Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - Obscure Christmas Movies Encore

Episode Date: December 8, 2025

GGACP celebrates the 2025 holiday season with this ENCORE of a mini-show from 2017 as Gilbert and Frank (with an assist from Raybone) explore some lesser-known (and deservedly so, in some cases) Christmas flicks, including “Susan Slept Here,” “Pocketful of Miracles,” “A Carol for Another Christmas,” “Santa Claus vs. the Devil” and “The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t.” Also in this episode: The cinema of Sonny Fox! Grizzly Adams to the rescue! Gilbert dons a Santa suit! Frank Capra cries plagiarism! And the squirrel that saved Christmas! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Here we go, boys. One, two, three. Hi, this is Gilbert and Godfrey, I'm here with Frank Santopatra, and this is Gilbert and Frank's amazing colossal obsessions. Once again, I'd nutmeg with our engineer, Frankfurt, Roseanne. who lost three of us. Fake news. Aren't you going to introduce the other important cog in this machine?

Over here. Yes, he's the clock. The cog, I said, not clog. He's the cock. Paul Rayber. The clog in the podcast drain. I like, that's my autobiography, the clog in the machine. This is something silly.

We don't have any housekeeping to do because we just did it all. But this is, I thought we would knock out because Mario was here for the Christmas episode, which posts on Christmas Day. I thought we would knock out a quick mini episode with a Christmas theme. Ah.

And try to bring up some oddball Christmas movies. Paul has his trusty research machine. I'm already looking at one that does not ring a bell. I'm not going to go in any kind of chronological order. I just found these. I googled oddball. Christmas movies of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. And these are some of the things I've found.

I'm going to start with this one from 1950. And I say, I'm jumping around. You are not familiar with a Christmas movie called The Great Rupert. No. It is not about our wonderful podcast guest, Rupert Holmes. It is a comedy fantasy, a comedy family film produced by George Powell. Wow. Of all people.

You love George Powell. You love Seven Faces. Of Dr. Lauer with Tony Randall. Now, I found this, and I loved it. I can already hear Richard Kine screaming at his device. The Great Rupert! He loves these kind of movies. He loves the one once upon a time with Carrie Grant and the Dancing Caterpillar.

Oh. This, listen to this plot, the story revolves around a little animated squirrel, who with lots of charm helps two economically distressed families overcome their obstacles. They're obstacles at the holiday. I'm lost. Do you know this? No. With Jimmy Durante.

Wow. Yeah. Rosalinda Amandola, the daughter of happy but impoverished, former acrobats. He's in love with the boy next door. But his miserly father, Frank, insists on hiding his money from his investments in the wall of their family home. And the situation changes when Joe Mahoney, a vaudeville performer who has fallen on hard times. That's obviously Jimmy Duranty. Yeah.

shows up with Rupert the dancing squirrel Oh my God Unsatisfied with tree life Rupert gains access to the Dingle Home and unbeknownst to Frank has his bed in Frank's hidden cachet of money This is the craziest Yeah George Powell

It sounds horrible 87 minutes What do you got Paul? Anything on the great Rupert Peter Dingell is Tom Drake anybody Tom Drake? I don't I'm not for Terry Moore was in it Do you know Terry Moore from Mighty Joe Young? Oh!

And she was one of Howard Hughes's lovers. Yeah. Yeah. It's sort of Uncle Billy the motion picture. If you know Thomas Mitchell and it's a wonderful life. Okay, I stumped you with the first one. I think you've said absolutely everything that needs to be said. All right.

We'll throw it out to our listeners. If you know the great Rupert, write us about it. Fairy tales can come true. They can happen to you. if you're young at heart. You know, we never had you do Durante in any of the end of the year shows. Next year, next year we'll bake in your Duranty. Are you familiar with a Christmas movie called Susan Slept Here?

No. I continue to stump him. I know George Washington slept here. Yes, I know that one too. Jack Benny always used to make fun of how bad his movies. That one and the horn blows at midnight. Yes, yes. They used to malign.

Yeah. Which isn't that bad. They used to show it on New Year's Eve. Susan slept here, and again, I'm going to put this out to our listeners, directed by the great Frank Tashlin. Oh. Of all the Jerry Lewis comedies, artists and models and all of them. It is a romantic comedy starring Dick Powell in his final role and Debbie Reynolds. And Herb Vigran.

