Customer Reviews

Holiday Treasure [VHS]

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4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I do not remember watching this when it was on back in 1973, but I am glad to finally see it... It's about the same girl from The House Without A Christmas Tree, and is about her discovering the true meaning of Thanksgiving. She befriends an angry old man, and makes friends with him by sneaking Thanksgiving dinner from her house and bringing it to him... Her teacher told her that some of the Pilgrims invited the Indians, who were sometimes unfriendly, to eat with them to make friends out of them... Has a great moral lesson in this... GO GET IT.

I remember watching this and "The House Without A Christmas Tree" when I was a little girl and it holds wonderful memories! I am a teacher now. I ran across "The Thanksgiving Treasure" book and read it to my class. They loved it and I am excited to share the movie with them after we finish the book before Thanksgiving. -Too bad they don't show these movies on regular T.V. anymore!

Introduce this compelling classic to your loved ones this Thanksgiving and they'll never forget it. Broadway veteran Barnard Hughes adds another dimension to the already great ensemble of Jason Robards, Mildred Natwick, and Lisa Lucas. Hughes, only in his fifties at the time, made a specialty of playing "old codgers" with delightful results! Incidentally, the moustache worn by Jason Robards was to hide a scar on his upper lip after an auto accident. In the equally great previous production, "The House Without A Christmas Tree", he is clean-shaven.

In this sequel to THE HOUSE WITHOUT A CHRISTMAS TREE, it is 1947 and heroine Addie Mills, who is being raised by her widower father and his mother, befriends a horse while she is out collecting items for an autumn bouquet for her teacher. Unfortunately, the horse belongs to a crusty old codger named Walter Rhenquist, who hates Addie's dad because a pond James Mills dug for him leaked (James had warned him it was a bad place to put a pond, but he wouldn't listen). When Addie's teacher tells the class a story about the Pilgrims befriending the Indians, she decides to befriend her dad's enemy by bringing him Thanksgiving dinner. A new friendship is the surprising result.

This is a slow-moving but wonderfully nostalgic story that looks so authentic you would swear you were peeking into a window at 1947. The children's radio play is so true to the period! The cinematography is also wonderful and Arthur Rubenstein's score complements the action perfectly. Lisa Lucas, Jason Robards, Mildred Natwick and Barnard Hughes as Rhenquist are all splendid.

Note: On television this story was called THE THANKSGIVING TREASURE. CBS changed the title so they could sell it with the Christmas videos.

I was so glad to find this video. I read both this book and "House" to my students each year. I have wanted to get this video for the past 5 years....not knowing that the title had been changed from "The Thanksgiving Treasure" to "The Holiday Treasure". I am so glad to have finally found it!! I ordered immediately. I grew up with Addie books and movies and am thrilled to have the video again. I recommend this for anyone who remembers these books and movies from their childhood. Gail Rock is a super author.

M. Tullis

I well remember being a young child and looking forward to the movie on TV every year. Jason Robards has always been one of my favorite actors and Mildred Natwick is an adorable Grandmother. Young Addie brings much reality to the way many children would react in similar circumstances. An excellent choice for a movie as well as the other movies with the same cast.

I remember watching this on t.v. when I was a kid, and I really enjoyed it. Addie had the same love of horses that I had at the time. I also love the small town feel of the movie. I remember wishing I lived there, and had adventures with Addie. I just wish the movie was also offered in CD format. I watch it every year around Thanksgiving. I really hope to share this movie with my daughter one day. I hope she enjoys this one, and the "House Without A Christmas Tree", as much as I did.

(...) i am 50 years old and just can't get enough of this movie. its music brings floods of memories and i feel like i am addie. i can't believe cbs has not shown it since 1983. i believe america needs more and more of these programs to offer our children before they are lost forever.

I adore the Addie Mills specials and wish they would be shown on television again after all these years. These wholesome programs stand the test of time and are so warm, poignant, and worthwhile. The Holiday Treasure is one of the best Thanksgiving specials I've ever seen and am pleased to now own a copy, along with the other two Addie Mills television programs. The ensemble is phenomenal and the storyline very touching. It just doesn't get much better than this. Television programmers, are you reading this???

FINALLY... The House Without A Christmas Tree is available on DVD. I'm very happy to have one on order. I might order a few more to show to my little grandsons someday. My all-time favorite though is "A Thanksgiving/Holiday Treasure". I searched for YEARS under "The Thanksgiving Treasure" and SOMEHOW found the title had changed. I questioned my memory but was relieved to read that the title had been changed. Don't do this to our aging minds! This Thanksgiving movie is something that should be shown on TV EVERY YEAR to sensitize the younger generation to the elderly. We need a lot more of these movies on the kids' channels - a LOT more. My girls enjoyed these types of movies in the 70's and now that they are becoming mothers, are reminicsing about them. These two movies are (as one reviewer described) a window into the past. I feel as though I am in my grandmother's house everytime I watch them!