More Christmas TV Than You Can Handle

Head on over to a huge listing of TV shows @ WFMU's Beware of the Blog. Over 150 shows are listed ranging from 1949 to 1988, including

The Ruggles Christmas Episode (1949)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Christmas Episode (1950)

You Asked For It Christmas Episode (1951)

Green Guild Playhouse (1951)

Beat the Clock Christmas Episode (1952)

The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet Christmas Episode (1952)

Studio One Christmas Episode (1952)

Racket Squad Christmas Episode (1952)

Dragnet Christmas Episode (1952)

The Ray Milland Show Christmas Episode (1953)

The Garry Moore Show Christmas Episode (1953)

The Liberace Show Christmas Episode (1954)

Father Knows Best Christmas Episode (1954 - USA Only)

Meet Corliss Archer Christmas Episode (1954)

The Honeymooners Christmas Episode (1955)

Love That Bob Christmas Episode (1955)

The Bob Hope Show Christmas Episode (1955)

Your Hit Parade Christmas Episode (1955)

What's My Line Christmas Episode (1955)

I Love Lucy Christmas Episode (1956)

Alfred Hitchcock Presents Christmas Episode (1956)

with well over 100 more listed ... if you watch then all, I'll see you at Easter.

Holmes for the Holidays @ TCM

As you may know, I was inspired to name this blog and my blogger ID by the Sherlock Holmes short story, The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle ... a tale that takes place around Christmas ... Christmas and Sherlock ... does it get any better? It sure does on the cable channel Turner Classic Movies with their Christmas/Boxing day schedule of 24 hours of Sherlock.

Holmes for the Holidays @ TCM
Friday, December 25th to Saturday, December 26th 2009

8:00 pm - The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) (@ Amazon), starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Richard Greene and Wendy Barrie.

9:30 pm - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) (@ Amazon), starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce and Ida Lupino.

11:00 pm - The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) (@ Amazon), starring Robert Stephens, Colin Blakely and Genevieve Page.

1:15 am - Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour (1931) (@ Amazon), starring Arthur Wontner, Ian Fleming and Jane Welsh.

2:30 am - The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) (@ Amazon), starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Andre Morell and Maria Landi.

4:00 am - A Study in Terror (1965) (@ Amazon), starring John Neville, Donald Houston, Georgia Brown and Anthony Quayle.

6:00 am - 11 more Rathbone/Bruce Holmes films (@ Amazon)
to
8:00 pm

Christmas on the Radio

A few years back I became a big fan of Old Time Radio (OTR) and so naturally really liked listening to the Christmas episodes.

Jack Benny, Burns & Allen, Fred Allen, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Red Skelton, Edgar Bergen, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Orson Welles, Fibber McGee & Molly, Amos & Andy, Abbott & Costello, Martin & Lewis, Ozzie & Harriet, Phil Harris & Alice Faye, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Dinah Shore, Kate Smith, Lucille Ball are some of the names from entertainments golden age that had their own radio shows. And if the names don't ring a bell, perhaps the shows will ... Archie Andrews, Blondie, Dragnet, Father Knows Best, Great Gildersleeve, The Green Hornet, Gunsmoke, Life of Riley, Lone Ranger, Our Miss Brooks, Red Ryder, The Saint, The Shadow, Sherlock Holmes, Superman, Tarzan, & Yours Truly Johnny Dollar.

If you, or someone you know is 65+ then these shows will almost certainly bring back some Christmas memories. And if you're under 65 then perhaps like me, you'll fall in love with these pre-television era gems.

If you have newsgroup access, your best bet is starting off in alt.binaries.sound.radio.oldtime or alt.binaries.sounds.radio.oldtime (absro). Be prepared for a very large selection dating back into the 1930s.

If you don't have access to newsgroups, you can still pick up some episodes on the web.

OldTimeRadioFans.com has (on 2009.Nov.09) 6 shows available for free download. [Hint: Root around the site and you'll find more Christmas freebies]

Internet Archive has (on 2009.Nov.09) 6 shows available for free download. [Hint: A little searching and you'll also find more Christmas freebies here]

rand’s esoteric otr has (on 2009.Nov.15) 6 shows available for free download.

The Old Time Radio Fan has (on 2009.Nov.09) 20 shows available for free download.

Check out Old Time Radio Flier 23 @ Squidoo with a whooping 170+ shows (on 2009.Nov.09) available for free download.

Feel free to post links to others sources in the comments.