The groovy yuletide of ancient history (i.e., the 1970s) brought kids plenty of Christmas cartoons to whet their Santa appetite, but, as it turns out, there were also several Christmas Movies from the 70s worth a watch.
Even if you were an adult back then.
And even if you are an adult now. You know, since most of the 1970s adults are dead now, and all.
So, if you want to carry that deep-funk, shaggy torch, there is something for you to watch in December, whether you like family drama, ghostly retribution and lesson-teaching, or co-ed slasher fare.
Here, then, for your holiday viewing pleasure, are five Christmas movies from the 70s you need to check out THIS year and every year.
(If you’re looking for a bit, um, greasier fare, try our list of 50s Christmas movies.)
The House Without a Christmas Tree (1972)
If you like sappy, tear-jerking fare, then this movie should cut the mustard.
Happy family torn apart by the mother’s death.
Father and daughter, an only child, left to pick up the pieces.
Father too bitter about dead wife to celebrate Christmas.
Daughter’s tears melt father just enough to salvage tenuous relationship and set things up for happiness over the years.
Get your Kleenex — and your shag carpet — ready.
It Happened One Christmas (1977)
If you’ve ever longed to see Orson Welles and Cloris Leachman onscreen together in a remake-type thing of It’s a Wonderful Life, this is the made-for-TV movie for you.
Add in Marlo Thomas as the downtrodden main character and Trapper John (Wayne Rogers) as her hubby, and you’ve got about all you could want from a 70s Christmas movie.
And, oh yeah … Welles’ character name?
Henry Potter.
Has a sort of ring to it, don’t you think?
The Gathering (1977)
More made-for-TV fare, The Gathering stars Ed Asner and Maureen Stapleton as a split couple who ty to pull it back together at Christmas when Asner finds out he’s dying.
Though the title sounds a bit ominous/occult, the “gathering” in question turns out to be the kids returning to the roost to say goodbye to dad, even they don’t know what’s up.
Ostensibly.
An American Christmas Carol (1979)
Man, The Fonz could do anything. Anything!
From making girls swoon, to making juke boxes come to life with the flick of a fist, to making Richie Cunningham sorta cool, the Happy Days bad boy could make it all happen.
And then, in 1979, Henry Winkler turned that magic to Christmas and saved the soul of Benedict Slade, an American Scrooge dude who, of course, had to fight through ghosts and greed and his own mortality to figure out the true meaning of life.
Which is, of course, jumping over sharks.
Black Christmas (1974)
Christmas can’t hold a jack-o’-lantern candle to Halloween when it comes to the best holidays in the world, but at least the yuletide still offers up a horror flick now and then.
Black Christmas stars some budding household names like Margot Kidder and Olivia Hussey as sorority sisters terrorized by a madman as the big holiday descends on them.
This has become a classic slasher movie, which makes it one of the greatest yuletide pics of all time.
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