A Smoky Mountain Christmas (1986) (TV)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Henry Winkler

Writers:

William Bleich (co-story)
William Bleich (teleplay)

Release Date:

14 December 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy

Plot:

A country/western singer on a trip through the Tennessee mountains runs into a reclusive backwoodsman--and a witch. |

Plot Keywords:

Witch | Christmas | Appalachia

Cast

Dolly Parton	...	Lorna Davis
Lee Majors	...	Mountain Dan
John Ritter	...	Judge Harold Benton
Rene Auberjonois	...	Ned
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Ackroyd	...	Video Director
Ashley Bank	...	Mary
Daryl Bartley	...	Freddie
Danny Cooksey	...	Jasper
Dan Hedaya	...	Harry
Bo Hopkins	...	Sheriff John Jensen
Jean Speegle Howard	...	Witch (in disguise)
Rance Howard	...	Doctor / Veterinarian
Linda Hoy	...	Orphanage Owner
Gennie James	...	Cindy
Anita Morris	...	Jezebel
Chris Nash
Chad Sheets	...	Jake

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Sandollar Productions

Quotes:

Lorna Davis: [singing, trying to write a song] In the night, birds in flight...
[talking]
Lorna Davis: That makes no sense!
[resumes singing]
Lorna Davis: Birds gotta sing, fish gotta fly...
[talking]
Lorna Davis: Oh that's better, "fish gotta fly." I'm a great writer, all right.

Soundtrack:

Pretty is as Pretty Does

Made in Tennessee by Tennesseans or States Neighboring Smoky Mountains

I rated this movie high because I ranked it against other Christmas Movies. The unique thing about this movie is not only is the setting in east Tennessee, i.e. the Smoky Mountains, much of the cast are Tennesseans. Dolly Parton, Lee Majors, Bo Hopkins, and John Ritter are from Tennessee. Well, sort of they are. Lee Majors actually met and was friends with the legendary Pittsburgh and University of Tennessee football coach Johnny Majors and adopted his name. Johnny Majors is a Tennessee native and Heisman Trophy runner-up. John Ritter was the son of famous country singer Tex Ritter. Bo Hopkins is a Good 'ol boy and Greenville, South Carolina is close enough to the Smoky Mountains. And Dolly is from the Smoky Mountains. My favorite line from Bo as the sheriff to his deputy: "Never ever wake that woman." That was in reference to the character played by Anita Morris originally from Durham, NC.