of Peanuts specials will be glad to know this special includes a scene where Charlie Brown visits Lucy's psychiatry booth and we also get to see Lucy leaning on Schroeder's piano.

Jeff Morrow's music won't make you forget Vince Guaraldi's immortal tunes, but it's fun and appropriate for a Charlie Brown special.  

Lucy is the focus here and it's nice to see her doing something other than calling Charlie Brown a "blockhead."  For Auld Lang Syne shows that she's a complicated character who gets upset when she believes she's not lovable.  

Since this is a new special, I don't want to go into too much more detail about its plot, but I'll add that it features a nice mix of sentiment and humor.  

Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne is a lot of fun and is highly recommended.  Is it as good as A Charlie Brown Christmas?  No, but few things are.  This special is a worthy addition to the holiday specials canon and I expect to watch in during future holiday seasons.

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 candy canes!

RigbyMel says:

Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne is a sweet addition to the Peanuts holiday special family.   

The story which features the normally confident Lucy feeling vulnerable because of her grandmother's decision not to visit for the holidays, which provides an interesting twist and gives depth to our dear fussbudget.  Lucy is still Lucy, but it's endearing to see a slightly different side of her.  

In re. Lucy being Lucy, I really like that she was able to rent a party venue for her New Year's Eve gala by using nickels collected from Charlie Brown via her psychiatry booth.  Her attempt to force Linus to wear an Elton John inspired stage getup is also pretty amusing (although perhaps not as amusing for Linus). 

The subplot involving Spike wanting to take a family photo with Snoopy and the other siblings was also quite cute and touching.   It's nice to see the Snoopy siblings again and I feel that lots of people can relate to Spike's frustration about taking a good group photo.   

As J.A. Morris says above, I feel the writers of this special really do have a good handle on what makes a Peanuts holiday special tick.  They have a good feel for all of the characters and their interactions.  There are sweet moments that are interspersed with melancholy and also some very funny bits and it is a winning combination that I suspect would make Charles Schulz very happy.  

For Auld Lang Syne takes a gentle and touching look at what can happen when our holiday expectations don't match up with reality and a fun way to spend time with these beloved characters. 

RigbyMel's rating: 

4 candy canes! 

Batman:The Long Halloween, Parts One and Two

Part 1 premiered June 22, 2021.

Part 2 premiered July 27, 2021. 

A note from your trusted holiday bloggers:

This animated special contains multiple murders, bloody corpses and curse words.  It's intended for an adult audience and is NOT recommended for young children.

It's Halloween in Gotham City.  At Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne (Jensen Ackles), aka The Batman, is spending a quiet evening at home.  His butler Alfred (Alastair Duncan) has candy to hand out, but Bruce points out that no children have trick or treated at the mansion for years.

Elsewhere, Gotham's police commissioner Jim Gordon (Billy Burke) is preparing to take his children Barbara and James trick or treating.  Their plans change quickly when Gordon is called into work.

District Attorney Harvey Dent (Josh Duhamel) arrives home to find his wife Gilda (Julie Nathanson) sitting alone in the back yard.  She wants them to spend Halloween together at home, but unfortunately, his job doesn't allow Dent to take off for Halloween.  

A mob informant named Johnny Vitti has been murdered, shot to death.  Dent is furious, because the next day, Vitti was supposed to turn state's evidence against his uncle Carmine Falcone (Titus Welliver), better known as "The Roman." 

Falcone is the head of a major organized crime family.  Gordon believes that all hope isn't lost.  If he, Batman and Dent work together, they can still take down Falcone.  He says Dent will work "in the light" while the Batman works "the other side," and instructs them to "bend the rules, never break them."  Batman has a long history with Falcone, since his father Thomas Wayne conducted business with the Roman.  

During his search for the killer, Batman is aided by his sometimes-villain/sometimes-girlfriend Catwoman (Naya Rivera).

At Falcone's headquarters, the Roman fumes over his nephew's death and believes Dent is to blame.  When it's time to discuss business, Falcone dismisses his bookish son Alberto (Jack Quaid), who the Roman describes as is "32, going on 13."  

Later that night, when Dent returns home, he's seriously wounded when his home is firebombed. 

The next month, Mickey Chen (Greg Chun) and his gang are gunned down during their Thanksgiving dinner.  The Chen gang had been employed by Falcone.  

This makes Batman and Gordon believe they have a serial killer on their hands.  They nickname the murderer "Holiday," since the killer only strikes on holidays.

Gordon and Batman question imprisoned villain Calendar Man (David Dastmalchian) in Arkham Asylum

The carnage continues on Christmas.  This time, Batman's greatest enemy, the Joker (Troy Baker) shows up and joins the list of suspects.  

