It seems strange today, but in the 50s, Perry Como was gigantically popular, not just with adults, but with kids, too. In 1958, he beat out Elvis as the most popular singer among teenagers. Who knew they loved "Catch a Falling Star" that much? In addition to his popularity on the pop charts, Como was also a beloved presence on television, having a weekly variety show until 1963, then hosting a monthly one until 1967. After that, he cut back on his TV appearances, mostly concentrating on a series of specials, including an annual Christmas one. Those lasted until 1986, and from 1975 onward were always shot at some exotic locale.
In 1978, Como decided to do his Christmas special from Colonial Williamsburg. While I haven't watched other Como specials as comparison, Perry Como's Early American Christmas follows the typical 70s/80s Christmas variety specials template fairly closely, so I suspect it's pretty representative of his work overall.
Como sings a number of songs tailored the location. The specials opens with "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (all twelve verses!), with the gift selection altered to reflect the products that Williamsburg's craft people produce. He sings "The Little Drummer Boy" with an actual drummer boy, a member the the Fife and Drum Corps. Later on, he sings his own "(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays", with the lyrics changed to reflect the world as it would have been known in colonial times (no mentions of Tennessee or the Pacific).
The special's big guest star is John Wayne, in one of his last television appearances before his death the following June. He first appears about halfway through, doing a couple of light comedy bits with Williamsburg townspeople (actually, the same townsperson, as they hired one actor to play all the speaking parts not handled by the announced guest stars), then shows up again a bit later to banter with Como about American history and to dramatically read a letter (that he said he just happened to find) from an infantryman serving in the French and Indian War. He also sings, but luckily that's limited to just one quick verse of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" with Como and (I'm assuming) the male choral members from nearby College of William & Mary. Also appearing was singer and actress Diana Canova, then a regular on Soap, who got a solo and two duets with Perry, famed violinist Eugene Fodor, who also briefly played a young Thomas Jefferson, and then-reigning Miss America Kylene Barker, who explains popular games of the time to Como.
Weirdly, this special is much more of a hard sell for Williamsburg than Christmas in Disneyland was to that park. I'm sure some promotional consideration was required, but it was still rather surprising to see so much travelogue material.
Como's specials would continue for another 8 years, before he and ABC couldn't come to terms the 1987 edition. He would do one more Christmas special in 1994, from Ireland, before retiring. The presence of Wayne seems likely to make Perry Como's Early American Christmas one of his more popular specials in more recent years. It's a solid accomplishment, but not one that needs repeat viewing.
Next time: After a monster 2019, an American legend becomes an American hero, and also releases a Christmas album and special
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