A Smoky Mountain Christmas
(B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
Thanks to my beloved Nana who recorded this whimsical holiday gem of a TV movie, I am forever in love with 1986's 'A Smoky Mountain Christmas' (directed by Henry Winkler). The wonderful Dolly Parton stars as country music star, Lorna Davis. Having grown fed up & burned out of having a singing/movie star career in soul-crushing Los Angeles, Lorna longs for artistic clarity, and so, decides to leave her opulent Beverly Hills mansion in the middle of the night and head back to her roots in a remote log cabin Tennessee's Smoky Mountains to re-charge her batteries over the holidays.
Upon leaving her mansion, however, she inadvertently breaks a window; making people assume that she has been kidnapped. To that, the feds & the paparazzi get hot on her trail. When Lorna makes it to the cabin, she finds 7 children {escapees from a local orphanage} are already habitating there. Since neither Lorna nor the children want to be discovered, they all agree to co-exist & keep each other's secrets. Though Lorna only intends to stay there a few days, the question of how to deal with these kids afterwards lingers in her mind. In the meanwhile, Lorna gains their trust; acts as a sort of mother figure; and even teaches them a few of her great songs: "Mountain Magic", "Look on the Bright Side" & "(I'd Like to Spend) Christmas with Santa".
But Lorna has several unsavory forces working against her up in the snowy woods. Unbeknownst to Lorna, she has been followed by one particularly greasy paparazzi photographer (Dan Hedaya), hell bent on getting the scoop. Another problem comes in the form of mountain witch woman, Jezebel (Anita Morris), who has an unfounded rageful jealousy about Lorna concerning the local Sheriff, John Jensen (Bo Hopkins). In a very creepy scene, while Lorna writes lyrics to her haunting "Pretty Is as Pretty Does", Jezebel casts a spell on her; luring her close to a cliff's edge before being saved by Mountain Dan (Lee Majors), a man whom the children were initially terrified of until Lorna invites him back to the cabin for dinner and they warm to him. Then there is the Sheriff himself, who ultimately tracks down the kids and carries them off kicking & screaming back to the orphanage run by the miserable duo of Matty & Hatty (Jeanne Hepple, Linda Hoy); at the same time, Lorna is arrested. Luckily Lorna has her one main ally in Mountain Dan, but can her or anyone else fend off the wrath of poison apple-making, shape-shifting witch, Jezebel?
Clearly, there are nods to several faerie tales in the script here, co-written by Parton, herself. When Lorna 1st arrives at the cabin before the children appear, it's very reminiscent of Goldilocks & the Three Bears. The 7 diverse children ranging from cheerful-to-grumpy in demeanor {plus the witch's poison apple} is a large nod to Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. And late in the film, when Lorna is put into a deep slumber by way of Jezebel, a kiss of true love is the only thing that can awaken the sleeping princess. This is a nod, of course, to Sleeping Beauty, but while Mountain Dan is her Prince Charming ... in a twist ... the source of the kiss comes from someone else. I have warm goosebumps just thinking about it. So lovely.
It goes without saying that 'A Smoky Mountain Christmas' has a happy ending; replete with a climactic courtroom battle btwn. Lorna & the orphanage creeps; it is overseen by a judge played by none other than John Ritter. And even if the story is as saccharine sappy as it all sounds, cynics just might find their Grinch hearts melting a little throughout. And the holiday celebration at the very end, set to Dolly's fantastic "Wrapped Up in You", may surely bring a tear to your eye -- well, at least it does to mine. Dolly Parton's sweetly relatable portrayal + her singing cuts straight to your heart. I'm so glad that I had this charming movie to enjoy over & over again as a child; a movie that shows the real meaning of Christmas.