"A Special Sesame Street Christmas" was first aired in 1978 and, as far as anyone can ascertain, never seen again. It's being brought to DVD for the first time ever.
Now I know what you're thinking. "No, no, no. That's been out. I've seen it. Big Bird, and Professor Beaker, and Bert and Ernie..." Sorry to tell you, but that ain't this special. That would be the Award winning "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street", which also first aired in 1978. What the huh?
"Christmas Eve On Sesame Street" was the holiday special that aired on PBS and included the usual denizens of Sesame Street. It is fondly remembered, beloved even. "A Special Sesame Street Christmas" was CBS' attempt to capitalize on the success of Sesame Street with their own low-budget special. It featured only a couple of Sesame Street puppets (Big Bird and Oscar, essentially) and only one puppeteer--no Jim Henson, no Frank Oz, no Bert & Ernie, no Kermit, no Count. CBS left all the major players back in the Children's Television Workshop and focused, instead, on getting a long list of mid-level celebrities to cameo through the show like it was an episode of The Love Boat (only not as well written). Leslie Uggams was the star, and others who no doubt hoped this would never resurface included Anne Murray, Ethel Merman, Henry Fonda, and Dick Smothers. Crap, they couldn't even spring for both Smothers Brothers! Michael Jackson--who had yet to take the music world by storm with "Off The Wall" (let alone "Thriller") even does a walk through--apparently just enough of a cameo to warrant a spot on the cover. Worst of all, the music in the special isn't even Christmas music; it's just sort of random. Anne Murray sings "You Needed Me", Ethel Merman tackles "Tomorrow" from "Annie", and Oscar does "Yakety Yak" for some unknown reason.
And yet, in spite of it all, it is definitely kinda cool that someone is making this available. I'd put this one in the same category as "The Star Wars Holiday Special" (which, wouldn't you know it, also aired on CBS in 1978). Which is to say...it was unforgivably wretched from beginning to end, I haven't seen it in 34 years and, yeah, I kinda want to see it again (and not somebody's bootlegged VHS recording on YouTube). No matter how bad any Christmas Special may be, it's probably worth seeing once every 35 years or so. Here's yer trailer.