Noel

little fun. Um. There's a moment, uh in a recent episode that we did, the episode about Romeo Mueller and his ranking bass specials and so many Christmas specials over the years, and his last one, the last one that was produced in his lifetime, his last script. It was

a movie called Noel. We have Rick Coachman talk about it for a second and I mentioned in brief passing that it was my personal childhood favorite, but I didn't feel like I did justice to just how fascinating I think that film is watched it probably every year at least while we were children. Like a lot of our things in our childhood, and you know, being a year and a half apart, I guess we're shared in that occasion. So I've watched no Welfield a bunch of times that

I don't really remembering myself that well at all. Yeah, well, I mean, you know, it's about a little Christmas ornament who has very special conditions when he's being created. Of all the Christmas tree ornaments turned out that year very long ago, only one head of happiness. The glass blower that's making him receives a memo. A child break runs up to him with this little paper and runs away,

and he's blowing this ornament with his other hand. He reads the memo and and the narrator, Charlton Heston, lets you know that his granddaughter, his first granddaughter, has been born or something, and he has a little tear of joy that runs down the glass blowing stick and it goes into the ornament. It was Noel. Is a good fortune that that one marriage year became heartet of him, And then down was this ornament who becomes known as Noel with a certain happiness. Is Noel. And I have

seen it for one thing. It is directly about ephemera. It's about this box of a dozen Christmas ornaments, or a thing called a dozen. All of them together we're something called a dozen in a thing called a box. Where are we in the box? Thing stupid? In a thing called an attic, and a thing called a home. What's the hole? Thing? People? Things, books, and we're talking about this? And a thing called a podcast. Uh that

that gets forgotten about, Noel. The rest of the dun were put into a high, dusty, dark thing called etch, where they became a thing called forgotten, And really the whole house gets forgotten about. Noel never heard the terrible final shown the lock bay as it shut off life and warmed the joy from the old empty house, leaving it with the ghosts of long ago Christmas is which everyone you'd forgotten. And as the years crept slowly by, the dozen slept on like the house, their bright colors

faded and chipped. Indeed, everything seemed over. But to maybe a little bit of Christmas magic, these forgotten objects get a chance at a second life. I say seemed over, because when you have a happiness, nothing has ever completely gone. So I went looking for a copy of it. Well as he was short, okay, Noel, the christ boum Google. I'm sure he only showed one or a few years

around ninety two, when it came out. There was a Golden Book's adaptation during the television promotion leading up to the premier and it looks like, yeah, there was a vhsot that came out at the time. I went looking on Amazon to see if you could buy it. Well, n yeah, you can. You could get the VHS tape used starting from eight nine nine eBay. Oh yeah, okay, you can get this out of print VHS rare on eBay forty nine plus shipping That sound like faby, I say, wow, okay,

I'm not really easy to find. I knew it was on YouTube at the resolutions it's pretty low. It was really gonna that's what we got. That's what we got. That's what you get to do with. Unfortunately, oh we we Well, we might have it on VHS. I was so confident coming back home for the holidays that I would be able to find and Dad's extensive VHS archives. It was confident that I would be able to find the you know, the well worn, well loved copy of it that we played over and over. Dad. Do you

do you think that we have no l on VHS? No? Do nothing we did before? Well, I don't know what happened to it if we did, and so we Yeah, we searched all over. Can I hear? And you looked up there? Yeah, that's all d ds. Okay, the closet to the closet, we shall go. You want to look at the top and I'll look at the bottom. Sure, Charlie Brown, Christmas can look for Noel. Yeah, that is funny that, like halving, these things are now in my handwriting. Well,

here's children's Christmas videos. If we have it. It seems like it's going to be on that. I swear that tape is around. We looked extensively for it. I know there was a tape, and I remember the tape. You're talking, Well, I think that might all be for not And this is all that Dad would have gotten rid of it, though he didn't. He likes to say that he did, but I know he didn't. It's just I'm not in

his nature. He never did. Like no help. I have had over the years these super passionate disagreements with Dad about that movie, which I think is is visionary and he thinks is just terrible, just unbearably unbearably bad. Why do you think that Dad dislikes this movie so much? Repetitive that's very very repuditive, which children like. But you didn't like that. It's a happiness, isn't this thing? He says the same things over and over again. Yeah, I know you. You were a very big fan of it.

