Bring your Christmas blasphemies here.

[hamradio]

8 minutes ago, Princess of Tap said:

Everybody knows this.

And you understand very well what we're talking about.

But maybe this tidbit of information was new to you cuz you just found it on the internet.

I know Jesus wasn't born on December 25th for decades but some treat it as gospel.  Don't believe me visit the Vatican on Christmas.

[Princess of Tap]

1 minute ago, hamradio said:

I know Jesus wasn't born on December 25th for decades but some treat it as gospel.  Don;t believe me visit the Vatican on Christmas.

The Jehovah Witnesses who wake me up ringing the doorbell on Christmas morning have already communicated all that to me.

But you need to look up the word tradition.

Or maybe just watch "Fiddler on the Roof".

[hamradio]

[Giggles Widlansky]

Need is an overrated word.

 

[speedracer5]

I like Christmas in the sense that I enjoy the lights and the tree and such.  I'm not religious so the focus on Jesus and all that is not there for me.  I like Christmas music to a point, but I prefer old school Christmas music to the newest lame pop singer trying to sing "White Christmas" or what have you.  I get so sick of Christmas music by the end of the season though.  And I get so sick of Hallmark and their Christmas movies even though I try to avoid watching them (I have to suffer with them if I visit my parents during the season, because my mom likes watching them.  ::Gag::).  I feel like Charlie Brown when I lament the commercialization of Christmas and the constant emphasis on "getting the perfect gift."  A lot of the Christmas magic is ruined when you start seeing Christmas stuff in stock in the stores in the summer--it feels like it's always Christmas and not in a good way.

But I really dislike A Christmas Carol.  It's not that it's a bad story or anything.  But I think the theme of the three ghosts of Christmas past and all that has been done ad nauseum that I'm sick of it.  Same thing with It's a Wonderful Life.  It's a fine movie.  But it's hardly one of my favorites.  It's usually at the bottom of my pile of Christmas movies.  If I get to it, I get to it.  The theme of "What if I had never been born?" has been done to death too. I also usually have the other perennial classic, Miracle on 34th Street, down at the bottom of my pile too.  Not really sure why though. Lol.

I also do not like the Rankin and Bass claymation holiday specials.  I don't care for them.  In Rudolph, I find all the voices irritating except Burl Ives.  Poor Rudolph sounds like he has a cold.  I also hate Herbie the Elf.  Just be a dentist or don't,  but shut up already. 

I love A Christmas Story.  I think it's hilarious.  I don't like Bad Santa.  I think it's gross and not in a funny way.  Home Alone is fine, but it's not a must-see movie for me.  I think I'm still tired of all the Macaulay Culkin impressions that permeated the early 90s.  

I have my fair share of cheesy Christmas movies in my stack--I like what I like, I can't describe it.  But I also love watching film noir that takes place at Christmas time. The darkness nicely offsets all the cheeriness. 

[Hibi]

10 hours ago, skimpole said:

At some point TCM should show Eyes Wide Shut as a Christmas movie.

It does have Christmas in it......

[Hibi]

55 minutes ago, Princess of Tap said:

 I read Gary's book and I don't remember him disputing it at all.

And as far as other members of Bing's first family go, except for one son, the others all committed suicide.

Bing's first wife committed suicide through alcoholism.

A second family with a second wife had a different scorecard. But that doesn't change what happened with the first family.

 

I'd never heard this. All his sons committed suicide except the one???

[Dargo]

6 minutes ago, Hibi said:

It does have Christmas in it......

And so does Stalag 17.

And for my money, contains one of the best Christmas party scenes in any non-Christmas themed movie.

(...not to mention that clever little speech Otto Preminger gives to the assembled POWs about the song "White Christmas")

[Princess of Tap]

10 minutes ago, Hibi said:

I'd never heard this. All his sons committed suicide except the one???

 You know we're just talking about his first  tragic marriage with Dixie.

Dixie's sad tragic life is depicted in the Susan Hayward movie" Smash Up-- The Story of a Woman ".

Now, I said aside from Gary, but Gary's sad life was just one long cry for help.

As I remember it, both of the twins committed suicide. And the one son who was left refuted all of Gary's claims about his father.

But I also remember in Joan Crawford's case, the two older children were exposed to her violence, whereas her two youngest adopted children refuted it because they didn't know anything about it.

Of course, Gary was the oldest and had somewhat of a career-- singing and acting.

I saw him in a movie when I was a kid, starring Pat Boone called "Mardi Gras" and he wasn't that bad.

[Hibi]

5 minutes ago, Princess of Tap said:

 You know we're just talking about his first  tragic marriage with Dixie.

Dixie's sad tragic life is depicted  the Susan Hayward movie" Smash Up-- the story of a woman ".

Now, I said aside from Gary, but Gary's sad life was just one long cry for help.

As I remember it, both of the twins committed suicide. And the one son who was left refuted all of Gary's claims about his father.

But I also remember in Joan Crawford's case, the two older children were exposed to her violence, whereas her two youngest adopted children refuted it because they didn't know anything about it.

Of course, Gary was the oldest and had somewhat of a career-- singing and acting.

