Two Exceptional Holiday Movies from the '80's

For most families there are certain movies that make the holidays complete. My brother loves Chevy Chase in "Christmas Vacation". I remember watching "Holiday Inn" and "White Christmas" with my father every year as I grew up. I have come to appreciate Rosemary Clooney singing the world's best torch song in "White Christmas." Surprisingly enough George Chakiris is one of the dancers in the song. You might remember him as Maria's brother in "West Side Story." We want to watch the same Christmas movies every year. One station airs "The Christmas Story" back to back so you can check in on Ralphie and the leg lamp any time during Christmas Day. We have seen our favorite movies so often that we can mouth the words as they are being said. Certain lines taken from them have more meaning when we say them later to our family.

Our family has a habit of finding and remembering special movies that almost no one else has heard of or seen. There are two holiday movies that fall into that category. They are the movies that make our holidays complete. Although they might not work for very young children, pretty much every one else should enjoy them. They will remind you that even though people have quirks, they can be really nice.

"A Matter of Principle" has kicked off our holidays since 1984 when I taped it on the VCR. Before the tape wore out, we found it on DVD. It stars Alan Arkin, who plays Flagg Purdy a character that is even more cranky than those played by his now famous son, Adam. His real life wife, Barbara Dana plays his wife and there are several Arkins in the stair step family. It is the story of how a very rigid man, learns to change his ways - a little. It isn't a fairy tale where everyone lives happily ever after. It is about a man making a major change in his behavior. This movie is exceptionally well done. I am a real nit picker about accuracy in movies and the only fault that I can find is that his wife's teeth are too good. This movie seems very real to me. I have been in houses like his and met men like him. The movie takes place in the country in West Virginia and there is even a dialect coach to make sure that the words sound right. This movie has a sort of women's lib theme, but not exactly. It is just stupendous. We took it to my cousin's for Thanksgiving one year, and her less liberal husband asked us to bring it back the next year. I don't think you can get a better recommendation than that.

The other Christmas movie that we watch is "The Three Kings." (Not the one with George Clooney) This movie was made in 1987 and starred Jane Kaczmarek, Jack Warden, and Lou Diamond Phillips as well as a few other well known actors . The story is about three patients who are going to portray the magi in a Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve at a mental hospital near Los Angeles. One of the three, Jack Warden, believes that he is one of the original magi and when three camels are delivered, he can get them to do anything. Shortly the three men are riding the camels across the desert to find the baby Jesus. They encounter many people including "Harold King of Deals," who is thrilled to have them there while he is shooting a commercial for his used car business. Somehow the authorities can't seem to find them as they ride around L.A. There is lots of interplay with their family, social worker and their particular mental health issues. There is a television reporter who follows the story and discovers that the public doesn't want them to be stopped. They end at a tent city full of homeless people, and of course there is a baby, but I will leave the ending for you to find on your own. This is very special story. As far as I know it hasn't been shown since the time I taped it. If you know of anyone who has this movie on tape, take some time to watch it. It has never been released on DVD. Maybe someday. In the meantime I copied my tape on to a disc to preserve it so we can watch it.

Now go on back and watch "The Grinch," "The Miracle" and "The Vacation," but if you get a chance grab some popcorn and watch these two movies from the "80's. They are really special.