The Flintstones: "Christmas Flintstone"

Premiered December 25, 1964.

Needing extra money for Christmas, Fred Flintstone (Alan Reed) takes an extra job.  He works in the gift wrap department and the stockroom at Macyrock's department store.

Fred is easily distracted and clumsy, which causes him to drop a cart full of merchandise down an elevator shaft.  The store's owner, Mr. Macyrock (Mel Blanc) fires Fred.

Fred doesn't have much luck working in Gift Wrapping either

However, Fred gets a second chance.  Macyrock's Santa Claus is ill and unable to continue, so Fred is hired to play Santa.  

Fred turns out to be the best Santa Macyrock's has ever had.  He sings Christmas songs to the children, tells them stories and has a natural rapport with kids.

He goes home in his Santa suit and fools his wife Wilma (Jean Vander Pyl) and daughter Pebbles (also voiced by Vander Pyl)  into thinking he's the real Mr. Claus. Their friends Barney (Blanc) and Betty Rubble (Gerry Johnson) are also fooled at first.

Fred works as Santa through Christmas Eve. When his shift ends, he's exhausted and falls asleep.  He's woken up by two elves named named Twinky (Dick Beals) and Blinky (Don Messick).  

They tell Fred they are two of Santa elves and take him to a sleigh driven by flying "reindinos." 

Fred learns that the real Santa (Hal Smith) is too sick to make his deliveries and that Fred will serve as his replacement. Fred is reluctant, but Santa assures him that Twinky and Blinky will help him deliver the gifts.

Will Fred be able to deliver all the presents and save Christmas?  

J.A. Morris says:

Syndicated reruns of The Flintstones were part of my weekly (sometimes daily) TV diet when I was a kid, but I don't recall seeing this episode very often.  

It's a fun episode with a familiar plot.  I can think of multiple specials and episodes where Christmas is about to be cancelled because Santa is unable to deliver presents.  However, "Christmas Flintstone" is (as far as I know) and early example of this trope and it's enjoyable.  Alan Reed, who voices Fred, carries this episode and makes us believe that Fred loves playing Santa for kids and that he's still a "big kid" himself. 

Macyrock's toy department carries dolls that look like Pebbles and Bam-Bam!

"Christmas Flintstone" features two new songs sung by Reed, "Christmas Is My Fav'rite Time Of Year" and "Dino The Dinosaur's Christmas Tree."  I'm not sure who wrote these songs.  Some sources say they was written by series creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, others say its author is John McCarthy.  Both songs are good and full of holiday spirit.  I'd love to see a famous recording artist cover "Christmas Is My Fav'rite Time Of Year."  

It's worth noting that Santa Claus is voiced by character actor Hal Smith, who is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Otis Campbell on The Andy Griffith Show.  Smith made a career out of playing Santa in both animation and live action productions.  His IMBD page shows Smith played Santa eighteen times!  

A publicity photo of Hal Smith during his time on The Andy Griffith Show.

Like every episode of The Flintstones, this one features funny interactions between the characters and cool "modern stone age" gadgets and vehicles.  I especially liked the dinosaur escalator at Macyrock's. 

"Christmas Flintstone" is a great holiday episode of a classic series.  It features a familiar story but the songs and the voice actors elevate the material and it gets my highest rating.  

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 candy canes!

RigbyMel says:

"Christmas Flintstone" is a charming holiday offering from the original 1960s prime time run of The Flintstones. Like J.A. Morris, I have fond memories of watching The Flintstones when I was growing up, but this Christmas episode is relatively new to me.  (To be honest, I hadn't seen it until I started blogging about holiday programming!)  

Fred even gets to be Santa on a live TV broadcast!

The helping an incapacitated Santa out plot line is definitely a trope, but it's well executed here.  It's probably also important to remember that these programs are - to some extent - aimed at children, so this may well be the actual introduction to the trope for many young viewers.  

