'Twas the Night Before Christmas (1977 TV special)
Encyclopedia
'Twas the Night Before Christmas is a 1977 made-for-television special loosely inspired by the 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas
by Clement Clark Moore.
town in the late 1890s. The Cosgrove family’s home is in an uproar over the holidays. The patriarch, Clark Cosgrove (Paul Lynde
) is frazzled by the gift demands of his loud children. His wife Nellie (Anne Meara
) runs into endless friction with Clark’s formidable mother (Alice Ghostley
), who lives with them. Nellie’s inebriated father (Foster Brooks
) and cat-loving mother (Martha Raye
) arrive for the holiday, and tensions arise between the mothers-in-law. A German
uncle (Howard Morris
) is also arriving, but complications ensue when a traveling salesman (George Gobel
) is mistaken for the uncle. Adding to the tumult is a visit from a caroling neighbor (Anson Williams
). During the night, Clark’s mother-in-law’s cat escapes from the house and winds up on the roof. Clark goes to retrieve the cat and creates a ruckus, waking the house. When the children ask if the noise came from Santa Claus
, Clark initially wants to dispel the myth of Santa Claus. Instead, he appeases them by reciting A Visit from St. Nicholas.
' Twas the Night Before Christmas was part of a series of American Broadcasting Company
(ABC) television specials starring Paul Lynde. Whereas previous offerings, most notably the 1976 production of The Paul Lynde Halloween Special
, relied on a sketch comedy revue format, Twas the Night Before Christmas retained a narrative format where Lynde and his castmates remained in character for the entire show.
Lynde was responsible for casting Martha Raye as his mother-in-law, telling an interviewer: “It’s my chance to repay her for all the times she used me in her NBC
Comedy Hour back in the 1950s.”
For the climactic recitation of A Visit from St. Nicholas, Lynde was not allowed to rely on cue cards because director Tim Kiley felt they would distract the child actors in the cast. Lynde would later recall: “I had to do the poem five different times for five different camera angles. If America thinks I did this with cue cards, I’ll kill myself.”
dismissing its plot as “anemic” and adding its “conceptual hugger-mugger was fatal.” Variety
complained that “an inept script and a subpar performance by Paul Lynde worked against the best efforts of a charming cast in this ABC yuletide special.” The broadcast ranked 30th for that week’s Nielsen ratings
. However, it later received an Award of Excellence from the Film Advisory Board
.
Twas the Night Before Christmas was never rebroadcast by ABC or any other U.S. television network. To date, it has not been made commercially available on DVD
and, except for a one-time screening at a New York City
retro film and television festival in 2001, it has not been seen since its only telecast.
A Visit from St. Nicholas
"A Visit from St. Nicholas", also known as "The Night Before Christmas" and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 and generally attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, although the claim has also been made that it was written by Henry...
by Clement Clark Moore.
Plot
The story is set on Christmas Eve in a New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
town in the late 1890s. The Cosgrove family’s home is in an uproar over the holidays. The patriarch, Clark Cosgrove (Paul Lynde
Paul Lynde
Paul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
) is frazzled by the gift demands of his loud children. His wife Nellie (Anne Meara
Anne Meara
Anne Meara is an American actress and comedian. She and Jerry Stiller were a prominent 1960s comedy team, appearing as Stiller and Meara, and are the parents of actor/comedian Ben and actress Amy Stiller.- Personal life :...
) runs into endless friction with Clark’s formidable mother (Alice Ghostley
Alice Ghostley
Alice Margaret Ghostley was an American actress. She was best known for her roles as housekeeper Esmeralda on Bewitched, as Cousin Alice on Mayberry R.F.D., and as Bernice Clifton on Designing Women, for which she received an Emmy Nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1992...
), who lives with them. Nellie’s inebriated father (Foster Brooks
Foster Brooks
Foster Brooks was an American actor and comedian most famous for his portrayal of a lovable drunken man in nightclub performances and television programs.-Biography:...
) and cat-loving mother (Martha Raye
Martha Raye
Martha Raye was an American comic actress and standards singer who performed in movies, and later on television....
) arrive for the holiday, and tensions arise between the mothers-in-law. A German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
uncle (Howard Morris
Howard Morris
Howard Morris was an American comic actor and director who was best known for his role as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show.- Life and career :...
) is also arriving, but complications ensue when a traveling salesman (George Gobel
George Gobel
George Leslie Gobel was an American comedian and actor. He was best known as the star of his own weekly NBC television show, The George Gobel Show, which ran from 1954 to 1960 .-Early years:He was born George Leslie Goebel in Chicago, Illinois, His father, Hermann Goebel, was a...
) is mistaken for the uncle. Adding to the tumult is a visit from a caroling neighbor (Anson Williams
Anson Williams
Anson Williams is an actor and director, best known for his role as gullible but well intentioned singer Warren "Potsie" Weber on the television series Happy Days.-Biography:...
). During the night, Clark’s mother-in-law’s cat escapes from the house and winds up on the roof. Clark goes to retrieve the cat and creates a ruckus, waking the house. When the children ask if the noise came from Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
, Clark initially wants to dispel the myth of Santa Claus. Instead, he appeases them by reciting A Visit from St. Nicholas.
Production
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(ABC) television specials starring Paul Lynde. Whereas previous offerings, most notably the 1976 production of The Paul Lynde Halloween Special
The Paul Lynde Halloween Special
The Paul Lynde Halloween Special was a Halloween-themed television special starring Paul Lynde broadcast October 29, 1976 on ABC. It featured guest stars Margaret Hamilton in her first reprisal of her role as The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. Also guest starring are Billie Hayes...
, relied on a sketch comedy revue format, Twas the Night Before Christmas retained a narrative format where Lynde and his castmates remained in character for the entire show.
Lynde was responsible for casting Martha Raye as his mother-in-law, telling an interviewer: “It’s my chance to repay her for all the times she used me in her NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
Comedy Hour back in the 1950s.”
For the climactic recitation of A Visit from St. Nicholas, Lynde was not allowed to rely on cue cards because director Tim Kiley felt they would distract the child actors in the cast. Lynde would later recall: “I had to do the poem five different times for five different camera angles. If America thinks I did this with cue cards, I’ll kill myself.”
Broadcast
Twas the Night Before Christmas was broadcast by ABC on December 7, 1977. Reviews were not favorable, with The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
dismissing its plot as “anemic” and adding its “conceptual hugger-mugger was fatal.” Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
complained that “an inept script and a subpar performance by Paul Lynde worked against the best efforts of a charming cast in this ABC yuletide special.” The broadcast ranked 30th for that week’s Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. However, it later received an Award of Excellence from the Film Advisory Board
Film Advisory Board
The Film Advisory Board, Inc. is a member-supported organization founded in 1975 by Elayne Blythe . The FAB's "Award of Excellence" was developed to award quality family-oriented and children's entertainment in both print and electronic media.The second division of FAB is the FAB Ratings System...
.
Twas the Night Before Christmas was never rebroadcast by ABC or any other U.S. television network. To date, it has not been made commercially available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and, except for a one-time screening at a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
retro film and television festival in 2001, it has not been seen since its only telecast.