My Christmas Video List Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Madonna

The episode begins with the titular Madonna seemingly stolen from the local church where MacGyver's friend, Father Lafferty works. Carol is introduced as an old homeless woman defending her cart from a couple of punks and getting a cut on her hand in the process. There are little hints during the episode about Carol. She's seen chasing away a drunken Santa, telling the man he should be ashamed of his condition as he's wearing the uniform of a saint. When she plays pool with Breeze she seems to be able to cause him to pocket the eight ball early even though it had stopped right on the edge of the pocket. On meeting Father Lafferty she tells him how she loves his sermons but when he questions her about being in his parish she says she usually wears something a little more elegant. When the episode finally ends and the Madonna is returned to the church Mr. Battaglia notices one of its hands has been damaged and both MacGyver and Pete realize the damage is both the same hand and the same spot Carol had been injured in, making them wonder about the coincidence.

Each of the four characters, MacGyver, Cynthia, Breeze, and Mr. Battaglia, are dealing with their own issues concerning Christmas. For MacGyver it's his guilt at not having been there for his mother when she died at Christmas because he was off on a mission. For Cynthia it's facing her first Christmas without her late Husband Booker and struggling to keep the Challenger Club afloat without him. For Breeze his abusive father made Christmas just another day and he doesn't see why others should make such a big deal out of it. And for Mr. Battaglia he's still struggling with the loss of his wife years before which lead him to cut ties with the church and Christmas reminds him of the hurt he feels over what happened.

Answer: Miracle on 34th Street

Gwenn won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Santa Claus. He also appeared three years later in "Mr. 880" as a counterfeiter who manages to elude the Secret Service for ten years. This role would be similar to his role in "Miracle on 34th Street" and would earn him another Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination.

The other two wrong answers are both Christmas films from the '40s.

Answer: George C. Scott

A British-American production, "A Christmas Carol" was filmed on location in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Director Clive Donner had served as film editor on 1951's "Scrooge" which starred Alastair Sim.

When this TV special ran December 17, 1984 it garnered a 20.7/30 rating/share for its time slot that night, which meant it won its time slot. It was also ranked as the 10th best show of the week. Scott was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie but lost to Richard Crenna for "The Rape of Richard Beck".

Answer: Charles Rocket

Even without Sam's suggestion that they should Scrooge Blake, the storyline should make it clear to viewers this episode was based on the Dickens' story. The episode is one of the few instances that someone other than Sam, young children, and animals are able to see or hear Al. Al, as the opening credits for the series establish, appears to Sam as a hologram that only he is supposed to see and hear, according to the show's reality Al is in the "present" located in what is referred to as the imaging room so that his image can be transmitted back in time to Sam.

However, despite what is said in the opening credits, young children and animals are also able to see and hear Al. And in some instances, such as this episode, other individuals can see and/or hear Al.

In "It's a Wonderful Leap" it is suggested that Blake's neurons must be on a similar wave link to Sam's, thus allowing him to see and hear Al as well. This plot device results in the decision to have Al play the Ghost of Christmas Future in order to get Blake to change his ways.

Answer: Secretly gives candy bars to an orphange

Everyone in camp is chipping in something they got from home for the camp Christmas party in order to make a special buffet for the orphans who'll be visiting. But Charles only donates a small tin of smoked oysters even though he's been getting packages of expensive chocolate bars from a Boston confectioner. It's soon revealed the reason Charles does not donate the candy to the Christmas party is because he's following a family tradition of anonymously donating it to local orphanages, something he has cherished memories of doing with his parents and sister when he was a boy.

Klinger only learns the truth about Charles when he overhears Charles and the man who runs the orphanage arguing over the fact that the man had sold the chocolate to the Black Market rather than giving it to the children. Charles' anger over this is quelled when he learns the reason the man did this was because the money would feed the children for a month whereas the candy would only bring joy for a few hours at most. Klinger then treats Charles to a feast in the Swamp, letting him know he's learned the truth behind the chocolates and Charles' true Christmas intentions.

Answer: A mortally wounded soldier arrives in camp

In the episode there is a Christmas truce on so the camp is looking forward to a peaceful Christmas. However, as Hawkeye and BJ are leaving swamp to make their way to the Mess Tent, Margaret calls them over to where a jeep has just arrived in camp with a soldier whose been hit in the head by a sniper.

