Produced by Television Highlights in the late 1940s or early 1950s, “The Christmas Story” tells the story of Christmas with marionettes, shadow puppets, animation and live action scenes. At 2:04, a star of Bethlehem is placed atop a Christmas tree in an elegant family home, while the children of the family watch. At 2:36, evergreen is placed in the house for decorative purposes, and the religious symbolism of the evergreen is explained. A holly wreath is shown at 3:24, and mistletoe at 3:39. At 3:46 a kiss is given under the mistletoe. At 3:55, a little girl plays with a nativity scene, and burning candles in the window while snow falls outside. At 4:18, the family prays for a visit from the holy family of Jesus. At 4:35, bells ring at midnight in honor of the birth time of Jesus. At 5:00, the Christmas tree is decorated with an angel and the Xmas tree’s heritage and meaning discussed. At 5:57, the nativity scene is explained. At 6:14, Santa Claus marionette walks on the roof of a home before disappearing down the chimney. At 6:41, stockings are hung at the fireplace in anticipation of Santa’s visit. At 7:55 the junior choir sings “Silent Night, Holy Night”. At 8:41 candles burn as the narrator discusses the spirit of the Christmas holiday.
This short film was produced by Benjamin Parker, directed by Fred Bornet, written by Courtney Leigh, and features the St. Bartholomew’s Junior Choir. Fred Bornet was a songwriter, composer, author, director and singer who came to the USA in 1939, and was a singer on radio and recordings in Belgium and in the United States. During a stint in the Army in WWII, he wrote scores for military shows.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
