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Christmas Movies on the Radio

This collection includes your favorite Christmas Classics films adapted to old time radio with the original casts such as James Stewart and Donna Reed in It's a Wonderful Life!

Christmas Movies on the Radio

8 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 7 hours, 19 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
or
8 Audio CDs


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Play a sample episode from December 20, 1948:

"Miracle on 34th Street"



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Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

Its A Wonderful Life

Remember the Night
I'll be Seeing You
Miracle on 34th Street

One of the nicest traditions of the Holiday Season is Christmas Movies. There are few things better than gathering the family around a big bowl of popcorn, sitting in front of the video screen and enjoying some of Hollywood's Best from years past.

In the past, the best way to enjoy movies at home was on the radio, thanks mostly to Lux Radio Theater. The idea of Lux Radio Theater seems unlikely- why would studios give away the stories from the movies? However, it worked wonderfully. Rather than giving away the movie, Lux allowed people who would not have been able to see the original film to enjoy them. In most cases, the radio adaptation broadcast months or years after the movie's theater run, but in some cases the Lux presentation helped to generate interest in current or upcoming movies.

The first two films in our collection more Christmas presents than Christmas films. In 1939 and 1950, Lux's regular time slot fell on Christmas day. To celebrate the occasion in 1939, Lux cooperated with Disney to bring their newest film, Pinocchio, to the airwaves. This is an incredibly momentous occasion because Pinocchio would not officially premier until Feb, 1940. The story and many songs from the film would be heard for the first time on Lux Radio Theater.

The 1950 Christmas presentation of The Wizard of Oz came eleven Christmases after the film's premier, but this adaptation features Judy Garland reprising her most famous role. This time she gets to share the fun with her young daughter, Liza.

Remember the Night premiered in January of 1940, and it came to Lux just before the first Christmas of WWII. Fred MacMurray plays a rising NY Assistant District Attorney who gets the assignment to prosecute a pretty young shoplifter just before Christmas. He manages to get a continuance until after the Holidays, but with a guilty conscience he gets her bailed out. Circumstances conspire against him, and he winds up taking her home to Indiana to meet his mother. There is no romance like a Christmas Romance.

Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life is a more popular film now than it was when it was first released. Lux presented their first version of Wonderful Life in March of 1947, before the film's future fans had memorized all the lines. The adaptation features James Stewart and Donna Reed in their iconic roles.

Our Christmas Movie Collection includes three different versions of Miracle On 34th Street, the Christmas week shows on Lux in 1947 and 1948, and Screen Director's Playhouse in 1949. All three of these Radio plays star Edmund Gwenn, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Santa Claus.

It's a Wonderful Life was originally conceived as a vehicle for Cary Grant and not James Stewart, but Cary Grant moved on to other projects before an acceptable script was written. By the time Capra was ready to begin filming, Grant committed to the third classic Christmas picture of 1947, The Bishop's Wife.

Grant first signed on to play the Bishop, but his suave manner made him a natural to play the Angel, so he and David Niven swapped parts. We can all agree that Cary Grant is more believable as a smarmy Angel who falls for the Bishop's Wife than the straight laced Bishop!

The studio never expected Miracle On 34th Street to become a Christmas classic. Before production, the project was considered a B Picture. After it was shot, it was such a delightful film that the studio could not wait to begin make money on it. The "Christmas Classic to be" was released in May of 1947.

The great thing about having these great Christmas Movies in their Radio Adaption form is that you can enjoy them any time during the Holiday Season, whether you are driving to Grandmother's house or in the kitchen putting raisins in the belly buttons of your gingerbread men.

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

These classic recordings are available in the following formats:

  • Show Rating

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    COMMENTS

    Hours and hours of entertainment. Makes me wish I was listening on a big, old fashioned radio in front of a roaring fire. OTRCAT is the BEST!

    Vollie

    Faithful, familiar and great production value; this will become an annual listening tradition

    Rob Verified Purchase

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  • MP3 CDs are delivered by mail. These archival quality MP3 CDs are playable in your computer and many MP3 player devices.



    8 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 7 hours, 19 min
    8 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 7 hours, 19 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 8 shows - total playtime 7 hours 19 minutes
    2. Lux 391225 243 Pinocchio.mp3
    3. Lux 411222 331 Remember the Night.mp3
    4. Lux 451224 507 I'll Be Seeing You.mp3
    5. Lux 470310 562 It's a Wonderful Life.mp3
    6. Lux 481220 637 Miracle on 34th Street.mp3
    7. Lux 501225 726 The Wizard of Oz.mp3
    8. Lux 550301 912 The Bishop's Wife.mp3
    9. SDP 491223 048 Miracle On 34 th Street.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    8 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 7 hours, 19 min
    8 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    total playtime 7 hours, 19 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 8 shows - total playtime 7 hours 19 minutes
    2. Lux 391225 243 Pinocchio.mp3
    3. Lux 411222 331 Remember the Night.mp3
    4. Lux 451224 507 I'll Be Seeing You.mp3
    5. Lux 470310 562 It's a Wonderful Life.mp3
    6. Lux 481220 637 Miracle on 34th Street.mp3
    7. Lux 501225 726 The Wizard of Oz.mp3
    8. Lux 550301 912 The Bishop's Wife.mp3
    9. SDP 491223 048 Miracle On 34 th Street.mp3
  • Standard Audio CDs are delivered by mail on archival quality media with up to 60 minutes on each CD and play in all CD players



    8 recordings on 8 Audio CDs. Total playtime 7 hours, 19 min
    8 recordings on 8 Audio CDs
    total playtime 7 hours, 19 min

    Christmas Movies on the Radio Disc A001

    1. Lux 391225 243 Pinocchio

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Christmas Movies on the Radio Disc A002

    1. Lux 411222 331 Remember the Night

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Christmas Movies on the Radio Disc A003

    1. Lux 451224 507 I'll Be Seeing You

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Christmas Movies on the Radio Disc A004

    1. Lux 470310 562 It's a Wonderful Life

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Christmas Movies on the Radio Disc A005

    1. Lux 481220 637 Miracle on 34th Street

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Christmas Movies on the Radio Disc A006

    1. SDP 491223 048 Miracle On 34 th Street

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Christmas Movies on the Radio Disc A007

    1. Lux 501225 726 The Wizard of Oz

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Christmas Movies on the Radio Disc A008

    1. Lux 550301 912 The Bishop's Wife

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

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