The three get the man to Pre-Op only to discover he has no chance. But upon learning the man has three children back home BJ decides to operate anyway to keep the man alive so he dies on December 26th rather than Christmas Day.

Answer: The Santa Clause

It seems that ever since "The Santa Clause" came out folks spell Santa Claus the person as Santa Clause the clause. Even the movie makes it clear that the clause in the title refers to the agreement one unknowingly makes by putting on the suit after the previous Santa Claus dies.

Answer: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

This special features the voice talents of the cast of the original "ThunderCats" cartoon, which was popular at the time the special was made. "ThunderCats" was also produced by Rankin/Bass. In addition to the "ThunderCats" cast the special also featured singer-songwriter Lesley Miller playing Necile, J.D. Roth playing a young Claus, and Alfred Drake as narrating character the Great Ak. This greatly expands the Great Ak's role from the book.

I remember this special was funded by Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) on the local network where I lived. There was even an advertisement immediately after the special in which RIF encouraged children to read the L. Frank Baum book.

Answer: White Christmas

Bring Crosby first performed the song "White Christmas" on "The Kraft Music Hall" radio program for NBC Christmas Day, 1941. Berlin had written for 1942's "Holiday Inn", which began filming just weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor, so it would have been something Crosby was already familiar with by Christmas Day, 1941. Berlin had first begun to conceive the song in 1935 and may have written it in 1940. "White Christmas" had not originally been intended to be the biggest hit from "Holiday Inn" and Crosby himself had told Berlin when he first heard it in rehearsals "I don't think we have any problems with that one, Irving" without realizing the song's potential. However, Berlin not only seemed to realize how big the song would become, he declared it to be the best song anyone had ever written. Crosby would go on to record in May 1942 and release it was released days before the release of "Holiday Inn" with other songs from the movie. Although overshadowed by "Be Careful, It's My Heart" (the song which had originally been expected to be the movie's big hit) when first released, "White Christmas" would be topping the charts by the end of October '42.

The success of "White Christmas" led Crosby in 1948 to suggest a movie based around the song. This would result in 1954's movie of the same name. The movie would feature a new version of "White Christmas"; one many of us are more familiar with today. The film would go on to be the highest-grossing film of 1954.

Answer: True

The film took inspiration from such hot Christmas toys as Cabbage Patch Kids, Power Rangers, and Buzz Lightyear (which had been the hot toy of the Christmas prior to "Jingle All the Way"'s release). Writer Randy Kornfield had originally written the screenplay after his in-laws had gone to a toy store at dawn in order to get his son a Power Ranger toy for Christmas in the early '90s while producer Chris Columbus rewrote the script after a similar experience in '95 to get his son a Buzz Lightyear toy.

The same year the movie was released Tickle Me Elmo would see similar events to the movie and the previous ho toys mentioned here.

Answer: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Although "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was the first Peanuts special, it wasn't the first time the Peanuts gang had been appearing in animation before work on the special began. The Ford Motor Company had been using the characters in advertisements as far back as May 1959. And in 1960 the gang appeared twice on the "Tennessee Ernie Ford Show", officially "The Ford Show" as Ford Motor Company was Tennessee Ernie Ford's sponsor. These early animated appearances would pave the way for the 1965 Christmas Special.

Interestingly one of the most iconic scenes in the special was almost left out of it. Executive Producer Lee Mendelson and Producer/Director Bill Melendez were concerned about having Linus quote from the Gospel of Luke. At the time religion was a controversial subject for TV. But Schulz was adamant about the scene remaining in the special. According to Melendez, Schulz's response to the subject was "If we don't, who will?" Schulz was also against the use of a laugh track, feeling that the audience should not be instructed when to laugh. Schulz opinions on both probably went a long way to making the special what it is today.

As for the three wrong answers, only "A Garfield Christmas" was an animated Christmas special. "Pearls Before Swine Blows Up Christmas" is a play on Stephan Pastis' "Pearls Before Swine" treasury book "Pearls Blows Up". And "Pucky's Purrfect Christmas Tips" is actually a story arch in Georgia Dunn's "Breaking Cat News".

Answer: Santa Claus: The Movie

Dudley Moore and John Lithgow headline this 1985 box office bomb.

