Set in 1946 small-town America, "The House Without a Christmas Tree" is a wonderful Holiday movie, based on a story by Gail Rock. Other reviewers tell about the plot and actors, so I'll give some information on the film's background, the author, locale and other details that viewers may find of interest.
In this case, based-on-a-story-by does not refer to the author's book by the same title. That's because Rock didn't write the book until two years after the TV movie was made. The Fremont, Nebraska Tribune ran an article and interview with Rock on Dec. 23, 2003, in which Rock tells how the movie, the book and later books came about. In the summer of 1972, Rock was on vacation with a bunch of co-workers in Connecticut. At the time, she was a film and TV critic for CBS. "We were sitting around a pool and talking about what shows we'd do in December," Rock said. Others said they would like something different than the usual stories, "so I told them mine," Rock said. "They insisted that I write it down."
The Fremont Tribune article describes what happened next. "Playwright Eleanor Perry took Rock's recollection and developed it into a script, actress Lisa Lucas was cast as Addie Mills, with Jason Robards as her father and Mildred Natwick as her grandmother. Rock was invited to Canada to watch the filming of 'House' and was amazed when Lucas, then 12, walked onto the set, ready for the shoot. 'It was spooky when she came out she looked so much like me at that age,' said Rock.
Some reviewers have said they saw the movie as a Hallmark production, but that's not correct. It was made by CBS as a low-budget videotape movie, and it was hugely popular. It won an Emmy award for Eleanor Perry's writing adaptation, and it won a Christopher Award. So, CBS aired it during succeeding Christmas holiday seasons throughout the 1970s. In 1991, it was produced on VHS, and it came out on DVD in 2007.
The Fremont Tribune article of 2003 explains what happened after this movie aired in 1972. "The success of the CBS show prompted Rock's editor to suggest a full-fledged version of 'House,' which Rock wrote in 1974. That novel was followed by 'The Thanksgiving Treasure,' 'A Dream for Addie' and 'Addie and the King of Hearts,' all based on the adventures of the spunky girl from Clear River." Rock said that she drew from facts mostly, with some fiction, for her series.
The movie was filmed in Uxbridge, Ontario, and I can imagine that the producers found that to be a place that would look most like Rock's (Addie's) small town in Nebraska. While she called her hometown Clear River, it was really Valley, Nebraska. The movie script narration says a town of 1,500 population. But it also said most streets weren't paved. From 1946 to 1972, Valley had changed substantially, and its close proximity to Omaha and with some new industries and housing sections, it didn't quite resemble the American small town of the 1940s.
I remember driving through Valley several times in the late 1940s and early 1950s – going to Omaha from Columbus, Nebr. My parents took me and another brother along on trips for shopping, meeting friends, and entertainment. U.S. Highway 275 ran through the town then. The highway now bypasses most of the town, and the old highway is Reichmuth Road.
A couple of other anecdotes that may be of interest. In the movie, Gail's character, Addie, says that she will go to Paris and never marry. Rock has noted that both of her predictions have come true. Rock continued to go back home. Even after her grandmother and father died, she would still go back for school reunions. In the summer of 2014, Valley, Nebraska celebrated its sesquicentennial. During the weekend of Aug. 15-17, author Gail Rock was a special guest who met and visited with friends and the public in the public library. She was 78 years old.
In this case, based-on-a-story-by does not refer to the author's book by the same title. That's because Rock didn't write the book until two years after the TV movie was made. The Fremont, Nebraska Tribune ran an article and interview with Rock on Dec. 23, 2003, in which Rock tells how the movie, the book and later books came about. In the summer of 1972, Rock was on vacation with a bunch of co-workers in Connecticut. At the time, she was a film and TV critic for CBS. "We were sitting around a pool and talking about what shows we'd do in December," Rock said. Others said they would like something different than the usual stories, "so I told them mine," Rock said. "They insisted that I write it down."
The Fremont Tribune article describes what happened next. "Playwright Eleanor Perry took Rock's recollection and developed it into a script, actress Lisa Lucas was cast as Addie Mills, with Jason Robards as her father and Mildred Natwick as her grandmother. Rock was invited to Canada to watch the filming of 'House' and was amazed when Lucas, then 12, walked onto the set, ready for the shoot. 'It was spooky when she came out she looked so much like me at that age,' said Rock.
Some reviewers have said they saw the movie as a Hallmark production, but that's not correct. It was made by CBS as a low-budget videotape movie, and it was hugely popular. It won an Emmy award for Eleanor Perry's writing adaptation, and it won a Christopher Award. So, CBS aired it during succeeding Christmas holiday seasons throughout the 1970s. In 1991, it was produced on VHS, and it came out on DVD in 2007.
The Fremont Tribune article of 2003 explains what happened after this movie aired in 1972. "The success of the CBS show prompted Rock's editor to suggest a full-fledged version of 'House,' which Rock wrote in 1974. That novel was followed by 'The Thanksgiving Treasure,' 'A Dream for Addie' and 'Addie and the King of Hearts,' all based on the adventures of the spunky girl from Clear River." Rock said that she drew from facts mostly, with some fiction, for her series.
The movie was filmed in Uxbridge, Ontario, and I can imagine that the producers found that to be a place that would look most like Rock's (Addie's) small town in Nebraska. While she called her hometown Clear River, it was really Valley, Nebraska. The movie script narration says a town of 1,500 population. But it also said most streets weren't paved. From 1946 to 1972, Valley had changed substantially, and its close proximity to Omaha and with some new industries and housing sections, it didn't quite resemble the American small town of the 1940s.
I remember driving through Valley several times in the late 1940s and early 1950s – going to Omaha from Columbus, Nebr. My parents took me and another brother along on trips for shopping, meeting friends, and entertainment. U.S. Highway 275 ran through the town then. The highway now bypasses most of the town, and the old highway is Reichmuth Road.
A couple of other anecdotes that may be of interest. In the movie, Gail's character, Addie, says that she will go to Paris and never marry. Rock has noted that both of her predictions have come true. Rock continued to go back home. Even after her grandmother and father died, she would still go back for school reunions. In the summer of 2014, Valley, Nebraska celebrated its sesquicentennial. During the weekend of Aug. 15-17, author Gail Rock was a special guest who met and visited with friends and the public in the public library. She was 78 years old.