Of course, The Flintstones series also holds the distinction of being the first animated series to hold a prime time slot on television, so it needs to appeal to adults as well as to children.   Parents can appreciate the notion of helping Santa with his duties from a different perspective while watching "Christmas Flintstone". 

It's also amusing that there's a small sight gag thrown in for attentive adults in this episode.  Dino has pinup dino-girl pictures on the wall near his bed! 

Note Bettie Page-esque dino wall art.

Personally, I also really like the mid-20th-century holiday color palette in this episode.  The pink and pastel trees at Macyrock's make me think of other specials (like A Charlie Brown Christmas) that were produced around the same time and share a similar aesthetic.

The songs in this episode are adorable and well-delivered by Alan Reed as Fred.  I agree with J.A. Morris that "Christmas Is My Fav'rite Time of Year" is worthy of being a holiday standard. 

"Christmas Flintstone" definitely stands up to repeated viewing and is well worth including in your holiday programming rotation. 

RigbyMel's rating:

4 candy canes

The West Wing: "Shibboleth"

Premiered November 22, 2000.

It’s almost Turkey Day and in the West Wing of the White House, Communications Director Toby Zeigler (Richard Schiff) and his deputy Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) are working on the President’s annual Thanksgiving address to the nation.  Toby isn’t impressed with Sam’s early drafts.  

White House spokesperson C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) is surprised when she discovers two live turkeys in her office.  They’ve been brought for the President's annual “turkey pardoning” ceremony.

President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet (Martin Sheen) wants a new knife for carving the Thanksgiving turkey, so he sends his personal aide Charlie Young (Dule Hill) out shopping for one.  Charlie struggles to find a carving knife that meets the President's exacting standards. 

On a more serious note, a container ship carrying 100 Chinese refugees has been detained off the California Coast.  The refugees claim to be evangelical Christians who have fled to America seeking religious asylum.  When Pres. Barlet is told of this, he’s reminded of the Pilgrims’ journey to the New World where they sought to worship according to their beliefs.  

Bartlet is sympathetic to the refugees, but the complex nature of U.S.-China relations and immigration laws prevent the President from welcoming them to America.   There are also questions about the veracity of their claims of religious asylum.  Bartlet interviews one of the refugees, a professor named Jhin-Wei (Henry O), in order to determine if they are truly fleeing religious persecution.  

C.J. starts to grow attached to the turkeys, who are named Eric and Troy.  She learns that the President will pardon the turkey that is more photogenic and send it to a petting zoo.  C.J. decides Eric is the more attractive turkey and he will receive the pardon.  

Unfortunately, C.J. soon learns that Troy has been purchased and will be served as Thanksgiving Dinner!  This prompts C.J. to seek a Presidential Pardon for both turkeys.

Will the Chinese refugees be allowed to stay in America?  Will Troy be pardoned?  Will Bartlet finally settle on a carving knife?

J.A. Morris says: 

“Shibboleth” is an enjoyable episode of a now-classic series.  Immigration is still a serious issue and this episode handles it in a respectful and realistic manner.  The parallels between the Chinese refugees and the Pilgrims’ voyage in 1620 are obvious, but never come off as heavy-handed. 

Bartlet's inability to immediately grant asylum to the refugees is a reminder that Presidents are not gods or kings (though some Presidents act like they are) and their powers are limited by Constitutional and international law.

The plot involving the turkeys provides a nice contrast to the serious parts of “Shibboleth.”  Allison Janney is my MVP for this episode, since she has the difficult task of acting beside a duo of turkeys.

One thing that’s refreshing about “Shibboleth” is that it avoids the usual Thanksgiving TV tropes.  We don’t get any scenes of food preparation disasters, annoying relatives or even the traditional shot of a family seated at a table covered with food.  

I don't want to spoil too much of this episode, but Bartlet and Charlie's interactions are touching.  Charlie was dating the President's daughter Zoe and Jed uses Thanksgiving as a time to welcome formally welcome Charlie into his family.  

Like other episodes of The West Wing, “Shibboleth” reminds viewers that White House employees don’t have a lot of free time.  Toby, Sam and Josh (Bradley Whitford)   are spending Thanksgiving together watching football, presumably because their demanding jobs don’t allow them time to visit family. 

