A research blog on the history of radio, film, television and classroom media geared towards children and young audiences through most of the 20th century.
Castle Films released two dozen live action and animated Christmas shorts to the home movie market from 1939 to 1959. This video combines four of those classic films.
The First Christmas (1957) - The Nativity enacted by puppets.
Merry Christmas
The Night Before Christmas (1945)
The Little Match Girl (1954), was originally a French short film from 1952. The child actress playing the lead role is unknown.
TV listing from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 23, 1939 about the Cinderella broadcast for Christmas Eve.
Cinderella "A Christmas pantomime"
W2XBS (now WNBC New York). 8:30pm EST
Cast: Ireene Wicker and "Jolly Bill" Steinke
Play or script(?): Madge Tucker
Publicity photo of Ireene Wicker. From Wikimedia Commons
Very little is known about this early broadcast of the famous fairy tale from 80 years ago. Ireene Wicker was radio's famous "Singing Lady" and Bill Steinke was the long-time host of the popular children's radio program "Jolly Bill and Jane". Madge Tucker who was credited as the writer was NBC's famous "Lady Next Door" and like Wicker a household name as a quality entertainer of children.
Along with Cinderella, Ireene Wicker has a number of forgotten landmark early Christmas specials. She would return to television nearly a decade later in 1947 to narrate "Santa and the Angel", and again in 1949 for the A&S Christmas Party.
Like most early television broadcasts, "Cinderella" was most likely never recorded in any format, but hopefully a script or behind the scenes images may still exist.
Newspaper Ad from the New York Daily News, December 23, 1949
A&S Gala Christmas Day Television Party
December 25, 1949
WNBT New York, 3:00pm EST
The "A&S Gala Christmas Day Television Party" was one of television's first big Christmas spectaculars, with two hours of broadcast time. The program reportedly featured "20 stupendous acts" which included most prominent children's entertainers like Clarabell the Clown from "Howdy Doody", Irene Wicker "The Singing Lady" of radio and TV fame, Paul Winchell and his dummy Jerry Mahoney. The line-up also included Popeye and Olive Oyl, but it is not clear if they were featured as broadcast cartoons or live performer portraying them. A large ad for the special appearing in local papers claimed that the special would feature the debut of Woody Woodpecker & Andy Panda cartoons in New York. Of course Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus were also part of the broadcast.
A&S was Abraham & Straus, was a long running department store company that later became a part of Macy's.
It is not clear if this gala was broadcast to a national audience.
Like most broadcast from 1949, the A&S Christmas special was most likely never recorded, or kinescope were destroyed and are long since lost.
Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen was a famous (infamous?) live action short made for children that has been seen for decades on home media, television and now YouTube. A production of Sid Davis, famous for decades of classroom films, more information is still needed about this film. For now here are 5 facts, not generally known about this short.
1) It is based on a Christmas play.
The short film is based on a play by Robert Niel Porter, who also arranged the choreography. It is unknown to this writer how close the original play was to Sid Davis's film production. Porter's play was enacted in Los Angeles, California area as early as December 1948, and given a copyright date of 1949.
2) The film was made in 1950, not 1951.
Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen was announced as part of a package of newly completed films in the fall of 1950. It was promoted for a Hollywood, California area PTA gathering in December of 1950. However the widely used copyright date is 1951.
Snippet from the Birmingham News, December 24, 1951.
"Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen" is listed for a 12:30pm broadcast.
3) It was a TV special as early as 1951. Listings for this film a TV Christmas special have been found in an number of TV markets during December 1951. These stations include WBRC-TV Birmingham and WATV New York.
Rochelle "Rocky" Stanton as "Snoopy"
4) Rochelle Stanton "Snoopy" was a stage & TV actress and visual artist. Rochelle Stanton was born in 1925 in Los Angeles, but grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. She was listed in stage and TV roles in the Los Angeles area as early as 1948 including a short lived sitcom. Often billed as "Rocky" Stanton she appeared in episodes of the "Gene Autry Show" and the "Roy Rogers Show". After she married Rochelle became "Rocky Stanton Rau", a Los Angeles kids TV host and visual artist. She passed away in 2003.
A November 1950 newspaper ad for "John Wayne Productions" with "Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen" on the list.
5) John Wayne was a producer. Yes, that John Wayne!
In fact, Sid Davis (at 6 feet, 4 inches) was Wayne's double before producing educational films. "Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen" is listed in 1950 newspapers press ads as a new "John Wayne Production".
Illustration frame from "Santa and the Angel", the lost Christmas special that aired December 24, 1947.
From the cover of Radio Daily, December 24, 1947. Image scan from americanradiohistory.com
Santa and the Angel [Santa and the Little Angel]
Based on a story by Oskar Lebeck
Cast: Ireene Wicker (narrator)
Premiered: Wednesday, December 24, 1947, WCBS-TV New York. Repeated Dec. 25, 1947.
Gingerbread Man
Telecomics Inc, produced Christmas special
Premiered: Sunday, December 21, 1947, WCBS-TV New York
Newspaper Ad for the premieres of "Gingerbread Man" and "Santa and the Angel" produced by Telecomics, Inc.
From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Saturday, December 20, 1947.
For full page view go to - https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52874851/
The "Gingerbread Man" and "Santa and the Angel" were a pair of "Telecomics" TV specials from the earliest days of network television. In one since of the term "cartoon", they may have been TV's first animated Christmas specials.
Newspaper ad for the premiere of "Santa and the Angel", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Wednesday, December 24, 1947. Note that this feature was produced by "Telecomics, Inc." With Stephen Slesinger as president.
For full page view - https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52877207/
Telecomics were literally illustrated comic strip stories for television with very, very, limited camera movement. This was pioneered by former Disney animators Dick Moores and Jack Boyd, and media legend Stephen Slesinger who demonstrated this process as early as 1944. Moores and Boyd had a syndicated Telecomics series in 1949. The NBC Telecomics series from 1950 was the most successful example of this storytelling method. Please view this 1950 NBC Telecomics episode of "Speed Barton" a sci-fi serial, posted below for an idea of what the 1947 special may have been like.
While a few examples of that series have survived, both "Gingerbread Man" and "Santa and the Angel" are forgotten Telecomics. They aired on WCBS-TV in New York and could be view by TV audiences in Chicago and Washington, D.C. Both specials were promoted in New York area newspapers as a "Television Christmas Fantasy".
No detailed information could be found for the Gingerbread Man special. "Santa and the Angel" was based on a children's story by Oskar Lebeck and was narrated by Ireene Wicker (1905-1987) radio's famous "Singing Lady" [Yes, her first name was spelled with 3 "e"s]. Wicker was already a veteran in hosting TV Christmas specials, which I will detail in another "Lost Christmas Special" article. Oscar Lebeck (1903-1966) was the author of numerous children's stories, some published by Dell Comics of which he was a co-founder. "Santa and the Angel" was published as a one-shot comic by Dell in 1950, and this comic book is in the public domain.
As a common practice of the time these TV specials were most likely never recorded and if they were the films are long lost. Hopefully some film elements, illustrations, behind the scenes photos, or a script of the "Gingerbread Man" and "Santa and the Angel" specials will resurface someday. If you were part of that rare 1947 TV audience and can recall this special, or have any information about these specials please write to archivebuilder@gmail.com.
BONUS: Ireene Wicker narrated many Christmas albums and a few films for children. Please checkout these videos from the Children's Media Archive channel for her legendary voice talent.
Ireene Wicker narrates "Madeline's Christmas" for Science Pictures c. 1956
Ireene Wicker tells Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" ...in 3 minutes!
