What's on TV? Sunday, December 25, 1955

Merry Christmas, everyone! As TV Guide mentions in its Christmas programming preview, the networks will be devoting Christmas Day almost exclusively to special programming. We covered some of these on Saturday, but that was only the tip of the Christmas tree, so to speak, so let's see what else is in store in this Chicagoland edition.

With Christmas Day falling on Sunday, many of the morning's regular religious programs have a Christmas theme, including Look Up and Live (8:30 a.m. CT, CBS), with Merv Griffin, Bruce Buckley, and the Mary Anthony Dancers providing the musical entertainment, plus jazz expert Rev. Alvin Kershaw. WTMJ is back with a Christmas morning service from Mt. Olive Lutheran Church (9:00 a.m.), and NBC presents the Christmas Day Service from Washington National Cathedral (10:00 a.m.); this is another tradition which NBC carried into the 1980s. 

The CBS science program Adventure (2:30 p.m.) shows how Christmas is celebrated in different parts of the world, with a remote from a convent in Bethlehem, Connecticut that displays Nativity sets from all races and cultures. That's followed at 3:00 p.m. by This Day We Celebrate, with informal Christmas readings are given by Rosalind Russell, Danny Thomas, Ann Blyth and Frank Lovejoy. At 4:00 p.m., Omnibus presents a semi-staged performance of Handel's "Messiah" with Leonard Bernstein conducting the Symphony of the Air. Fortunately, that broadcast has been preserved, and can be seen here (part one) and here (part two). On You Are There (5:30 p.m., CBS), Walter Cronkite and his reporters join George Washington in his famous Christmas crossing of the Delaware.

Even Dr. Benjamin Spock gets into the act; his childcare advice program (2:00 p.m., NBC) features a choir and narration of the Christmas story. And while it's not, strictly speaking, a Christmas show, Meet the Press (5:00 p.m., NBC) has, as its special guest, poet Robert Frost, talking about the place of poetry and the poet in American culture. Norman Cousins is among the panelists.

In primetime, ABC offers a special Christmas presentation of the movie classic The Red Shoes (6:30 p.m.), starring Moira Shearer, and featuring a ballet based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale of the same name. (A pity it wasn't shown in color, but you can see that here.) On NBC, It’s a Great Life (6:00 p.m.) repeats its Christmas show, "There Is a Santa Claus," in which a small boy’s faith in Santa is restored and three skeptics see something to astonish them. The Loretta Young Show (9:00 p.m.) sees its star return from her illness to play a waitress whose faith in the Christmas spirit is restored in "Christmas Stopover." Over on CBS, Ed Sullivan's Christmas show (7:00 p.m.) is for the kids, with an ice show, puppets, animal acts, and bell ringers. And on Appointment with Adventure (9:00 p.m.), "A Touch of Christmas" stars James Daly in a story of Civil War soldiers at Christmastime.

The day ends with WBKB's midnight triple feature of half-hour made-for-TV Christmas stories: "Christmas for Sweeney," "Joe Santa Claus,' and Vincent Price's "Christmas Carol." Combined with the programs we looked at on Saturday, it shapes up to be quite a day, doesn't it? 

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	-2- WBBM (CBS)
	MORNING
	8:30	Look Up and Live—Religion Guests: Merv Griffin, Rev. Alvin Kershaw, Bruce Buckley, the Mary Anthony Dancers
	9:00	Christmas Party   SPECIAL
	10:00	MOVIE—Western “Bandits of the Badlands”
	11:00	Winky Dink & You
	11:30	Hollywood on Broadway “Emergency”
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	Range Rider—Western
	12:30	Gene Autry—Western
	1:00	MOVIE—Western “Thunder River Feud”
	2:00	Talkaround—Kids
	2:30	Adventure—Science
	3:00	This Day We Celebrate   SPECIAL  Guests: Rosalind Russell, Danny Thomas, Ann Blyth, Frank Lovejoy
	3:30	Playhouse—Drama “Heart of Gold”
	4:00	Omnibus—Cooke “The Messiah” with Leonard Bernstein, William Warfield, Adele Addison, Gloria Lane
	5:30	You Are There “Washington Crosses the Delaware”
	EVENING
	6:00	Lassie—Drama
	6:30	Private Secretary
	7:00	ED SULLIVAN
	8:00	G.E. THEATER “A Child is Born”
	8:30	HITCHCOCK PRESENTS “The Cheney Vase”
	9:00	APPOINTMENT WITH ADVENTURE—Drama “A Touch of Christmas”
	9:30	WHAT’S MY LINE?
	10:00	SUNDAY NEWS SPECIAL
	10:15	HARMON’S WORKSHOP
	10:30	HOUR OF INTRIGUE
	11:30	MOVIE—Musical “Jamboree”
	12:00	Playhouse—Drama

 

 

