Following up on the success of last year’s Christmas-themed movies series, the Times Cinema and Avalon Theater will once again get merry in the weeks leading up to the holidays.
Every Saturday in December (as well as Christmas Day), moviegoers will get a chance to see one of six classic Christmas films. 1990’s Home Alone, which was once the third-highest grossing film of all-time (and gave the world the Talkboy), returns from last season’s series. 1983’s A Christmas Story also returns for 2016, quite possibly the best movie ever filmed in Cleveland.
New entries for this year include several films from the Golden Age of Hollywood. The original Miracle on 34th Street (1947) will show at the Times. The film has become a fixture on television during the holidays, but was actually released in May and featured promotion print material devoid of any Christmas context. The original film version of A Christmas Carol (1938) is also part of this year’s series, as is the 1954 Bing Crosby-Danny Kaye musical White Christmas. The December 10 show of A Christmas Carol will also double at the Avalon’s “Second Saturday Classic,” and will have an optional ticket add-on of a mimosa or hot chocolate, a breakfast sandwich, and Christmas cookies.
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The series wraps with screenings of It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at both the Avalon and Times. Oddly enough, the film was mostly a flop upon its initial release. The Milwaukee Journal called it “a soggy saga of an average man’s life” that only “hardy film fans” would be able to sit through. It was a snafu in the film’s copyright that helped it to become synonymous with the holidays. Between 1974 and 1993, it was considered to be a part of the public domain, meaning that television stations could air it repeatedly without owing anyone royalties. Mr. Potter would have certainly approved.
“Five Days of Christmas” Full Schedule
Admission for all films, $5
Click the dates for ticket info
Times Cinema:
Sat., Dec. 3 – 10:30 am – Home Alone
Sat., Dec. 10 – 10:30 am – Miracle on 34th Street
Sat., Dec. 17 – 10:30 am – A Christmas Story
Sat., Dec. 24 & Sun., Dec. 25 – 10:30 am – It’s a Wonderful Life
Avalon Theater:
Sat., Dec. 3 – 10:30 am – A Christmas Story
Sat., Dec. 10 – 11:00 am – A Christmas Carol (Second Saturday Classic)
Sat., Dec. 17 – 10:30 am – White Christmas
Sat., Dec. 24 & Sun., Dec. 25 – 10:30 am – It’s a Wonderful Life
