Add the marshmallows to the cocoa, grab a fuzzy blanket and cozy up on the sofa–it's the final stretch for Christmas movie marathons!
"Winter Break" programming on TNT and TBS, which began in November, continues to countdown during the last days of December.
Tune in for movie favorites such as, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "Deck the Halls," and "Arthur Christmas." And, on December 24 at 8 p.m., settle in for the grand finale – the hugely popular 24-hour marathon of "A Christmas Story."
For fans of half hour comedies, there's plenty for you, too. The two networks are airing marathons of holiday-themed episodes of popular shows such as "Big Bang Theory" and "Friends."
Check out the full movie and television line up at Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT and TBS.
When these holiday movies roll around every year, it’s like reconnecting with old friends. Let’s get to know some of our favorites even better with movie trivia – the Christmas edition!
A Christmas Story (1983)
Directed by Bob Clark
Written by Bob Clark, Jean Shepard and Leigh Brown
A charming and delightful glimpse into the life of young boy named Ralphie (Peter Billingsley), at Christmas time in the 1940s. His quest for a BB-gun, a broken leg-lamp mystery, pink-footed bunny pajamas and a tongue stuck to a frozen pole are among the delightful highlights of this beloved Christmas movie.
Did you know…
• The house used in the movie, A Christmas Story House, is located near downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and open for tours and overnight stays year round. The Bumpus’ family house, which is next door just like in the movie, is also open for overnight visits. Across the street is A Christmas Story Museum, featuring behind the scenes photos, original props, costumes and memorabilia.
• The movie is set in Indiana, but was filmed in Cleveland, Ohio, and Toronto. Higbee’s Department Store, which features prominently in "A Christmas Story," was an actual store in downtown Cleveland. The management’s willingness to allow filming is a big reason the city was chosen as a film location, according to achristmasstoryhouse.com.
• "A Christmas Story" is based on Jean Shepherd’s life. The writer recounted his time growing up in Indiana in the '30s and ‘40s in a series of stories that were published in "Playboy" and collected for the 1966 book, "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash," according background by achristmastoryhouse.com.
• Director Bob Clark first heard Shepherd’s stories on the radio in the 1960s while driving. He was so entranced, he drove around for an hour just so he could hear the entire story. Clark dreamed of one day bringing Shepherd’s stories to life on the big screen, but it took writing and directing the R-rated, teen movie "Porky's" to actually make it happen. "Porky's" (1981) was a huge hit and the studio wanted a sequel, but Clark wouldn’t agree unless making "A Christmas Story" was part of the deal.
• Shepard narrates "A Christmas Story" and has a cameo. He plays a man waiting in line with his son to see Santa at Higbee’s Department Store. When Ralphie unknowingly jumps to the front of the very long line, Shepard’s character says, "Where do you think you’re going?" and points out, "The line begins here. It ends there."
• One of the movie's iconic scenes is when Ralphie's friend, Flick (Scott Schwartz), touches a metal flagpole with his tongue as part of a dare. A hidden suction tube was used to create the illusion that Flick's tongue is frozen to the pole, according to IMBd.com.
• Although, well recieved, "A Christmas Story" didn't get a big push by the studio when it was first releasted. It's popularity grew with the spread of cable television and back-to-back broadcasts for 24 hours on TNT and TBS. Now, the movie is a treasured classic and the marathons are an annual network tradition.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Directed by Larry Roemer
Written by Romeo Muller, Robert May and Johnny Marks
A television classic that tells the origin story of Rudolph and how he came to lead Santa’s sleigh. Made by the entertainment company Rankin-Bass Productions, the puppet-like characters were brought to life using the stop-motion technique.
Did you know…
• Rick Goldschmidt, the Rankin-Bass historian, described "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as the company’s "crown jewel" in a 2020 "New York Times" article. The Rudolph production was the first in a series of popular television specials including "Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town," and "The Year Without a Santa Claus."
• The two main puppets, Rudolph and Santa, each cost around $5,000 to make in 1964, according to the NYT article. The puppets were constructed of felted wool, leather, wood and a metal armature.
In Nov 2020, the production's original Santa and Rudolph puppets were sold for $368,000 at the Icons & Legends of Hollywood Auction by Profiles in History in Los Angeles, according to event coverage by "USA Today." The auction price was high, but the puppets themselves are actually small: Santa is 11" tall and Rudolph is 6". The anonymous winning bidder donated the pair to the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta.
The Santa and Rudolph puppets exchanged hands numerous times over the years and were restored prior to the Icons & Legends auction. The puppets spent a long time in the home of Barbara Adams, the one-time secretary of the company’s co-founder Aurthur Rankin, Jr.
Adams’ nephew met with expert Simion Lipman on a 2005 episode of "Antiques Roadshow" to have the puppets appraised. The puppets, which were in rough shape after being in an attic since the 1960s, were appraised by Lipman for around $8,000 at the time. As a special "Antiques Roadshow" update segment, Lipman provides a nice history of the puppets along with video clips from that first roadshow appearance through the Icons and Legends auction.
