December 21, 2003 - 741224 - A Very Private Miracle

[vgarci]

This week's program is presented for your review by Brian1984_2001.

For those who do not have the program, you can download it (with or without a Streamload account) at: www.streamload.com/vgarci. (http://www.streamload.com/vgarci.)

[Steve]

I thought this was a really good Christmas script with a clever concept---the magic Santa suit. I always like Howard da Silva, and rest of the adult cast was great.

The [i:60d30fdb0c]idea[/i:60d30fdb0c] of casting a real child as Jennifer was a good instinct, I think. However, this is where the whole show falls apart. Since the entire production essentially rests on the shoulders of Jennifer Swallow, they needed a really perky, winning child actor who knew how to deliver her lines. The charm of the story lies in how well she can convince Howard da Silva's character---most of the play consists of scenes between the two of them. Unfortunately, the kid they cast just didn't make the grade. She spoke her lines in a sort of monotone which became very difficult to listen to after a [u:60d30fdb0c]very[/u:60d30fdb0c] short time. Too bad, because the rest of it was really a nice little Christmas fable. Gave it a 2.

Until next time. . .[color=red:60d30fdb0c]M[/color:60d30fdb0c][color=green:60d30fdb0c]E[/color:60d30fdb0c][color=red:60d30fdb0c]R[/color:60d30fdb0c][color=green:60d30fdb0c]R[/color:60d30fdb0c][color= red:60d30fdb0c]Y[/color:60d30fdb0c] [color=green:60d30fdb0c]C[/color:60d30fdb0c][color=red:60d30fdb0c]H[/color:60d30fdb0c][color=green:60d30fdb0c]R[/color:60d30fdb0c][color=red:60d30fdb0c]I[/color:60d30fdb0c][color=g reen:60d30fdb0c]S[/color:60d30fdb0c][color=red:60d30fdb0c]T[/color:60d30fdb0c][color=green:60d30fdb0c]M[/color:60d30fdb0c][color=red:60d30fdb0c]A[/color:60d30fdb0c][color=green:60d 30fdb0c]S[/color:60d30fdb0c][color=red:60d30fdb0c]![/color:60d30fdb0c] [color=blue:60d30fdb0c]and Happy Holidays to Everyone![/color:60d30fdb0c]


Steve :D

[bva18]

I liked this episode. I listened to this one a couple of months ago and thought then that this should be the SOTW just before Christmas. I do have to agree with Steve that the young girl that read her part was quite unemotinal, but I still liked the show.

[brian1984_2001]

I can't help but think it would have been improved by someone like Sarah Jessica Parker reading the part, but I thought she was adequate.

I loved the story and thought it was tasteful and poignant. I gave it a 4.

[dave]

it looked like you either liked it or hated it. well maybe hate is too strong.

i thought it was ok but not a KEEPER for me. i've only listened once , maybe if i listen again. maybe not. i figured it was a Christmas story but i was hoping for a Christmas Carol-like show.

i'm slowly being turned off by child actors. no wonder it's such a big deal when a good one comes along. Shirley Temple where are you when we need you?

sorry if i come across as a scrooge.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

GOD bless us all , everyone.

[Fizzlestix]

First off, I don't know if you all experienced the same audio problem as I did, but I almost gave up on this one within three minutes... it sounded like a 45rpm record played at 33rpms... slow mo!

All the voices were distorted and (I say this in my best Barry White voice) extremely low. The little girl sounded like a slow-witted young boy.

I managed to ignore the audio problem of my file and listen through. I thought it was a great story and fairly well told. It was a bit fantastical, but I enjoy that kind of thing. I loved the whole .61¢ for the suit!

My only wish is that they hadn't kept the whole thing going after Jasper died. It just sounded like filler to me and unnecessary, albeit a good tale.

I give it a solid 4 based on story, concept, and production. Great choice for the time of year too! Kudos, Brian!

And if anyone is looking for a good Christmas movie to rent this year, the film FAMILY MAN with Nicolas Cage is a really terrific sleeper.

Best wishes and have a very happy and safe holiday season!!!

Fizz

[Texas]

I just heard this for the first time two Fridays ago.

It's funny, they could have gotten a child actor who still wouldn't have sounded like a kid from semi-tough circumstances.

As it was, they got a girl who sounded authentically like she was from semi-tough circumstances yet didn't really sound like a child actor.

But with da Silva, whose work I like more and more each time I hear it (and the irrepressible Ian Martin as Santa) it still worked for me. I liked the friendship that da Silva's character eventually developed with both the girl and Santa.

Have a blessed Christmas, everyone!

[vgarci]

First, I have to let everyone know that my copy of this program is flawed in that the recording is slowed and the voices are impacted. With that said, I just felt the child actress was annoying. I don't know how much of this was related to the poor quality of my copy but I tend to believe she would have bothered me on the best of recordings. The story was good and I would a have rated this program very highly but it was hard to get over her obvious script reading and poor inflection (I cringed when she giggled with Jasper because it was so contrived).

[MikeH]

Sorry for the late posting - I just listened to the episode. I concur with most everything already said except I was not that hard on the child actor. She sounded a little like one of the Charlie Brown cartoon voices and I figured her performance was in Himan Brown's hands -- maybe he wanted her to inflect or not as she did. Perhaps he reigned her in a bit. If she was too cute she may have stole the show and mudded the focus of the show on the transformation of Japser's character.

If anyone comes across a version without the technical problems please share it.

Mike H.

[vgarci]

Mike,
I posted a better copy at: www.streamload.com/vgarci (http://www.streamload.com/vgarci)

[storytellermommy]

I am catching up on the last couple of shows of the week because I'm trying to get back into the habit *and* they're both shows I've wanted to listen to for some time but hadn't.

I enjoyed this show quite a bit. I had to quickly switch from the one in the set I have to a high quality one that someone from the cbs_rmt YahooGroup had posted last year because of weird skipping and jumping of the voices. It was segmented with weird gaps between the words as if two conversations were spliced together or something. Once I switched to the better version (whew!), I thought it was a nice story. I didn't have problems with the little girl (although I'm very much *not* the critic when it comes to these things so it would be rare for me to pick out stuff that most of you found).

I loved that the santa suit renter came down to just the price she needed as a kind gesture and then poof wasn't really there when it was time to return the suit.

I also love when a grump turns into a nice person again (or for the first time). It's always nice to think of people making changes like that.

As far as their giggling, I always like to think of children as having a special way of reaching people who could use a laugh through their infectious laughter--even if it might be slightly obnoxious or even completely obnoxious. Part of the "magic" is in the actual moment including the facial expressions, body language and surrounding circumstances such as an "inside joke"--things that we're not able to see with our eyes with a program like this. I guess I figure that sometimes people need to find the humor in things to feel better about life and it seemed to fit the situation here.