Can Batman bring Holiday to justice before they commit another holiday murder?

J.A. Morris says:

It's worth noting that the first part of this movie premiered this past June, while the second part debut in July.  We're treating it as one film presented in two parts. 

I'm a big fan of superheroes and Halloween, and I've read the comic book miniseries that was the basis for Batman:The Long Halloween, so I went into this expecting to enjoy it.  And I did, especially Part One.  It features scenes that take place on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.  This movie is tailor-made for this blog!

In addition to Batman, it features the Joker, the Caped Crusader's greatest nemesis, and Catwoman, who assists Batman in his quest to unmask Holiday.  We get plenty of fight scenes that feature Batman taking on various antagonists.  There's a great scene involving the Joker attacking Gotham City with a plane.  

The mystery behind Holiday's identity is a good mystery that I didn't immediately solve.  

Fans of "Mafia" movies will appreciate visual and dialogue references to movies like The Godfather which feature prominently in the Falcone family scenes.  The scenes that feature Falcone berating his son Alberto are also well done.  I found myself feeling sorry for Alberto.

The voice actors all did a good job in Batman:The Long Halloween.  Jensen Ackles (best known for his role on Supernatural) voices Batman and provides solid work.  Naya Rivera plays Catwoman.  This was Rivera's final role before her tragic death and the film is dedicated to her.  In a small role, Fred Tatasciore is great as the zombie Solomon Grundy.  

Part One of this two-part film is very good.  The second part is much weaker.  Holidays in the New Year are barely mentioned in Part Two.  Granted, Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day pale in comparison to Halloween and Christmas, but I think the filmmakers could've done something more interesting with those occasions.  It makes for a disappointing finish to the story.

Batman:The Long Halloween, Parts One and Two is a movie that will be enjoyed by all fans of Batman and Holiday programming.  Since it features multiple holidays, it's something that can be enjoyed year-round.  However, the lackluster Part Two prevents me from giving it a higher rating.

J.A. Morris' rating:

2 and a half jack o'lanterns.

RigbyMel says:

Batman: The Long Halloween is a good animated adaptation of the comic miniseries of the same title by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.   The animated version suggests the art style used in the comic without straight up copying it and the story is a lot of fun.   

By virtue of the extended nature of the year-long string of murders,  we get multiple visits to Arkham Asylum and encounters with an assortment of villains from  Batman's extensive rogue's gallery. 

Poison Ivy (Katee Sackhoff) really makes an impression in Part 2 and Troy Baker's channeling of a Mark Hamill-esque Joker in Part 1 is fantastic.   

As J.A. Morris mentions above, there are fun meta references to other movies.  For instance, the scenes where Batman and Commissioner Gordon go to try and glean information from Calendar Man have strong Silence of the Lambs vibes.  

The notion of the serial killer who only operates on holidays is an interesting and creepy conceit and the mystery has enough surprises for Bat-afficionados and neophytes alike. 

Thanksgiving dinner a la gangster

My only real complaint is that it feels like the filmmakers got bored with the holiday murder concept by the time they got around to Part 2 and give it short shrift in that installment.   Still,  The Long Halloween makes for entertaining superhero/holiday viewing.   

RigbyMel's rating:

2 and a half jack o'lanterns

Holiday Inn

Premiered August 4, 1942.
(Note:This film was released 75 years ago today - 8/4/17)

Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby), Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire) and Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale) are a popular song-and-dance trio.  Jim decides he wants to quit the act, marry Lila and retire to a farmhouse in Connecticut.

Lila has other ideas and informs Jim that not only is she not ready to quit show business, but she has fallen for Ted! So Jim moves to his farm alone, but discovers that life as a farmer isn't all he thought it would be.

The following year at Christmas time,  Jim decides to convert the farm into Holiday Inn, a hotel with dinner and floor show that's only open during holidays.  He makes a trip to New York to tell Ted & Lila of his decision and try to maybe recruit them to participate, they're not convinced.

Meanwhile, Ted's agent Danny (Walter Abel) runs into a flower shop sales clerk named Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds).  She recognizes Danny and seizes the opportunity to ask him if he can help her break into showbiz.  

He recommends her to Jim, who hires her and she arrives at Holiday Inn on Christmas Day.   Jim realizes he rather likes Linda and would like to see more of her -- maybe their partnership at the Inn will lead to romance?

Ted and Lila's business and romantic partnership comes to an abrupt end when Lila dumps him on New Year's Eve.  Having no place better to be, a drunken Ted shows up at the Holiday Inn's New Year's Eve party.  He dances with Linda and they put on quite a show for the New Year's Eve crowd. 