I mean there's a you know ornament we're gonna call it that you made it as a child and was always on every Christmas tree. You're no wilds, they're on a little trick looks just like I forgot that I made a Noel. But what was cool as you just made that was like as a big fan, you just made that. You like founally supplies yourself and made it, you know, like nobody sat you down and said let's make it a well. I was just the most surprised about the biggest defender of Noel, who was not you.

I mean, obviously you defended it. I did not. I don't have any horses. First, I am the constant. But Mom's feelings towards this movie. Do you remember the movie? Mom? Oh? I know it. I know well. I liked it. He got the happiness because the glassblowers found out that his granddaughter was born. Believes his only daughter you've just given birth to a baby. Good he was a grand at last. And then there's the cranky like the angel, the Angel, she's not angel, which she is? I am missed, Freezone,

the ice Maiden. If you please, I am a very unusual friend. Gracious you have a different tree every year. My name is Brutus. That knows you season's gratings. Who's that? That's the train? J creet Hi, and then I'm January. First they get put in the attic and he's really traumatized at first, goodbye little fellow, goodbye he that happiness. Of course, never Noel ever saw Brutus again. And then he learns it gets to come out. Hi, I know it. Do you know? It's the same writer that wrote Rudolph.

His name is Romeo and mother. He wrote Rudolph, He wrote Frosty, he wrote you were out of Santa Claus. He wrote Santa Claus Coming to Town. He wrote a Little Drummer Boy. He wrote all of those Rank of Bass movies. And this was his last movie while he was still alive. This was his last script. That's a good movie. We couldn't find the tape. I thought it'd be one of those who's not here. It's not here. We end up streaming on YouTube, watching it with mom

and dad. Unless it was a better happy No, it's funny. It's also narrative by trying heston, I did not know that. Hi, my name is Noel, and I have a happiness. It was trying to who's breaking record. They're also creaky, yes, Noel, but I had a happiness. How terribly middle clubs. Hi, what a little bake? Baby's walking around? Don't shout? They are called people thing down him a little ack. Oh, honestly they are children. Then I don't know why they

know everything and he doesn't. And he was blown the same r. It was a thing called the mother. Is it from possible? They look at everything that's Christmas? I love you, she loves me. What's that down there? Miss? I can't see inside? Trusted as a toy stable, So why would they have a toy table? Well, somehow that little stable is the thing that night is hold Moms. She was crying in the first act, before anything sad had happened. Yes, yes, when things were there the first act. Anyway,

you guess your party cry if you want to. I definitely think that I got my sensitivity from mother. Oh me too. It's a running joke that it's like, oh, this is gonna make me cry, And I know that's not a high bar to clear. They've done. Oh wow, I'm down. There was a new tree named Harrob, but almost everything else was the same as the year before. But it seemed but almost before it started, Christmas was over again. Noel said goodbye to Harrow, to the attic,

thank you his prison once more. And in this way year followed year, a bitter sweet, blended joy and attics. After Harold, there was Bernard. After Bernard, there was Anthony and Gregory and Irving Jock. Then one day, years later, Noel heard something terror from down below. Oh what's the use? Kids scattered all over the country with families of their own. Let's not bother with a tree this year, all right, dear, Oh no, no, Christmas. The animation is actually than I

remember you know what it actually it is. Yeah, it's not Yogi Bearer, it's not. Perhaps it was the happiness working. It's magic. I found these old ornaments in the attic. These are just too chipped and old to use. Shipped an old bear. Con Wait, we could use this little fellow to balance out that branch in the back such a mom thing to say to balance out this branch of the bag, the little old red ornament. It's broken, but someone old Noil was still aware. He was on

the floor. He knew that, and for the first time he could look into the tiny stable. Why there's little toy people think, and a little joy children think, think all found He was like all the different continents. Now I did not remember this part the continents, but now that his own last body was no more, the happiness that was really was released. So it was very nine. It was like the world some spoke, different tongue, different ways of life, something that never even heard of Christmas.

