''A Dog Named Christmas'' is a 2009 American/Canadian television film that debuted on CBS as a ''
Hallmark Hall of Fame'' movie on November 29, 2009.
[A Dog Named Christmas](_blank)
''CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
'', Official website. The film was produced by Brent Shields, directed by
Peter Werner
Peter H. Werner (born January 17, 1947, in New York City, New York) is an American film and television director.
Biography
Werner was born to a Jewish family, in New York City, New York, one of three children born to Elizabeth (née Grumbach) ...
and written by Jenny Wingfield, who based the script from a novel of the same name by Greg Kincaid.
Plot
A tale of a young man with a learning disability, named Todd McCray (
Noel Fisher
Noel Roeim Fisher (born March 13, 1984) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his portrayal of Mickey Milkovich on the Showtime series '' Shameless'', as well as his portrayal of Cael Malloy on the FX series '' The Riches''. He played Ellison " ...
) living with his parents in the rural midwest. The story takes place over a two-week period over the Christmas holidays when the local
animal shelter
An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed. The word "pound" has its origins in the animal pounds of agricultural communities, where stray livestock would ...
launches an "Adopt a dog for Christmas" program. Todd's unconditional love for animals enables him to embark on an endeavour to ensure that as many dogs as possible get adopted by the local community.
One dog in particular has grabbed Todd's heart and through intermittent flashbacks, viewers slowly discover the reasons for his father's reluctance to fully support Todd's efforts.
Cast
*
Linda Emond
Linda may refer to:
As a name
* Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named)
* Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer
* Anita Linda (born Alice Lake ...
as Mary Ann McCray
*
Noel Fisher
Noel Roeim Fisher (born March 13, 1984) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his portrayal of Mickey Milkovich on the Showtime series '' Shameless'', as well as his portrayal of Cael Malloy on the FX series '' The Riches''. He played Ellison " ...
as Todd McCray
*
Bruce Greenwood
Stuart Bruce Greenwood (born August 12, 1956) is a Canadian actor and producer. He is known for his role as the American president John F. Kennedy in '' Thirteen Days,'' for which he won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion ...
as George McCray
*
Carrie Genzel as Brianna Lewis
*
Trenna Keating
Trenna Keating (born January 23, 1987) is a Canadians, Canadian actress known for her recurring role as Doc Yewll in ''Defiance (TV series), Defiance'' between 2013 and 2015.
Early life
Trenna Keating was born and grew up in Weyburn, Saskatchew ...
as Faye McCray
Production
''A Dog Named Christmas'' is the 237th presentation by
Hallmark Hall of Fame, the long-running anthology program of American television films. It was based on a novel of the same name by Greg Kincaid, which was published in 2008. He wrote the story almost ten years prior for his wife, Michale Ann, and his five children, who ranged in age from 9 to 13. Kincaid said his family hated the original story, particularly because of the unhappy ending. Kincaid rewrote the story over the next year, with a new ending that his family liked better. He named a character in the story after each of his children.
The novel was fast-tracked into a film production in January 2009. During the film's original broadcast on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
on November 29, 2009, the network sponsored a nationwide "Foster a Lonely Pet" program with
Petfinder.com, an online database of adoptable pets, which included more than 2,000 shelters and
animal-rescue groups across North America. After the end credits, a
public service announcement
A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
was aired featuring Greg Kincaid describing the promotion.
Reception
In its original American broadcast on November 29, 2009, ''A Dog Named Christmas'' was seen by 18.7 million households, according to the
Nielsen ratings. In the ratings, the movie outperformed
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's ''
Sunday Night Football'' broadcast of the
NFL game between the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
and the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
, which drew 17.3 million households. It was also seen by more households than
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
's ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
'' at 14.3 million and
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
's ''
Desperate Housewives
''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Marc Cherry, Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Octobe ...
'' at 12.6 million, and outperformed
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
's ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' (9 million) and ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' (8.5 million).
Location
The movie was shot in the
Southey and
Earl Grey
Earl Grey is a title in the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1806 for General Charles Grey, 1st Baron Grey. In 1801, he was given the title Baron Grey of Howick in the County of Northumberland, and in 1806 he was created Viscou ...
area, located in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Prequel
In 2013 a
made-for-television
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
prequel to ''A Dog Named Christmas'' was released. It is entitled ''Christmas with Tucker'' and based on a book with the same name by Greg Kincaid.
Gage Munroe
Gage Munroe (born January 4, 1999) is a Canadian actor. He has performed roles on television programs like '' Stoked'', '' Murdoch Mysteries'', '' Mr Moon'', '' Falling Skies'' and ''Alphas'', and has appeared in films like the 2008 Canadian drama ...
plays young George McCray while
James Brolin
James Brolin (, born Craig Kenneth Bruderlin; July 18, 1940) is an American actor. Brolin has won two Golden Globes and an Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 27, 1998. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin.
He ...
and
Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. The character was created by television producer William Dozier, editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardne ...
play his grandparents, Bo and Cora McCray. Filmed in
Northern Ontario, Canada, ''Christmas with Tucker'' is about thirteen-year-old George coping with the death of his father. He is helped through his struggles by his friendship with a dog named Tucker.
See also
*
List of Christmas films
Many Christmas stories have been adapted to feature films and TV specials, and have been broadcast and repeated many times on television; since the popularization of home video in the 1980s, their many editions are sold and re-sold every year d ...
References
External links
*
*
CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of ''A Dog Named Christmas''*
A Dog Named Christmasofficial book website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dog Named Christmas
2009 television films
2009 films
American Christmas films
Canadian Christmas films
English-language Canadian films
Christmas television films
Films based on American novels
Films shot in Saskatchewan
Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes
Films about dogs
Films about pets
Films directed by Peter Werner
Films scored by Jeff Beal
2000s Christmas films