Monday, December 08, 2008

Hey, PSaur! Let's Have Christmas Dinner with Red Skelton in 1982!

On December 14, 1982, HBO first aired "Red Skelton's Christmas Dinner." Yet another televised artifact that has stayed with me over the years, emerging from the fog each holiday season. It's as funny and heartwarming as you allow it to be. As for me, it's both, and very much so. I employ the same brand of humor today, much to the chagrin of many. It's old man comedy & the lost art of schmaltz twirled like a candy cane into one. It is gossamer and mingled somewhere with the wisps of the advent candles. Enjoy!






3 comments:

Brian Kunath said...

Ah, Red Skelton. This wasn't among my favorites at age 12, but it strikes a familiar note of nostalgia now.

I remember my grandfather, over for dinner, lighting up as the cast was listed in the beginning (Imogene Coca!), and my father chuckling at Red's "corny" but wholesome comedy. My dad wistfully recalling "Your Show of Shows."

I was probably half-heartedly made to sit and watch this, until I got all fidgety thinking about Atari.

the feeb said...

jesus, you guys were in 7th grade. even I would have made fun of you.

psaur said...

Don't remember this one at all. I haven't watched any of your clips, though I must admit that I am developing a fondness for unexperienced nostalgia. Like, I tearfully watched "The Gathering" yesterday, a 1977 TV movie starring Ed Asner. Though I had heard of it, I had never seen a minute of it before. The simple fact that it was from my beloved era lent it a certain sentimentality (without my forgiving its many flaws, as The Gospel Channel apparently did in airing it).

1982 would've in fact been the beginning of eighth grade for us, so, unless Heather Thomas or the Solid Gold dancers were in it, I'm sure I skipped this one.