December 25, 2004 - Special Holiday Presentation

[Fizzlestix]

This week's Show of the Week is generously presented for us by Mrs. Claus
as a Special Holiday Anniversary Episode:

801225 - A Holiday Visit
written by Bob Juhren; starring Diana Kirkwood and Lloyd Battista

Enjoy the show and a very, safe and happy Holiday wish to all!

Download the show here * (http://www.macidol.com/jamroom/download.php?band_id=497&song_id=11787&mode=song_lofi)

<font size=1><font color=gray>* The download link for this Show of the Week
will expire after one month due to storage limitations.</font color></font size>

[ 17. December 2005, 08:37 AM: Message edited by: Fizzlestix ]

[hamlet2003]

I love this episode, even though it raises more questions than answers in its plot, which E.G. Marshall pretty much admits in the closing narration. It's the perfect episode to listen to in the car as you are traveling somewhere to visit family for the holidays.

[hamlet2003]

I love this episode, even though it raises more questions than answers in its plot, which E.G. Marshall pretty much admits in the closing narration. It's the perfect episode to listen to in the car as you are traveling somewhere to visit family for the holidays.

[Fizzlestix]

I had never heard this tale before, and was surprised as it is such an obvious choice for this holiday.

Ironically, with all the hoo-ha in the US regarding the whole approach to this holiday season and what people are "supposed" to say rather than what people "do" say, the RMT didn't have to worry about that at all even in 1980... it just wasn't an issue (ie, Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays).

As for the show, I was very pleased. I was hoping it wasn't going to be too much of a holiday show, and though the underlying theme was Christmas, it was more a pure RMT show, echoing the old Twilight Zones.

The story kept its pace nicely and I never lost interest. In fact, without being forceful, the story kept me guessing and wondering. Even in the end, I was totally surprised at the outcome. Not floored, mind you, just surprised... I didn't expect it.

I gave it a 5 for being so well done, and for being so on key with the season, despite giving in to an overdone theme. I really liked that it originally aired on Christmas day.

[Chris Conlon]

I enjoyed this episode until the end, which I felt was a serious cheat dramatically. "Raises more questions than it answers" is putting it very mildly...In fact, the episode answers no questions at all. Why did the old lady keep reappearing, and why did she have no memory of the couple each time? Why did she shoot at them? Why did the phone work once and not the second time? Why did she hear her father replying, but the father never seems to receive the call? Etc., etc., etc. This is an undercooked script, one that really needed to be sent back for revisions. But it has a nice flair throughout, and it certainly holds interest in its Twilight Zone-style way. The performances are solid. An enjoyable episode overall, but, for me, a frustrating one.

[Mark J. Cuccia]

The music score throughout most of this episode, "A Holiday Visit", is the "Christmas-themed" music straight out of the CBS Music Library. It was used in several late 1950s/ early 1960s era CBS Radio and CBS-TV owned-and-produced dramatic programs.

SUSPENSE: Out for Christmas (w/Raymond Burr), Dec.1958, CBS Radio

HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL: The Hanging Tree (both the Richard Boone CBS-TV edition and the John Dehner CBS Radio edition)

RAWHIDE: The Twenty Five Santa Clauses (w/Ed Wynn), Dec.1961, CBS-TV

several other earlier Christmas-themed episodes of CBS Radio Mystey Theater in the late 1970s

SUSPENSE: Dog Star, Dec.1957, CBS Radio

TWILIGHT ZONE: Night of the Meek (w/Art Carney), CBS-TV, Dec.1960; This 2nd season TZ episode was one of the six episodes from that season that was pre-taped at CBS Television City instead of being filmed at MGM. Unfortunately, the copy that Sci-Fi Channel shows of this particular taped episode is not a pure video-dub off the master, but rather comes from the 16-mm kinescope film.

I can't seem to think of any Christmas-themed episodes of GUNSMOKE from the late 1950s or early 1960s, either CBS Radio or CBS-TV, but if there are any, I would assume that it would have heavily used this "Christmas-themed music" from the CBS Music Library.

As far as I know, there was no Christmas-themed episode of PERRY MASON on CBS-TV during its nine-year run.

