Benji's Very Own Christmas Story
Encyclopedia
Benji's Very Own Christmas Story is the third film featuring Benji
the dog which was released in 1978. It was originally a primetime TV special on ABC
and is one of two such Benji specials to have been nominated for an Emmy Award
. It was also nominated in two categories in the 1980 Young Artist Awards.
and are asked to be grand marshalls of a Christmas parade in Zermatt
. Due to a broken leg Kris Kringle
is sending his elves out to deliver presents, and as this will force them to miss the parade he wants them to meet Benji first. With help from the Benji actors, Kringle realises the true meaning of Christmas and performs a musical number showing how Saint Nicholas
appears all over the world.
.
Actors: Benji/Benjean (daughter of original Benji dog Higgins
) as Benji
, Patsy Garrett
, Cynthia Smith and Academy Award nominated English
actor Ron Moody
as Kris Kringle
.
in 1979 for Outstanding Children's Program along with A Special Sesame Street Christmas
and Once Upon A Classic
with Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
being the eventual winner.
Actress Cynthia Smith was nominated for a Young Artist Award
in 1980 for her performance. The other nominations in her category were Patsy Kensit
for Hanover Street, Brooke Shields
for Just You and Me, Kid
, Mariel Hemingway
for Manhattan
and Trini Alvarado
for Rich Kids. The winner was Diane Lane
for A Little Romance
. The film was also nominated in the category of Best TV Series or Special Featuring Youth. Also nominated in the same category were The Waltons
, Little House on the Prairie
, Diff'rent Strokes
with the eventual winner being Eight is Enough
.
Benji
Benji is the name of a fictional dog who has been the focus of several movies from 1974 through the 2000s. It is also the title of the first film in the Benji series....
the dog which was released in 1978. It was originally a primetime TV special on ABC
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...
and is one of two such Benji specials to have been nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. It was also nominated in two categories in the 1980 Young Artist Awards.
Plot
The actors from the Benji films are on a promotional tour in SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and are asked to be grand marshalls of a Christmas parade in Zermatt
Zermatt
Zermatt is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants....
. Due to a broken leg Kris Kringle
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...
is sending his elves out to deliver presents, and as this will force them to miss the parade he wants them to meet Benji first. With help from the Benji actors, Kringle realises the true meaning of Christmas and performs a musical number showing how Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
appears all over the world.
Cast and crew
Directed by Joe CampJoe Camp
Joe Camp is a motion picture director and writer. He is best known as the creator and director of the Benji films. He currently resides in Bell Buckle, Tennessee with his wife Kathleen. They also own property in Valley Center, California.Camp is also known for his work with horses...
.
Actors: Benji/Benjean (daughter of original Benji dog Higgins
Higgins (dog)
Higgins was one of the best-known dog actors of the 1960s – 1970s. Most people remember him either as "Dog" or as "Benji," two of the most popular roles he played during a 14-year career in show business....
) as Benji
Benji
Benji is the name of a fictional dog who has been the focus of several movies from 1974 through the 2000s. It is also the title of the first film in the Benji series....
, Patsy Garrett
Patsy Garrett
Virginia "Patsy" Garrett is an actress best known for her recurring roles asnosy neighbor Mrs. Florence Fowler on TV's Nanny and the Professor , school secretary Miss Hogarth on Room 222 and as Mary Gruber in the Benji series of motion pictures beginning in 1974.-Career:Active on stage, screen...
, Cynthia Smith and Academy Award nominated English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor Ron Moody
Ron Moody
Ron Moody is an English actor.- Personal life :Moody was born in Tottenham, North London, England, the son of Kate and Bernard Moodnick, a studio executive. His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was a Lithuanian Jew. He is a cousin of director Laurence Moody and actress Clare...
as Kris Kringle
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...
.
Nominations and Awards
Benji's Very Own Christmas Story was nominated for an Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
in 1979 for Outstanding Children's Program along with A Special Sesame Street Christmas
A Special Sesame Street Christmas
A Special Sesame Street Christmas was a low-budget 1978 CBS Christmas special, made the same year as the legendary and still popular Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. The special was first broadcast on Friday, December 8, 1978 at 8 PM ET on CBS, pre-empting Wonder Woman that week.The special features...
and Once Upon A Classic
Once Upon a Classic
Once Upon a Classic was an American television program hosted by Bill Bixby, at the time of The Incredible Hulk fame. The program aired on PBS from 1976 to 1980 as a production of WQED in Pittsburgh....
with Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street is a Sesame Street Christmas special first broadcast on PBS on December 3, 1978.-Plot:The opening features the inhabitants of Sesame Street enjoying an ice skating party. Big Bird has trouble skating, but a child gives him a hand, and he ends up skating very well...
being the eventual winner.
Actress Cynthia Smith was nominated for a Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
in 1980 for her performance. The other nominations in her category were Patsy Kensit
Patsy Kensit
Patricia Jude Francis "Patsy" Kensit is an English actress, singer, model and former child star, known for her television and film appearances. Her films include Lethal Weapon 2 and she has been married to rock stars Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher, as well as herself fronting the band Eighth Wonder...
for Hanover Street, Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
for Just You and Me, Kid
Just You and Me, Kid
Just You and Me, Kid is a 1979 comedy film that stars Brooke Shields, George Burns, Ray Bolger and Burl Ives. It was directed by Leonard Stern. It is rated PG for brief nudity and adult language.-Plot:...
, Mariel Hemingway
Mariel Hemingway
- Early life :Hemingway was born in Mill Valley, California, the third daughter of Byra Louise Hemingway and Jack Hemingway, a writer. Her sisters are Joan Hemingway and Margaux Hemingway...
for Manhattan
Manhattan (film)
Manhattan is a 1979 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen about a twice-divorced 42-year-old comedy writer who dates a 17-year-old girl before eventually falling in love with his best friend's mistress...
and Trini Alvarado
Trini Alvarado
Trinidad "Trini" Alvarado is an American actress best known for her performances as Margaret "Meg" March in the 1994 film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women and Lucy Lynskey in the comedy/horror film The Frighteners...
for Rich Kids. The winner was Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
for A Little Romance
A Little Romance
A Little Romance is a 1979 romantic comedy film, starring Laurence Olivier and Diane Lane in her film debut. It was directed by George Roy Hill. The screenplay is written by Allan Burns and George Roy Hill, based on a novel by Patrick Cauvin...
. The film was also nominated in the category of Best TV Series or Special Featuring Youth. Also nominated in the same category were The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
, Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie (TV series)
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
, Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from November 3, 1978 to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985 to March 7, 1986...
with the eventual winner being Eight is Enough
Eight Is Enough
Eight Is Enough is an American television comedy-drama series which ran on ABC from March 15, 1977 until August 29, 1981. The show was modeled after syndicated newspaper columnist Thomas Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who wrote a book with the same name...
.