Gerry Davila

🎄 What if Mr. Christmas was on the naughty list this entire time, thanks to a curse on his family for generations?  🎙️ Gerry Davila from Totally Rad Christmas and Guy Hutchinson from Pointless Nostalgia join us on a Christmas quest back to 1985 as Andy Williams leads a dozen “true believers” on a trip to Finland to find Santa and answer for his totally-not-made-up ancestor.  📺 You can watch “Andy Williams and the NBC Kids Search for Santa” on the Internet Archive.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  The NBC Kids are: Soleil Moon Frye, Cherie Johnson, Ami Foster, and Casey Ellison from “Punky Brewster”; Lisa Bonet, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner from “The Cosby Show”; Alfonso Ribeiro from “Silver Spoons”; and Joey and Matthew Lawrence from “Gimme a Break!” But not Mindy Cohn from “The Facts of Life,” who shows up, sings half a line, and that’s it.  Guy visits New York City’s Christmas cinematic landmarks, including locations from “Mr. T and Emmanuel Lewis in A Christmas Dream.”  Not Just Theo: Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Surprising Career.  Alfonso Ribeiro’s Pepsi Commercial with Michael Jackson (1984)  The painting supposedly featuring Lars Sven Olaf Williams, from 1863.  The Sàmi.  “Sea for Catwoman!”  Porvoo Cathedral (pronounced like “Borga”).  ****  📼 Commercials:  NBC “Let’s All Be There” ID with Santa (1985)  Polaroid: “Christmas – Santa Claus” (1985)  Tinsel Tunes - The Christmas Music Podcast.  ****  “Andy Williams and the NBC Kids Search for Santa” © 1985 Pierre Cossette / Barnaby Productions.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.

🍍 I’ve hidden a pineapple somewhere in this episode, and if you can find it… you get nothing. Sorry.  The Advent Calendar House is back for Christmas Podcast Day. This year, a bunch of your yuletide podcast pals are dropping episodes themed to “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and that gave me a premonition to take a closer look at a very merry episode of “Psych” from 2010.  🎙️ Gerry Davila from Totally Rad Christmas joins this examination of our superego, taking the form of renowned actor Tony Cox as himself… kind of.  Find more “Wonderful” episodes in the Christmas Podcasts directory.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  “Psych’s Take on ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Changed Shawn’s Character” (Collider, 2023)  Maggie Lawson (Jules) on “Boy Meets World.”  Corbin Bernsen (Henry) has a collection of over 8,000 snow globes.  Today’s TV Trope: Good Angel, Bad Angel.  Keshia Knight Pulliam as Gus’s sitcom wife.  Behind-the-scenes photo of dream sequence Jules, Lassie, and Chief Vick.  Skyler Gisondo as Young Shawn.  The Canadian Motion Picture Park Backlot standing in for the least Miami-looking Miami.  Oh, there’s the pineapple.  “This Is Christmas” by Curt Smith.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Corn Pops: “Pops Locked in the Car” commercial starring Dulé Hill (1994)  ****  “Psych” and “The Polarizing Express” © 2010 Universal Network Television, LLC.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.

🎃 This year, Halloween in July has fallen on a Scrooge Sunday, so we’re hitting two holiday tropes with one garbage disposal.  🎙️ Gerry Davila and Brandon Medley join us on a journey back to 1992 to watch Roseanne endure a haunting by the Ghosts of Halloween Past, Present, and Future.  📺 At press time, the episode “Halloween IV” is available on Peacock.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  The Story Behind Roseanne’s Iconic Chicken Shirt (Decider, 2018).  The “Psych” pineapple.  October 30th is Mischief Night in New Jersey and, apparently, nowhere else.  Elks Lodges lodges are real.  Our Halloween costumes from around 1992, and the worst things we’ve gotten while trick-or-treating.  Lee Arenberg (Ghost of Halloween Past) in “The Wizard.”  Mario Reccuzo (Ghost of Halloween Present) on “California Dreams.”  Dan and Jackie’s amazing beheaded Marie Antoinette costume.  A background actor is wearing a Pigs in Space costume.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Walgreens Halloween Decorations (1992)  How a Count Eats a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (1990)  ****  “Roseanne” and “Halloween IV” © 1992 The Carsey-Werner Company.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.

