"The Magic Christmas Tree" is a 1964 American film directed by Richard C. Parish. The movie is a low-budget fantasy comedy that revolves around a young boy named Mark who discovers a magic Christmas tree in the attic of his house. One day, Mark goes into the attic to retrieve his old sled and stumbles upon a small, decorated Christmas tree stored away. He soon discovers that this ordinary-looking tree possesses magical powers that can grant him any wish he desires. Excited by this newfound discovery, Mark begins making wishes, which are granted by the tree.
Despite the fact that it's nighttime at home, Mark walks through a riverbed in the woods during the day with an apparent shotgun, when in a pre-Beatles example of instant karma, he encounters a hairy giant who tried to claim him as his property. This giant is supposed to represent greed, and exposes the boy's hypocrisy over kidnapping Santa Claus. He urges the giant to let him go if he promises to be less greedy. Not entirely convinced of Mark's promise to let Santa go, he forces him to look into the river, which turns into a movie screen showing all the consequences of him keeping Jolly Ol' St. Nick. His actions cause panic at the United Nations, increased military activity, a drastic decline in the stock market, and of course billions of children never to receive the toys they asked for.
As she goes into the house to get them, he realizes his whole ordeal was a dream, which suddenly zooms back into color to a nearby forest where another pine tree, who also turns out to be a magic Christmas tree albeit in a different voice , urges him and kids everywhere to believe that there is magic in all Christmas trees. The film was not registered for copyright protection, so it has turned up on public domain labels over the years and was later barbecued by RiffTrax.
Excited by this newfound discovery, Mark begins making wishes, which are granted by the tree. As Mark continues to make wishes, his requests become increasingly reckless and mischievous. He uses his newfound magical powers to pull pranks on his neighbors and even bring a toy train to life.
The Bootleg Files: The Magic Christmas Tree
BOOTLEG FILES 752: “The Magic Christmas Tree” (1964 holiday season fiasco).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No copyright on the film opens it to endless duping.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Who the hell would want to offer a 4K restored version of this thing?
Some crummy movies are so cluelessly terrible that they’ve earned the designation of being “so bad they’re good.” The 1964 atrocity “The Magic Christmas Tree” doesn’t fall into that genre. Instead, it needs to be shoved into the category of “so bad they’re terrible.”
In fairness, there is nothing wrong with “The Magic Christmas Tree” that couldn’t be fixed with a blowtorch. However, since belated efforts to right cinematic wrongs with that fiery mistake-eraser is not an option, this tortured writer has no choice but to recount the production’s too-many flaws.
The film’s action begins in black-and-white, which is odd since its opening credits are in color. Three elementary school boys – two white and one black (hey, it was a 1964 film, after all) – are bickering over trading each other’s unappetizing lunches and bitching about the chores they have to undertake on Halloween night that prevents them from partying with friends. The most gregarious of the trio, a bratty kid named Mark, bullies his pal into sneaking onto the property of a decrepit house occupied by a weird old woman named Miss Finch that the school crowd insists is a witch.
The boys decide to trespass on the grounds, but Mark’s pals turn chicken and run. Mark ventures further inside the property and is caught by the old woman, who has a physical and vocal resemblance to a cartoon witch. Miss Finch’s black cat, named Lucifer (what else?), is stuck up a tree and the old bag insists Mark climb up to retrieve the feline. Mark falls out of the tree and is knocked out, at which point the film switches to color.
Mark awakens in what appears to be a different property and finds Miss Finch wearing a witch’s hat. She gives him a ring that contains a magic seed, and instructs him to plant it in the ground beneath a Thanksgiving turkey wishbone and utter some mumbo-jumbo – this will enable a magic tree to appear, and it will then grant Mark three wishes. Remember, the film opens around Halloween, so Chris has to wait a month to perform this action.
Well, Thanksgiving finally comes and Mark goes through with this routine. A tree suddenly shows up in his back yard, much to the confusion of Mark’s father, who only realizes the tree’s presence when he crashes his lawnmower into it. (Huh?) Old Daddy-O tries to chop down the tree, but it cannot be destroyed with tools, so Mark’s father inexplicably accepts the new addition to the back yard.
At Christmastime, the tree uproots and decorates itself, taking a place in Mark’s living room. It also starts talking in a snippy, effeminate male voice. The tree gives Mark three wishes, and his first wish is to have one hour where he has absolute power over his community. This leads to a lengthy and grueling sequence where a delivery truck takes off while its driver chases it, a police car takes off while its patrolman chases it, a baker chases a customer who hits him with a pie, and an antique firetruck with silly firemen zooms recklessly through the town.