Do you know Herb Vigran? No. If I showed him to you, you'd know him. He was an actor with bushy eyebrows. He always played a bad guy on Superman. He talked like this. Oh, yes, yes, yes. Yeah, her vigrant.

Just saw him in White Christmas the other night. No need to go into the plot, since you don't know it, but it has something to do with juvenile delinquency and a kind-hearted cop. And it's apparently a Christmas movie. And a squirrel who saves the truth. There's no squirrel in it. But listen to this cast. Anne Francis turns up, Honey West.

Oh, yeah. Al V. Moore was the man who played. Mr. Kimball on Green Acres. Oh, God. God. Yeah. Herb Vigran, Les Tremaine. Ellen Corby, who was the grandmother on the Walton's. Okay. And Benny Rubin.

Wow. How about that? Reynolds later admitted having a mad crush on Dick Powell. He taught me common courtesy. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards. It does nothing for you. Nothing. Look.

How about that? We've stumped him twice. But the common courtesy part was nice. Okay, I'm going to fly around. Now, here's one I know you know. Oh. Because we have discussed this on another show. This is called a carol for another Christmas.

And this was the twilight. This was the one written by Rod Serling. Oh, wow. It is not a Twilight Zone episode, but it was written by Rod Serling and directed by, of all people, Joseph L. Mankowitz. Is this the one with the drunken Santa? No, that was the. Art Carney. That's a Twilight Zone episode with Art Carney.

Yeah. This is a, I believe it's a series, it was a first in a planned series of television specials. It was televised on ABC once, December 28th, 1964, and not shown again for 48 years. Wow. Until Turner Classic movies dug it up. And it includes Peter Sellers' first performance after suffering a near fatal heart attack.

Oh, geez. In 1964. It's a Scrooge story. Yeah. Three ghosts visit a bitter man. Three ghosts visit a bitter man played by Sterling Hayden. And why is he bitter? He's bitter because he lost his son during World War II.

Yes. It's a Scrooge movie with an anti-war theme. Sterling Hayden for people who don't know. I've been searching punks like this for years. He's Captain McCluskey and the Godfather. And Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangeloff? Oh, yes, yes. and many other things.

What were you going to say, Paul? The cast, you went through some of the cast. Incredible. Robert Shaw, Steve Lawrence, I don't know about eating anymore. Well, Steve Lawrence plays the ghost of Christmas past, and Pat Hingle plays the ghost of Christmas present with his nine fingers. Robert Shaw must be the ghost of Christmas future. Robert Shaw is the ghost of a pinky missing.

Yeah. Eva Marie Saint, Britta. How about this cast, Gilbert? And Pat Hingle showed up in that Twilight Zone episode where he's like, like kind of like he's an adult, but he's very henpegged by his girlfriend and mother. Yeah. And it keeps running into his friends who are still kids. Yeah.

Yeah. This is this was 84 minutes. Like I said, it aired once in 1964, written by Rod Serling, music by Henry Mancini. Wow. Of all people. So it had all this A-list talent, Joseph Mankiewicz, who made All About Eve and. And I heard Henry Mancini is one of those great composers who used to do like early horror and sci-fi movies. Yes, you mentioned that on the show a couple of times.

Yeah, I didn't know that. That's interesting. Look who else is in the cast, Ben Gazzara. Oh, my God. So we've got to get our hands on this. My boy, Ben Gazzar. Ben Gazzar, Britt Ecclund. Oh. Pat Hingles, Sterling, Hayden, Steve Lawrence.

I love Steve Lawrence in a dramatic role. Ava Marie St. Robert Shaw and Peter Sellers. Wow. And that's an eclectic cast. We've mentioned it once. And most importantly, Rod Serling Jew. Yes. You want to get that in a Christmas style.

Do you know Percy Rodriguez? He looks familiar here. I don't know Percy Rodriguez. I think he must have been on a Twilight Zone. I don't know him from the Great Rupert. Here's another one, Gilbert will know. I will. Now that I've stumped him twice.

