TDN reader poll: Can't top 'It's a Wonderful Life'
Friday, December 19, 2008 4:14 PM PST
By Barbara LaBoe
Printable version
E-mail this articleDaily News readers like their Christmas entertainment traditional, but also enjoy an offbeat twist.
At least that’s what’s indicated by the results of the paper’s Readers Christmas Poll, which asked area residents about their top holiday movies and songs.
Most of the favorites were Christmas standards, with “It’s a Wonderful Life” claiming first place and “Miracle on 34th Street” coming in third. When it comes to Christmas, readers told us, you can’t go wrong with those heart-warming classics.
Directed by Frank Capra, the 1946 movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” starred James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore. An angel helps Stewart’s character, a compassionate but despairing businessman, by showing him what his community would have been like if he had never existed.
“ ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is just for everybody,” said Castle Rock resident Martha McClure. “Not everyone does the same thing for Christmas but that show just hits everyone.”
“It’s a story of hope,” added Virginia Janke. “I watch it every year and two or three times some years.”
The third most popular movie was also about believing, and also made in the post war years. “Miracle on 34th Street” starred Edmund Gwenn as a man who claims to be Santa Claus and is judged to be insane. George Seaton directed a very young Natalie Wood as the child who believes, and Maureen O’Hara as her mother, a Macy’s employee who grapples with “Santa’s” claim -- and provides the romantic angle in the film.
“I just love the suspense of ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ “ said Longview retiree Mary Lou Prescan. “I’m 83 years old but I still believe in Santa Claus.”
Doug Parr said it makes sense that old Christmas movies remain popular -- after all, the holiday itself is quite old and traditional.
“They just embody the classical spirit of Christmas,” he said. “I just enjoy their simplicity and that emotion.”
Others, though, enjoy laughing at craziness that comes with too-much family togetherness or the stress of searching for the perfect gift.
“A Christmas Story,” about a whacky but loving family’s hilarious tribulations preparing for Christmas, came in second. “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation,” finished in fourth place.
“Our whole family just absolutely loves the National Lampoon movie,” said Christine McDaniel, who calls her dad Clark Griswold because of his over-the-top decorations. “We can watch it 100 times over. I think it just crosses all the generations. I think we can all relate to something in that.”
In the 1989 National Lampoon holiday hit, Chevy Chase made a household name out of the hapless Clark Griswold.
The McDaniel family also watches “A Christmas Story” year round — at least once a month, they said.
That movie was made in 1983 but portrayed a goofy family of the 1940s. Son Ralphie wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, and Dad (played by Darren McGavin), wins a lamp that’s shaped like a woman’s leg in fishnet stockings.
Like “Lampoon Christmas,” “Christmas Story” reflects the ironic tone of modern times, but it’s more sentimental than “Lampoon.”
“The dialogue and writing is so great,” said McDaniel of the script, which was written by Jean Shepherd, who also wrote the novel.
“Plus, it’s nice to just reflect on the ridiculousness of everything, “McDaniel said. “I think it makes it easier to see the comedy and craziness of the season.”
Mary Lou Prescan agreed.
She hadn’t seen the movie until a few years ago when her son recommended it. Once she checked it out, though, it became an instant favorite.
“Oh, it was just so funny,” Prescan declared. “I felt sorry for the little boy who got his tongue stuck to the pole and yet it was hilarious.”
While some might scoff at “Die Hard” being included in the category, the Bruce Willis action movie, set at Christmas, did garner several votes. The 1988 thriller features a New York cop who tackles terrorists holding high rise employees hostage — including the cop’s wife.
McDaniel said her three teen-aged sons insisted on voting for it when the family jointly made their picks.
“They’re teen-agers,” she said, laughing.
But 53-year-old retiree Geraldine Thomas also named the movie one of her favorites. “Oh, I was so happy to see that one on the list,” Thomas declared. “I just love Bruce Willis, and when that movie came out it was just kick butt.”
The winner by a landslide in the animated movie category was tale of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and his search for acceptance despite his unusual nose. (Oddly, though, while readers love the movie, only a handful voted for Rudolph in the song category.)
Coming in second in animated category was “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the 1965 TV special about a woebegone Christmas tree that just needs a little love. (The musical theme from that film survives in a slew of jazz renditions.)
“I think Charlie Brown has a real good message for people about how you treat each other and to be thankful for what you have,” said Janke, a retired teacher.
A movie with a darker side — the 1966 TV special “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” — was the third favorite animated flick. Readers said that the Grinch may be creepy, but they still love the overall holiday message originally penned by Dr. Seuss.
“Oh I loved the Grinch! Especially the dog Max -- he was just so smooth,” Thomas said. “And I like think that some people that are grinches do come to be better people after watching it.”
When it comes to Christmas songs, the votes were more mixed, likely due to the huge number of songs to choose from.
Bing Crosby’s standard “White Christmas” received the most votes, followed by a tie for second between “Silent Night” and “I’ll be Home for Christmas.”
Interestingly, many favorite holiday songs also come from post-war years.
Prescan said she always tears up when hearing “I’ll be Home for Christmas” because it reminds her of World War II. Thomas said the song brings to mind the current war and all the troops far from home this holiday season.
McClure picked “Let it Snow” as her favorite, saying it reminds of her childhood in Minnesota.
“It’s just an uplifting tale and it just hits me right there,” she said.
Favorite Christmas Movies
1) "It’s a Wonderful Life'
2) "A Christmas Story"
3) "Miracle on 34th Street"
Runner up: "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation"
Favorite Animated Christmas Movies
1) "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer"
2) "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
3) "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
Runner up: "Frosty the Snowman"
Favorite Christmas Song
1) "White Christmas"
2) (tie) "Silent Night"
2) (tie) "I’ll be Home for Christmas"
3) "Little Drummer Boy"
Runner up: "Jingle Bell Rock"
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