Holiday This 'N That #2

This week's Friday post is a continuation of Holiday Trivia posts that are replacing the (more or less) unusual Friday Funnies, which is on holiday hiatus. It's being replaced by holiday trivia posts, as I need some holiday distraction, maybe you do too? 

This post is about (some) holiday music in non-holiday movies and plays. I'm sure this list is not a comprehensive one. Feel free to add any you know of in the Comments.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas was written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis which documents the life of a St. Louis family over the course of the year, leading up to the 1904 World’s Fair. This Judy Garland movie is not a holiday movie, but it produced one of the most popular holiday songs. In a Christmas Eve scene, Garland’s character sings the tune to her young sister in hopes of cheering her up because the family is slated to relocate.

Silver Bells was sung by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in The Lemon Drop Kid (1951). The song was originally titled Tinkle Bell. Paramount asked songwriters Jay Livingston and Ray Evans to come up with a holiday tune for this Bob Hope con-artist comedy. One version about the song's inspiration is was from the bells rung by Salvation Army workers on NYC street corners.

Jingle Bell Rock was performed by Brenda Lee in the 1983 film Trading Places. In the film, upper-crust executive Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and down-and-out hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) are the subjects of a bet by successful millionaires Mortimer (Don Ameche) and Randolph Duke (Ralph Bellamy). When Winthorpe and Valentine uncover the scheme, they set out to turn the tables on the Dukes.

Winter Wonderland, Let it Snow!, Christmas in Hollis, and Ode to Joy make appearances in one form or another in the 1988 action/thriller movie Die Hard. A NYC police officer (Bruce Willis) tries to save his estranged wife and others taken hostage by terrorists during a holiday party at the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for in LA. (There's much debate as to whether or not this is a Christmas film.)

White Christmas, as mentioned in last week's post, was originally written for a Broadway revue, but became popular on Armed Forces Radio during WW II. It became a big hit before being included in the 1942 film Holiday Inn, which did not include a Christmas theme but all holidays. Then, 12 years later, the song was featured in a 1954 film of the same name. 

Merry Christmas, Baby, Sleigh Ride are in the 1998 film, Jack Frost in which Michael Keaton plays a father and musician named Jack Frost, who was killed in a car accident, only to be brought back to life in the form of a snowman via a magical harmonica. The film received negative critical reviews and became a box-office flop. 

Holiday songs have also been included in theatrical productions which didn't feature a holiday theme. Here's a few examples:

Twelve Days to Christmas in the 1964 Broadway production of She Loves Me. The plot revolves around Budapest shop employees Georg and Amalia, who, despite being consistently at odds with each other at work, are unaware that each is the other's secret pen pal met through lonely-hearts ads. This theme was repeated in two films, The Shop Around the Corner (1940) and You've Got Mail (1998).

We Need a Little Christmas is a popular Christmas song originating from Jerry Herman's Broadway musical Mame, and first performed by Angela Lansbury in that 1966 production. In the musical, the song is performed after Mame has lost her fortune in the 1929 Wall Street Crash and decides that she, her young nephew Patrick, and her two household servants "need a little Christmas now" to cheer them up.

Other non-holiday Broadway productions that included a holiday tune: A New Deal for Christmas from the 1977 musical, Annie, Christmas Bells from the 1996 Rent and Christmas is My Favorite Time of Year from the 2011Catch Me If You Can.

Here's more Christmas song trivia . . .

The Oldest Christmas Song is Jesus Refulsit Omnium (Jesus, Light of All the Nations) is reportedly, one of the first known Christmas hymns written by St. Hilary of Poitier in the 4th century. The second is Corde natus ex Parentis (Of the Father's Love Begotten) which was composed by Roman Christian poet Prudentius also in the 4th century.

The Most Popular Christmas song is White Christmas by Bing Crosby has been named by The Guinness Book of Records as not only the best-selling Christmas song of all time, but also the best-selling single with an estimated 50 million copies sold. A list compiled by Newsweek, also named it the most popular Christmas song ever made. Officially released in 1942, it quickly became a favorite of the United States Armed Forces. Crosby once said he attempted to cut the song from his radio show as he thought it would make troops stationed overseas sad; ironically, the oppoite happened and they couldn't get enough of it.

The Least Popular Christmas Song(s) Take your pick because depending on which survey you believe, there's quite a list including: Santa Baby, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, Dominick the Donkey, A Holly Jolly Christmas, That’s Christmas to Me Wonderful Christmastime, All I Want for Christmas is You.

The Most Recorded Christmas Song isSilent Night holds the Guinness World Record for being the most recorded Christmas song in history. The numbers show over 733 different versions recorded and counting. The song's enduring appeal has inspired countless artists, spanning various genres and generations, to put their unique spin on it. Silent Night, White Christmas and Jingle Bells have the most renditions songs in the holiday canon.

The Most-Played Christmas Song is All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey. The hit tune was released in 1994 and has since become the most (over) played Christmas song.

The Song That Appears Most Often in Films is Jingle Bells written by James Lord Pierpont is the most common Christmas song to appear in movies. It's been featured in 373 films. The 1857 festive tune has had 373 appearances in total on soundtracks. Jingle Bells was originally written as a Thanksgiving song. It was published under the title The One Horse Open Sleigh.  It was also the first song played in space on December 16, 1965 during NASA's Gemini 6A space flight. It was played on a harmonica and bells by astronauts Wally Schirra and Thomas P. Stafford.  Auld Lang Syne is in second place in movie soundtracks and Silent Night is third.

The Christmas Movie with the Best Music is Home Alone, this Christmas movie is widely considered to be No. 1 due to its score composed by John Williams, which perfectly captures the festive spirit and suspenseful moments of the 1990 film. 

The Most Famous Classical Christmas is The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is considered the most renowned classical Christmas music because of the enduring familiarity of pieces including the Waltz of the Flowers, the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the March.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We're going to a swing band concert at the Nashua Arts Center