''A Christmas Without Snow'' is a 1980 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 ...

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 ...

directed by

John Korty John Korty (June 22, 1936 – March 9, 2022) was an American film director and animator, best known for the television film '' The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman'' and the documentary '' Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen ...

and starring

Michael Learned Michael Learned (born April 9, 1939) is a distinguished American actor, known for her role as Olivia Walton in the long-running CBS drama series ''The Waltons'' (1972–1981). She has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in ...

and John Houseman. The film was 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 December 9, 1980.

Plot

divorcee Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

, Zoe Jensen (

), moves to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

from Omaha in an effort to rebuild her life. She has reluctantly left her young son back home with his grandmother until she is more financially secure. She joins a local church choir which has just gained a new, demanding

choirmaster A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

, retired music conductor Ephraim Adams ( John Houseman). Adams challenges the choir to dramatically improve, creating discomfort for some of the members, particularly when he sets the high goal of performing Handel's ''

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

'' for a Christmas concert. Meanwhile, the choir overcome setbacks as they all deal with personal issues. A teacher by profession, Zoe soon learns no positions are available and that she lacks training to perform more readily-available work. Living in an inexpensive apartment, she brushes up her typing skills in order to gain employment before her mother wearies of looking after her son, who is growing anxious from his separation from Zoe. Zoe receives her grounding at church, where an assortment of inner-city residents range from a former opera singer to a student seeking to educate himself for a life in a profession. The opera singer falls by the wayside when ego gets in her way, while the student is falsely accused of vandalism to the church organ simply because of his race, yet is vindicated by those who know and believe in him. Together, they persevere in the church choir. Along the way, Zoe finds an office job and, with the help of a bargain hunter, prepares a pleasant home for her son and herself. Unexpected talent abounds within the choir. The amateurs give their best as ones who perform for the love of the music. This love extends far beyond the choir loft and is exemplified when the choir members band together to make the needed repairs to the organ pipes. At a pre-performance holiday dinner the choir sees a different side of Ephraim Adams as he presents gifts to the choir members and joins in the merriment. Weakness suddenly overtakes him and he collapses; at a local hospital it is determined he has had a stroke. The choir performs ''Messiah'' admirably at the Christmas concert, accompanied by the vintage organ, with Adams in attendance in a wheelchair. The choir has progressed far beyond an unlikely group of city dwellers. They have become a family.

Cast

as Zoe Jensen * John Houseman as Ephraim Adams *

Ramon Bieri Ramon Arens Bieri (June 16, 1929 – May 27, 2001) was an American actor who starred in many films and TV shows. Television work Bieri starred as the title character in the NBC sitcom ''Joe's World'', from December 1979 to July 1980, playing ...

as Henry Quist * James Cromwell as Reverend Lohman *

Valerie Curtin Valerie Curtin is an American actress and screenwriter. Personal life Curtin was born in Jackson Heights, New York, the daughter of radio actor Joseph Curtin. She attended Lake Erie College. She is a cousin of TV comedian/actress Jane Curtin ...

as Muriel * David Knell as Terry * Calvin Levels as Wendell * Ruth Nelson as Inez *

Beah Richards Beulah Elizabeth Richardson (July 12, 1920 – September 14, 2000), known professionally as Beah Richards and Bea Richards, was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. She was also a poet, playwright, author and activist. Rich ...

as Wendell's Grandma * William Swetland as Hartley *

Ed Bogas Edgar Noel "Ed" Bogas (born February 2, 1942), sometimes credited as Edward Bogas, is an American musician and composer whose work has been featured in films, animations, and video games. Career Bogas' contributions span four decades and several ...

as Seth * Daisietta Kim as Maisie Kim * Joy Carlin as Cora Newman * Anne Lawder as Evangeline Burns *

Barbara Tarbuck Barbara Tarbuck (January 15, 1942 – December 26, 2016) was an American film, television, and stage actress from Detroit, Michigan, best known for her recurring role as Lady Jane Jacks on ''General Hospital''. Biography Tarbuck was born in De ...

as Carol Thorpe * Roberta Callahan as Alice Lohman *John Patton as Mr. Jefferson * Gail MacGowan as Alto soloist * Will Connolly as Bass soloist * Jane Frasier-Smith as Mrs. Dienhart * H. Leonard Richardson as Mr. Hitchrick * Matthew Hautau as Robbie * Sterling Lim as Arthur Kim * Jay Krohnengold as Mr. Goodman * Barbara Squier as Ms. Meyers * Lou Picetti as Mr. Loop * Will Marchetti as Dan Garner *William Browder as Bride's father * Joe Bellan as Taxi driver *Stephanie Smith as Waitress * Carol McElheney as Office worker * Steve Prescott Jones as Man in office * Mark Anger as Doctor * Dan Leegant as Sergeant * Tony Dario as Detective West *

Yule Caise Yule, actually Yuletide ("Yule time") is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later undergoing Christianised reformulation resulting in the now better-known Christmastide. The earliest references to Yule are by way of indig ...

as Tough youth *Kevin Harris as Tough youth *

Robert Rivers The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

as Tough youth

Soundtrack

* "

" by George Frideric Handel

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas Without Snow 1980 television films 1980 films 1980s Christmas drama films American Christmas drama films Christmas television films 1980s English-language films CBS network films Films set in San Francisco American drama television films Films directed by John Korty 1980s American films

Plot

Cast

Soundtrack

See also

External links