Twilight Zone Christmas Classic

I am a huge fan of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone  One of my favourite episodes of the show is a 1960 Christmas episode called "The Night of the Meek." (Season 2, Episode 11, Air Date: December 23, 1960).  It stars Art Carney as Henry Corwin, an alcoholic department store Santa Claus who is dismissed from his seasonal job on Christmas Eve.  He arrives late at the store, and he is obviously intoxicated.  When customers complain, the manager fires Henry.

The derelict Santa explains that he drinks because he lives in a rooming house with the poor, for whom he is not able to perform his role as Santa Claus/  He states that if he had one wish fulfilled on Christmas Eve, he would "like to see the meek inherit the earth."

Still dressed in his Santa suit, Henry Corwin stumbles into an alley.  He hears the sound of sleigh bells.  A cat knocks over a burlap bag full of empty cans.  However, when Corwin trips over the mysterious bag, he discovers that it is filled with gift-wrapped packages.  An overjoyed Corwin hands out presents to children passing by and to homeless men attending a Christmas Eve service at a mission house.  He fulfills his wish of helping the less fortunate.

Art Carney passed away in 2003 at the age of 85.  He was a fine actor, and an Academy Award winner, but he is best remembered for his role as sewer worker Ed Norton in the 1950s sitcom The Honeymooners. Carney was a great foil for Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden, a Brooklyn bus driver. They worked well together and Art reprised his Ed Norton character for the Honeymooners segments of Jackie's 1960s variety show.  

Carney as Ed Norton

END NOTES

* Art Carney won an Oscar for his Best Actor for his 1974 performance in the film Harry and Tonto.  He played Harry Coombes, an elderly widower who decides to travel cross country with his pet cat, Tonto.  Carney's Academy Award win was impressive when one considers that the other nominees that year were actors of great acclaim, such as Albert Finney, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino.  The award was presented to Art at the 47th Academy Awards on April 8, 1975.

Carney also won a Golden Globe for his performance in Harry and Tonto, and he was the recipient of six Primetime Emmy Awards.

* It is interesting to note that Art himself struggled with alcoholism.  He was actually battling alcohol abuse when he played Ed Norton, as well as when he portrayed a drunken Santa on The Twilight Zone. His addiction apparently ran in the family.  He tried psychotherapy and Alcoholics Anonymous, but finally found success with Antabuse, a medication used to treat alcohol use disorders by causing unpleasant side effects and sensitivity to alcohol.  Due to Antabuse, Carney quit drinking during the filming of Harry and Tonto. 

* Carney provided the narrator's voice for The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold, a 1981 Christmas t   elevision special.  The special was originally aired on the ABC network on December 23, 1981.

* Carney played Santa Claus in the The Night They Saved Christmas, a 1984 made-for-television movie.

- Joanne

Malcolm in the Middle Revival

 

"'Malcolm in the Middle" is a landmark sitcom that captured the essence of family life with humor, heart and reliability.  It hilarious and heartfelt portrayal of a lovably chaotic family resonated with audiences of all ages, and we're so excited to welcome the original cast back to bring the magic to life again."

- Ayo Davis

President, Disney Branded Television  

There is some great news for fans of Malcolm in the Middle.  The series, which ran for seven seasons on Fox TV (2000-2006) is getting a four-episode revival on the Disney+ streaming service.  The series creator, Linwood Boomer, will write all four new episodes.  Returning to their original roles will be Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, and Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek as Hal and Lois, Malcolm's parents.

In the very first episode of the original series, Malcolm is  revealed to have a genius IQ, and is placed in a class for gifted students. Malcom is the third child in a hilariously dysfunctional family of four (later five) sons.  A fifth son, Jamie, played by James and Lukas Rodriguez, was added to the cast in season four.  Hard-working Lois, is a disciplinarian and keeps a watchful eye on her sons.

It seems that Malcom and his family were never given a last name.  It's some kind of inside joke.  In one episode, when Malcolm was called on stage, the microphone screeched and his last name was covered up.  However, the man who introduced Malcom clearly mouthed "Nolastname."  On Bryan Cranston's official website, Cranston states that the crew regularly joked among themselves that their last name is really "Nolastname."

The earliest episodes of  Malcom in the Middle focus on Malcolm's problems dealing with the pressures of being an intellectual and the challenges presented by his quirky family.  His delinquent eldest brother, Francis (Christopher Kennedy Masterson) is sent away to military school.  Malcolm remains at home with his two other brothers, Reese (Justin Berfield) and Dewey (Eric Per Sullivan).  In the absence of Francis, Malcom becomes the middle child.  Hence, the title of the series.

Christopher Kennedy Masterson and Justin Berfield, who played Malcolm's siblings in the original series, are likely to return, although it was not official at the time of this writing.  However, Eric Per Sullivan, who played younger brother Dewey, is not expected to return.  He retired from acting years ago and hasn't returned for any reunions.

The revival of the series will focus on the 40th wedding anniversary of Malcolm's parents.  Here is the official synopsis:

Malcolm (Muniz) and his daughter are drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal (Cranston) and Lois (Kaczmarek) demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party.

SOURCES: Forbes, "Malcom The Middle Reboot Coming To Disney+," by Marc Berman, December 13, 2024; Yahoo Entertainment News, "Malcom in the Middle Revival with Original Cast Coming to Disney+," by Eric Diaz, December 13,  2024; Wikipedia; Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

- Joanne

Y&R Report (December 14, 2024): The Latest on The Young and the Restless

Hey Y&R fans, every second Saturday TV Banter discusses the latest happenings and provides commentary on your favourite daytime drama. Note to U.S. readers - SPOILER ALERT: Here in Canada, I watch the show on Global TV, which is one episode ahead of CBS.  I will inevitably refer to incidents you haven't seen yet.  Read at your own risk.  If you are the curious type, though, you may prefer to discover some things in advance.

