''Finding John Christmas'' is a 2003 American
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 fo ...
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
that first aired 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 ...
. The film is a
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
to the 2001 television movie ''
A Town Without Christmas''.
Plot
When a photojournalist (
David Cubitt
David Cubitt (born 18 March 1965) is an English-born Canadian television actor.
Born in England in 1965 to a Dutch mother, Jette, and an English father, David, he moved with his parents to Vancouver, British Columbia when he was six months ol ...
) in the fictional Bay City photographs a mysterious stranger performing an act of bravery, the act quickly becomes headline news and the town dubs the stranger "John Christmas". After seeing the photo, Kathleen McAllister (
Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Anne Bertinelli (born April 23, 1960) is an American actress. She first achieved recognition as a child actress, portraying Barbara Cooper Royer on the sitcom '' One Day at a Time'' (1975–1984) for which she won two Golden Globe Award ...
) becomes convinced that the mysterious stranger is in fact her long-lost brother Hank (
William Russ
William Russ (born October 20, 1950) is an American actor and television director. He played Alan Matthews on the sitcom '' Boy Meets World'' (1993–2000) and appeared in the television series '' Wiseguy'', the soap operas '' Another World'' an ...
), a former firefighter. With the town's help, Kathleen and Noah set about to find the stranger's true identity with the help of Max (
Peter Falk), a Christmas angel.
Filmed in
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, Canada, the film featured a scene of a burning school based on the real
Our Lady of the Angels School fire in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
in 1958.
[Ask Valerie]
. ''Finding John Christmas'' website, '' CBS.com''
Cast
*
Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Anne Bertinelli (born April 23, 1960) is an American actress. She first achieved recognition as a child actress, portraying Barbara Cooper Royer on the sitcom '' One Day at a Time'' (1975–1984) for which she won two Golden Globe Award ...
.....Kathleen McAllister
*
David Cubitt
David Cubitt (born 18 March 1965) is an English-born Canadian television actor.
Born in England in 1965 to a Dutch mother, Jette, and an English father, David, he moved with his parents to Vancouver, British Columbia when he was six months ol ...
.....Noah Greeley
*
Peter Falk.....Max
*
William Russ
William Russ (born October 20, 1950) is an American actor and television director. He played Alan Matthews on the sitcom '' Boy Meets World'' (1993–2000) and appeared in the television series '' Wiseguy'', the soap operas '' Another World'' an ...
.....Hank McAllister
*
Jeremy Akerman
Jeremy Bernard Akerman (born May 28, 1942) is a former Canadian politician, writer and actor and a former leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.
__TOC__
Early life
Akerman was born in Alvechurch, Worcesteshire, United Kingdom. He was ...
.....Antonovitch
*
David Calderisi
David Calderisi (born 21 June 1940) is a Canadian actor with a career in both Canada and the United Kingdom.
Early life and education
Calderisi was born in Montreal and attended McGill University.
Career
After training as an actor in Lo ...
.....Dr. Merkatz
*
.....Eleanor McAllister
* Michael Hirschbach.....Dr. Flynn
*
Jennifer Pisana
Jennifer Pisana is a Canadian television and movie actress.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pisana, Jennifer
20th-century Canadian actresses
21st-century Canadian actresses
Canadian child actresses
Canadian film ...
.....Soccoro Greeley
* Maria Ricossa.....Marcy Bernard
See also
*
List of Christmas films
*
List of films about angels
This is a list of films where angels appear.
Angels
* '' The Christmas Angel'' (1904)
* ''The Passing of the Third Floor Back'' (1935)
* ''The Green Pastures'' (1936)
* ''Here Comes Mr. Jordan'' (1941)
* ''I Married an Angel'' (1942)
* ''A Guy Na ...
References
External links
''Finding John Christmas''at
CBS.com
*
*
{{Andy Wolk
2003 television films
2003 films
American Christmas drama films
2000s fantasy drama films
Television sequel films
CBS network films
Films shot in Nova Scotia
Films directed by Andy Wolk
Films scored by Patrick Williams
Christmas television films
American drama television films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films