Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977)

Instant Favorite.

Fantastic!

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.Following an introduction by Kermit the Frog, the story tells of Emmet Otter and his Ma, a widow who scrapes by on the small amount of money she gets from doing laundry and that Emmet gets from doing odd jobs around their home in the town of Frogtown Hollow despite both of them often being cheated. Some of the people who cheated them are Old Lady Possum and Gretchen Fox (the wife of Mayor Harrison Fox) of Waterville. As Christmas approaches, they hear of a talent contest in the nearby town of Waterville and separately decide to enter to buy nice presents for each other: a nice guitar for Emmet, or a piano for Ma. However, in a twist on The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, they must sacrifice each other's livelihood for the talent contest. Ma hocks Emmet's tools for dress fabric while Emmet turns Ma's washtub into a washtub bass for a jug band. Emmet assembles Wendell Badger, Harvey Beaver, and Charlie Muskrat as the Frogtown Hollow Jubilee Jug Band. There is several versions of this special around. HBO has one version. Broadcast Television has several versions. Buy the DVD however. It has the best version around. It also has an informative making of special!

This film is getting some rave reviews, and I just do not know why. I have a little more respect now that I know the film is from 1977, but it does not change the fact that the story is boring and I could barely stand it after the first eight minutes.I do not care about Emmet Otter or his family. I do not care about his mother's really poor business sense. I do not care for the songs. The only thing I found worthwhile about this movie was that the DVD has some outtakes that made me laugh (though even these wear on after a bit).Unless you grew up with this, I really doubt you will enjoy it. Watch some other Jim Henson movie, or something else entirely.

Yes, same thing, couldn't wait for HBO to show this every year, do they still? Would like to own a copy.Yes, same thing, couldn't wait for HBO to show this every year, do they still? Would like to own a copy.Yes, same thing, couldn't wait for HBO to show this every year, do they still? Would like to own a copy.Yes, same thing, couldn't wait for HBO to show this every year, do they still? Would like to own a copy.Yes, same thing, couldn't wait for HBO to show this every year, do they still? Would like to own a copy.Yes, same thing, couldn't wait for HBO to show this every year, do they still? Would like to own a copy.Yes, same thing, couldn't wait for HBO to show this every year, do they still? Would like to own a copy.Yes, same thing, couldn't wait for HBO to show this every year, do they still? Would like to own a copy.Yes, same thing, couldn't wait for HBO to show this every year, do they still? Would like to own a copy.Yes, same thing, couldn't wait for HBO to show this every year, do they still? Would like to own a copy.

It's hard for me to imagine that I was four years old when Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas debuted. I can vividly remember watching it for the first time, as I was hooked from the moment Emmet and Ma sing "Aint' no hole in the washtub". So, to my pleasant surprise, I was at Target the other day, and saw that Emmet Otter was on DVD. For $12.99, it was well worth the price. So, I popped into my DVD player, and my wife and I sat back and enjoyed it. Heck, I felt like that little boy who watched it for the first time so many years ago.To be honest here, I think Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas doesn't get the respect and appreciation it deserves. It should be one of those shows that is played during the Christmas holidays (Like A Charlie Brown Christmas, or How the Grinch stole Christmas, etc.). EOJBC is in every way a classic like those shows. Sad reality is that most folks I know have never heard of Emmet Otter. HBO used to play this at every Christmas, but they stopped doing it year's ago. Why they did, I have no clue, but I know that it was played on other TV channels for a few years, and then it was gone. Thank goodness it found life on DVD.I think what impresses me the most about this show is that, for its' time (1977), EOJBC was a stroke of creative genius. Yeah, sometimes you see the strings that are controlling the movements of the muppets, but for the most part, you marvel at the vision Jim Henson had in creating the towns of Watervlle and Frog Hollow. And the songs are a real treat. You'll find yourself humming "Bar-B-Q". It is a catchy song.