Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree

A family of mice living inside the eccentric Mr. Willowby’s house set out to cut down the perfect Christmas tree. They climb to the top of the perfect tree, only for it to be cut out from under them by a group of lumberjacks. Those lumberjacks bring the tree back to Mr. Willowby’s house, where he declares it to be the most perfect Christmas tree. Except that it’s just a little too big. Mr. Willowby has the top of the tree cut off (which is where the mice are) and gives that portion of the tree to his maid. She declares it to be the most perfect Christmas tree. Except that it’s just a little too big. So she chops the top off (where the mice are) and throws it in the trash. From there it’s picked up a family of bears and then the portion that they discard is picked up by some owls before, finally, the mice are able to claim their portion of the perfect Christmas tree. Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree is a fairly obscure Muppets Christmas special starring Robert Downey Jr, Stockard Channing and Leslie Nielsen. Other than a few moments of physical humor, Leslie Nielsen is stuck playing a stuffy butler. And, while I cannot confirm such things, I suspect Robert Downey Jr. might have been under the influence during the production of this special. His character looks like Robert Smith from The Cure and has the manic energy of Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. If RDJ was actually sober at this time, then he truly is America’s greatest living actor.

Rating: Nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, FIVE GOLDEN RINGS, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree%

(Image from IMDB)