Q&A with Charles Tranberg, author of Christmas TV Specials & Movies of the 1970S
(This post contains an amazon affiliate link from which the publisher may make a commission that helps support his business.)
Q: You’ve mostly written biographies of people like Agnes Moorehead, Fred MacMurray and Fredric March—why did you do a book on Christmas programming of the 1970’s?
A: Well, I love Christmas, and I grew up watching those shows with my family and I still enjoy watching them. I grew up during the 1970’s which I think is the golden age of Christmas programming. There are Christmas variety specials, new Christmas cartoons and lots of TV movies—something we didn’t really see in the 1960’s, for instance. I thought it would be a fun book for Christmas lovers like me to enjoy during the holidays or anytime while sitting in a comfortable chair, perhaps with some nice (Christmas) music in the background and a warm drink.
Q: What changes did you see during the 70’s as compared to earlier times in terms of Christmas programming?
A: In terms of variety shows you had the old guard like Bing Crosby and Perry Como with younger folks like The Carpenters, John Denver, and John Davidson headlining Christmas specials. In the mid 70’s we started seeing more country artists headlining Christmas specials like Johnny Cash and Mac Davis—both of whom went on to do Christmas specials for several year. This was because Country music was expanding in popularity and the networks understood that.
Q: How about made for TV movies—was this new during the 70’s?
A: There were some, but they became more widespread during the 1970’s. I think The Homecoming (1971) which led to The Waltons TV-series had a lot to do with it. It was a very popular and critically applauded made for TV movie and it caught the essence of the season during the Depression. That led the networks to make a whole slew of TV movies with Christmas themes during the holidays. Among them being The House Without a Christmas Tree, The Gathering, The Nativity, The Man in the Santa Claus Suit, Christmas Miracle in Caulfield and several remakes of major films such as It’s a Wonderful Life was remade as It Happened One Christmas with Marlo Thomas in the Jimmy Stewart role. The Man Who Came to Dinner was remade with Orson Welles and then there was also a TV-movie remake of Miracle on 34th Street in 1973. I’m not saying that they were as good as the movie versions, but they were entertaining.
Q: What about animated specials—we all grew up with Charlie Brown’s Christmas, The Grinch and Frosty—all from the 1960’s—what did the 70’s have to offer.
A: Quite a few more. Among those released during the 1970’s include Santa Claus is Coming to Town, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Twas the Night Before Christmas, The Stingiest Man in Town, Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus. My book looks at each of these and many more that were released during that decade.
Q: How is your book structured?
A: We give the cast list, of course, and info on the creative team. The synopsis and background information and trivia as well as how it did in the TV ratings. Contemporary reviews and interviews as well. Among the background material or trivia, for instance, did you know that Perry Como broke his ankle filming one of his Christmas specials? It put him on the sidelines for about ten months. We have lots of background info on Bob Hope’s Vietnam Christmas tours. I write about how Bing Crosby and David Bowie came to sing their classic duet on Crosby’s final Christmas special. The list goes on.
Q: What are some of your favorite Christmas programs that you profiled in your book?
A: I think the best Christmas special of the 1970’s was Perry Como’s 1978 Christmas special from Colonial Williamsburg. Everything is top notch. The songs, the scenery, the atmosphere. It just cries out Christmas. John Wayne was the special guest star, and he reads a letter from a young Revolutionary war soldier on his first Christmas away from home. Wayne reads it with such feeling and sincerity. It was also one of Wayne’s final TV appearances as he passed away the next year. We have a lot of background info on that one including the recollections of another guest star from it—Diana Canova. In terms of TV movies, I believe the best one was The Homecoming—though The House Without a Christmas Tree and The Gathering are close. In terms of animated Christmas specials of the 70’s—my top three are Santa Claus is Coming to Town, The Stingiest Man in Town and The Year Without a Christmas Tree. The truth is I love many of them.
Q: I’d like to touch on some of your other books as long as we got you. Your first book was on Agnes Moorehead, and many consider it a classic. Is that your favorite?
A: It is a sentimental favorite because it was my first one and it gratifies me when my publisher tells me it is still selling well because it is fifteen years old. I had a lot of research materials and many people I interviewed when I was preparing that book. I looked at the list of people and most of them are gone now. It’s sad.
Q: How did you come to choose your subjects?
A: In terms of Moorehead, Fred MacMurray and Fredric March—I not only enjoyed them as actors, but they came from my home state—or at least spent a lot of time in my home state of Wisconsin. So, I found lots of material at the State Historical Society in Madison on them as well as other places. I loved the Thin Man films and still do and so I was happy to write a book on those movies. Such joy! The same with the live action films of Walt Disney. I choose Robert Taylor because it seemed like people concentrated on his former wife, Barbara Stanwyck, but not as much on him—so I wanted to write about him.
Q: What have you enjoyed most about the books?
A: I love the research—but I also love meeting the people who buy the books. I’ve gone to Beatrice, Nebraska—the hometown of Robert Taylor three times for events and I’m always welcomed by the most wonderful people, and I have as good a time as I hope they are. I’ve also done events in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin—the hometown of Fred MacMurray and in Reedsburg, Wisconsin—where Agnes Moorehead has roots and it’s the same thing—full of wonderful people who are proud of the people I’ve written about.
Q: Any new projects coming up?
A: A long-awaited book on the Saint and Falcon movies of the 1940’s. After “The Thin Man” series they are my favorite of those classic mystery series of that wonderful era. I hope to have that out at around this time next year.