But this last list, last line is we if I make just my case for it very succinctly. I mean, I think that the message is really lovely in it, I think, and now I guess I think about it differently because I know a little bit about the backstory of the person. I think maybe the thing that I find that I found really interesting about it as a kid is it was about these like you know, forgotten artifacts, and you like the ephemorality. Yeah, I mean, I I think that certainly drew me to it as a kid.

But you know, so I think that I think about it now. I think about this guy who spent a career, He spent three decades writing Christmas specials and this was the last one that he did. And the message of it is so like the material world is not going to last. You as a material being are not gonna last. And everyone's getting old, everyone's everything is changing, and like the houses are falling apart in the ornaments are getting older, cracks, and the kids are growing up and and getting married,

going off to war. And I mean it doesn't really even though it's total really spoken to a kid, it doesn't sugarcoat a lot of things. You never see Bruce again when Bruce is dragged out, He's gone right there, You're super straight with you. You know, there's you know, they don't sort of dumb it down for for the child listeners, but just the fact that every material thing is going to go away, and the point of it

all the meaning of Christmas. I mean, you could take it literally is the is the is the Christian meaning, that's the baby Jesus. But I also think that, like I think about the scene in the in the Manger down there is a family come together, right and it's all the message of all the baby, he got the happiness because of the baby. A baby, right, it's the message is community always a little weird, but but even I mean so, and it's it's very steeped in the

aesthetic of the time that it was in. But it's like, oh, everywhere in the skyscrapers of New York and then the eaglues in the North Polem wherever like that, it doesn't really matter, and it doesn't even isn't necessarily it transcends like you know, one particular religious belief where it's like it's just how worthwhile it is to just embrace the people that you love. I think it's a beautiful message. And other thoughts, other thoughts on no, well, I just

love no. Well. I liked it then the and we've got a little hokey for me back then. But you know, it's you know, it's like they it's kind of reminds me a little those three students at the end, where like they don't know how to end it, so they just ending that was good. Yeah, I get how annoying the whole repetition thing is. It is. I mean, I think my complaints are fairly superficial. They're not. It's not that it's a bad story, but I think you enjoyed

disliking it. Yeah, no, no, that's not will say the story. The story is a plus. It is a good story. Just get on you. I'm like, it's why are you mad at that? It's wholesome? They're watching something wholesome. It's got a good message. Why you like running down such a thing that's toldsome? They like it. I used to get mad at him because he was like, I mean, it's a lot, a lot like the Power Arrangers were. They're beating each other up. Noel was good. I get

the whole thing joke. But it's just into that ground. It's like kind of six minutes into it, it's running to the ground them. So like I think Christmas Specials, by their very nature have a tendency to be kind of saccharin and sort of like overly sappy and kind of goofy. They all already some extent, but they're like different for the different eras that they're in, right, Like Rudolph is super campy, but it's in like an aesthetic

of your guy's time. It is because you were that was when it was first coming out that maybe being a nonconformist was okay, Yeah, that was new, that was a new concept. I didn't even think about Rudolph is counting. Oh yeah, because like him and Hermes were like outcast because Herms didn't like to make toys and Rudolf had that nose. Even Santa threw him out. It was terrible. You weren't supposed to be different in the sixties. Hermes was wanted to be a dentist, right, yeah, you weren't

supposed to be different in the sixties. And even at the end, they said, even Santa realized he might have been a little hard on Rudolph, a little hard on Rudolph. He told Rudolph couldn't be he was main to him. So you know what, Mom, I think that I got my sensitivity from you. Well I know where you didn't get it from? What Dad? You have anything that no one will criticize you for two minutes. You have anything he likes to say about Noel, anybody feeling you know what,

