"Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" by Elmo and Patsy for the Nero Wolf series

YouTube ^

[mairdie]

And for the non-Christmasers, "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler for Raiders of the Lost Ark, by my husband.

[mairdie]

The strangest thing about the Nero Wolfe series was that every episode used the same actors and actresses playing different roles (other than the main ones, of course).

[Dr. Sivana]

I wish they had done “Some Buried Caesar”. That would make a great movie.

[SunkenCiv]

Hey, grandma, be glad it was a reindeer and not Harvey Weinstein, Al Franken, or John Conyers.

[Dr. Sivana]

Or, if they had more episodes, The Zeck Trilogy. Not great as mysteries, but a lot of fun (In the first one, "And Be a Villain" one of the murder victims is killed on live radio after drinking a poisoned carbonated beverage called Sparkle, the show's sponsor.)

In the introduction to the current paperback edition to "And Be a Villain", it is noted that the original name of the beverage was not "Sparkle", but "Wink", and the writer didn't know why the name was changed. I have a VERY GOOD guess: there actually WAS a drink called Wink, it was made by Canada Dry, and was a citrus-grapefruit drink similar to Squirt or Fresca. Since the drink was readily available in the northeast, Stout probably had seen it without realizing it.

[mairdie]

Caesar the Bull! I remember that one!

[mairdie]

I will resolutely try to push that image out of my mind while watching my video in the future. Visual YUCK!

[mairdie]

>>there actually WAS a drink called Wink

Lovely connection. Good catch.

[SunkenCiv]

Not a very merry christmas, sorry. ;^)

[mairdie]

I so much enjoy you. All interactions with you are more than Merry. Best, Mary

[V K Lee]

The series was very short lived. Don't recall if it folded before or after Timothy Hutton died. I really liked that young actor (Ordinary People), as well as his father (Jim Hutton).

Remembering the Christmas stores of classic TV series makes makes for much enjoyment. Networks just don't do this type of episode in today's climate. Thanks, Mairdie.

[mairdie]

I’m devastated. I had no idea Timothy Hutton died. What a tragedy.

I always check a TV show to see if they have a Christmas episode. NCIS does some wonderful ones because they care about the service members who are stuck away from home and the families that miss them so. JAG and NCIS both use the Vietnam Memorial in their Christmas shows, which is simply wonderful. I’ve seen episodes that run very subtle themes underneath the shows, too. And some that deluge you with Christmas carols throughout. I so much prefer these to Halloween episodes.

Quantum Leap did a wonderful episode where they actually sent Al to play the Ghost of Christmas.

As to current shows, I guess I don’t watch all that many apart from NCIS-LA. I’m not into cruelty and I close my eyes when the music tells me something bad is about to happen and only open them when the music resolves. I want heroes. I don’t want social justice warriors, but I do want good people whose lives make the world a better place. So I love Man from Uncle and Star Trek.

[V K Lee]

There have been a number of “pop” drink names that can no longer be found in the market place. When you mentioned “Wink” it was vaguely remembered as such in part of my ancient memory gray cells.

Also remembered a pale beverage bottled by Coke(?)that was a soda pop sold. The color of ginger ale, non-alcoholic, but very much compared to the drinking of Champagne. For the life of me, I’ve attempted to remember the name; even searching the on line old listings and “old country stores” which cater to consumers on line as to catch a few clues.
Any ideas? Detective work is not as easy as Nero seemed to make it to be.

[V K Lee]

I find that my memory has been shorted. It was thought he had died, much like his dad, but unable to find that to be true. But, I’ve not seen much of him in a long, long, time.

[mairdie]

Coke Once Made a Clear Cola That Was Intentionally Terrible to Take Down Crystal Pepsi

[mairdie]

I’m living with constant brain freeze. The simplest words seem to be always just beyond my reach. I’ll not look it up and will assume he’s alive as that’s what I’d prefer to be fact.

[bigbob]

I’m enjoying the “Manic Hispanic” version this year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cXddVfXSbQ

[mairdie]

That was WONDERFUL!

[mairdie]

And another madonna image for your collection with my best Happy Christmas wishes. Nathaniel Sichel.

[V K Lee]

Will admit, NOT a google fan.
However, they’ve certainly been the guru with answers when memory needs a jab and a poke. If in an attempt to remember a name and the entire alphabet is recited with no results, then it’s off to google and a bit of cheating. (snicker)
‘I once had a photographic memory, but ran out of film’ :-) *LOL That was a joke!*

This is a VERY old video from the TV show TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD celebrating Christmas back in the 1950s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drYeE1VGR6I

Thanks for the new Lady. Popping it in my lock box :-)

[mairdie]

>>remember a name and the entire alphabet is recited

That’s plain BRILLIANT! Never thought of doing that.

Loved your joke, too. Hadn’t heard it.

I’ll keep looking for pictures for you. It’s fun to try to find the obscure ones.