I saw him in a movie when I was a kid, starring Pat Boone called "Mardi Gras" and he wasn't that bad.

Yes, I meant from his first marrige.

 

I knew Dixie was an alcoholic. I read Gary's book years ago, but don't remember much about the details. Just because some of the kids (in Joan's case) said it never happened, doesn't mean it didn't happen to the other ones. They weren't even around then.

[Dargo]

2 hours ago, Princess of Tap said:

 ...Of course, Gary was the oldest and had somewhat of a career-- singing and acting.

I saw him in a movie when I was a kid, starring Pat Boone called "Mardi Gras" and he wasn't that bad.

I always thought Gary was also pretty good in his continuing role as the tightly wound LAPD officer in the Adam-12 TV series.

(...but then again, this might have just been a case of good casting)

[jamesjazzguitar]

The only Christmas movie I rate as a must-see is The Bishop's Wife.      The overall "message" of the film is very universal and therefore,   at least to this atheist, one not limited to Christians or those that choose to celebrate Christmas.

 

[Dargo]

8 minutes ago, jamesjazzguitar said:

The only Christmas movie I rate as a must-see is The Bishop's Wife.      The overall "message" of the film is very universal and therefore,   at least to this atheist, one not limited to Christians or those that choose to celebrate Christmas.

 

Eeh! Don't give us this, James!

(...WE know the real reason you like this one is because you think Loretta Young is a babe)

[AndreaDoria]

I admit it!  I am a Christian and I love Christmas, don't care if it's the exact date or not, and I even like Jesus' designated party planner, Santa Claus.

I still hate all the Hallmark movies which are just their usual predictable romances, just with lots of Christmas decorations in the background.

My favorite Christmas movies are the TCM ones: 

Holiday Affair: Over the years  Wendell Corey has supplanted Robert Mitchum in my heart, he's just so good natured about all the disrespect he gets.

 Christmas in Connecticut:  I love Barbara Stanwyck and there are some hilarious moments in this one particularly trying to pass off that baby as hers.

I can't enjoy White Christmas for worrying about Vera-Ellen's anorexia.  Her waist is so small, she looks like she's about to snap in two.

My bah humbugs are for TCM  this year totally  leaving out my favorite, Remember the Night  and for only showing my second favorite ,  The Shop Around the Corner late on Christmas Eve. 

[chaya bat woof woof]

As far as Bing goes, my father knew someone who worked for the ad agency who did the Minute Maid commercials.  He (my Dad) reported that he was not the nicest person.

[Fedya]

3 hours ago, speedracer5 said:

but I prefer old school Christmas music to the newest lame pop singer trying to sing "White Christmas" or what have you. 

 

 

[Vautrin]

I'm not religious either, but I have always enjoyed Christmas, including all the eating and drinking

that goes on. I like many of the usual suspect Christmas movies, but once a year is usually enough.

Hard to get excited about Christmas in Connecticut in July, but in December it hits the spot.

Blasphemy--What do you mean, batteries not included? What kind of a cheapskate are you, Santa? 

[SansFin]

On 12/1/2020 at 11:36 PM, slaytonf said:

I hate Christmas. 

That statement officially makes you more evil than Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.

 

[Dargo]

1 hour ago, chaya bat woof woof said:

As far as Bing goes, my father knew someone who worked for the ad agency who did the Minute Maid commercials.  He (my Dad) reported that he was not the nicest person.

I've felt for years now that the reason Bing was so good in The Country Girl (his best dramatic performance ever in my book) might have been for this very reason.

(...wasn't much of a stretch)

[slaytonf]

2 hours ago, SansFin said:

That statement officially makes you more evil than Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.

 

Oh, good!  Something I'm best at!

[jamesjazzguitar]

3 hours ago, Dargo said:

Eeh! Don't give us this, James!

(...WE know the real reason you like this one is because you think Loretta Young is a babe)

Yes,   Young is a babe,  but she isn't my favorite character in the film,  and Grant, while one of my favorite actors,  isn't either.

This character is great, as long as one doesn't invite him over for dinner!

 

[NipkowDisc]

13 hours ago, hamradio said:

I know Jesus wasn't born on December 25th for decades but some treat it as gospel.  Don't believe me visit the Vatican on Christmas.

a plastic doll is being adored and worshipped: this is physical idolatry....

you shall not make unto yourselves any graven image

[Princess of Tap]

8 minutes ago, NipkowDisc said:

a plastic doll is being adored and worshipped: this is physical idolatry....

you shall make unto yourselves any graven image

Didn't you once tell me that you weren't a Christian?

So whatever these people are doing it shouldn't be a problem for you.

[Princess of Tap]

2 hours ago, jamesjazzguitar said:

Yes,   Young is a babe,  but she isn't my favorite character in the film,  and Grant, while one of my favorite actors,  isn't either.

This character is great, as long as one doesn't invite him over for dinner!

 

I have to agree here. Cary and Loretta are two of my favorite Classic Stars, but Monty Woolley dominates every film he appears in.

I wonder how many  other Yale professors became movie stars?

[NipkowDisc]