A Riders in the Sky Christmas is a Christmas special which aired on The Nashville Network (TNN) on December 19, 1993. The special stars singing cowboy trio Riders In The Sky (composed of guitarist Ranger Doug, bassist Too Slim, and fiddle-player Woody Paul), country music star Reba McEntire, and the Nashville Children's Choir. Throughout the 45 minute program, the Riders perform Christmas songs both old and new in their trademark "Cowboy Way", and bring along their cavalcade of characters for comedic skits and faux commercials based around the holiday season.
Synopsis[]
The special opens with Riders In The Sky and Reba McEntire performing the Christmas country standard "Christmas Time's A Comin'". When the number concludes, Ranger Doug asks Reba why she is putting her career in jeopardy "to appear on our poor little cowboy Christmas TV show", to which Reba replies that Too Slim told her she would have a meaty acting part later in the special. Reba departs to go get ready for her next number, while Ranger Doug sets up their next song, "Do You Hear What I Hear?", by saying it is a quiet and peaceful portrait of Christmas. As the Ranger sings the first verse, Too Slim begins to disrupt "the portrait" by adding the sounds of a sick lamb looking for it's lost mother. Though Ranger Doug tries to press on with the song, Too Slim and Woody Paul continue to add other animals to the portrait in song (much to the Ranger's annoyance) until Slim begins to mimic the sound of the Rhinopotamus. When Ranger Doug asks why a Rhinopotamus would be in the portrait, Slim gleefully responds that the Rhinopotamus is leading the Christmas parade. Suddenly, performers and vintage cars from the Opryland theme park march through the studio to the tune of "Jingle Bells". When the parade passes, Ranger Doug makes one last attempt to perform "Do You Hear What I Hear", with Too Slim and Woody Paul joining him to finish the song.
Too Slim puts on the guise of pitchman L. Philo "Larry" Mammoth for a faux commercial for the Yuletide Yodeler, a multi-purpose cowboy-on-call who can deliver holiday messages, unclog toilets, and scare off hooligans trying to court teenage daughters, all with the power of his voice. When the skit concludes, Reba McEntire performs "O Holy Night" with three female backup singers.
Riders In The Sky take center stage once more and perform "Merry Christmas From Harmony Ranch". When the number concludes, Riders In The Sky's faithful sidekick Sidemeat is inside the Harmony Ranch bunkhouse, preparing to make a batch of his famous "Sidemeat's Christmas Stew".
Riders In The Sky and Reba McEntire perform Irving Berlin's classic "White Christmas". Following the song, Ranger Doug then introduces The Nashville Children's Choir, who perform the French Christmas carol "Patapan". After "Patapan", Woody Paul trades his fiddle for a guitar and serenades his wife and children with "Just Put A Ribbon In Your Hair".
Riders In The Sky and Reba McEntire move over to a stage set up like an old-time radio studio to perform a Riders Radio Theater skit called "Ambush At Christmas Gulch". While flipping through the skit's script, Reba is upset to learn that her previously-promised "meaty role" (as Miss Marm) doesn't do anything in the story but scream. Too Slim tries to quell her anger by telling Reba her role is much like that of Fay Wray in King Kong, and the skit begins. The story of the sketch involves Slocum (voiced by Too Slim) and Charlie (voiced by Ranger Doug) hijacking a stagecoach filled with presents for the children of Tumbleweed Valley as it is passing through the aptly-named Christmas Gulch. The Riders come across the scene of the hijacking, wasting no time in pursuing the stolen stagecoach. After Slocum and Charlie find Miss Marm inside the coach and notice the Riders in hot pursuit, they decide to stamped the horses pulling the coach (with Miss Marm inside) while they make their getaway. The Riders split-up, with Woody Paul and Too Slim riding after Slocum and Charlie, while Ranger Doug goes after the runaway stagecoach. Ranger Doug then discovers that his horse (Turbo) cannot withstand the altitude of which they're riding, and fears Miss Marm may be doomed. Breaking character, Reba decides to take action and go against the script by having Miss Marm climb out of the carriage and put on the stagecoach's handbrake moments before it goes over the cliff.
The final musical number of the special is a medley of traditional Christmas carols, performed by Riders In The Sky, Reba McEntire, and The Nashville Children's Choir. The medley concludes with an original poem by Ranger Doug entitled "The Greatest Gifts". After the medley and poem, the Riders and Reba take the stage, thanking the viewers for tuning into the special, as Joey The Cow-Polka King plays a polka-fied "Christmas Time's A Comin'".
Songs[]
- "Christmas Time's A Comin'" (Riders In The Sky & Reba McEntire)
- "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (Riders In The Sky)
- "O Holy Night" (Reba McEntire)
- "Christmas At The Harmony Ranch" (Riders In The Sky)
- "Sidemeat's Christmas Stew" (Riders In The Sky)
- "White Christmas" (Riders In The Sky & Reba McEntire)
- "Patapan" (Nashville Children's Choir)
- "Just Put A Ribbon In Your Hair" (Woody Paul)
- Christmas Carol Medley (Riders In The Sky, Reba McEntire, & The Nashville Children's Choir)
- "Christmas Time's A Comin'" (instrumental reprise) (Riders In The Sky)
Trivia[]
- This was the second of Riders In The Sky's six-special deal with The Nashville Network, following 1990's Christmas The Cowboy Way.
- Riders In The Sky previously appeared in Shotgun Red's Christmas Surprise.
- Reba McEntire had previously hosted her own TNN special, Reba McEntire's Christmas Card, in 1991.
- The performers and vehicles used during the "Christmas Parade" sketch were brought over from the Opryland theme park. TNN Studios, where a majority of the channel's programming (including this special) was filmed, was located inside the Opryland park property itself.
Cast[]
| Actor/actress | Character(s) |
|---|---|
| Douglas B. Green | Himself (as Ranger Doug)/Charlie |
| Fred LaBour | Himself (as Too Slim)/L. Philo "Larry" Mammoth/Sidemeat/Too Jaws/Slocum |
| Paul Chrisman | Himself (as Woody Paul)/Turbo (sound effects)/Sheriff Drywall Paul |
| Steve Arwood | Texas Bix Bender |
| Reba McEntire | Herself/Miss Marm |
| Joey Miskulin | Himself (as Joey The Cow-Polka King) |
| Bruce Nemerov | Professor Big Zeno Clinker |