Now, Classic TV and Christmas go together like marshmallows and cocoa. The season has given us dozens of memorable Christmas episodes, not to mention those classic specials we tune into year after year. Some of the greatest Yuletide tunes have come from TV, too. One of my favorites is Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas… Some say it’s the greatest Christmas album of all time.
Of course, the small screen has also led to handfuls of novelty holiday tunes. MeTV.com scoured the record bins for noel standards sung by television actors. Many of them are even in character. The collection ranges from silly to serious, but they all wrap up warm and fuzzy feeling with a big red bow. Check out the awesome list below to get in a festive and nostalgic mood all at once…
1 – JACKIE GLEASON – ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS’ – 1956
A year earlier, the Honeymooners man released Lonesome Echo, a cult classic of cool easy listening that record collectors and samplers still seek out. Merry Christmas is a pine-scented spin on that string-drenched sound, with a marshmallow world of wordless voices spooned on top of golden orchestration. This is pure, condensed nostalgia.
2- WARNER BROS. STARS – ‘WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS’ – 1959
This curious collection features Roger Moore of The Saint delivering “Once In Royal David’s City,” Poncie Ponce of Hawaiian Eye singing “Mele Kalikimaka,” and Edd Byrnes of 77 Sunset Strip performing “Yulesville.” Moore’s track is a must for anyone who wants to imagine James Bond reading them Christmas stories, though Ponce’s tropical tune is a joy, too.
3- BONANZA – ‘CHRISTMAS ON THE PONDEROSA’ – 1963
The cast of the iconic western perform in character. Dan Blocker belts “Deck the Halls,” Michael Landon sings “Oh Fir Tree Dear,” and Lorne Greene croons “Christmas Is A-Comin’ (May God Bless You).” Greene and Landon were no strangers to making pop music, and they nail the mood, even if Christmas may not have been their forte.
4- DORIS DAY – ‘THE DORIS DAY CHRISTMAS ALBUM’ – 1964
The best album here, Day’s entry into the Christmas canon stands alongside those standards by Burl and Bing thanks to its fireplace warmth and icicle xylophones. Day was a few years away from her starting her television series, on which she would sing “Silver Bells,” naturally.
5- JIM NABORS – ‘JIM NABORS’ CHRISTMAS ALBUM’ – 1967
Shazam, Santa! In 1965, Nabors released his first album — in the character of The Andy Griffith Show‘s Gomer Pyle. Two years later, the spin-off series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was a smash, and for his third album, the star slipped into his deep register to deliver a booming collection of cheer.
6- THE BRADY BUNCH – ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BRADY BUNCH’ – 1970
Unlike the slick studio pop of the Partridge Family, the Bradys relied on the childish charm of its young stars. This is a cute record that highlights the higher voices of the six brothers and sisters — and Peter’s voice hardly cracks. Check out our complete guide to Brady Bunch albums.
7- THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY – ‘A PARTRIDGE FAMILY CHRISTMAS CARD’ – 1971
Just as its television show did, the Partridge Family followed the Brady Bunch Christmas album by a year. The harmony-rich holiday harvest of soft rock became the best-selling Christmas album of the 1971 season. Two of the tracks were featured in the episode “Don’t Bring Your Guns to Town, Santa.”
8- SESAME STREET – ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM SESAME STREET’ – 1975
In its sixth year on air, the landmark children’s program put out this delightful holiday platter. The full cast — Luis, Maria, Gordon, Mr. Hopper, and of course the Muppets controlled by Jim Henson — is here.
9- ANDY GRIFFITH – ‘FROSTY’S WINTER WONDERLAND’ – 1976
The Rankin-Bass sequel to the animated classic Frosty the Snowman featured the Andy Taylor / Matlock actor as a narrator. Griffith also delivered the spoken word segments on the tie-in album. Comedian Jackie Vernon, a regular on Ed Sullivan, Dean Martin and Joey Bishop’s talk shows, provided the voice of Frosty
10- CHRISTMAS SUPERHEROES – ‘HEAR THREE EXCITING CHRISTMAS STORIES WITH SUPERMAN, WONDER WOMAN, BATMAN’ – 1977
THIS IS RAD!!! A nuclear submarine under the polar icecap poses a threat to Christmas… until Wonder Woman can put an end to the nefarious affair! The bulk of our Super Sci-Fi Saturday Nights lineup teams up here for a story album featuring DC Comics’ ultimate triumvirate.
11- ANTONIO “HUGGY BEAR” FARGAS – “IT’S CHRISTMAS” – 1980
The favorite informant from Starsky and Hutch recorded this laid-back reggae number just after his series left the air. “Merry Christmas from Antonio Fargas… Huggy Bear!” he proclaims in the outro. The single only came out in Germany and the Netherlands.
12- THE THREE STOOGES – ‘CHRISTMAS TIME WITH THE THREE STOOGES’ – 1983 / 1960
The slapstick pioneers first cut a Christmas collection in 1960, which was reissued in part years later with this playful artwork featuring Curly Joe DeRita alongside Larry and Moe.
13- WILLIAM SHATNER – “GOOD KING WENCESLAS” – 2009
No singing TV stars list is complete without Shatner. It’s hard to pin down just when theStar Trek star put his pipes to this traditional tune. It evokes the spoken-word drama of his cult classic The Transformed Man from 1968, and is most easily found on The Sounds of Christmas 2009. It first popped up on a 1992 KROQ compilation We’ve Got Your Yule Logs Hangin’. Whatever the date, you can enjoy a hot cup of his Kirk-isms.
14- JOHN SCHNEIDER AND TOM WOPAT – ‘Johnny, It’s Cold Outside‘ – 2014
The Duke boys team up again for a platter of lightly tongue-in-cheek Yule songs along the lines of “Johnny, It’s Cold Outside,” as well as more standard fare. The artwork does not feature Boss Hog dressed as Santa.
Make sure to give them a spin for your retro party pleasure this Christmas!
