Film News: Get Your Xmas Films on with ‘Pat & Ken At the Holidays’

Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version

CHICAGO – It’s the Eve of Christmas Eve, and what better time to figure out what the holiday film what-to-watch list will be. Enter “Pat & Ken At the Holidays,” featuring Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com and his faithful companion Ken Candela, whose off-kilter commentary has blessed him with the nickname, The Movie Wag.

Since 2009 on their YouTube channel, the holiday duo has been assessing the myriad numbers of Christmas-themed films … old, new and weird. Embedded below is an example from 2019, “The Hollywood Palace.’ In the tumultuous and divisive year of 1968, ABC-TV turned to its old pal Bing “Der Bingle” Crosby and his second family to get the nation through its year of riots, assassinations and war, with a Christmas TV special for the ages. Ho ho ho …

For the rest of the 2019 line up, click the appropriate link …

“A Christmas Carol” (1984) With George C. Scott as Scrooge, click here.



“Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” (1964) The cult classic with Pia Zadora as a Martian child and lotsa government stock footage, click here.

“Christmas in Connecticut” (1945) One of the best studio era Christmas movies ever made and featuring Barbara Stanwyck, click here.

For some of the best of Pat & Ken, click after “The Star Wars Holiday Special” (perhaps better than the current release, click here), “Santa & The Ice Cream Bunny” (click here), “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” (click here), “Prancer” (click here), “Santa Claus” (the intensely surreal Mexican film from 1959, click here) and a little ring-a-ding-ding from Dean and Frank (Sinatra) in the “Dean Martin Holiday Special” (click here).

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com