Toby chases down C.J. in one of The West Wing's patented "Walk-And-Talk" scenes!

A note about this episode's title:
Webster's dictionary defines the word shibboleth as "a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning."  In the Old Testament Book of Judges, it was used as a password for those who wanted to cross the river Jordan.

“Shibboleth” is a memorable episode of a great series that’s full of drama, comedy and holiday sentiment and it’s highly recommended.

J.A. Morris’ rating:

4 pumpkin pies!

RigbyMel says: 

This episode from season two of The West Wing is a great holiday episode.  

We get to see everyone's preparations for Thanksgiving amid the usual high pressure of working in the White House.  C.J. has to wrestle with the moral conundrum of which turkey to pardon and which to send off for dinner.   

There's some great absurdist comedy here, like when C.J. is very seriously trying to determine which turkey is the most photogenic or arguing the legality of a second turkey pardon.  (I also quite like the solution to the conundrum that makes use of Presidential Powers, but I won't spoil it.)   C.J.'s  utter horror at having to lead the children in song (with lute accompaniment!) at the turkey pardoning ceremony is also pretty funny. 

Poor Charlie is being run ragged in aid of Bartlet's obsessive search for the "perfect" carving knife, which has quite a sweet (but not cloying) payoff.  

I like Sam's riffing on his trouble writing the Thanksgiving proclamation as well: 

"A small band of pilgrims sought out a place in the New World where they could worship according to their own beliefs ... and solve crimes."   To be honest, I think I'd quite like to see that developed! 

Josh, Toby, and Sam plan to watch football together -- and don't want anyone to let Bartlet know they have no big Thanksgiving plans lest the President lecture them on "the history of the yam in Latin." (For the record, the Latin word for yam is "dioscorea" -- Bartlet knows all!) 

There's some great thematic parallelism going on in this episode.   Thanksgiving commemorates the Pilgrims coming to the New World in order to worship as they wish, so the Chinese refugees seeking religious asylum fits right in.   There's an additional subplot where Toby is trying to get Leo's sister a recess appointment to a minor federal education position where we get into the notion of the complexities inherent in the notion of "freedom of religion," which provides an interesting contrast. 

There's a nice balance of the serious and the comedic in "Shibboleth" and as J.A. Morris says, it manages to skip most of the typical turkey-day TV tropes, while still managing to preserve the sense of tradition and family (in this case, a work family) associated with the holiday.  

   

This is a most enjoyable holiday episode of a fantastic series and is well worth seeing. 

RigbyMel's rating: 

4 pumpkin pies.

The Simpsons: "The Simpsons Halloween Special," AKA "Treehouse Of Horror"

Premiered October 25, 1990.

"Quoth the Raven 'Eat My Shorts!'"

Marge Simpson (Julie Kavner) opens the episode, breaks the fourth wall and warns viewers that it will contain material that might frighten younger viewers.  She suggests parents send their children to bed  "instead of writing us angry letters."

We cut to Homer (Dan Castellaneta) who has gone trick-or-treating and is admiring his candy.  He decides to listen in on his children Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa's (Yeardley Smith) conversation in their treehouse.  

He hears them telling scary stories.

Bart tells the story of the...

"Bad Dream House":

The Simpsons move into a very large house Homer purchased at a bargain.  

However, before they finish unpacking, strange things occur.  A disembodied voice orders the Simpsons to "GET OUT, " a vortex to another dimension appears in the kitchen...

...and blood runs down the walls of the house.  

Marge wants to leave immediately, but Homer convinces her to sleep on it, since he paid so little for the house.   That night, the voice tells Bart, Lisa, Homer and Maggie to kill each other!  

What is the secret of the house?

Lisa isn't impressed with the story, so Bart ups the ante with a "maca-bree" story called...

"Hungry Are The Damned":

During a backyard barbecue, the Simpsons are beamed on board a flying saucer.  

