My Favorite Movie

In November 1970 I was serving in the Eastern State Mission and living in New York City (bigger and even more exciting than other cities).  On Thanksgiving Day we made an early morning trek through Central Park to Central Park West where we were able to see the start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  We watched the parade and then followed it down the street and down Broadway.  It was a fantastic experience,one that I will always remember.  New York City at Christmas time is an amazing place.

At the conclusion of the parade, we went to Radio City Music Hall.  It's slightly deceiving from the outside.  It looks like a regular theater.  Once you get inside, it takes on a whole new life.  The auditorium seats about 5,000 people and has a HUGE stage.  Back in the day, the main use of Radio City was as a movie/live theater.  They would play first run movies accompanied with a live stage/variety show that lasted about thirty minutes, so you got a movie and a live show for the same price.   The featured attractions of the show were the Rockettes and the famous Wurlitzer organ that could just about blow you out of your seat.  Now it is used for special events like the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the 2007 NFL Draft and some recent  music award shows.  I don't believe that they show movies there any longer.

The movie featured that Christmas season was "Scrooge" and became my favorite movie, as well as the favorite movie of ALL of my five children and wife. I have tried to see ''Scrooge" each and every year since then.  Sometimes it was hard because there were no VCRs or DVDs in the old days.  Many times we would trek down to the Avalon Theater on State Street and see it when they would do special screenings the week before Christmas.  When it was on TV in the 80's we recorded it, but it had been edited so badly that you missed the true feeling.  Then, (miracle of miracles) it became available on DVD.  I snatched up a copy and can watch it whenever I want.  I even have the soundtrack on my laptop and MP3 so I can listen to my heart's content.  It's a great take on the classic "A Christmas Carol"  by Charles Dickens.  The music is memorable and Albert Finney does a fantastic Ebeneezer Scrooge.  Anyway, that is my favorite movie.  I highly recommend it to help get you in the Christmas spirit.

After the movie we went back to the mission home where we had Thanksgiving Dinner with President and Sister Wilkinson.  On a side note, they invited Peggy Pulitzer to dinner.  She was the daughter (I think) of the guy who started the Pulitzer Prize. "

New York at Christmas is phenomenal.  Go sometime if you are able, and definitely see "Scrooge."  You can borrow my copy, but you have to promise to give it back.

Merry Christmas