It happened one Christmas. You know it by title. If I tell you who's in it, you'll start to figure it out. Marlowe Thomas was the lead. wait was this the remake it sure was this was the remake of it's a wonderful life it's a wonderful life and the story i heard with this is she was old set to do it and she got together with uh frank capra and she said to him i'm going to do a remake of it's a wonderful life do you have any advice for me and frank capra's advice was don't do it well

Interesting, you say that because it says after its initial airing, 40 years ago this week, by the way, 1977, it premiered December 11th. Yeah. 177. So it's 40 years old this week. After its initial airing in a New York Times follow-up article, it was revealed that Frank Capra himself, the director of It's a Wonderful Life, had denounced the remake as plagiaristic. Oh. Yes. Did you mention Orson Wells?

Orson Wells was Mr. Potter. Yeah. But they did a sex change. It's a gender reversed version of the film. And Mary Bailey Hatch is the lead character. And who shits on the table? I believe Cliff Norton. It's either Cliff Norton or Faye Bainter.

I don't know where that came from. Cloris Leachman's character is named Cloris Leachman. Her character is. Clara Oddbody. She was nominated for an Emmy for this, Cloris Leachman. Wow. For Best Supporting Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special. Barney Martin, you know that actor.

Oh, yes. She was Jerry Seinfeld's father. Yes. Marty on Seinfeld. And I remember he was also years ago in like, I think it was a vacuum cleaner commercial. We're getting obscure. Have we done an episode of vacuum cleaner? We'll do an all Barney Martin episode.

And Richard Dysart is in it? Richard Dysart from 20,000 weeks. No, there's Richard Baysart. We've been through this. It's not the Belasco Theater. It's the Belasca Theater. And it wasn't honey, honey, be my baby. Just say knock, knock, knock.

I'm getting an embolism. Richard Baysart was the actor on Voyage of the the bottom of the sea. That's what I... Richard Dysart was a totally different dude who's in being there. Well, who let both those guys be coming in... Also in the cast, Paul's hysterical.

Also in the cast, Wayne Rogers from MASH, and Christopher Guest as Harry Bailey. I'm going to assume a very young Christopher guest. It was broadcast at a time when It's a Wonderful Life rarely aired. on television. And as a result, many viewers were unfamiliar with its source material, which is a shame. When the original 46th film returned to the airwaves, the remake slipped into obscurity. There you go. And we have talked about it. It's funny because it's a wonderful life seemed to be on like every single Christmas I can remember. Yeah. And now it's on, now NBC has their clutches on it and they show it on New Year's Eve. But I'm not even sure

you can find this anymore. Perhaps it's on YouTube. Yeah. We'll put that out to our fans. So you did know that one. Yes. You were vaguely familiar with a carol for another Christmas with Ben Gazzara. And that Rod Serling is a Jew. And that Rod Serling is a Jew. Yes.

We will return to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast after this. And now back to the show. The great Rupert from Jimmy Durante and George Powell means nothing to you. Susan Slept here means nothing to you. this one. Oh. This was briefly mentioned when we had our pal Frank Conniff here. This sounds familiar. Now this one ties into a podcast guest. The Christmas

that almost wasn't. Does this mean anything? The title sounds It's Italian, it's an Italian American film. Is one of those Clint Eastwood films? No, it's not a spaghetti western. It started Rosano Brotsey and Paul Tripp. Paul Tripp was a local kitty show host of a show called

Birthday House. Ah! Okay. This doesn't mean anything to you. Was it directed by the guy who did zombie? Yes, the same guy. It was directed actually by Rassano Bratzi himself. Wow. And written by Paul Piccolo. The Italian title is Il Nadale Cicanovo.

Does that mean anything? No. No. The title almost meant something to me. Okay. Misha Hour is in it. Oh. And look who plays Mr. Prim, Sunny Fox.

Oh, wow. How about that? see that's why i brought it up so it's not a 100% fucking guinea product no there's one one jew turns up which was the original title this one jew turns up this this show does a lot for diversity don't you think it really does yeah we're going to do our our 200th show from the u.n the classic christmas movie it's about the one One Jew shows up. I got the wrong address.

Yeah. That's hilarious. Who plays the one Jew? Is it you? I guess Phil leads. We lost Phil. It's about the cancellation of Christmas. An evil man.