The second wish finds Mark hijacking Santa Claus as his personal toy provider. This means Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick cannot take deliveries on Christmas worldwide, which causes a global panic resulting in an emergency United Nations session and the U.S. Air Force looking for missing fat guy in the red suit. But Santa refused to give Mark toys – after all, he only brings presents to good kiddies, not brats. (Santa also refuses to get up out of his chair, which gives the impression of Kris Kringle being an invalid.)
Oddly, Mark’s new-found selfishness puts him into captivity with a lumpy ogre named Greed, who wears a sleeveless leather vest, a leather studded belt and creepily bellows about Mark becoming “my little boy.” Unhappy over the prospect of becoming Greed’s slave, Mark agrees that his third wish is cancel out his second wish, enabling Santa to go about his merry way.
At this point, the film switches back to black-and-white. Mark awakes to discover – yes, you know it’s coming – this was…only…a…dream. Miss Finch plies him with cookies as he happily absorbs his quotidian life.
“The Magic Christmas Tree” short circuits at every possible level. The acting is impossible to judge because the whole film has near-nonexistent synchronization – judging by the mismatch between voices on the soundtrack and the alleged actors on the screen, I am guessing it was shot without sound and another crew of actors dubbed the lines later. The extended chase sequence is painfully executed, haphazardly edited and dismally unfunny – director Richard C. Parish, who has no other known film credit, serves up the ultimate lesson in how not to create action sequence. Chris Kroesen, the 13-year-old who plays Mark, is the least interesting child actor imaginable – I assume this was his first and only attempt at screen acting, and the poor kid is not helped by a dum-dum script and ham-handed direction.
Not surprisingly, something this bad found an audience. “The Magic Christmas Tree” was a staple of the kiddie matinee circuit during the holiday season during the mid- to late-1960s. The film was not registered for copyright protection, so it has turned up on public domain labels over the years and was later barbecued by RiffTrax. A well-worn copy can be found on YouTube.
If you have kids who are in need of punishment this holiday season, make them watch “The Magic Christmas Tree.” Trust me, they will learn never to be naughty again.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: While this weekly column acknowledges the presence of rare film and television productions through the so-called collector-to-collector market, this should not be seen as encouraging or condoning the unauthorized duplication and distribution of copyright-protected material, either through DVDs or Blu-ray discs or through postings on Internet video sites.
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BOOTLEG FILES 752: “The Magic Christmas Tree” (1964 holiday season fiasco).
However, he soon realizes that his wishes have unintended consequences, leading to chaos and mayhem. "The Magic Christmas Tree" is a charming and whimsical film that captures the innocence and imagination of childhood. It provides a light-hearted and entertaining story that explores the consequences of unchecked desires and the importance of appreciating what one already has. The film's low-budget production is evident in its simplistic special effects and amateurish acting. However, these shortcomings contribute to its overall charm, creating an endearing and nostalgic atmosphere that is reminiscent of classic Christmas films. Despite its shortcomings, "The Magic Christmas Tree" has gained a small cult following over the years. Its quirky and playful nature has attracted viewers who appreciate its unique blend of fantasy and comedy. In summary, "The Magic Christmas Tree" is a 1964 fantasy comedy that follows the adventures of a young boy who discovers a magical Christmas tree in his attic. The film explores themes of desire, consequence, and the importance of gratitude. Although it may not be a cinematic masterpiece, it offers a heartwarming and enjoyable watch for those seeking a lighthearted holiday film..
Reviews for "Memorable Moments from 'The Magic Christmas Tree' (1964): Highlights and Analysis"
- John - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "The Magic Christmas Tree". The plot was confusing, the acting was subpar, and the special effects were laughable. I found myself constantly checking the time, just waiting for the movie to end. It's definitely not a Christmas classic in my book.
- Sarah - 1 star - "The Magic Christmas Tree" was a complete waste of time. The storyline was weak, the dialogue was cheesy, and the acting was cringe-worthy. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, and the whole movie felt like a low-budget production. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
- Michael - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "The Magic Christmas Tree", but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The pace was slow, the humor was forced, and the special effects were extremely dated. It definitely didn't capture the magic of Christmastime and left me feeling disappointed. I wouldn't watch it again.
- Emily - 1 star - "The Magic Christmas Tree" was a complete disaster. The plot was confusing and didn't make much sense, and the acting was wooden and lacked emotion. The whole movie felt like a bad joke, and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time on this one.