The Donny and Marie 1978 Christmas Show
by Art Fisher
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DVD details
Actor: Donny Osmond, Jay Osmond, Jim Connell, Johnny Dark, Marie OsmondDirector: Art Fisher
Brand: RESPOND2 ENTERTAINMENT
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 47 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-11-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Respond 2
DVD Reviews of The Donny and Marie 1978 Christmas Show
DVD Review: Good Christmas Special
Summary: 5 Stars
Why don't they make Christmas specials anymore? They are fun to watch. I have to disagree with one of the previous reviews a little. I think the Christmas spirit died in the entertainment industry in the 90s. That's when everything turned bitter and sarcastic. Nowadays, they'd rather make cheap, unwatchable reality shows than a good production. Oh well, we DO have dvds to enjoy, thankfully!
I like Christmas programs and this one has music, dancing, and humor in it. I think people who put down this kind of show are either jealous or just don't know what good clean fun is all about. It makes you feel good.
Recommended if you like watching something that has no foul language, no tasteless jokes, no bitter sarcasm, just corny humor at times. Safe for family viewing. You won't find this kind of thing on tv today. At least we can play our DVDs over and over.
DVD Review: Fabulous. Mostly music and mostly great. No live performance.
Summary: 5 Stars
Overall: Fabulous.
This is Donny & Marie's third Christmas special. This is not the one that features the outdoor concert, that's 1977.
It's almost wall to wall music. There are no non-musical comedy segments, no guest stars, and a minimum of talking, impressive. Sadly it does not feature any live performance.
Only one segment falls a little flat - the rooftop segment. The dancing and production is good, but the song isn't very good. Marie over acts in a style of performance that's really gone out of style now. As Donny relates in some interviews, he had to unlearn much of his performing style since it now seems pass?. The constant smiling and overt playing to the audience. It's interesting to see Marie performing this way and inasmuch as it seems old fashioned that gives you some insight into your own evolution of taste.
The final two songs are sensational. An arrangement of "Silent Night" set against another tune and a final climax number with the entire family. Several other songs in the show are great.
Donny & wife Debbie sing "Three Times a Lady" to each other to very good results. Debbie sings in a slight Osmond style and way better than I expected, actually very good. Donny is electrifying in this piece and the saccharine level may move you, it did me.
The Osmond brothers appear throughout but do not get prominently featured. Jimmy gets a solo song and featured in a few other segments, he comes off well.
The concert segment is a relative disappointment, it isn't as ambitious as other concert productions from Donny & Marie had been. It doesn't feature any live performance at all and does not feature any instrumental sections. It's not that long. That said, it still delivers an electrifying Donny & Marie duet up front and when the duet adds in Jimmy for a third voice the voltage is just that much higher.
Even at this early stage (1978) the size of the Osmond clan is impressive with 2 parents, 9 children (most with associated wives), and a gaggle of grandkids.
The Osmond wives sing a number in the talent show segment and it's ok. It ups the saccharin content but for historical purposes it would have been better to see an ambitious Osmonds production.
The Osmond men sing through a comedy cooking segment production number. It's ok.
George & Olive sing a duet by themselves - yet another saccharine over music moment. It's not great singing but it's a nice moment.
There is an Osmond band segment during the talent show segment that comes off a little weak. It's painfully obvious that none of the instruments are actually being played. Merrill repeats yet again his banjo playing. Dad Osmond gets a bass solo which is just throwing it in our faces that we're watching air guitar. I don't know how good Donny is at piano but I'm pretty sure he's nowhere near as good as what we hear him play - we don't get to see his hands. Even so, it's good.
The religious content is not in your face - just standard Christmas fare from people that actually believe in it.
The overall effect, outside of the musical content, is pretty much as intended. The Osmonds come across as a tight, happy extended family with wholesome values and fun. There's some extra saccharin there but it's not so overdone that it's distracting.
Overall: A, but I was hoping for A++++
DVD Review: Beautiful Production
Summary: 5 Stars
What a beautiful production! We watch this every year around the holidays. It's just one of the most warm and cozy holiday DVDs you can buy. It brings out feelings of joy and comfort and what loving families are all about. This one's a classic.DVD Review: The Donny and Marie 1978 Christmas Show
Summary: 2 Stars
I enjoyed the show, seeing the family together enjoying a good old fashioned Christmas was great. However, it was way to short, it seemed very chopped up and very poorly put together. DVD Review: Not as Christmasy as we were hoping.
Summary: 3 Stars
This had quite a few NON-Christmas songs. Something was missing. I was looking for Donny & Marie Christmas nostalgia to share with my kids. I liked that the whole family is in it, but when the wives got to sing they should have been given better Christmas outfits than different colored SWEATshirts! Sheesh! There were some silly, natural moments, which was nice, but not enough Christmas!
Description of The Donny and Marie 1978 Christmas Show
America's Favorite siblings celebrate Christmas with the whole Osmond Family. Enjoy a white Christmas at the Osmond cabin, complete with horseback riding, snowmobiling, skiing, singing, cooking, entertaining and more! Share the memories and laughs with the whole Osmond family, including a time ever performance by the Osmond wives, meet Donny's new bride Debbie, and enjoy performances by the Osmond brothers.General DVDs
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