Santa's Sequel Sellouts - December 7: It Runs in the Family (Overture)
Sequel to: A Christmas Story (Film, 1983)
Back in August, the Web was shocked to see a movie trailer for A Christmas Story 2, a follow-up to the 1983 classic. Many thought it was a joke… but nope, this straight-to-DVD film was slated for Christmas 2012. The marketing materials went out of their way to denote that this was "The Official Sequel" to the original film.
But that's a pretty big lie.
December 6: Linus and Lucy
Sequel to: A Charlie Brown Christmas (TV Special, 1965)
We're all pretty familiar with the 1965 television classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas. But did you know that there are 3 sequels to this iconic show?
Today's song is pulled from the first attempted sequel, appearing 27 years after the original. It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown hit the airwaves on CBS in 1992. Interestingly, this was actually released to video first, via an exclusive at Shell gas stations.
Santa's Sequel Sellouts - December 5: A Day to Celebrate
Sequel to: Star Wars (Film, 1977)
Today's song is a perfect example of the alternate type of sequel we outlined in our Introduction: Christmas Songs/Shows/Movies that are sequels to Non-Christmas Songs/Shows/Movies. In this case, Star Wars lit a fire on movie screens in 1977, defining the science fiction genre for decades to come.
So, it was only logical that someone tried to make a Christmas special based on the property, right? Enter the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, which aired just once… November 17, 1978 on CBS. It was a show about which George Lucas reportedly said, "If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash it." Yes, it was that bad.
Santa's Sequel Sellouts - December 4: The Chanukah Song
Sequel to: The Chanukah Song (Song, 1995)
I featured Adam Sandler's "The Chanukah Song" back in the 2002 edition of Steve's 25 Days of Christmas Music. Following the rules of the 25 Days, once a track is featured one year, it cannot be included again in future installments. This has made it rather difficult to avoid repeat performances in the 303 songs showcased over 12 years. (See, it's actually hard work to pull these off!)
Today's song is more of a sellout rather than a sequel, and we have to thank Neil Diamond for that. For some ridiculous reason, he decided to perform his own version of The Chanukah Song back in 2009… and it's weird. I'm not sure what he was thinking in following-up the original from Sandler, but the style is all wrong. There are also subtle changes in the lyrics, such as discouraging use of marijuana. Additionally, a line is changed from "Tom Cruise isn't but I heard his agent is" to "Tom Cruise isn't, but Jesus Christ is."
Santa's Sequel Sellouts - December 3: All Alone On Christmas
Sequel to: Home Alone (Film, 1990)
The film Home Alone put Macaulay Culkin on the map in 1990, as well as created a new film that many associate with the holidays. It featured a Christmas-oriented plot, in addition to the integration of many holiday carols in the John Williams soundtrack.
There are now 5 films in the Home Alone franchise, with the latest being 2012's direct-to-cable release, Home Alone: The Holiday Heist. However, the only sequel that is probably worth your time is the 2nd of the series, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. It stands out because it featured the same actors, director, producer, and creative team as the original. The rest of the series pretty much falls off a cliff after Home Alone 2.
Santa's Sequel Sellouts - December 2: Frosty's Winter Wonderland (Finale)
Sequel to: Frosty the Snowman (TV Special, 1968)
The iconic Rankin-Bass Christmas TV special, Frosty the Snowman, debuted on CBS in 1968. It featured the voice talents of Jackie Vernon playing Frosty and Jimmy Durante as the narrator.
8 years later, we got a sequel… and today's song – Frosty's Winter Wonderland (Finale).
Unlike most sequels, however, the original production team was part of this project as well. This was another Rankin-Bass production, again with Vernon voicing Frosty. Curiously, Jimmy Durante didn't reprise his role as narrator. At first I thought it was he might have died, however a quick visit to Wikipedia shows that he passed away in 1980, 4 years after this special. Then again, he would have been 82 at the time of this project, so maybe that wouldn't have been the best choice. Instead, the narrator role was shifted to Andy Griffith, who, in my opinion, did a great job.
Santa's Sequel Sellouts - December 1: Grandpa's Gonna Sue the Pants Off of Santa
Sequel to: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (Song, 1979)
This year's theme for Steve's 25 Days of Christmas Music is "Santa's Sequel Sellotus," featuring obscure musical follow-ups to popular Christmas tunes, movies, and TV shows. (Learn more about this crazy collection in my Introduction.)
We kick things off with the first of 3 types of sequel styles, "Christmas Songs/Shows/Movies that are sequels to Christmas Songs/Shows/Movies." In this case, the original hit was "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer," performed by Elmo and Patsy Shropshire in 1979. The couple eventually divorced, but Elmo decided to write a sequel to the song in 1992. Grandpa's Gonna Sue the Pants Off of Santa continues the story of the original song, with Grandpa legally going after Santa for killing his wife.
