Christmas 2019: December 1st

Here we go again. Every December, I attempt to do a 25 day marathon of Christmas related movies and television. I do this in the hopes that my bah humbug heart will catch some Christmas cheer before the year is over. This frequently does not work, as my six week long Halloween marathon leaves me incredibly burned out and pretty much useless through the last two months of the year. In the past, I've started this journey just to choke a few weeks in. But, as the song goes, Christmas time is here. So, once again, I will attempt to pull off a month of holly jolly films and TV shows. Wish me luck. I will need it.

Remember the Night (1940)

As I've said in the past, outside of classic horror movies, I am not nearly as familiar with films of the 1930s and 1940s as I should be. Because I am a huge nerd with fucked-up priorities, I feel actual guilt over this. Luckily, Hollywood has been cranking out movies about or at least adjacent to Christmas since the silent days, leaving me lots of older films to fill my December with. Which brings me to “Remember the Night.” The film has two factors that attract fans of vintage cinema. It was written by the highly respected Preston Sturges and stars siren of the silver screen, Barbara Stanwyck. (Who I previously encounter in “Christmas in Connecticut.”) Sounds like a good choice to kick off the month with!

A few days before Christmas, Lee Leander is caught shoplifting. This is her third offense and she might be facing jail time. The prosecuting attorney is Jack Sargeant, who successfully convinces the jury to postpone the verdict until after the holiday is over. Feeling bad about Lee spending Christmas in a jail cell, he pays her bail. She accompanies him as he drives home to Indiana, with the agreement that he'll drop her off at her mom's house in Pennsylvania. But Lee's mom is an asshole, so she sticks with him as he visits with his own mom and family. As the New Year approaches, the two start to fall in love.

As in the previously reviewed “Christmas in July,” Preston Sturges' dialogue here has certain zip to it. This extends to the character names – as with a colorful bail bondsman named Fat Mike – on down. From early on, the banter is quick and razor sharp. Probably my favorite example of witty exchanges here is when Lee succinctly points out the difference between her and Jack, with the metaphor of stealing a loaf of bread when starving. Another highlight occurs when she sets a fire to escape a tight situation, Lee dismissing the desperate measure in a typical flippant manner. The film is full of wacky situations – such as the couple falling asleep in a cow field, being accosted by the trigger-happy owner the next morning – but it's that fast-paced dialogue that truly keeps this movie light and entertaining.

What elevates “Remember the Night” further is the surprisingly sincere romance at its center. Jack's interest in Lee is motivated by kindness, an emotion which soon turns to something more romantic in nature. The sexual tension between them is evident in that catty dialogue, to the point where neither the audience nor the characters are surprised when they start snogging during the Christmas party. Ultimately, “Remember the Night” points itself in even more important moral. Lee's mother rejects her daughter as the holiday approaches, because she's a judgmental bitch. Jck's family accepts her into their home, and their hearts, immediately. Because family, ultimately, is not who you are born with but who you choose. You don't have to spend time with someone if they make you hate yourself. That's an important message to hear, especially around Christmas.

Tying “Remember the Night” together is its lovable cast. Stanwyck is utterly delightful as Lee. She spits the razor-sharp dialogue with confidence and wit. She also displays a clear vulnerability, revealing the sensitive heart at the center of this thorny exterior. She plays off Fred MacMurray extremely well, who is also excellent as Jack. He brings a light-hearted energy to the part, approaching many every challenge with a smile. It's no wonder the two fall in love, as both are delightful. In the supporting cast, Sterling Holloway is immediately recognizable as Willie, the child-like handler on the ranch. Elizabeth Patterson is so sweet as Aunt Emma, in scenes when discussing the importance of acceptance with Lee over cooking pies.

By the way, “Remember the Night” has a good share of Christmas atmosphere. Its first shot is a snowy city street, with Santa ringing a bell on the corner. There's a tree decoration sequence, a New Year's party, and a big family dinner. In other words, it's an ideal fit to kick off a Christmas movie marathon with. The cast is excellent, the story is full of humor and heart, and the execution is competent. After enjoying this and “Christmas in July,” I guess I should definitely watch more Preston Sturges movie. [8/10]

Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (1988)

People just a few years older than me have fond memories of Pee-Wee Herman and his Saturday morning “Playhouse.” My older sister, for example, was a big fan. By the time I was old enough to notice, that unfortunate porn theater incident had already ended Pee-Wee's career as a child entertainer. I actually have way fonder memories of Paul Reubens: Weirdo Character Actor than of his alter-ego. However, the “Pee-Wee's Playhouse” Christmas special is such a beloved nugget of Gen-X holiday lore that I felt I had to give ti a chance. The plot, as you'd expect, is loose. It concerns Pee-Wee celebrating at his playhouse while preparing his ridiculously long wish list for Santa, many friends and special guests coming and going as the roughly hour-long runtime progresses. 

I always assumed “Pee-Wee's Playhouse” was one of those kid's show heavy on the yelling and frantic energy. And, yeah, there is some of that. I think most people have heard of the running gag where the word of day – “year” in this case – is greeted with manic screaming every time it's said. The Playhouse is full of all sorts of bizarre characters, some of which are quite aggressively strange or annoying. Such as a robot that has a verbal tic of chattering noise every time it talks. Or a grouchy ventriloquist dummy. However, I was surprised to find “Pee-Wee's Playhouse” fairly charming in its whimsical touches. Pee-Wee has the mind of a little child which is why he perceives everything – his chair, his globe, and even the floor – as being alive. The production design of the titular location is pretty great in general.

Over all, I was surprised by how amusingly bizarre “Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special” was. There's quite a bit of good-natured surrealism here. At one point, Pee-Wee leaps into his giant etch-a-sketch, runs into Magic Johnson, and gets chased by a cartoon polar bear. Among the show's special quests stars are Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, both of whom – in a delightfully mean-spirited joke – Pee-Wee cruelly forces to make Christmas cards for him. Dinah Shore calls Pee-Wee on his video phone and proceeds to sing an even longer and more torturous version of “The 12 Days of Christmas.” The special somehow takes the worn-out joke about Christmas fruit cake and makes it funny by taking the gag to its most extreme and extended punchline. By far, the best joke in the special involves the reveal that the family of stop-motion dinosaurs that live inside the Playhouse walls are, in fact, Jewish.

Paul Reuben was obviously inspired by classic variety shows, a genre that's pretty much extinct these days, so he packs his special with guest starts, musical numbers, and other diversions. Among the most notable special guests are random appearances from Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah, Cher, and Little Richard. Charo, the Del Ruvio Triplets, k.d. lang, and Grace Jones contribute high-energy variation on several holiday standards. William Marshall, Blacula himself, brings an immense dignity to the King of Cartoons while Larry Fishburne is delightfully silly as Cowboy Curtis. There's the expected moral about giving and charity but it's handled in an amusingly flippant manner. I've got to say, “Christmas at Pee-Wee's Playhouse” – which is a proper Christmas special, as it aired in prime time back in 1988 – is as exactly much oddball fun as I had always heard. Did this show have a Halloween episode? [8/10]