TV classics are comin' to town: Will any new specials join them?

Contra Costa Times (MCT) - Karen Nicles isn't ashamed to admit it: Even after countless viewings, she still gets a little lump in her throat whenever Charlie Brown bonds with that poor, scrawny Christmas tree, and a bounce in her heart every time Rudolph lights up the night sky for Santa.

The 54-year-old Walnut Creek resident has been watching television's holiday-themed animated keepsakes for about three decades _ first with her two daughters, now with a pair of grandsons. And somehow, it never gets old.

"It's just the thing to do in our family," she says. "Those classic shows take you to a place of innocence and magic _ a place where you believe something big can happen."

She's clearly not the only one who feels that way. Every year when the holidays arrive, television programmers flood the airwaves with new specials and movies only to see most of them quickly get discarded like wads of crumpled gift wrap.

But a handful of oldies-but-goodies continue to cast a powerful yuletide spell. Animated specials such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." "Frosty the Snowman" and a few others tower over the forest like the vibrant evergreens they are, refusing to show their age and defying the shelf-life laws of pop culture.

"They are the inner circle. And it's a very tough club to break into," says Dave Barton Thomas, a veteran director of animation who has the challenge of introducing a new special _ "A Miser Brothers' Christmas" _ on ABC Family later this month.

Last December, "Rudolph," a show that debuted in 1964, was television's fourth-rated program during the week it aired. It finished behind only "CSI," "Grey's Anatomy" and "60 Minutes." Also, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," penned by the late Charles Schulz in 1965, was No. 1 in its time slot and proved to be the highest-rated broadcast of the year among children age 2-11.

Conversely, the new stuff just doesn't generate the same kind of interest, unless it's something like "Shrek the Halls." Last November, "Shrek" decked the competition in its debut, attracting 21.1 million viewers. It was the first new holiday special in years to display breakout appeal.

"Shrek," of course, benefitted from the recognition factor that comes with being connected to a wildly popular feature-film franchise. But it will have to lure the viewers to return year after year before it can achieve TV immortality. Otherwise, it might join the largely forgotten ranks of "A Garfield Christmas" (1987), "The Tangerine Bear" (2000), "The Happy Elf" (2005) and countless others.

So what is it about the animated staples that allows them to continue to exert Nielsen clout even though they've been out on home video for years, and kid viewers supposedly have become more "sophisticated"? What is it that makes them outshine newer, more "hip" holiday fare?

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It could be largely a matter of timing, according to Lee Mendelson, the executive producer of "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

"All these specials came out when there were only three networks and much less competition. They were all popular and brands and they drew huge audiences when they debuted," he says. "Then the audience stuck with us and brought along their kids and grandkids."

Indeed, when "Charlie Brown" premiered, it was watched by almost 50 percent of the nation's viewers _ a figure unheard of in today's fragmented 500-channel universe. "You get one shot and we stuck," says Mendelson.

But it's one thing to generate a huge opening audience and quite another to become, for many, as much a part of the holiday ritual as hanging stockings on the mantle and decorating a tree. Fans and experts point out that the best of the classics are beloved because they're distinctive offerings with a creative brilliance that has never quite been duplicated. They feature vivid characters, evocative scenes and memorable music. And they tend to get their points across without an excess of sap.

Credit the writing, says Rick Goldschmidt, an author and animation historian who is an expert on the old Rankin/Bass production company that created "Rudolph," "Frosty," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and many others.

"The classic specials all started with good, simple but strong storytelling," he says. "They're all about heart and warmth. It's a far cry from the booger jokes and cheap laughs (in new shows). That's not what Christmas is all about and it's amazing that today's producers don't get that."

Thomas agrees, but adds that a lot of the old specials also featured a brash kind of "quirkiness" that is often missing from today's children's fare.

"Look at how 'Rudolph' portrayed Santa Claus as a grumpy old curmudgeon. I don't know if he would get written that way in our PC environment today. But that gave the story some character and punch. And it was funny."

Thomas also praises the old classics for their "quieter" approach.

"Back then they didn't feel the need to be so noisy and frenetic every five minutes," he says. "Sometimes I think we forget that, as storytellers, we don't have to be so tied to rapid cuts and pacing. 'Charlie Brown' is a great example of a very quiet show."

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Thomas, 42, is in the unique position of bringing to prime time a special that is new, but derives its inspiration from the 1974 Rankin/Bass program "The Year Without a Santa Claus." In "The Miser Brothers' Christmas," Mickey Rooney returns to give voice to Santa, while George S. Irving reprises his role as the infamous Heat Miser.