🎄 It’s 1970, and a couple of bear cubs have jumped through my window and are eating all my marshmallows.  🎙️ Gerry Davila and Ethan “The Hungry Reader” join us on a deeper than expected dive into a Christmas special by former Hanna-Barbera animator Tony Benedict that almost wasn’t released till the owner of a now-defunct Florida theme park swooped in and saved it.  🚨 No animals were harmed in the making of this podcast. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about one of the 4 versions of this special.  📺 You can watch 4 different versions of “Santa and the Three Bears”:  “A Yellowstone Christmas” (Tony’s Version), the original cut.  The theatrical version with Hal Smith in the intro and added songs and sequences.  The Pirates World version with scenes from Ocean World Marine Park. This version was screened for Rifftrax.  The Modern Sound Pictures version with the songs but no live-action segments.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  The Unusual History of Santa and the Three Bears. (The Delbert Cartoon Report, 2021)  The soundtrack and some background info.  Hal Smith in “The Incredible, Indelible, Magical, Physical Mystery Trip.”  Bobby Riha (Chinook) in Hanna-Barbera’s “Jack and the Beanstalk.”  Yellowstone National Park’s Zone of Death.  Today’s TV Trope: Human Snowball.  CBS Storybreak’s “Grinny.”  Homer Simpson tries to catch a rabbit.  Iceman in X-Men #1.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Hardee’s Gift Checks (1970s)  Totally Rad Christmas  ****  “Santa and the Three Bears” © 1970 Tony Benedict Productions.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.

🎄It’s 1979, and an evil king is having abandonment issues after his entire kingdom left, so he made an army of robots instead of going to therapy.  The Advent Calendar House has once again emerged from hibernation after declaring 4 more months of winter to pretend it’s still winter.  🎙 Gerry Davila from Totally Rad Christmas, Matt Spaulding from North Pole Radio, and Jeff Loftin from the Lost Christmas Podcast join us as we encounter what might be the least Christmassy Rankin/Bass Christmas special, featuring a friendlier version of Jack Frost, a groundhog dressed like a pro wrestling manager, and the wintry weather neighbors of those angels your grandmother told you were bowling whenever there was a thunderstorm.  📺 You can watch “Jack Frost” on Tubi.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Toei Animation’s “The Little Mermaid” (1975)  Gilbert Gottfried on his favorite death scene: Buddy Hackett as Lou Costello in “Bud and Lou.”  Today’s TV Trope: Inevitable Waterfall.  The Christmas tradition of “dream presents” is like the dinner scene from “Hook.”  February 2 is Candlemas, the 40th day of Christmas.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Pennsylvania Lottery: Like Holiday Morning, starring Gus, the 2nd most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania (2018)  Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Hedgehog Day (1992)  ****  “Jack Frost” © 1979 Rankin/Bass Productions.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.

🎄It’s 1994, and the Jeffersons are poisoning Metropolis with greed spray from toy atomic space rats.  🎙 Gerry Davila, Paxton Holley, and Jeeg join us on an unpredictable flight through the first Christmas episode of “Lois and Clark,” written by Dean Cain and starring Sherman Hemsley as the Toyman and Isabel Sanford as his reluctant assistant, plus Denise Richards, Dick Van Patten, Doug Llewellyn, and terrible special effects.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  C.T. brings up this episode and Jeeg seals his fate on Nerd Lunch’s “Nerdstradamus 2013 Redux.”  Winslow Schott’s plan to dump his greed toxin into Metropolis’s water supply is similar to Scarecrow’s plan in “Batman Begins.”  Progressive Insurance “Barbie” Commercial.  Denise Richards (Angela) in “Tammy and the T-Rex.”  Eddie Jones (Jonathan Kent) in “A League of Their Own.”  Christmas at Graceland.  Totally Rad Christmas on “It’s Gary Shandling’s Christmas Show” featuring Dom Irrera (Hecklebaum).  Homer Simpson licking poisonous toads.  Today’s TV Trope: Anticipatory Breath Spray.  “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by The Pretenders.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Burger King Holiday Disney Glasses Commercial (1994)  Children First “Read a Book” PSA featuring Brett Butler (1994)  Totally Rad Christmas. ****  “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” and “Season’s Greedings” © 1994 Warner Bros. Television.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.

💝 Previously on the Advent Calendar House, we visited the Easter Bunny’s underground nightmare factory in “The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Surprise.”  This time, it’s 1982, and love and hockey are in the air we get all warm and fuzzy with the Bear Family’s Valentine’s Day capers.  🎙️ Gerry Davila from Totally Rad Christmas joins us as Brother Bear gets stalked by a secret admirer, and his Papa’s public displays of affection send him into orbit.  📺 You can watch “The Berenstain Bears’ Comic Valentine” for free on YouTube.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  The Broad Street Bullies.  Totally Rad Christmas on Chuck E. Cheese.  Homer Simpson’s rabbit trap.  The bottom brick scene in ”Bloodsport.”  A set of clips from this special set to “Let’s Hear It for The Boy” by Deniece Williams.  ****  📼 Commercial:  McDonald’s Berenstain Bears Happy Meal Toys (1986)  ****  “The Berenstain Bears’ Comic Valentine” © 1982 Joseph Cates Co., Inc.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.

