Is Gerald McRaney in a lot of those? He was the hat-wearing, mustache half of the 1980s detective show, "Simon & Simon."
I've not had cable for seven years, but when I did, I would watch enough of one to see if McRaney had a large role in the film.
I used to despise this time of year more than usual whenever Hallmark Channel would preempt my beloved "Bonanza" repeats for marathons of those treacly holiday movies.
A few observations, having watched parts of many of these films:
In literally every shot of every scene, there is something visual to ensure that you don't forget you are watching a Christmas film. Lights, a wreath, a Christmas tree, etc.
If you see a fat, old, and or black character among the country club suburban white characters, the fat/old/black character's function is to make sure the country club white suburban characters fall in love. They are dedicated to the happiness of the country club white suburbanites.
The wife of a couple who had us over for Thanksgiving yesterday is a big fan of the movies. She doesn't pretend that they are any good, but she can't get enough of them, presumably watching them with kleenex within reach. She had one playing during the hors d'oeuvres/cocktail portion of the meal. It is amusing to see what actors appear. Robert Pine played the lovable but lonely (which presumably changed by the end of the movie) father/father figure in the movie playing yesterday. It sounds like her DVR is running nonstop this season.
It is amazing how popular the movies are, as I believe between Hallmark and Lifetime channels, there are over 50 brand new films. So someone is watching the films.
The now-defunct IMDb message boards had pretty dedicated fans of these types of films. Odd? Maybe, but no more odd than my enjoyment of 1950s instructional Strategic Air Command and United States Air Force films, I guess.
I admired their devotion to the Hallmark holiday "genre", and their knowledge of it. Apparently, it's a "thing", as those all-knowing, indoctrinated millenials would say.
I've had Hallmark on all day, on mute, for use as distracting eye candy while cleaning and listening to records. It's funny to listen to Gabor Szabo with these images.
The film that's on now features a middle-aged black woman in the role of the Magical Negro, helping her young, perky, white country club female friend to land the man of her dreams.
Last year, the Hallmark Channel premiered 21 new Christmas movies. Obviously, that was not nearly enough. So this year, the Hallmark Channel and its sister network, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, have stepped up their game, and they are premiering 37 new Christmas movies.
The Queen of the Christmas TV Movie is an actress named Candace Cameron Bure, starring in seven of them since 2008. And she’s back again this year with "A Shoe Addict’s Christmas," playing a “holiday hater” who gets trapped at her department store workplace on Christmas Eve and is taught the true meaning of the holiday by a guardian angel.
Does the Hallmark Channel own a studio? Where do they film all these movies and create all these fictional small towns in which they are typically set?
Ah, lighten up. These movies are "comfort food." Light entertainments usually about a stressed-out city career gal who meets a down-home guy who teaches her how to stop and smell the roses. If you don't like 'em, go back to enjoying your torture porn.
Ah, lighten up. These movies are "comfort food." Light entertainments usually about a stressed-out city career gal who meets a down-home guy who teaches her how to stop and smell the roses. If you don't like 'em, go back to enjoying your torture porn.
Sure, they're harmless enough from what I can tell. It's just a fascinating genre and modern day subculture.