Despite being cheesy, this place holds a special place in my heart because it was the first live-action Santa Claus movie that came out when I was young. I can still remember the Hardees storybook tie-ins for the movie.

Answer: False

Archie Yates stars as Max Mercer in the 2021 Disney+ film "Home Sweet Home Alone", the sixth film in the Home Alone franchise. But in 1990 it was Macaulay Culkin who played the role of Kevin McCallister, the young boy who got left home alone. Culkin had appeared the year before in the movie "Uncle Buck" which starred John Candy who had a supporting role in "Home Alone" as Gus Polinski, the so called polka king whose band help's Kevin's mother get home for Christmas.

Answer: Dave Foley

According to the Prep and Landing franchise, the elves of the Prep and Landing unit have a number of tasks to perform before Santa can visit a child's house. They must make sure everyone is asleep in the house. Then they determine the type of cookies left for Santa and check that the temperature of the milk left for Santa is just right. They trim the tree of any branches which will make it difficult for presents to be placed quickly under the tree. They blow canned air into the stockings in order to open them up so that presents can quickly be placed in the stockings. Then they retreat to the roof top and set up a runway for Santa complete with an arresting wire for the tailhook on Santa's sleigh. Once the runway is arranged they guide Santa in for a landing.

The special always reminds me a little of Navy operations. First, the Prep and Landing unit seems like it's a little like Navy SEALs as a kind of special forces unit for Christmas Eve. Then the way Santa and the reindeer take-off from the North Pole for the trip around the world reminds me of aircraft on a carrier flight deck taking off from a catapult. And of course there's the tailhook on the sleigh and arresting wire which are reminiscent of carrier landings. The special doesn't explain how Santa and the reindeer can get enough speed for take-off from each house they visit or how the Prep and Landing elves manage to return to the North Pole.

Answer: Bruce Campbell

Bruce Campbell portrayed Ash Williams in "The Evil Dead" film series and the TV series "Ash vs. Evil Dead" beginning in 1981's "The Evil Dead". In the '90s he appeared on "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and it's spin-off series "Xena: Warrior Princess" as Autolycus, King of Thieves.

In "The Librarians" episode Campbell's Santa Claus is set up as the immortal avatar of good will. Instead of the idea of Santa bringing gifts to the good children of the world, the show sets Santa up as more of a good will battery who collects all the world's good will throughout the year only to release it back into the world on Christmas Eve and give everyone back the gift of hope. The show's Santa has had many incarnations, including Sinterklaas who is established as a trickster and the Norse god Odin. Through mistletoe poisoning and the loss of his talisman which could stave off the poison, Santa relieves these two previous incarnations.

Steven Weber appeared in the shows second Christmas episode, season 4's "And the Christmas Thief" as the Saint of Thieves, Santa's younger brother.

Answer: Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas

In O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" Della Young goes to a hairdresser and sells her beloved long hair to the hair dresser in order to get enough money to buy her husband a chain for his pocket watch. Jim Young's pocket watch is equally treasured, having belonged to his father before him and his grandfather before him. Yet Jim sells his pocket watch to get the money to buy his wife a set of tortoiseshell combs for hair. All three wrong answers have a segment that is an adaption of the O. Henry story. In "Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas" Mickey sells his beloved harmonica to buy Minnie a chain for her watch while Minnie has sold her equally beloved watch to buy Mickey a case for his harmonica. "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street" has Ernie selling his rubber ducky to purchase Bert a cigar box for his paper clip collection while Bert sells his paper clip collection to get Ernie a soap dish for his rubber ducky. And in "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas" Gonzo sells his mold collection to get Rizzo the Rat a cheese slicer for his rare cheese collection while Rizzo sells his rare cheese collection to get Gonzo a dish for his mold collection.

But "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" tells the O. Henry story with a twist. Ma and Emmet Otter each have gifts they would like to get the other. Ma would like to get Emmet a guitar and Emmet would like to get Ma a piano. But their odd jobs mean they're just staying afloat. When each learns that the upcoming Waterville Fist Annual Talent Concert is offering a $50 prize to the winner, both realize this could be a chance to get money for the other's present (in Emmet's case it would be a down payment of $12.50 on a piano as he'd have to split the winnings with his three friends). Both end up using the other's livelihood in order to be able to enter the talent show. Ma hocks the tool chest Emmet uses for repair jobs to get the money she needs to make a new dress to enter the show and Emmet is forced to put a hole in the washtub Ma uses to was others clothes in order to make a washtub bass for the jug-band he and his friends put together.

