A Dog Named Christmas | |
---|---|
Written by | Jenny Wingfield |
Directed by | Peter Werner |
Starring | Linda Emond Noel Fisher Bruce Greenwood |
Theme music composer | Jeff Beal |
Country of origin | Canada United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | Brent Shields |
Running time | 95 minutes |
Production company | Hallmark Hall of Fame |
Original release | |
Release | November 29, 2009 |
Related | |
A Dog Named Christmas is a 2009 American/Canadian television film that debuted on CBS as a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie on November 29, 2009. [1] The film was produced by Brent Shields, directed by Peter Werner and written by Jenny Wingfield, who based the script from a novel of the same name by Greg Kincaid. [1]
A tale of a young man with a learning disability, named Todd McCray (Noel Fisher) living with his parents in the rural midwest. The story takes place over a two-week period over the Christmas holidays when the local animal shelter launches an "Adopt a dog for Christmas" program. Todd's unconditional love for animals enables him to embark on an endeavour to ensure that as many dogs as possible get adopted by the local community.
One dog in particular has grabbed Todd's heart and through intermittent flashbacks, viewers slowly discover the reasons for his father's reluctance to fully support Todd's efforts.
A Dog Named Christmas is the 237th presentation by Hallmark Hall of Fame, the long-running anthology program of American television films. It was based on a novel of the same name by Greg Kincaid, which was published in 2008. He wrote the story almost ten years prior for his wife, Michale Ann, and his five children, who ranged in age from 9 to 13. Kincaid said his family hated the original story, particularly because of the unhappy ending. Kincaid rewrote the story over the next year, with a new ending that his family liked better. He named a character in the story after each of his children. [2]
The novel was fast-tracked into a film production in January 2009. During the film's original broadcast on CBS on November 29, 2009, the network sponsored a nationwide "Foster a Lonely Pet" program with Petfinder.com, an online database of adoptable pets, which included more than 2,000 shelters and animal-rescue groups across North America. After the end credits, a public service announcement was aired featuring Greg Kincaid describing the promotion. [2]
In its original American broadcast on November 29, 2009, A Dog Named Christmas was seen by 18.7 million households, according to the Nielsen ratings. In the ratings, the movie outperformed NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast of the NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, which drew 17.3 million households. It was also seen by more households than CBS's 60 Minutes at 14.3 million and ABC's Desperate Housewives at 12.6 million, and outperformed Fox's The Simpsons (9 million) and Family Guy (8.5 million). [3]
The movie was shot in the Southey and Earl Grey area, located in Saskatchewan, Canada.[ citation needed ]
In 2013 a made-for-television prequel to A Dog Named Christmas was released. It is entitled Christmas with Tucker and based on a book with the same name by Greg Kincaid. Gage Munroe plays young George McCray while James Brolin and Barbara Gordon play his grandparents, Bo and Cora McCray. Filmed in Northern Ontario, Canada, Christmas with Tucker is about thirteen-year-old George coping with the death of his father. He is helped through his struggles by his friendship with a dog named Tucker. [4]
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family of six children, with three boys and three girls. After its cancellation in 1974, the series debuted in syndication in September 1975. Though it was never a ratings hit or a critical success during its original run, the program has since become a popular syndicated staple, especially among children and teenage viewers.
Richard Earl Thomas is an American actor. He is best known for his leading role as budding author John-Boy Walton in the CBS drama series The Waltons for which he won an Emmy Award. He also received another Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe Award nominations for that role.
Carlos Alan Autry Jr., is an American actor, politician, and former football player. During his brief career in the National Football League (NFL), he played as a quarterback and was known as Carlos Brown.
Hallmark Media is an American media production company with corporate headquarters located in Studio City, California, and is a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards.
Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies.
Hallmark Hall of Fame, originally called Hallmark Television Playhouse, is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City–based greeting card company. It is the longest-running prime-time series in the history of television; it began airing in 1951 and aired on network television until 2014, with episodes largely limited to one film in a span of several months since the 1980s. Since 1954, all of its productions have been broadcast in color. It was one of the first video productions to telecast in color, a rarity in the 1950s. Many television films have been shown on the program since its debut, though the program began with live telecasts of dramas and then changed to videotaped productions before finally changing to filmed ones.
