It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

Mickey Rooney plays Mike Halligan, a retired cop from Manhattan living in California with his family who decides to show his grandson, who has never seen snow before, what a real white Christmas in New York is like. But he dies from a sudden heart attack in which Halligan makes a deal with the Archangel of Heaven to return to Earth for a week until Christmas and show his grandson the seasonal glories of New York City.

The film is so well made that you can overlook the flaws. The casting is spot on. There is never a dull moment.

The film works so well because it does make New York City a co-star. I also love the bound between Mickey and Scott.

The film is not available on DVD. You can get used VHS copies. Originally running 96 minutes I am afraid that if the film is shown on commercial television that they will cut about 12 minutes out! If you see a VHS buy it.

I actually think this is one of the most underrated Christmas movies ever made. Maybe I'm a sucker for the Christmas tales I watched when I was younger (not that long ago), but I have a special place for this movie in my memory.

I just always thought this movie about a grandfather and his grandson, spending some special days in New York, made me smile during the holidays, and it always made me remember the song with the same title.

I think Mickey Rooney is at his best here, and it also showcases a young Scott Grimes as a likable, everyday kid. I also enjoyed him in "The Night They Saved Christmas", another good-time Christmas flick that came out the same year.

It may not be one of the most WELL-MADE movies of the era, nor is it without the schmaltz of every Christmas movie, but I like to think that the Holidays would not be complete without the token cheesy-storyline movie.

It's unfortunate that this movie is no longer played on TV or available for retail purchase. It can however be purchased (for a substantial wad of cash) from eBay or Half.com. I give it nine stars for being one of the best of its genre (Family Holiday Movie). It's wholesome without being too cloying. There are a few scenes of heaven and angels but it isn't dreadfully religious. The young child star in this movie, Scott Grimes, is a great actor. He is a nice, kind but not disgustingly cutesy kid (how I miss this sort of low-key child acting in movies today). Mickey Rooney and Scott Grimes have a believeable synergy in this movie. I really miss watching this movie on TV. I watched it repeatedly during the couple of years it was playing, which is something I don't usually do. It's as good as Miracle on 34th Street, so why did it disappear from our radar?

I'll have to add my voice to the others asking why this movie hasn't been shown in years. It was one of the better made for TV Christmas movies. Put it out on DVD, please.

One thing I'll always remember about this movie is this: the last time I remember seeing it was in 1986 right after the birth of my daughter. She was about two days old. The scene of Mickey Rooney in heaven caught her eye and she couldn't take her eyes off the screen. We wondered if it was just the contrast of the stereotyped view of the overbearingly "white" of heaven or if perhaps she was seeing something comfortably familiar. Whatever the reason, she didn't pay any attention to the TV again for months and months.

This is the best Christmas movie I've ever seen. It's sweet, funny, and sad, and it really brings out the Christmas spirit in everyone. I haven't seen it in a really long time, but I look for it in the TV guide every year at Christmas. I hope they bring it back to Tv.