🎄 November 1st is Christmas Podcast Day! I don’t make the rules; I just use the hashtag.  🎙 Gerry Davila from Totally Rad Christmas and Matt Spaulding from North Pole Radio join us as on a very important mission to dig up the original animated adventures of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in a 1948 short film that predates the song.  📺 You can watch “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” courtesy of the Library of Congress.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s First Starring Film Role (Library of Congress, 2014)  The 1951 re-release, featuring the new “Rudolph” song.  The Advent Calendar House episode on Rankin/Bass’s “Rudolph.”  Disney’s Very Merry Christmas Sing-Along Songs.  Water Polo, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & Chevrolet: The Life of Jam Handy (Collegiate Water Polo Association, 2019)  Matt’s Little Golden Book of Rudolph, illustrated by Richard Scarry.  Paul Wing’s Rudolph record from 1947.  “Rudolph’s 2nd Christmas.”  George Klensinger, who arranged the original Silent Night intro, also composed “Tubby the Tuba.”  “The Biggest, Most Beautiful Christmas Tree.”  James Bond and Blofeld fight on a bobsled in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”  Ear trumpets, and Daisy Duck’s mother using one in “Donald’s Diary.”  ****  📼 Commercials:  Closer to Christmas.  ****  “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” ©1948 The Jam Handy Organization.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.

🎄 Santa falls off the roof, and a guy who acts like a caveman takes over his job.  🎙 Gerry Davila from Totally Rad Christmas and Sean Sotka from the Christmas Podcasts Podcast join us as we close out another countdown to Christmas in July with a sleigh ride back to the Stone-Age Year of Our Lord 1977.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Our episode on the Fruity Pebbles Christmas Commercial.  I found a Flintstones chronology on, of all places, Flickr.  The Internet Archive’s VHS Vault.  Domino Rally.   I want to know more about Santa’s reindeer turn signals.  “Daze Before Christmas” for Super Nintendo and Mega Drive (Genesis).  Virginia Gregg (Mrs. Claus) was the uncredited voice of Norman Bates’s mother in the first 3 Psycho movies.  Santa’s workshop should have gotten Flintstone Theming.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Fruity Pebbles: Rapping Barney (1988)  Voice Command Crusher RC Car (1993)  Behind the Bells.  ****  “A Flintstone Christmas” © 1977 Hanna-Barbera Productions.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.

🎄 Tune in as we mysteriously float back to 1983 for an unseasonably warm Christmas adventure through Mexico with our cool grandma and a talking Rubik’s Cube with more powers than Superman.  🎙️ Gerry Davila from Totally Rad Christmas join us for a puzzling revisit to “Rubik, the Amazing Cube,” a Saturday morning cartoon that lasted an even shorter amount of time than the fad it tried to cash in on.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  The History of Rubik’s Cube.  The theme song by pre-Ricky Martin Menudo.  Ángela Moya, the voice of the kids’ mother, played a small but grim part in “Gleaming the Cube.”  An ode to the family station wagon.  An archived, early-Internet Rubik fan site.  Las Posadas.  Date a TV show by adding a CB radio.  Rubik ending up in an eagle’s nest reminded me of “The Polar Express.”  Reynoldo’s speed cubing skills compared to the real-life Rubik’s Cube world records in 1983 and today.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Cap’n O.G. Readmore (1985)  Cap’n Crunch Cereal: Crunch vs. Taste (1985)  An Alpha Bits Cereal commercial that’s clearly still trying to ride the Pac-Man wave, but I’m not complaining (1985)  ****  “Rubik, the Amazing Cube” and “Rubik’s First Christmas” © 1983 Ruby-Spears Enterprises, Inc.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.

🎄 It’s Christmas Eve in the Advent Calendar House as we walk through a ring of fire back to 1982 to dance with the Smurfs and watch goodness make the badness go away.  🎙 Thom Crowe from Tis the Podcast and Gerry Davila from Totally Rad Christmas join us for a heaping help of Greedy Smurf’s cauldron of pink pudding.  📺 You can watch “The Smurfs’ Christmas Special” for free on YouTube.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  My son thinks the king of Hyrule is Santa.  I just now learned about Watergate salad.  The Smurfs in theme parks.  Danny Goldman (Brainy Smurf) in “Young Frankenstein.”  Paul Winchell (Gargamel) invented an artificial heart.  The mysterious Stranger may or may not be the actual Devil.  Teaser for a new Smurfs animated series.  ****  📼 Commercial:  The Smurfs at Kings Dominion (1984)  ****  “The Smurfs” and “The Smurfs’ Christmas Special” © 1982 Hanna-Barbera Productions.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.