Hi fans,

First, a note to readers: I am going to take a short Christmas break.  I will be back in the New Year.  My Y&R column will return to this space on Saturday, January 11, 2024.

Right now, Claire is on top of the world, but, her happiness won't last.  Happiness never does on a soap.  In Claire's case, she's in for a rude awakening.  She's over the moon about her relationship with Kyle Abbott, and she is excited about her new job working with Nikki in the corporate world/  Alas, there are dark clouds on the horizon for Claire.   She will soon be hit from all sides.  Summer and Grandpa Victor will interfere with her romance with Kyle.  Summer clearly doesn't like Claire and Kyle together.  Neither does Victor.  Victor has to control everything and he can't tolerate her association with an Abbott.  He will never accept them as a couple, and he will do everything in his power to ruin their relationship  Whether Claire likes it or not, Victor demands absolute loyalty and obedience.  He is relentless.  He won't stop until he gets his way.

Claire will have to face another nightmare.  She will be devastated when she discovers that Aunt Jordan is once again on the loose.  Jordan isn't too pleased about her involvement with Kyle either.

It was quite amusing when Victor told Jack that he was ready to admit defeat.  Jack Abbott didn't believe that for a second.  He knows Victor too well to believe that.  He knows that Victor never surrenders and he never admits defeat.  That's why Jack gave son Kyle a little lesson on how Victor operates. 

Now that Adam has been rejected by both Sally and Chelsea, where will he turn next?  I think he'll try to become involved with Sharon again, much to Nick's disapproval.  I think this will happen because it will create conflict. 

Lily has decided to join her brother Devon and her cousin Nate at Winters.  At least, she'll be out of Victor's orbit.  I think Nate's brother, Damian, will be attracted to Lily, but there may be a triangle involving Audra Charles.  Speaking of Audra, she has been showing another side of herself recently.  She has always been so selfish and cynical and ambitious, but her luck hasn't been all that great lately.  True, she stole Glissade from Tuck McCall.  It's hard to have much sympathy for Tucker, and Audra's professional and personal involvement with him was regrettable.  It's surprising that she was also so naive as to make a deal with Victor Newman.  She obviously didn't know enough about him, although Nate warned her to beware of him.  Not surprisingly Victor forced her to share a co-CEO role with Kyle Abbott, only to have the The Great Newman fire her in favour of Kyle.

Audra hasn't had much luck with men, or maybe it's more accurate to say she has chosen the wrong men with whom to become involved.  She may be better matched with Nate Hastings.  They seem to have good chemistry and she appears genuinely happy with him.  She even became emotional while having dinner with Nate's family to celebrate Lilly's rejoining Winters.  She later opened up to Nate about her unhappy family life.  Her father was and alcoholic and her mother was cold and distant.  It seems inevitable that Nate's newly found brother, Damian, will complicate matters for Audra and Nate.  Unlike the Newmans and the Abbotts, Audra does not have a family company to fall back on.  She is currently unemployed, like fellow Genoa City residents Phyllis Summers and Billy Abbott.   

No wonder Phyllis doesn't have many friends.  I understand her desire to protect her children, but she goes way overboard.  Michael and Lauren are two of the few friends she has in this world, and she went ballistic on them.  She let her hatred for Sharon cloud her judgement.  She didn't want to disclose the truth to Michael about her memory of the car crash.  She didn't want to admit the possibility that Sharon wasn't the one who crashed into her.      

Finally we have an explanation on how Jordan met Ian.  On yesterday's show on Global TV, there were flashbacks showing how the dastardly duo became acquainted in prison.  We still don't know how they escaped, but an explanation about that may be forthcoming. One thing Jordan and Ian have in common is that they both hate the Newman family.  Billy and Phyllis are also hatching a plan to bring down Victor.  The Big Man will be under attack from his many enemies.

  CAST NEWS

Nathan Owens set to play Damian on Y&R

Nathan Owens

Nathan Owens has joined the cast of The Young and the Restless.  Although it has not been officially confirmed, the actor, who played Cameron Lewis on Days of Our Lives from 2012 to 2013, is expected to play the mysterious long-lost half brother of Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic).  Owens, a California native, and former model, will make his first appearance on Y&R on Wednesday, January 8th (CBS) (Tuesday, January 7, 2025 on Global TV).

Nathan Owens has appeared in the OWN film A Season to Remember.  His credits also include such television series as Devious Maids, Batwoman and 9-1:1 Lone Star.

Y&R REPORT READERS' POLL

Couples don't stay together very long on soaps.  There are plenty of break-ups and make-ups.  It's a merry-go-round.   So fans, who is your current favourite couple on Y&R?  Respond to the poll below and let me know.

Who is your favourite Y&R couple?

Jack and Diane

Abby and Devon

Kyle and Claire

Nikki and Victor

Audra and Nate

Billy and Sally

Lauren and Michael

Traci and Alan

I don't know.

Other

 

pollcode.com free polls

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NOTE TO READERS

I really need your feedback.  If you have any comments on Y&R, please email them to me with "Viewer Forum" in the subject line. I will be happy to publish your comments and reply to them  You do not have to use your real name.  I really need your input.  I really need to hear your opinion.  I want to know if you agree or disagree with me. 

My email address:  jmadden16@yahoo.ca 

That's all for now.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  All the best in the New Year.  I will be back in with more Y&R news and discussion on January 11, 2025.

Happy Hanukkah

Happy New Year

Take care,

Joanne