They're greeted by two alien Rigellians who introduce themselves as Kang (Harry Shearer) and Kodos (Castellaneta).  They say they're taking the Simpsons to Rigel 4, which they describe as " world of infinite delights" which will "tantalize" their senses and challenge their intellect.  They serve a banquet of delicious food to the Simpsons.

Lisa gets suspicious of Kang and Kodos' motives and investigates the ship.  Her worst fears are realized when she finds a book called "How To Cook Humans!"  

Back in the real world, Lisa reads Edgar Allan Poe's all-time classic Halloween poem...

"The Raven":

While Lisa reads "The Raven," the roles of its narrator and the raven are played by Homer... 

and Bart!

J.A. Morris says:

I didn't catch this when it first aired (I caught the rerun the following year), but "The Simpsons Halloween Special" is part of my annual Halloween viewing.  It set the template for future editions of "Treehouse Of Horror" episodes and The Simpsons has expanded the format to include non-Halloween episodes like "Thanksgiving Of Horror."  This episode is still great three decades after its premiere.  

"Bad Dream House" is a takeoff on The Amityville Horror, with nods to other horror films as well.  

"Hungry Are The Damned" is a parody of the classic Twilight Zone episode "To Serve Man."   In both of these stories, the Simpsons turn out to be the "monsters" (as Lisa states).  "Hungry" introduces Kang and Kodos, who would make appearances in every Halloween episode.  

The best comes last with the adaptation of "The Raven."  It's beautifully animated and (mostly) sticks to Poe's words.  Casting Homer and Bart in their respective roles was a stroke of genius.  

James Earl Jones guest stars in this episode and his voice can be heard in every story.  Jones narrates "The Raven," voices a mover in "Bad Dream House" and portrays "Serak, the preparer" (a Regillian cook) in "Hungry Are The Damned."  Jones' presence adds a lot of gravitas to "The Simpsons Halloween Special."

As we said at the top of this page, Marge introduces this episode alone on a stage.  

This is an homage to Frankenstein (1931), which featured a similar stage introduction by actor Edward Van Sloan.

When I was a kid, Frankenstein was a movie that was frequently televised around Halloween.  Referencing it is a nice way of tying this episode to Halloweens Past.  

"The Simpsons Halloween Special" is one of the best episodes of The Simpsons and gets my highest rating.

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 jack o'lanterns!

RigbyMel says:

The first Halloween episode of The Simpsons marks the genesis of a Halloween tradition that's been going strong for 30 (!) years now.   

I remember watching "The Simpsons Halloween Special" with my brothers when it first aired way back in 1990.   We thoroughly enjoyed it then and continue to watch it year after year.  

It's interesting to note that the Halloween episodes of The Simpsons are now referred to collectively as "Treehouse of Horror" due to the framing device of Bart and Lisa telling scary stories in their treehouse in this episode.   However, the Halloween specials did not officially (i.e., in the opening credits) get called "Treehouse of Horror" until "Treehouse of Horror XIII" aired in 2002, long after the treehouse was used as a setting.  

All 3 segments of this first anthology edition of the show feature clever parodies of classic horror.  We even sort of get a double Edgar Allan Poe reference in this episode with "The Raven" (obviously) and also "The Fall of the House of Usher"-esque ending of "Bad Dream House."  

We also get introduced to salivating aliens Kang and Kodos, who have appeared in every Halloween Simpsons episode since as well as the Halloween-ed opening credits sequence with a spooky version of the theme music. 

I think my favorite segment of this episode remains "The Raven".  The casting of Bart and Homer as antagonist and narrator (respectively) is inspired and I have always enjoyed the way the James Earl Jones narration interplays with the character voices.  Plus, it's a loving and reasonably faithful rendition of Poe's most famous poem.  

Subsequent Halloween installments of The Simpsons have become increasingly more elaborate over the years, but without this first episode, we'd not have the enduring "Treehouse of Horror" tradition 30 years later. 

RigbyMel's rating: 

4 jack o'lanterns