Among the songs of the special is "When the River Meets the Sea". Although written for a Christmas special, the lyrics are actually symbolic of death and rebirth in the afterlife.

Answer: The Night Before Christmas

A fictionalized account of how Clement Clark Moore created the famous poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas", commonly referred to by its first line as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". In the story Moore has to leave his family to give a couple of lectures at a college, telling the children he'll be back in time for Christmas Eve. He asks the kids what they want for Christmas and oldest daughter Charity simply wants a book about Santa Claus. While Moore is gone Charity comes down with pneumonia and his wife sends for the doctor. Meanwhile, after having delivered both lectures Moore does his shopping for the children but strikes out on finding Charity's book. As the only shopkeeper we see says, no such book exists. About this same time Moore's servant Peter arrives in town and tells Moore that Charity is very sick. Moore arrives home to find his daughter mumbling about her book. After being asked about by his wife if there's not something he could do Moore is struck with the inspiration for the poem and proceeds to write "A Visit from St. Nicholas". When finished he reads Charity her story.

This special features the Norman Luboff Choir performing the music for the special. Norman Luboff also served as the music director for the special. The Norman Luboff Choir gained popularity after appearing for eight years in Bing Crosby's radio program "Christmas Sing with Bing" from 1955 to 1962.

Answer: Christmas Story

"Joulutarina" or "Christmas Story", tells the story of how an orphaned Lapland boy named Nikolas became Santa Claus. It begins with Nikolas' parents having to take his younger sister into the village as she is sick. Nikolas is to stay home so he can finish his present for his sister.

His parents promise they won't be long as they will cross over the ice. Unfortunately this results in the deaths of Nikolas' family. The families of the village all agree to take Nikolas in, each caring for him for a year even though the extra mouth puts a strain on each household.

This lasts until a blight effects the harvest. A grumpy woodworker, having seen he has some rudimentary skill in woodworking, takes Nikolas in and takes him away from the village where he teaches him to become a better woodworker. Nikolas never forgets either the families who cared for him or his family, always returning to leave gifts even as he and the woodworker end up growing closer together.

Answer: False

Boris Karloff narrated the special; however the deep bass voice on "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" was actually the voice of Thurl Ravenscroft. Perhaps best known for his five decades as the voice of Tony the Tiger (Ravenscroft was actually the second voice of the cereal mascot, taking over the role in 1953 from Dallas McKennon), Ravenscroft was not originally credited when the special originally came out. In fact Karloff was the only cast member to be credited when the special came out. This led to the belief that Karloff himself performed the song. However, Karloff was not a trained singer, which led some to believe Tennessee Ernie Ford was the voice heard in the song.

After Dr. Seuss learned that Ravenscroft had not been credited with performing what is, personally, the most memorable song from the special he personally apologized to Ravenscroft. He even took things one step further by writing letters to news columnists around the United States telling them who had performed the song.

Answer: George Gobel and Joel Grey

Joel Grey is credited with telling and singing the story, suggesting he is the narrator of the special. And in fact Grey does serve as a secondary narrator as he narrates the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" At the beginning and end of the special. The primary narrator of the special is George Gobel. Gobel plays Father Mouse, the mouse assistant to Grey's human clockmaker Joshua Trundle. Grey begins the special with the poem, reading to the point where the mother and father had just gone to bed before narration of the special shifts to Gobel.

Most of the special is told by Father Mouse and details how his son Albert and his friends letter to the town newspaper affects the entire town when it insults Santa. Father Mouse shows Albert both how children are dealing with the fact that Santa is not coming and then how adults, who Albert claims do not believe in Santa, deal with the town's problem. It then shifts to how Albert's actions in Trundle's clock tower, which had a special song meant to appease Santa on Christmas Eve, affect the Trundle's and Mouse family specifically.

After Albert manages to repair the damage he has done to the clock in time to appease Santa the narrator's job shifts back to Grey as he narrates the poem from the point where the father in the poem hears a disturbance out on the lawn. From that point Grey finishes the special as the narrator.