Jesse Eden Metcalfe is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of John Rowland on Desperate Housewives. Metcalfe has also had notable roles on Passions and played the title role in John Tucker Must Die. He starred as Christopher Ewing in the TNT continuation of Dallas, based on the 1978 series of the same name. From 2016 to 2021, Metcalfe starred as Trace Riley in Hallmark Channel's hit series Chesapeake Shores.
Hallmark Mystery is an American digital cable and satellite television channel owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel was spun off from sister network Hallmark Channel, and airs family-oriented feature and television films along with a limited number of murder- and mystery-themed television series.
The Echo of Thunder is an Australian family drama film, released for television in 1998. It is based on the novel Thunderwith by Australian children's author Libby Hathorn. It was aired on CBS in the United States as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation.
Robin Jones Gunn is the best-selling, award-winning Christian author of over 100 books, including the Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen series for teen girls as well as the Glenbrooke series and the Sisterchicks series. Robin's non-fiction titles are "Praying For Your Future Husband", "Spoken For" and "Victim of Grace". Her books have sold over 5.5 million copies worldwide. She is best known for the characters in the Christy Miller series that now continue in '"Christy &Todd: The College Years", "Christy & Todd: The Married Years", "Christy & Todd: The Baby Years" and the "Katie Weldon" series.
Marley & Me is a 2008 American comedy-drama film directed by David Frankel from a screenplay by Scott Frank and Don Roos, based on the 2005 memoir of the same name by John Grogan. The film stars Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston as the owners of Marley, a Labrador retriever. Marley & Me was released in the United States and Canada on December 25, 2008, and set a record for the largest Christmas Day box office ever with $14.75 million in ticket sales. The film was followed by a 2011 direct-to-video prequel, Marley & Me: The Puppy Years.
Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark was one of the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
Taking a Chance on Love is a 2009 American-Canadian made-for-television romance film and a sequel to the hit Hallmark Channel movie The Note. The film was written by Douglas Barr. Angela Hunt, author of the novel The Note, did a novelization of Barr's script. The film aired on Hallmark Channel on January 31, 2009.
The Dog Who Saved Christmas is a 2009 American made-for-television Christmas comedy film starring Dean Cain, Gary Valentine and the voice of Mario Lopez. It was written by childhood friends Michael Ciminera and Richard Gnolfo. It premiered on ABC Family on November 29, 2009, during their Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas programming block. It was ranked as the number one cable program during its timeslot, and the number one cable film in the winter of the 2009 with 4.0 million viewers.
When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story is a 2010 American film that premiered on CBS on April 25, 2010. The film was produced by Terry Gould, directed by John Kent Harrison and written by William G. Borchert, who based the script on his 2005 novel of the same name.
Beyond the Blackboard is a Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-television drama film starring Emily VanCamp and Treat Williams. It is based on the memoir by Stacey Bess titled Nobody Don't Love Nobody.
Have a Little Faith is a 2011 Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-television drama film. The film is based on Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom’s best-selling nonfiction book of the same name.
A Dog's Purpose is a 2017 American adventure comedy drama film directed by Lasse Hallström and written by W. Bruce Cameron, Cathryn Michon, Audrey Wells, Maya Forbes, and Wally Wolodarsky, based on the 2010 novel of the same name by W. Bruce Cameron. The film stars Britt Robertson, KJ Apa in his film debut, Juliet Rylance, John Ortiz and Dennis Quaid with Josh Gad in multiple voice roles. It covers themes of loyalty, grief, dysfunctional family, over a series of reincarnations.
The Father Christmas film series is an American/Canadian trilogy, starring Erin Krakow and Niall Matter, based on the novels of Robin Jones Gunn. The films were originally broadcast in the USA on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, as part of the channels' "Miracles of Christmas" seasonal programming.
The Nine Lives of Christmas is a 2014 American made-for-television romantic comedy film and Hallmark Channel original movie, written by Nancy Silvers, based on the book by Sheila Roberts. Directed by Mark Jean, it stars Brandon Routh and Kimberley Sustad. The film premiered on November 8, 2014, on the Hallmark Channel.