J.T.

I can't add much about this great hour of T.V. that hasn't already been covered in the other posts. But maybe a few memories. The strongest being the line from the show that was featured in the T.V. ads.

Grandma: What you want for Christmas... Child?

J.T.: I want me this cat I found.

I'll never forget those sentences as long as I live. For some reason, my sister, a childhood buddy and I thought it was the funniest thing and it became our catchphrase for a while. To this day, I can go up to them and say, "What you want for Christmas... Child" and get the right response. And I remember J.T. buying the tuna, bopping to the transister radio he found (stole?) and keeping the cat in a stove in an abandoned building.

I feel fortunate to have taped this on CBS the last time they showed it around Christmas of 1991. I think about 4pm on a Sunday afternoon. It wasn't even listed, I just heard an announcer say it was coming up and I had a blank tape loaded and hit record.

Keep your eyes peeled in used bookstores. I was lucky enough to find a hardback book of J.T., illustrated with on-set B&W photographs, taken I think by Gordon Parks. The writer was Jane Wagner. The same one who later worked with Lily Tomlin.

If you want to see the original opening of The CBS Children's Film Festival- go to this site: (email me for the link) They have a clip of it you can see online.

Questions?/Comments? * This Has Been e-mail From: "Dr. Mark" Hill * The Doctor Of Pop Culture /*/ e-mail to: drmark7@juno.com

I saw this movie when I was about 10 and it had a profound effect on me. Growing up in a white, middle class neighborhood, I had very little exposure to people of different races and cultures. Seeing how a boy about the same age as I lived so differently prepared me in a small way in dealing with people from different backgrounds later in life. When I saw how JT got so much happiness from a simple thing like adopting a kitten and caring for it really made me appreciate what I had and put things into perspective for me. I think this movie made in 1969 would still hold its own today. If anyone from PBS or Nickelodeon reads this, there are a lot of 30- and 40-somethings out there who would love to see this re-released and watch it with their children. If this ever happens to come on in your area, DON'T MISS IT and make copies of it.

There are no words fulsome enough to describe "JT." I remember seeing it many years ago, the first time it was shown. Seldom had I been moved so much by anything. Apparently scores of other viewers felt the same way, because it was run again a week later. I remember that Doris Day (a great animal lover) introduced this second showing, saying that the first had been "a happening." And so it was. JT, a little black boy being raised by his mother and grandmother, trying to bring him up right despite all the odds against him, finds a purpose in his life when he finds, adopts, and cares for a scroungy black and white alley cat. "JT" has a kind of double ending, the first so tragic, so sad, and the other hopeful. One gets the impression that JT will finally grow up, because of the responsibility he took for the cat and that the cruelty of his life, the fate of the cat, will make him a man that his mother and grandmother can be proud of. I always associate "JT" with Christmas and, thankfully, I taped it. Watch "JT" if you ever get the chance. Trust me--you will cry--

I first saw J.T. in the late 60's or early 70's on a show possibly called "CBS Children's Television Workshop". It was on Saturday mornings about noon after the cartoons were over. It was aired sporadically after that around Christmas in the mid 70's. It isn't a Christmas movie per say but the plot is set around the time of Christmas. Before I got a computer I had no luck finding J.T. anywhere. After I got one I still had no luck until I, like so few others, got wind of a store in NYC called Carousel books and films. I contacted them by phone and their asking price was really too high for a person on a budget. I waited and hoped that someday I'd come across somebody with a copy or a copy of a copy on Ebay. Two weeks ago my wait was over! Last night I got to see J.T. for the first time in nearly 35 years, in color no less!!! When I saw it last my parents had not yet had a color TV so I saw it in black and white. A lot of the story I couldn't remember because I was only about 7 or 8 when I last saw it, I'm 43 now. I remembered the main points though, the little boy who lived with his mother, nursing a homeless cat back to health in an abandoned building before and after school, the tragedy that happens, the saddest moment on TV since the Martins forced Timmy to give up Lassie to move to Australia in "Timmy and Lassie", (both of these tug at the heart strings and bring a tear to the eye) and the 'turn around' happy ending. This isn't academy award winning by any standards but it is a descent heart warming story that kids and adults alike can enjoy. A rarity to find that kind of quality in shows made today. I will cherish my copy of J.T. and will proudly play it every Christmas time in my home. It is a shame that it is not picked up by some cable channel and at least shown around Christmas like it used to be or better yet, put out on VHS or DVD, maybe someday.

I saw this movie when I was 9 yrs old and to this day it is the saddest movie i have ever seen. I even remember crying when it was over, but I haven't seen it for 35 yrs. The movie made a lasting impression on me, especially since I myself just found a stray cat in a warehouse and nursed it back to health. I wish I could find a copy for my kids who are also cat lovers. It is a must see movie, whether you're an animal lover or not. If you ever have the chance to see this movie, do not pass it up. Its a great family movie, despite how old the movie is an I, personally, think it is one of the best "made for TV" movies ever. I would give this movie my highest rating. Once again, its an excellent film.