A grab-bag holiday script for a television series already struggling for ideas in only its first season. When Sally Field's intrepid Sister Bertrille makes an aged nun's holiday wish for a white Christmas come true--by dispersing pellets of dry ice into the clouds, thereby causing snow to fall over San Juan--all the tourists in the city cancel their hotel reservations and pack the airport, desperate to get back home. In her narration, Marge Redmond's Sister Jacqueline explains that, although the snow melted fast, Sister Bertrille's bright idea was a major blow to the businesses and vendors, causing the city streets to virtually empty out. None of this makes any logical sense, of course--do the tourists really think the Christmas weather will be better, say, back East?--yet the gist of the story is that Sister Bertrille can always fix what she fouls up. After everyone blames her for the snow debacle, Sister Bertrille asks, "It was my flying that got me into this mess...why not cure it the same way?" Her 'cure' is to fly over San Juan dropping donated cash from the sky, leading to a sing-song montage (in partial slow-motion!) of extras snatching and grabbing at the fluttering bills like swine after pearls. We are to believe that a mini-snow flurry will drive tourists away, but appeal to their greed and they'll gratefully come back. This is almost as grotesque as Woodrow Parfrey's horrendous performance as a bored weatherman, although Sally Field has a moment or two (particularly with Celia Lovsky as the visiting Sister Olaf) where her dramatic acting skills are apparent.
3 Reviews
Aren't The Norwegians Lutheran?
mazzella-6237729 May 2021
The plot for this episode revolves around an elderly Norwegian nun who yearns for Christmas snow like in her native country-the flaw here is that Norway is a Lutheran country, and thus unlikely to produce many nuns.
Robert Mazzella.
Robert Mazzella.
Classic TV Xmas Countdown Episode #71
kgraovac21 December 2023
To make the ailing Sister Olaf's Xmas wish for snow come true, Sister Bertrille takes to the sky sprinkling the clouds with dry ice pellets. She succeeds in her efforts, but they have a disastrous effect on the city's tourism and economy.
This is not one of the best Xmas episodes of the Sixties, but the show's premise makes it one of the more unusual ones. The best part is when Sisters Bertrille, Jacqueline and Sixto are trying to prevent Reverend Mother from finding out what they are doing as they are grinding up the ice.
There is a musical montage of Sister Bertille flying through the skies as the citizens and tourists go nuts because It's Raining Money!
Mostly interesting if you want to see a young Sally Field in a role that was a punchline for decades. 5/10.
This is not one of the best Xmas episodes of the Sixties, but the show's premise makes it one of the more unusual ones. The best part is when Sisters Bertrille, Jacqueline and Sixto are trying to prevent Reverend Mother from finding out what they are doing as they are grinding up the ice.
There is a musical montage of Sister Bertille flying through the skies as the citizens and tourists go nuts because It's Raining Money!
Mostly interesting if you want to see a young Sally Field in a role that was a punchline for decades. 5/10.
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