DoloresHaze-1

A 'slice of life' drama - Naked City was filmed on the streets of New York. This wonderfully acted episode was a unique story of a lonely dying traffic dept. worker and her budding romance with Harry Belaver's regular cop character (Frank Arcaro). The scenes with Arcaro and his Italian mother reminded of Marty with Ernest Borgnine. I loved the party scene with Arcaro's Italian relatives dancing and his mother disapproving of the "Irish" Maureen Stapleton (playing a 48 year old at 38!). Wonderful scenes set in gritty apartment and office buildings, restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, etc. I suspect a lot of the extras WERE real New York people - waitresses and salespeople, etc. This particular episode was extremely touching, but the great thing about this series is that every episode was completely different. Well written stories about immigrants, bums, serial killers, lonely people, vengeful spouses, oddballs and eccentrics - well, like they say: "there are eight million stories in the Naked City and this was one of them!"

This is a musical version of Gift of the Magi - the famous O. Henry story. The music was fantastic (for those who love Broadway show-tune style music), and the storyline credible and quite touching. Debby Boone and John Rubenstein played the young married couple - and while Debby's acting would improve in later years, her voice was glorious - and Rubenstein was completely convincing as the young Irish husband of the Italian immigrant Boone (who looks more Irish than he does LOL).

Where is this?? It would be a natural to rerun every Christmas season - like so many other vintage Christmas specials. As far as I know it was aired once in the 1970s on NBC and never again! It's very frustrating to remember something so entertaining and enjoyable, but not be able to see it!