Phineas T. Prune. Phineas T. Apparently Santa owes Phineas T. Prune money. Ows him rent on the North Pole, and he forecloses. and Santa has to get a job at a department store. Or who is the one in West Side Story? Who's the Jew in West Side Story? Who's the candy store?

I guess he wasn't. Oh, Ned Glass? Ned Glass is the Jew who turns up. Okay. Here's a Christmas movie I know because you're in it. Yes. This is the grim adventures of Billy and Mandy. What do you have to tell us about this?

I think I recorded it and my wife was played by Carol Kane. Okay. And this, yeah, there was the Billy and Mandy show. And it's like a horror episode with Santa who's like basically like a vampire. So she plays. So Carol, our friend Carol Kane, who we've tried to book on this show, what now, Frank? seven times, eight times? We're getting closer.

She has told me that she really wants to do it. We're getting closer. Then we didn't hear it. Then she came back and we worked together again. And she said, here, add my email when you send it so they know. Okay. And then she blew us off. All right.

So we're going to get people to mail Carol Kane. Send your cards and letters to Carol Kane and beg her to do this show. Yeah, that was a fun one to do. Santa Claus is the immortal man behind the spirit of Christmas. His predicament as he's been attacked and bitten by a vampire. uh he is voiced by gilbert godfrey so there you go so and i assume at the end he returns to his mortal form and his jolly i know it i think at one point they have him chained up uh-huh and then of course uh there was buddy the elf my two christmas that's right billy and mandy and buddy the elf okay

hey is what happened with carol can the same as when you meet a girl and she gives you like the wrong phone number. I think so. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I think so. That's 1-800. Okay. Do you want to hear about this 1959 Mexican fantasy film? It's called Santa Claus directed by Renee Cardona. Oh. And co-written by Aldalfo Torres Portillo. Yes, I have that in my collection. This has been spoofed on mystery science theater. This is supposedly a terrible, terrible, listen to this

plot. Santa works in outer space and does battle with a demon sent to earth by Lucifer himself to ruin Christmas by killing Santa and making all children of the earth do evil. Let's do evil. I love this review that I read of it on a website.

They called it a Mexican fever dream of a kid's idea of a Christmas movie made by people who clearly hate children. So we can talk to Frank Conniff about that one. How are we doing on time, Frank? Where am I?

Boy, you're, you're, you're, you're doing great. Am I at 20? Let me see. I got one, two more for Gilbert. Can't get an accurate read here. Okay, how about pocketful of miracles, Gilbert? I was Betty Davis. Hey, yeah.

And who directed it? Oh. The little Sicilian, the man you mentioned before. Capra. Frank Capra. It's a remake of Capra's earlier film, Lady, for a day. Does this have anything to do with the song? Pocket Full of Miracles?

The song is from the movie. Yeah, Capra himself hated the film. Didn't Sinatra have a hit with that song? It must have been later. I'm not sure about that. Well, Sinatra had a hit with Hole in the Head, with High Hopes, rather, which was from the movie, Hole in the Head, which he also made with Capra.

This is Capra's last film. And if you read his autobiography, which is great, called The Name Above the Title, you can hear the sad tale of what happens to a great director in his supposed golden years. He had a terrible time making this movie. He cast Sinatra as Dave the dude, the lead, but Sinatra walked out due to disagreements about the script.

He then tried to cast Kirk Douglas, Dean Martin, and Jackie Gleason. Wow. To no avail. It's a Damon Runyon story about a lovable gangster. He winds up with Glenn Ford in the lead. Because he was always funny. Yeah. And a charismatic lead.

But it has a great cast. Mike Mazzirky turns up. Wow. Barton McLean. Yeah. Sheldon Leonard. Okay. Barton McLean, friendly witness.

Well, he was more than just a friendly witness. Yeah, he was turning people in left and right. Yeah. And hated the Jews. Yes. You want to get that in. Yes. Peter Fox in it.

He's very good in it. Oh. Edward Ebert Horton and Margaret, a very young Anne Margaret, playing Betty Davis' daughter. When was the movie? When was it? 1961. It's Capra's swan song.

In 1962, the song, Pocketful of Miracles, according to Wikipedia, was sung by Frank Sinatra Jr. Oh. How old would he have been in 1962? Wow. Young. Young. Yeah. Young.