• The Misfit Toys gained more screen time thanks to concerned viewers, according to IMDb.com. In the original version of the show, the characters Rudolph, Hermey the Elf and Yukon Cornelius promise to help the toys after visiting their island. But, the toys never appear again.
The show’s producers received droves of letters from children upset that the toys weren’t helped. The producers decided to add a scene showing Santa and Rudolph picking up the Misfit Toys for delivery to their new homes. This version has aired ever since.
Elf (2003)
Directed by Jon Favreau
Written by David Berenbaum
Buddy (Will Farrell) is an elf who leaves his North Pole home for New York City in search of his father (James Caan). During Buddy’s quest, he gets a job at Gimbels department store, falls in love, discovers his non-elf family, eats way too much sugar and saves Christmas.
Did you know…
• The scenes of Buddy exploring the city and interacting with unsuspecting New Yorkers was all impromptu. Favreau said in a 2018 "Rotten Tomatoes" interview that they didn’t hire a bunch of extras, but instead gave Ferrell free reign to interact with regular people. Favreau said they sat in a van with a camera to captured his antics "independent-film style."
In the same interview, Ferrell said, "Here I was running around the streets of New York in yellow tights thinking to myself, boy, I do hope this works for a number of reasons. But this could easily be my last movie."
Clearly, Ferrell didn’t need to worry. He’s since been the lead actor in dozens of movies, which have grossed more than $2.5 billion worldwide, according to the entertainment data source, thenumbers.com by Nash Information Services.
• Instead of CGI, a visual trick called forced perspective was used in the set designs so Ferrell’s character looks extra tall in comparison to the regular-sized adult and child actors playing the elves.
• Favreau also discussed in the Rotten Tomatoes article that he was hired to rewrite the script, which had a much different tone originally.
"It was a much harder comedy," he said. "My pitch, when I was hired to write, was to make it feel like Buddy was a human that grew up in a ‘60s Christmas special."
The Christmas specials Faverau refers to include those by Rankin-Bass Productions. "Elf" gives a nod to those beloved shows in the scene when Buddy leaves the North Pole for New York.
The set design of the North Pole is reminiscent of the Rankin-Bass look and the animals, such as the narwhal that Buddy talks with, move using stop-motion animation just like the Rankin-Bass puppets.
• Comedian and actress Wanda Sykes was originally cast to play the Gimbels store manager, but was replaced by Faizon Love, according to IMDb.com. Look closely and you’ll notice Love’s character wears a name tag that reads "Wanda."
• In the 2022 movie "Spirited," which is a modern take on "A Christmas Carol," Ferrell’s character encounters a man wearing the Buddy costume from "Elf."
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Directed by George Seaton
Written by George Seaton and Valentine Davies
A delightful story of a mother (Maureen O’Hara) and her daughter (Natalie Wood) who don’t believe in Santa Claus. But, their faith is restored thanks to a department store Santa (Edmund Gwenn), a.k.a Kris as in Kris Kringle, who just might be the real thing.
Did you know...
• Davies wrote the film after being bombarded by commercialism during a Christmas Eve shopping trip, according to a AMC's Hollywood Backstories show about the film. It made Davies wonder, “What would Santa Claus think?”
• Although a classic Christmas movie, it was actually released in May. Studio head Darryl Zanuck wanted to tap the large, summer movie-going audience and not wait until the holidays. So, the movie was marketed as a light-hearted love story with no mention of the Christmas, according to the AMC documentary. The movie was a hit and ran in theaters all summer and through Christmas.
• For added realism, the parade scenes were shot live during the actual 1946 Macy’s Day Thanksgiving parade. Gwen was the parade Santa for not only the movie, but also in the actual parade.
"Everything was done on the street and it was bitterly cold, freezing cold," said O'Hara in the AMC show. "We were all pre-coached in everything that they wanted because the parade wasn't going to stop to let us shoot anything. So, we had to do everything quickly, quickly, quickly and we did."
• The management of the Macy’s and Gimbel’s department stores would not approve their inclusion in the film until they saw the final, finished cut. This was a risking move by the filmakers that could have resulted in costly reshoots and extensive editing if they had declined.
• When Gwenn won the Best Supportingiii Actor Oscar for his role, he declared, "Now, I know there is a Santa Claus."
• In the film, Gwenn’s character takes Alfred, a janitor and part-time Santa Claus (Alvin Greenman), under his wing. For the film's 1994 remake, Greenman played a doorman, also named Alfred. He was the only cast member to return for the film's remake.
After years working as a young actor, Greenman spent the rest of his career behind the camera as a television script supervisor for popular shows like Hearts Afire. The year of the film remark, Greenman made a special on-camera appearance on Hearts Afire's Christmas episode as Santa. Greenman talks about both expereinces in an Entertainment Tonight segment.