I know that there were other misc. CBS Radio (and possibly CBS-TV) owned series which had Christmas-themed episodes from the late 1950s and early1960s which used this particular music score, and one that comes to mind is a late 1950s Christmas episode of CBS Radio's "Whispering Streets" series.

General Mills CBS Radio Adventure Theater only had "new" episodes from Feb. thru July 1977, reruns from Aug.1977 thru Jan.1978. I don't think that there was any Christmas-themed episode(s).

Mark J. Cuccia....
This is CBS, the Co-LUM-Bi-a Broadcasting System!

[Ross]

This was the FIRST episode I ever "officially" recorded. Kept me guessing the whole time. Still one of my favorites.

If you haven't heard it before, GO FOR IT!

- Ross

[hamlet2003]

Well, it's that time of year again when I listen to this episode and try once again to make sense of what the writer was thinking. This show always intrigues me but I wish I could get answers to some of my questions regarding the huge plotholes. I've written on this episode in other places on this site and over the years more and more of this story makes sense to me, but some things (like why the daughter has a phone conversation with the dad who later claims she never called) just don't make sense.

[Morton Miller]

Is it possible to get a link to download this show? Thanks!

Morton Miller

[Fizzlestix]

hey Morton - merry xmas! you'll find a link to the show in the original post above.

enjoy!

[Morton Miller]

Thanks for adding the link Fizzlestix!

I think I agree with all the comments above. Lots of unresolved issues with the tale. No hint of angry family matters, but the girl hasn't been home for a dozen years? The family diarama tries to kill them? Good thing there wasn't a dog in her parent's house who might have chewed on the pieces, or done something even more unspeakable. Dogs do, ya know.

This is why all good and loving folks torch their miniture Chirstmas villages annually. To prevent loved ones from slipping into parallel universes that just might kill them. I hate it when that happens. I also sometimes pour beer over my little towns and those of my friends; to spread the holiday cheer with those who might be interdimensionally captured in a blizzard of confusion.

I don't have the hotel thing, but I do have a public library in my village. That way marooned travelers can go to the stacks and read up on the subtleties of wormholes, timeloops, and interdimensional potholes. They could, I suppose, even listen to audio recordings of old radio shows (which my library most certainly does have) and perhaps gain some insight into their perdicament.

Maybe it's just replicas of European towns that have this power of mayhem over us. Could be. I think American replicas are more benign in this regard. Food for thought.

But all in all I enjoyed the tale. Not the greatest, but not bad either. Plus it has elicited quite a few comments from the listeners . . . perhaps that's another way of judging the quality of the shows.

(A good recording, but something like a quarter tone too low . . . I think all the voices were distorted ever so slightly.)

Thanks for a fun show and happy holidays to all!

Morton Miller

[chris pine]

I agree with the many of you... lots of questions left unanswered! The old lady?? who what why?? Fairly enjoyeable though and would indeed be a great one for traveling this time of year. I like the thought of it being a model Christmas village... like the twilight zone episode similiar to that storyline.
"If there were an explanation for everything where would the magic in life be?" Indeed Mr Marshall.. Indeed!


the Last comments by eg cut off...
Chris

[Ross]

YEAH! Mine isn't cut off. I have the original that I taped in '80 on KFAB, Omaha.

smile.gif

I am going to go play it now!!!

- Ross

[hamlet2003]

Morton-- I love your response!

Some quick thoughts:

1) Why does this happen to these people? There's no explanation for why they end up there or how they get out.
2) The fact that the old lady is the last one in town is probably because, over the years, all the other people for the village have been lost or broken.
3) The stars in the sky that suddenly disapear -- I'm asssuming they are meant to be the tree lights which were turned off when her parents went to bed (Which begs the question: If they can see the tree lights, why don't they notice that they are in a giant living room? smile.gif
4) The carol singing they hear? Perhaps the parents are playing a christmas LP on their nifty stereo.
5) The part that really bugs me: When they realize where they've been the whole time, the husband says "Well, we'd better stop talking about it." What!? They aren't going to tell the parents "Hey, we just spent the last 24 hours trapped in the model village under your Christmas tree" ?
I still love the episode!

[ 31. December 2005, 06:56 PM: Message edited by: hamlet2003 ]