"It's not really a sequel. It's a brand-new story," he says. "But I wanted the story to be absolutely faithful to the sensibility of those old shows.

"I hope we can take our place among the ranks of the best."

In order to do that, it might help if the show contains a highly original soundtrack as Mendelson's "Charlie Brown" special did.

"I still hear the music in stores all the time and it drives me insane," he says, laughing. "But its great advertising that reminds everyone the show is coming on. It's like a revolving door."

As for the timelessness of the story, Mendelson insists that Schulz simply had his finger on the pulse of the zeitgeist with the tale of an anxiety-ridden boy searching for the true meaning of Christmas among the rampant commercialism.

"He talked about eternal truths and how kids and people relate to each other," he says. "And he used to say there will always be an audience for innocence in this country."

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HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

Television will be awash in holiday cheer the next few weeks. Here's a rundown of some movies and specials:

OLD KEEPSAKES

_"A Charlie Brown Christmas": The speech by Linus still gets to us. 8 p.m. Dec. 8, ABC. (Re-airs 8 p.m. Dec. 16).

_"A Garfield Christmas": The cranky feline celebrates the holiday. 7 p.m. Dec. 9, ABC Family.

_"Olive the Other Reindeer": A dog (Drew Barrymore) volunteers to help pull Santa's sleigh. 8 p.m. Dec. 9, MyNetworkTV.

_"Mickey's Christmas Carol": Disney does Dickens. 7 p.m., Dec. 10, ABC Family.

_"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town": Fred Astaire narrates the tale of young Kris Kringle. 8 p.m. Dec. 10, ABC Family.

-"The Year Without a Santa Claus": Santa (Mickey Rooney) goes AWOL. 8 p.m. Dec. 11, ABC Family.

_"Frosty the Snowman": Chill out. The jolly happy soul is back. 8 p.m. Dec. 12., CBS

_"Frosty Returns": Dancing snowman looks to avoid a meltdown. 8:30 p.m. Dec. 12, CBS.

_"I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown!": That other "Peanuts" special, not to be confused with the classic. 8 p.m. Dec. 15, ABC. (Re-airs 8 p.m. Dec. 20).

_"Shrek the Halls": The big green grouch tries to get into the holiday spirit. 8 p.m. Dec. 22, ABC.

NEW OFFERINGS

_"Cranberry Christmas": Barry Manilow provides the songs in this kiddie 'toon. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8, ABC Family. (Re-airs 12:30 p.m., Dec. 13).

_"Little Spirit: Christmas in New York": Danny DeVito and Lucy Liu lend their voices to this computer-animated story about a boy searching for his lost dog. 8 p.m. Dec. 10, NBC.

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_"The Flight Before Christmas": A young reindeer dreams of becoming an expert flyer like his father. 9 p.m. Dec. 12, CBS.

_"A Miser Brothers' Christmas": Snow Miser and Heat Miser return in an update on "The Year Without a Santa Claus." 8 p.m. Dec. 13, ABC Family.

_"Snow 2 Brain Freeze": Tom Cavanagh does the Santa duties in this family film. 8 p.m. Dec. 14, ABC Family.

_"Dance in America: San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker": Kristi Yamaguchi hosts the perennial favorite. 8 p.m. Dec. 17, PBS.

_"Christmas in Washington": Pop singers perform in front of the president and first lady in annual benefit gala. 8 p.m. Dec, 17, TNT.

_"A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa": Kermit and pals get festive. 8 p.m. Dec. 17, NBC.

FROM THE SILVER SCREEN

_"It's a Wonderful Life": Every time you watch this Capra classic, an angel earns his wings. 8 p.m. Dec. 13, NBC. (Re-airs 8 p.m. Dec. 24).

_"The Santa Claus": Tim Allen sleighs us once again. 8 p.m. Dec. 14, ABC.

_"A Christmas Carol": Patrick Stewart plays Scrooge in this version of the Dickens tale. 9 p.m. Dec. 17, TNT.

_"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas": Jim Carrey stars in the inferior live-action version. 8 p.m. Dec. 18, ABC Family. (Re-airs 8:30 p.m., Dec. 22).

_"The Polar Express": Tom Hanks takes a skeptical young boy on the ride of his life. 8:30 p.m. Dec. 22, ABC Family.

_"Elf": Will Ferrell dons the tights and funny hat. 8 p.m. Dec. 20, CBS.

_"White Christmas": Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and the classic title tune. 6 p.m. Dec. 23, ABC Family.

_"A Christmas Story": Watch it over and over again during the annual 24-hour marathon. Begins 8 p.m. Dec. 24, TBS.

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Chuck Barney: cbarney@bayareanewsgroup.com

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© 2008, Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.).