Jerome Cowan, better known as I think the prosecuting attorney in Miracle on 34th. Street. Arthur O'Connell, you know that actor, Gilbert? Arthur O'Connell is one of those actors who, you know how there's those actors like Gig Young and Richard Long? Oh, that's your mistake for someone else? Arthur O'Connell always looked like Frank Ferguson. Frank Ferguson. And a little bit like Jack Albertson. Oh, yes, yes. Who did Gig Young look like? He looked like this actor Richard Long. Oh, yes. Who died young from Nanny and the Professor. Yeah, and he was in that Twilight episode. That's right. Correct. And when I watch that Twilight Zone episode where he's like a mad

doctor, I always wonder if that's where Michael Myers was watching that and got like the Dr. Evil because Richard Long is holding his pinky to his mouth. How interesting. I always heard it was a Lauren Michael's impression, Dr. Easy. Yeah, no, it was definitely Lord Michael's the voice, but the pinky to the mouth. All right. You see Richard Long doing. Well, look that up.

What was the Twilight Zone episode? It was a mad doctor, you said? Richard Long. Yeah, you look it up. We got about two minutes left. I'm going to knock these two out. One of them involves a Gilbert Gottfried podcast guest. These are two horror Christmas movies or Christmas horror movies.

Elves. Are you familiar with the movie called elves? Oh, vaguely. I'll bet our buddy McPadden would know this one. In fact, the two people who had similar voices, Lorne Michaels and Norman Mailer, both had those type of talking. Interesting.

Yeah. Yeah. You almost sounded like Jack Hawkins there. Yeah. Oh, yes. It was falling into an Alfred Hitchcock, too. Your Hitchcock story, by the way, of Pat McCormick. That was the highlight of the Billy Saluga episode.

Okay, quickly. Elves, I'll give you the plot. A Nazi doctor obsessed with eugenics. It's like the Christmas version of boys from Brazil. Decides to create a hybrid race of elves who terrorized a small town during Christmas. And the only one who can save the day is Mike McGavin, a renegade Santa Claus, played by TV's Grizzly Adams. Oh, my God. So you've got to rent that. Wow.

I have to own that one. But this one takes the cake, and then we'll go out on this. The ginger dead man. Are you familiar with the ginger dead man? No. No. Okay. Gary Busey, as a convicted, former podcast guest, Gary Busey, as a convicted killer named Millard Findlemyer.

It's hard to believe him as a crazy person. Yes. Listen to this. He sent to the electric chair only to return as. a gingerbread man cookie oh my god with a vengeance yes Gary Busey played a homicidal gingerbread man so there you go so the the twilight zone episode is called person or person's unknown oh yeah David Gurney wakes up to another ordinary day except today nobody knows who he is no I don't think so but he looks like he

young. Yeah, he does look like Gig Young, but... He could have looked like multiple people. No, there was one like, pick one, like something like, pick one your size or number two looks like

you or something. I think that's the title. Number two looks like you. Yeah. He must have been more than one, though, but he sure looks like Gig Young. I'm running out of time, Rayburn. I got to go. Wait a minute. We got to find this other Twilight Zone episode. I got to sign off. while we're rapping

Maybe he'll rap slowly Really slowly and you could look it up Yeah I'll talk for the next 10 years I don't think I want to hear Gilbert rap at all He doesn't want to hear Gilbert rap That's it for Well Gil I stumped you

Number 12 looks just like you Number 12 looks just like That's it, that's it That's it Okay, that's the one By the way I stumped you Was also the catchphrase for who was it Cody Fields.

Now, is, uh, is Gig Young the doctor in that, not Gig Young, Richard Long, the doctor? Oh my God. Richard Long is in this one, too. Yeah, okay. That's right. Richard Long came to an early end and Gig Young came to a bad end. Oh, yeah. Merry Christmas.

Yes, yeah. Gig Young killed his wife and then himself. Yeah. Okay. Okay, well, that's it. Happy holiday. It's just like a Perry Combo. These shows are so tightly scripted.

Do you think people appreciate how much work goes into fine-tuning? Every word is considered. Oh, my God. Happy holidays, everybody. Okay, Gilbert and Prang's amazing colossal obsessions. Colossil obsessive obsessions