	4  WTMJ (MILWAUKEE) (NBC)
	MORNING
	8:45	Man to Man—Religion
	9:00	Church Services—Religion
	10:00	Christmas Day Service   SPECIAL  From Washington National Cathedral
	11:00	This Is the Live—Religion
	11:30	To Be Announced
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	MOVIE—To Be Announced
	1:30	A Star Shall Rise   SPECIAL
	2:00	Dr. Spock—Child Care
	2:30	Zoo Parade   COLOR
	3:00	His Way, His Word—Religion   DEBUT
	3:30	Assignment: India—Documentary   SPECIAL    COLOR
	4:30	Captain Gallant—Adventure
	5:00	Soldiers of Fortune
	5:30	Roy Rogers
	EVENING
	6:00	It’s a Great Life
	6:30	Frontier
	7:00	VARIETY HOUR Host: Robert Paige. Film clip from “White Christmas” This is the final show
	8:00	ALCOA HOUR “Amahl and the Night Visitors”
	9:00	LORETTA YOUNG SHOW—Drama “Christmas Stopover”
	9:30	NEWS—Kelly and Clark
	10:00	WATERFRONT—Drama
	10:30	PEOPLE’S CHOICE
	11:00	Big Town—Drama
	11:30	NEWS
	11:35	MOVIE—Drama “The Sullivans”

 

 

	-5- WNBQ (NBC)
	MORNING
	8:00	The Christophers—Religion
	8:30	Sunday Funnies—Kids
	9:00	Bible Times—Stories
	9:15	The Pulpit—Religion
	9:30	American Forum—Panel
	10:00	Christmas Day Service   SPECIAL  From Washington National Cathedral
	11:00	Pet Show—Ned Locke
	11:15	Industry on Parade
	11:30	Cowboy G-Men—Western
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	Terry and the Pirates
	12:30	Frontiers of Faith
	1:00	American Inventory
	1:30	Youth Wants to Know—Panel
	2:00	Dr. Spock—Child Care
	2:30	Zoo Parade   COLOR
	3:00	His Way, His Word—Religion   DEBUT
	3:30	Assignment: India—Documentary   SPECIAL    COLOR
	4:30	Captain Gallant—Adventure
	5:00	Meet the Press Guest: Robert Frost
	5:30	Roy Rogers
	EVENING
	6:00	It’s a Great Life
	6:30	Frontier
	7:00	VARIETY HOUR Host: Robert Paige. Film clip from “White Christmas” This is the final show
	8:00	ALCOA HOUR “Amahl and the Night Visitors”
	9:00	LORETTA YOUNG SHOW—Drama “Christmas Stopover”
	9:30	JUSTICE—Drama “End of a Chase”
	10:00	WEATHER—Clint Youle
	10:10	DORSEY CONNORS—Ideas
	10:15	NEWS—Alex Dreier
	10:30	SPORTS—Norm Barry
	10:45	PATTI PAGE—Songs
	11:00	MOVIE—Drama “Tales of Robin Hood”

 

 

	-7- WBKB (ABC)
	MORNING
	9:00	The World Tomorrow
	9:30	Dr. Preston Bradley—Talk
	10:00	MOVIE—Drama “Alice in Wonderland” (English; 1951)
	11:30	Faith for Today—Religion
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	Joe Palooka—Drama
	12:30	Amateur Hour—Talent
	1:30	Wild Bill Hickok—Western
	2:00	Long John Silver—Adventure
	2:30	Andy’s Gang—Kids
	3:00	Captain Z-Ro—Adventure
	3:30	Rin Tin Tin—Drama
	4:00	Super Circus—Variety
	5:00	Cisco Kid—Western
	5:30	Soldiers of Fortune
	EVENING
	6:00	You Asked for It—Requests
	6:30	Famous Film Festival “The Red Shoes” (1948) Part 1
	8:00	CHANCE OF A LIFETIME
	8:30	AMATEUR HOUR
	9:00	LIFE BEGINS AT 80
	9:30	THEATER—Drama “Rain Forest”
	10:00	BIG LEAGUE BOWLING
	11:30	Ulmer Turner Calling
	12:00	Theater—Triple Date (1) “Christmas for Sweeney” (2) “Joe Santa Claus” (3) “A Christmas Carol”

 

 

	-9- WGN (Du Mont)
	MORNING
	8:30	The Ten Commandments
	8:45	The Christophers—Religion
	9:00	MOVIE—Western “Thunder Pass”
	10:00	MOVIE—Western “Abilene Town”
	11:00	MOVIE—Drama “Kid Monk Baroni” (1952)
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	MOVIE—Western “Winds of the Wasteland”
	1:00	MOVIE—Comedy “Tucson” (1949)
	2:00	MOVIE—Comedy “Arthur Takes Over” (1948)
	3:00	CHAMPIONSHIP BOWLING
	4:00	MOVIE—Drama “The Strange Mr. Gregory”
	5:00	MOVIE—To Be Announced
	EVENING
	6:00	Life with Father—Comedy
	6:30	Chicago by Lyon—Variety
	7:00	FAITH OF OUR FATHERS
	7:30	SUCCESS STORY—Nagel
	8:00	MOVIE—Drama “A Christmas Carol” (English; 1951)
	10:00	MOVIE—Drama “It’s a Wonderful Life” (Chicago TV Debut)
	11:30	NEWS—Les Nichols
	11:45	Beauty Secrets—Tips

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