THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO? (1972)

 

The Story is set in England in the 1920s, and is a modern day re-telling of the Hansel and Gretel story.

The protagonist is an insane and elderly widow named Mrs. Forrest (Shelley Winters) who keeps the mummified corpse of her little daughter, Katharine, in a nursery in her attic.

To the children and staff at the local orphanage Auntie Roo is a kindly American millionaire who holds a lavish Christmas party every year at her mansion, Forrest Grange, for 10 orphans, and they get to spend the night.

Christopher Coombs (Mark Lester) and his sister Katy were not invited so they stowed away in the boot of Inspector Ralph Willoughby’s (Lionel Jeffries) car.

When they are discovered by her servant Albie (Michael Gothard) Mrs Forrest allows them to stay.

On that Christmas Eve, she holds a seance with Mr. Benton (Ralph Richardson) she sees little Katy who resembles her daughter Katharine and she wants her to stay.

When she and Christopher are in the house, she kidnaps Katy and locks her up in the attic nursery.

Nobody believes her brother, Christopher, when he tells them what has happened, because he has a history of trying to scare the children so he goes to Forrest Grange alone to rescue her, so will he succeed or will he end up imprisoned himself.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – JOURNEY TO PARADISE (2010)

 

In the small Wisconsin town of Paradise as another Christmas approaches, Lucy Collins (Hannah Fager), the local television news director, channel 7, does not look forward to Christmas with a full heart.

She has struggled to recapture the joy of Christmas after a tragic and traumatic event only two years earlier, on top of that a statewide broadcaster is aiming to open a bureau
in town.

So, when a handsome mysterious man, Joe McNamara (Matt Koester), arrives from Chicago seemingly, to apply for the associate producer position at the small independent television station, things change for Lucy, her family, and their small-town station.

However, there is more to him than meets the eye, what are his intentions and what made him make the journey to Paradise?

 

Also starring Jocelyn Dawson, Roseanne Fasi, Len Gordon, Daniel Koester, Rachael Lau, Jan Nelson, Rick Richter, Karen Spiegelberg, Ken T. Williams and Rachel M. Williams.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE CHRISTMAS THAT ALMOST WASN'T (1966)

 

When Sam Whipple (Paul Tripp) was a boy he wrote a letter thanking Santa for the presents he received and offered to return the favour someday if the need ever arose and Paul grew up to be an attorney.

One day in his office he is flabbergasted to be visited by Santa Claus (Alberto Rabagliati) shortly before Christmas because he was desperately in need of his services.

The nature of the problem was that an unscrupulous, odious grasping old miser named Phineas T. Prune (Rossano Brazzi) had managed to get his hands on the deeds to the North Pole.

Prune was demanding back rent and if it doesn’t settle up Santa, Mrs. Claus (Lydia Brazzi) and all the elves will be evicted, and he will seize all the Christmas toys.

So, it's up to Sam and Santa to find a way to pay off Prune and prevent Christmas from being cancelled forever.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE WALTON’S CHRISTMAS MOVIE – THE HOMECOMING (1971)

 

On Christmas Eve 1933 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia the Walton family are preparing for the holiday, but they are becoming increasingly worried because John Walton (Andrew Duggan), who has been forced to take work in a different part of the state because of the depression, is long overdue getting home.

John promised Olivia (Patricia Neal) he would be home early on Christmas Eve, and then she and the grandparents Zebb and Esther (Edgar Bergen and Ellen Corby) hear about a bus crash on the radio but kept it from the children.

However later she sends her eldest, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) to Charlottesville to look for his father.

However, on the way he runs out of gas, then he got a ride with Pastor Hawthorne Dooley (Cleavon Little) and the Baldwin sisters, Emily and Mamie (Dorothy Stickney and Josephine Hutchinson) on their sleigh until they have to turn back due to a fallen tree.

When he returns home empty handed, he is chastised by his mother who is now rather panic-stricken with fear.

When Grampa Zebb heads out to ring the church bells, John-boy offers to take the children to the barn to hear the Christmas miracle of the animals speaking but when he opens the door, he finds his father standing there.

 

The rest of the Waltons are played by Jon Walmsley, Judy Norton, Mary Beth McDonough, Eric Scott, David W. Harper and Kami Cotler and other guest stars include William Windom, David Huddleston and Woodrow Parfrey.

The prologue and epilogue and narrated by the author Earl Hamner Jr.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – LASSIE: A CHRISTMAS STORY (1959)

 

While the Martin's are Christmas shopping, Paul and Ruth (Hugh Reilly and June Lockhart) go inside a store and leave their son Timmy (Jon Provost) outside with Lassie and when the dog sees a small child run out into the road Lassie saves the child from getting run over by a truck but is struck herself and was witnessed by the child’s mother Mrs. Bailey (Anne Barton).

Paul takes her straight to Dr. Weaver (Arthur Space) but after X-rays, a thorough examination and an operation he is uncertain if he has done enough to save Lassie and Dr. Watkins (Addison Richards) a specialist who could save her is unreachable.

So, amidst interest from Al Bronson (Larry J. Blake) a journalist with the Capital City Spectator the family have to wait and pray that Dr. Watkins will be found soon.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – STANDING ROOM ONLY RED SKELTON'S CHRISTMAS DINNER (1981)

 

After returning a lost dog to its ungrateful owners Mr. and Mrs. Wilberspoon (Tudi Wiggins and Mavor Moore) Freddie the Freeloader (Red Skelton) sets off on a New York winter day as he intends to have Christmas Dinner with his good friend Professor Humperdo (Vincent Price) in a very expensive New York restaurant, the Shakespeare Gardens.

On his way to meet the Professor he runs into Molly the Bag Lady (Imogene Coca) who tells him that she saw an ambulance outside his digs, so he makes his way to the Hospital where Nurse Cathy (Ann Lantuch) mistakes him for a clown.

So, he goes with her to the children’s ward and he stays to entertain the children with comedy and finishes with a song then when he leaves the hospital, he finds a Drunk Santa (Jack Duffy) at a Christmas Tree lot, then he went to see Sgt. Kelly (Ken James) at the precinct and discovers that the Professor is a guest.

After posting bail for him Freddie and the Professor head towards the restaurant but when Freddie goes inside he immediately thrown out and it looks like they would be dining at the Midnight Mission but due to being misidentified as being excentric millionaires they are invited in and dine well.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – LOVE ON THE AIR (2015)

 

Two polar opposites have late night talk shows on WCV-Chicago, Sonia Mayerick (Alison Sweeney) has a feminist slant to her show whereas Nick Linden (Jonathan Scarfe) has his "Man cave" show with a misogynistic slant.

Then one day they fight like cats and dogs live on the air and the ratings go through the roof, so the station bosses give them their own morning drive time slot, and it becomes an instant hit because people love to hear them argue.

But love and hate are two sides of the same coin, and the two opposites soon attract but is there a future for them.