you don't go for it. This is this is your chance to The writing is a little a little rough in it, especially the repetition of the of the specific you know, motifs in the writing, like the thing thing you know, and and that as an adult watching uh, children's programming with their kids, especially when there's a lot of repetition of watching that same program at a certain time of year, for me, that's really really hard. And and that's why like Tom Stangon was better, like really

clever things that were on TV. It sound like Doug better because they didn't make those concessions in their writing. The other thing is that it's just kind of cloying. Lee sweet it is, it is, It is awful sweet, it's a little it's like just like you said, Sachran and and so like it's not because the other ornaments are me wait, wait, wait, wait, do you want my

opinion you're not thank you a second, okay. And I think those superficial things like the message of Noel's fine nothing world, the message of Noel He's uh, he's got the no actually, I mean, do you want the brutal trip, Yeah, there is that. I mean someone's gotta say he's got a happy venus. It is like a little too much

of a pause. A lot of good times. I've heard it over and all I can hear now I've never heard that but now you're gonna send it like, wow, I can't I can't not hear that terrible, So there have you on to play it bad for you? And then the last time, the last time, he says, when he turns into a soul, when he's just the blowing orbit. After the ornament breaks, he goes around. He's like, my name is no Well, and I have of a no, I am a happy penis. It's not what they mean.

Of course, that's not what they mean, but it doesn't matter. Sometimes sometimes it's what you're saying. Just say yeah. It's like you don't think they come so enjoyed it. It's going down so bad now, no, no, no, I get to edit it, mom, So I'm gonna make it. We're gonna win in the end. Yeah, of course, but anything else pops, anything else. She's like, da, No, I think

it's pretty. I think it's I like, I do appreciate the fact that the permanent things are permanent and they don't things don't magically come back to life and stuff like that. I think that's actually good scriptwriting um and good story planning. So I think as a Crystal special what it lacked in execution, it's themes were good, it just was really tough to watch for me with you guys when you're a little like, what do you all

think the legacy of something like this should be? You know, like this movie came out nine two, it was made for tv UM. It did, I think have some kind of home VHS distribution and maybe showed a couple more years. But I mean it's got no legacy, particularly besides you know a little bit on YouTube and archive dot org. I can't I don't imagine it's every really gonna be reissue to put on DVD. I mean, I don't know. What do you think about that? Well, I think it's

a shame. I I don't believe that anything should be left to the dusty shelf that's been worth something to anyone. I mean, it's certainly a better quality than a lot of stuff that's still a brand. I think was the quick to video, wasn't it. This whole era was like they were cranking out stuff at a pace that they hadn't before. Are because there was no such thing as on demand. That didn't exist yet. You had to buy the physical media or or get it from the video.

I don't know who was playing it because I want to say you only they only played it once a year, but you know what, things weren't played once a year in two like when we were kids, Like you watched Peanuts Special at this time, and that's the only time you got to see it. So I don't as many times as we saw this, it had to have been recorded. Why I appreciate you guys watched it with me, especially honorable Mention and Dad for watching it and being and

being so thoughtful with your criticisms. And I look forward to next year when we get to watch it again. Y'all. There we go. I loved it. I loved it for a minute of it, and I'm glad we had the actual Noel out. I totally didn't put that together. Do you all want to sing this song for Noel? What we can leave my place? Merry Christmas? Williams? Is that's going to the episode? Alright? Bro? Well thanks for watching Noel with me? Of course, bro coaxing woman, Dad? Did

you're doing it? I don't think Mom needed much coaxing, and honestly, I don't think that needs I think that needs even less coaxing because he just wanted to say complain about it. What are you doing tomorrow? I am probably gonna presence with you, Okay, yeah, well I look forward to that. Um, I guess this is coming out tomorrow for so Merry Christmas. I hope you like what I got you. Thank you. I would be like what I got you too. Yeah, and Merry Christmas to anybody

who managed to listen to this. Merry Christmas, y'all, Chris your fifteen commercial ads right now, we're gonna oh yeah, here's We're gonna put fifteen ads at the end. Merry Christmas.