European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 23, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Wilh monster Perlar Mances As they came to to called echoing he righteous bellowing of the hallelujah chorus in Birmingham. Manchester York and Sheffield by 1786, Philadelphia resounded Wilh a Messiah at 230 voices and 50 . Theor Alorio was Leal Rcd at the first Edinburgh fes Hval in 1b15, whore ladies in the audience foreshadowed the Era of Iho beatles by fainting away irom right and pressure " in 1857. London s huge Crystal Palace quaked to ils Glass seams As 2,000 vocalists and 500 blared Lorah Iho divine Thunder As Queen Victoria boat time with a fan and Prince Alberl Wilh a Roll of music " the All Lime record May have Boon reached on Tho same promises in 1663 with a choir of 4,000 backed up by a 500 piece orchestra by Ihnn George Bema a Shaw was proposing h a Law making it a capital of Csc to per Loim an Oral Ono by Handel with More than 80 performers " nothing of course came of in the is no holding Back a deluge even of sound a Century later in 1984. Conductor Hogwood. Who has written a biography of Handel waved his t Aton Over a Modesi aggregation of 500 performers delivering an olympic Messiah in Iho Hollywood Gowl Hogwood admits to having attended several do it yourself messiahs at the Athert Hall Wilhour to the spirit of Christmas tolerance he regards such Ceuta Crane a Drinco participation As a very interesting social phenomenon like a lot of mass music making nowadays. A has Groat value As he remembers As a child being Laken to the Albert Hall or Large scale poles signal Messiah but thinks the sing along messiahs now also so popular in America Are a fairly recent invention. This idea that you go along Aslo a baseball game think on the false Assumption that everyone knows the piece a s fun Lor people involved anything can turn up in the Way of instruments or even voices socially if nol musically such Holiday happenings do show alter All these years the place Hal Messiah still occupies in people s minds or As tiny Tim might have phrased it adjusting his earmuffs. God help us everyone " Hollywood s focus on Yde tide by Bob Thomas associated press rom Dickens a Christmas Carol to i he Slasher movie silent night deadly him filmmakers have lung been fascinated with the Yul Elido season the Lime worn ale of Scrooge and tiny Tim May Well be the most recurrent o the Christmas movies ii appeared in several versions during the silent film Era. Then Mem in 1938 produced a Christmas Caro Wilh Reginald Owen As Scrooge in 1 95 1. Tho English did their own version with Alistair Sims As the legendary Penny Pincher the British had done an undistinguished Scrooge to 1935. Albert Finney was unrecognizable in the life Rote of Iho 1970 Scrooge which featured songs by Leslie Bricusse a recent version Stariing George c. Scott has become a television perennial a couple of years ago the Wall Disney company enlisted allot its cartoon Sara Lor a Lea urello called Mickey s Christmas Carol. At the other end of the scale was last year s silent night deadly might Whitti depicted a Santa Claus Impersonator As a mad killer. The uproar from outraged parents was so great that Tri Star pictures pulled out As distributor. Think of Christmas movies and you immediately remember songs Foremost is while Christmas Sung by Bing Crosby in Holiday inn in 1942, ii became Irving Berlin s greatest hit and Resu Llod in the movie White a Phon one of the Joy a of the 1944 motion picture meet me in St. Louis was Judy Martand singing have yourself merry Little 5ciw Iton vim to cell a i9m blog Crosby Vera Ellen. Rot empty cleaner Danny Kaye. Christmas starring Crosby. Danny Kaye Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen. Sliver Bells was a Little song Jay Evans and Ray Livingston wrote or Christmas sequences of a Bob Hope comedy the Lemon drop kid in t951 ii became Iho biggest seller Lor the song writing learn who won oscars to Button and bows Mona Lisa and Oue Sera Sara one of the Many Joys of meet me in St. Louis in 1944 was Judy Garland s singing have you sell a merry Little Christmas by Ralph Blana and Hugh Martin Frank Capra s unabashed sentiment often resulted in Christmas scenes Nola by in meet John Doc am it s a wonder Lut Lita. The latter shows up regularly on Holiday television partly because of its immense popularity partly because its lapsed copyright allows any Channel to carry it. Oddly most films with Christmas in the title have fared poorly at the Box office. The Christmas tree starring William Holden and Virna Lisi. Was a 1969 bomb whole critic Judith Crist there won t be a dry Eye or a full stomach in the in 1944. Universal cast its biggest Star. Deanna Durbin in a grim melodrama Wilh Gene Kelly Christmas Holiday. Audiences voted overwhelmingly for Deanna to return to musicals. Other misfires wore Christmas eve the 1944 movie in which three wayward sons George raft. Randolph Scott George Brent return to their Mother Ann Harding for the Holiday and Christmas in july a lame Saltre of the advertising Industry by Preston surges released in 1940. Disney had Little Luck last year with one magic Christmas a Capra esque fantasy starring Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton. The producers of Superman thought they would have another Box Ollice Bonanza Wilh a big budget Santa Claus the movie. Starring David huddles on in Tho Idle Rote and Dudley Moore As chief Ell. They thought wrong the film was the Lur Keyon 1985. Tho most successful film about Christmas has been George Scalon s Miracle on 34lh Street Stang Edmund Gwynn As a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real thing. The film which also starred Maureen o Hara. John Payne and a Young Natalie Wood has become a television perennial and has now been colonized much to the distress of Many Punsly this year Disney re released for the Holiday season the i9ss lady and the tramp which features a Christmas scene when puppies Are born to the iwo loading characters. In i la be seeing Yau 1944. Ginger Rogers played a woman convict on a Christmas parole who Falls Lor a wounded Soldier Joseph gotten. Little women in both the 1933 Katharine Hepburn and 1949 june Allyson versions featured Christmas sequences. Other films featuring Chialmas the Holly and Hie Ivy 1952the inn of Tho sixth happiness 1958the bolls of St Mary s 1945the Man who came to dinner 1941. Young at heart 1954the apartment i960. The Glenn Miller Story 1954 then there was 1964 s Santa Claus conquers the martians. This film goer s favorite Chris Imas scene occurred in the 1936 release. The thin Man. Lying on a Couch with a King size hangover. William Powell amused himself by shooting ornaments off the tree with a pop gun. Jcember23,1986 the stars and stripes Page 15