Ted is smitten with his new dance partner but the next morning, he can't remember what she looks like since he was drunk.  Jim, fearing he will lose another romantic and performing partner to Ted, does what he can to obfuscate Ted's search for her -- up to and including inviting his old flame Lila to come perform at the inn as a distraction!

But Ted is determined to learn the dancer's identity and decides to stick around Holiday Inn each holiday until he can figure it out.

Can Jim keep Linda's identity secret from Ted?  Will Ted steal another partner from Jim?  Will the Holiday Inn be a success?

RigbyMel says:

This is a special holiday film for a number of reasons, the great song and dance performances by the cast and the wonderful Irving Berlin music being the most notable.   It's really not about the romance plot so much as it is about the various holidays portrayed and the musical numbers.

Holiday Inn is the film that introduced Bing Crosby's signature number "White Christmas" to a worldwide audience.  The song went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song and the single has sold hundreds of millions of copies making "White Christmas" one of the best selling songs of all time.   One imagines that the mix of nostalgia and melancholy inherent in the song really resonated with WWII audiences and contributes to its enduring popularity.

The film also focuses not just on Christmas and New Years, but on other holidays throughout the rest of the year as well.  

There's an interesting comedic minuet/jitterbug number for George Washington's birthday.  The switch in styles is one of Jim's ploys to sabotage Ted's dance partnership with Linda.

The Valentine's Day number "Be Careful It's My Heart" was, I suspect, intended to be the "breakout hit" from the movie and it's nice, but doesn't quite hold a candle to "White Christmas."

"Easter Parade" also makes an appearance to good effect.

There's a standout Fourth of July dance number in which Fred Astaire sets off firecrackers onstage while he's dancing which really adds flash and bang (literally AND figuratively!!) to the proceedings.

A couple of other fun facts:

*  According to multiple sources,  Fred Astaire took two shots of bourbon before the first take of the "drunk" dance for the New Year's Eve sequence and the same after each successive take.  The seventh (!) take was the one that was used in the film, so Astaire's performance was really a couple of sheets to the wind.

* There's an animated sequence for Thanksgiving featuring a confused turkey running back and forth between dates on the calendar which was a topical (at the time) reference to the "Franksgiving" controversy of 1939/40.   

President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to change Thanksgiving from the 3rd Thursday in November from the 4th Thursday in order to extend the holiday shopping season and bolster the retail economy.  Eventually, an Roosevelt signed a 1941 act of Congress designating the 4th Thursday of November as the official day.  No wonder the 1942 animated turkey was confused!

* The movie also lends its name to the Holiday Inn motel chain, which first opened its doors in the 1950s.

The one thing that keeps me from unreservedly naming Holiday Inn an absolute must watch classic is some unfortunate racial humor that while common at the time is decidedly not respectful to people of color.  There's is a blackface number for Lincoln's birthday which is just straight up unpleasant to watch.   It's of it's time, but that doesn't make the stereotyping okay.

That being said,  Holiday Inn is fun to watch -  my advice is to just skip the Lincoln's birthday sequence and enjoy the rest.

RigbyMel's rating:

3 candy canes.

J.A. Morris says:

I’ll echo what my co-blogger said about the blackface scene.  It’s ugly and was wrong then and now. That scene may be why Holiday Inn is often overshadowed by its cinematic "descendant" White Christmas.  It's mainly remembered today for introducing the most popular Christmas song of all time.  

Holiday Inn is entertaining and has some great song and dance numbers and Bing Crosby has great onscreen chemistry with Fred Astaire.  Their co-stars Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale aren’t well remembered today, but they hold their own with Astaire and Crosby.  

The cast includes Louise Beavers, who plays Jim’s maid Mamie.  

Beavers acted in dozens of films in a career spanned from 1927 to 1960, usually playing maids or slaves.  She made TV history when she played the title role in the series Beaulah, the first TV sitcom to feature an African American lead.

It's worth noting that this film was released during the first year of the United States' entry into WWII. During Jim's 4th of July performance, a very patriotic film (some would characterize it as propaganda) is projected on the stage.

It features footage of soldiers and pilots preparing for war, war production in factories and it ends with an image of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt. If you're fascinated with history (like I am), you'll appreciate this scene.

As RigbyMel said, here isn't much of a plot here, just great singing and dancing by two of the biggest stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, with songs written by the legendary Irving Berlin.  Since this blog covers programming related to every holiday, Holiday Inn is tailor-made for us.  

This film is available on DVD and also streams on Amazon and iTunes.

Holiday Inn is generally good in spite of its threadbare plot.  However, it has a few too many songs for my taste (I’m not a big fan of musicals).  That, combined with the blackface scene keep me from giving it a higher rating.  

J.A. Morris' rating:

2 and a half candy canes.