Sunday, December 2, 2018

A Christmas Memory 1966

Geraldine Page won an Emmy as eccentric but loving Cousin Sook in Truman Capote's tale.


Truman’s Capote's classic A Christmas Memory, based on his boyhood, was first a fondly remembered television special aired in December of 1966. Truman was at the height of his literary career with his crime classic, In Cold Blood. A Christmas Memory is the total opposite of that epic piece of work, and is a sweet remembrance inspired by Capote’s childhood time spent with poor relatives. 
Donnie Melvin is naturally appealing as "Buddy," nicknamed by Page's Sook after a childhood friend.

The slight story, told with great feeling, shows the bond between the precocious little boy, Buddy, and his much older, eccentric cousin. Together, they prepare for their annual ritual of making fruitcakes, gifted to acquaintances and strangers that they admire. Cousin Sook, played by Geraldine Page in one of her greatest roles, has the memorable opening line: “Oh, my… it’s fruitcake weather.”
The unlikely pair head off with their dog, Queenie. They ignore the “No Trespassing” sign and pilfer pecans from a neighbor's farm, filling an old baby buggy. Later, with money earned throughout the year, they go to town to buy ingredients for their fruitcakes. Just listening to Geraldine Page recite her grocery list to the storekeeper alone is worth watching this story.
On the way home, they buy whiskey from Ha Ha Jones, an Indian who seems fearsome at first, but gives them the booze for free, in exchange for a fruitcake.
Sook and Buddy pay a visit to Ha Ha Jones to buy some hooch for their fruitcakes!

It's really a two character story, with Donnie Melvin quite appealing as little Buddy, but it is Geraldine Page's show all the way. Page was a born actress, no doubt, but she could also be an outrageous ham. As Sook, Geraldine gives one of her greatest and most subtle performances. Page is effortlessly believable as a child-like woman who has lived a small life, but with great heart. Amazingly, Page was only 42 when she played this heart-warming woman. She has a number of sweet moments, as when she refuses to sell the Christmas tree she and Buddy have cut down, to a snooty local. Or when Sook and Buddy finish off the bit of whiskey left over from baking. The lovely last scene, with Buddy and Sook flying their handmade kites on Christmas Day, with Capote’s narration and snippets of Page’s dialogue, offers a postscript to this last happy day together that is simple, yet still so touching.
The bittersweet ending to 'A Christmas Memory,' with Buddy & Sook carefree as they fly their handmade kites. 

A Christmas Memory was directed by Frank Perry, back when he made artistic films, like David and Lisa and Last Summer, before moving on to camp classics like Mommie Dearest and Monsignor. His wife Eleanor Perry helped write the teleplay with Capote. Conrad Hall (In Cold Blood) was one of the cinematographers and the score by Meyer Kupferman is both sweet and melancholy. This was filmed on location in Snowdoun, Alabama, a small town that passed for the Depression-era setting, was suggested by Truman's lifelong friend, Harper Lee.
Geraldine Page, at 42, playing a 60-something year-old spinster.

A Christmas Memory has been told in every way, from audio books to Broadway to opera. But the most memorable telling is still the Geraldine Page television version. You can find faded but watchable versions on YouTube, as well as an audio reading of A Christmas Memory by author Capote, where you can savor Truman’s way with words. Either way, enjoy.
Geraldine Page with Truman Capote.


14 comments:

  1. Hi Rick - thanks so much for covering this lovely telefilm that used to be an annual staple...I used to watch it every year. Now I need to seek it out again. Miss Page was a genius, and this is among Capote’s best work as well... love the story this is based on as well.
    Happy holiday season!

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    1. The best I could find was a somewhat faded version on YouTube. I think the lack of restoration may be related to copyright issues. It was a classic in the day!
      Cheers and have a happy holiday season as well, Chris!
      Rick

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    2. I love this version it is so heartwarming and poignant .Geraldine Page is remarkable.There is this version on Youtube and it isn't the best quality.I wish it was restored.I just ordered it from Amazon and it is in B&W,and frequently gets stuck.I had to stop watching it.There is another longer and more detailed version starring Patty Duke as Sook.It is good in it's own right yet doesn't have the magic of the original.I do have the story by Truman Capote and read it every year at this time.

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    3. Alexander, at the time Page's version of 'A Christmas Memory' was an instant classic and run every year. I think copyright issues are the culprit and it's a damn shame. There would be much interest in this TV film if it was restored...
      Thanks for writing, Rick

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  2. I had not seen that tele-film in years and so I just now watched it on YouTube, faded but still glorious. I loved every second of it and I appreciate the reminder of this wondrous classic. Lovely, poignant and extremely well acted were the words that came to my mind while watching it. I last saw this a very long time ago and had forgotten about it. Thank you.

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    1. I enjoyed seeing it after all these years, too! This gem needs to be restored! Thanks for writing, Rick

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  3. Good article here, Rick. Interesting to read this as this was the first year I was aware of the existence of this program. I have read this story annually as it is part of the book that I read every Christmas, "Christmas with Ed Sullivan". I must've read it the last 10-15 years. Something about the old girl always rubbed me the wrong way, though, I have to admit. Seeing her portrayed by Page is fitting for me as I've always been put off a bit by her! I grew up with her playing a "bar of iron" old cop's mother in "The Pope of Greenwich Village". She played it so well that I didn't like her much. Anyways, this has been an interesting discovery for me.

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    1. I recall this show as a wee lad, when my Mom used to watch it back in the day. Geraldine Page is one of those actresses I am fascinated by, as she can be incredible or incredibly over the top! Thanks for your comments, and check out some of my other posts, always like hearing what other people think about films! Cheers, Rick

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  4. Why not have this film renovated by Criterion?

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    1. I am assuming copyright issues. This was an awarded TV classic back in the day. No other reason why ABC hasn't kept up with it on DVD. Cheers, Rick

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  5. These screen captures are quite good. What version did you get them from?

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    1. There is a copy on YouTube that is decent, the best I've found. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lmjU54i6R4&t=848s

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  6. I watch this every year. Had an edited copy recorded off Channel 24 in Macon, GA, way back in the 80s. The YouTube copy is faded, but at least it's unedited. It's much superior to the Patty Duke version, which adds extra stuff like Harper Lee and her mentally unstable mom. The story is about Sook and Buddy, no one else.

    Eleanor Perry went on to do THE HOUSE WITHOUT A CHRISTMAS TREE, another classic.

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    1. Linda, there must be some reason why this and the sequel, about Thanksgiving, have fallen into faded disarray. They were both hits, especially the first, winning all kinds of awards. It usually comes down to copyright issues. But there is an okay version on YouTube, in color, in its entirety. And there's a good copy of The House Without a Christmas Tree as well on YouTube. Cheers and thanks for writing. Rick

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