1-“God bless us, every one!” said who? And who wrote the words originally?
2-“I believe… I believe… It’s silly, but I believe. Stop the car, Uncle Fred!” Character? Actress? Movie?
3-“Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.” So said which character in which movie J? Name actors who were mom and dad.
4-“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them … that’s what Christmas is all about.” Which of the tribe of buddies said this in which animated Christmas classic?
5-Of whom was it said (by his father) … “he looks like a deranged Easter bunny.” And title of the movie? Actor who played dad?
6-Live action or animated, her hairstyle … well, you’d need a tutorial to emulate it. Name of character? Movie?
7-“Will you please tell Santa that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back.” So said what character in which film?
8-“I have no gift to bring.” Name the tune.
9-The only thing he wanted was a Turbo Man action figure. Character? Movie? Dad actor’s other job in real life?
10-What little boy was an orphan “misfit” in a band of Santa’s helpers? Actor? Movie title?
Email your answers for this week’s game to Peg@ambaa.com.
Answers to last week’s “MERRY CHRISTMAS from the 40’s” Trivia:
Been listening to the all-Christmas music stations lately? Did you know that all these favorite tunes actually first “hit it big” in the 1940s—that’s 80 years ago! If that doesn’t tell us something sentiment of the season!
Name the tune; name the artist who “first” made it a hit (all of these have been popular with more than one covering!):
1-(1942) Irving Berlin wrote this tune for a scene from the first of two very popular iterations of a Vermont inn without snow; it’s been combined with another song in some of its most popular renditions.
Happy Holiday … and of course, that’d be from Holiday Inn (which was followed by remake White Christmas); BING CROSBY did it as a hit first.
2-(1947) Written by the same cowboy who popularized the tune, the idea for the song came after riding his horse in the (now) Hollywood Christmas Parade.
Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) … and that’d be Angels owner (former) GENE AUTRY.
3-(1944) Hugh Martin (Joni’s good friend!) wrote this favorite tune for “Meet Me in St. Louis.” “I found a little madrigal-like tune that I liked but couldn’t make work, so I played with it for two or three days and then threw it in the wastebasket.” Luckily, his partner had heard the tune, too, and told Martin it was too good to throw away. “We dug around the wastebasket and found it,” Blaine recalled. “Thank the Lord we found it.”
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas; JUDY GARLAND sang it in the movie.
4-(1946) Written by the “Velvet Fog” Mel Torme, this holiday standard (commonly subtitled) written on a blistering hot summer day was popularized by a different crooner.
The Christmas Song … which actually NAT KING COLE made famous first!
5-(1941) Yes, two Berlin songs make the list—this one also from the popular films of 1942 and eponymous remake in 1954.
White Christmas. BING CROSBY’s version is the world’s best-selling single, estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies globally 😊
6-(1949) The animal featured in the song (which subsequently came to TV as animated special) originally appeared in a booklet published by Montgomery Ward.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer … GENE AUTRY had a #1 (!) hit with this for Christmas week 1949.
7-(1943) Originally written to honor soldiers overseas (remember, it’s the 40s!), this song is written as a letter.
I’ll Be Home for Christmas … a top ten hit again for BING CROSBY.
8-(1945) Written by the great Sammy Cahn and Jules Styne, the tune speaks to the miserable weather (though they also wrote in CA sunshine) and given the lyrics “we’ve no place to go” strangely appropriate for 2020.
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!; became a hit for VAUGHN MONROE whose music you heard regularly in the 50s on Bonneville stations 😊
9-(1949) This tale of unrequited love during the holidays is now a classic, probably thanks to the guy who made it a hit ten years later with his Christmas album.
Blue Christmas … yes, the King. ELVIS PRESLEY made it a hit.
10-(1948) Originally recorded as an instrumental (who can forget Arthur Fiedler’s snap of the “whip” and “neigh” of the horse), a list of artists have made the lyrics equally popular.
Sleigh Ride … and it was Mr. Fiedler’s edition with the Boston Pops that was a 40s hit. However, believe it or not, the RONETTES have the most popular version with their Phil Spector-produced tune from 1963.