Home Alone (1990)
Directed by Chris Columbus
Written by John Hughes
A young boy (Macaulay Culkin) is accidentally left at home when the entire family leaves for a vacation abroad. The boy has to navigate being on his own and contending with determined burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern).
Did you know…
• In a 2004 interview with Conan O’Brien, Culkin said Pesci bit his finger during rehearsal, which left a scar on his finger. In the scene, Pesci and Stern hang the young boy on the back of a closet door and they say they're going to bite one of his fingers off.
“I got really mad at him,” Culkin told O’Brien. “I don’t care how many Oscars you have or whatever, like don’t. Biting a nine year old–what the heck’s wrong with you?”
• Elvis appearing as an extra in "Home Alone" is among the urban legends that swirl about the film. Culkin explained to Jimmy Fallon in a 2018 "Tonight Show" interview that the legend is rooted in the scene where Catherine O’Hara, who plays Culkin’s mother in the movie, is at the airline counter trying to buy a ticket.
Standing behind her is a man in a beard wearing a turtleneck and a blazer. Conspiracy theory enthusiasts believe the man looks like the King of Rock ‘N Roll.
Another legend is that Culkin’s character, Kevin, is so traumatized by his experiences that he is the basis for the character Jigsaw in the “Saw” horror movie.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Directed by Frank Capra
Written by Frank Capra, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett
After a series of upsetting events, George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) is resentful about his lot in life. An angel named Clarence (Henry Travers) gives George the opportunity to see what life in Bedford Falls would be like if he had never been born.
Did you know…
• "It’s a Wonderful Life" is based on the 1943 short story "The Greatest Gift" by Phillip Van Doren.
• The movie was a flop for RKO Studios and critics weren’t too wowed by it either, yet it earned several academy award nominations including Best Picture, according to a 2021 online article by the National Endowment for the Arts.
• The movie gained in popularity once its copyright expired and could be broadcast frequently royalty-free on television.
• "It’s A Wonderful Life" changed how snow was made for movies. At the time, productions used cornflakes painted white. Capra thought cornflakes would be too loud and require dialogue redubbing, according to TCM.com.
Instead, the special effects team created a new kind of fake snow using a mixture of foamite (a fire-fighting chemical), soap and water. The solution was pumped at a high pressure through wind machines.
Look closely during the scene when George and Clarence are in the river and you can tell it’s a soapy concoction. The Motion Picture Academy awarded RKO’s special effects department an Oscar for the advancement.
The Grinch (2018)
Directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier
Written by Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Suess) with adaptation by Michael LeSieur and Tommy Swerdlow
The Grinch (Benedict Cumberbach) resents the holiday love and cheer of the Whoville residents. His plans to ruin their Christmas are thwarted when he finally opens his heart.
Did you know…
• This animated version of the Dr. Seuss classic holds the Guinness World Record as the most successful Christmas movie at the box office worldwide. The film earned $514 million* between its release in 2018 and 2020. The previous record holder is "Home Alone" with more than $476 million* at the worldwide box office.
*not adjusted for inflation
• In the scene when Cindy-Lou Who (Cameron Seeley) and her friend go into a treehouse, there’s a baseball bat with the name "Theodor" carved into it. This is the filmakers' subtle tribute to the story’s original author.
• This movie's version of the Grinch first made its screen debut in another animated film, "Despicable Me 3" (2017), according to IMDb.com. In the movie, the character Margo wears a t-shirt with this Grinch on the front. Both of these movies were made by Illumination Entertainment, which sometimes places "easter eggs" in one film as a call-out to another that’s premering at a later date.
White Christmas (1954)
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Written by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank
Two well-known entertainers and veterans (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) help their former Major General save his inn with a special holiday show. In the process, the men fall in love with sisters (Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen).
Did you know…
• For casting, the actual ages of the actors in "White Christmas" were ignored (not too surprising). Jagger, who played the retired and much older Major General, was actually six months younger than Crosby. Both men were 51 at the time. Clooney, who was 26 years old when the movie premiered, played the oldest sister, yet Ellen was 33.
• The scene where Crosby and Kaye do their version of the "Sisters" performance was added to the script after the pair were clowning around on set and the director thought it was funny, according to IMDb.com. Crosby's laughs are unscripted – he couldn't keep a straight face while watching Kaye's antics.
• Written by Irving Berlin,"White Christmas"is Crosby’s signature song and the best selling single of all time, according to irvingberling.com, the Irving Berlin Music Company website.
Crosby debuted the song in December of 1941 on his weekly radio show, "The Kraft Music Hall." In addition to the movie "White Christmas," Crosby also performed the song in the films "Holiday Inn" (1942) and "Blue Skies" (1946). Berlin attributed the song's success to it's message of peace (it was released during World War II).
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