Family Classics


Family Classics is a Chicago television series which began in 1962 when Frazier Thomas was added to another program at WGN-TV. Thomas not only hosted classic films, but also selected the titles and personally edited them to remove those scenes which he thought were not fit for family viewing. After Thomas' death in 1985, Roy Leonard took over the program. The series continued sporadically until its initial cancellation in 2000.
On November 10, 2017, WGN announced that Family Classics would be returning after a 17-year hiatus with a presentation of the 1951 version of Scrooge to air on Friday, December 8, 2017, and announced that its longtime entertainment reporter, Dean Richards, would be the new host. Since then, it would continue to air each holiday season.

History

In 1962, Fred Silverman, then a WGN-TV executive, conceived the idea of the show by scheduling classic family films at a prime time Friday night position rather than a late show slot where children wouldn't see them. The show was a huge ratings success and inspired the networks to schedule recently released films in prime time. When the networks began showing first-run films in prime time, the show was rescheduled to Sunday afternoons.
For the series' December 2019 airing of the 1942 film Holiday Inn, and New Year's Eve airings of the Marx Brothers' Monkey Business & Animal Crackers, WGN veteran anchor, Steve Sanders, filled in as host as current host Dean Richards was recovering from a fractured wrist and facial abrasions before the episode's taping.

The set

The theme music was a piece of library music recorded on the Berry/Conroy label, entitled Moviescope, and was written by Dennis Berry. The camera would slowly zoom in on the set designed by Thomas that resembled a study with a painting on the wall of Garfield Goose done by Roy Brown, a model sailing ship sitting on top of a shelf of books with the titles of the films to be shown that were repainted encyclopedias and dictionaries also done by Anthony M Sulla as credited in the final credits, that Frazier would introduce.

List of titles

  • The Absent-Minded Professor
  • The Adventures of Frontier Fremont
  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
  • The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
  • The Adventures of Robin Hood
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
  • Air Bud
  • Aladdin
  • Aladdin's Magic Lamp
  • Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
  • All Dogs Go to Heaven
  • An American Tail
  • An Elephant Called Slowly
  • Angels in the Outfield
  • The Angry Birds Movie
  • Animal Crackers
  • Annie Get Your Gun
  • Apache
  • The Apple Dumpling Gang
  • Arabian Adventure
  • Atlantis, the Lost Continent
  • Babes in Toyland
  • Babes in Toyland
  • Baby Huey's Great Easter Adventure
  • The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
  • The Bandit of Sherwood Forest
  • The Bear
  • Belles on Their Toes
  • The Bells of St. Mary's
  • Bend of the River
  • Benji
  • Benji the Hunted
  • Beau Geste
  • Big
  • The Big Circus
  • Bill and Coo
  • Billy Rose's Jumbo
  • The Bishop's Wife
  • The Black Rose
  • The Black Shield of Falworth
  • The Black Stallion
  • The Black Stallion Returns
  • The Black Swan
  • The Blind Bird
  • The Blob
  • Born Free
  • A Boy Named Charlie Brown
  • The Boy and the Pirates
  • The Boy Who Caught a Crook
  • The Boy with Green Hair
  • Boys Town
  • Brigadoon
  • Broken Arrow
  • Brigham Young
  • Buffalo Bill
  • Calamity Jane
  • The Canterville Ghost
  • Captain Blood
  • Captain from Castile
  • Captain Horatio Hornblower
  • Captain January
  • Captains Courageous
  • The Care Bears Movie
  • Chad Hanna
  • The Charge of the Light Brigade
  • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
  • Christmas in Connecticut
  • Challenge to Lassie
  • Cheaper by the Dozen
  • A Child Called Jesus
  • A Christmas Carol
  • A Christmas Carol
  • A Christmas Story
  • Circus World
  • City Beneath the Sea
  • Come to the Stable
  • A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
  • Conrack
  • The Corsican Brothers
  • The Count of Monte Cristo
  • The Count of Monte Cristo
  • Cougar Country
  • The Courage of Black Beauty
  • Courage of Lassie
  • Courage Mountain
  • Crack in the World
  • The Crimson Pirate
  • David Copperfield
  • The Day the Earth Stood Still
  • The Daydreamer
  • The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
  • The Desert Rats
  • Destination Moon
  • A Dispatch from Reuter's
  • Doctor Dolittle
  • The Drum
  • Drums Along the Mohawk
  • Duck Soup
  • Dumbo
  • The Easy Way
  • Edison, the Man
  • Elephant Boy
  • The Enemy Below
  • Everything's Ducky
  • The Fabulous World of Jules Verne
  • Fantasia 2000
  • Father Goose
  • Fearless Fagan
  • The Flame and the Arrow
  • The Flame and the Sword
  • Flipper
  • Flipper's New Adventure
  • For the Love of Benji
  • For the Love of Rusty
  • Forbidden Planet
  • Francis of Assisi
  • Friendly Persuasion
  • Gallant Bess
  • The Gallant Hours
  • Gay Purr-ee
  • General Spanky
  • Gentle Giant
  • The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
  • The Glass Slipper
  • The Golden Age of Comedy
  • Great Expectations
  • Great Expectations
  • The Great Muppet Caper
  • The Greatest Show on Earth
  • Green Grass of Wyoming
  • Gulliver's Travels
  • Hans Brinker
  • Hans Christian Andersen
  • Harry and the Hendersons
  • Heidi
  • Heidi's Song
  • Here Come the Tigers
  • Hiawatha
  • High Noon
  • Hills of Home
  • Holiday Inn
  • Home for the Holidays
  • Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
  • Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco
  • Honey, I Blew Up the Kid
  • Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
  • Hoppity Goes To Town
  • Horse Feathers
  • The Horse Soldiers
  • Houdini
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • How the Toys Saved Christmas
  • The Human Comedy
  • The Incredible Mr. Limpet
  • Ice Age
  • Inside Out
  • Island of the Blue Dolphins
  • Iron Will
  • It's a Dog's Life
  • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
  • It's a Wonderful Life
  • It Happens Every Spring
  • It Nearly Wasn't Christmas
  • Jack Frost
  • John Paul Jones
  • Journey Back to Oz
  • Journey to the Center of the Earth
  • Jungle Book
  • The Jungle Book
  • The Kentuckian
  • Kidnapped
  • King of the Khyber Rifles
  • King of the Wild Stallions
  • King Richard and the Crusaders
  • Kingdom of the Clouds
  • Kit Carson
  • Knute Rockne, All American
  • Lad, A Dog
  • Lassie Come Home
  • Lassie's Great Adventure
  • The Last of the Mohicans
  • The Last of the Mohicans
  • Life with Father
  • Lili
  • Lilies of the Field
  • The Lion and the Horse
  • The Little Colonel
  • Little Lord Fauntleroy
  • A Little Princess
  • The Little Princess
  • Little Women
  • Little Women
  • The Littlest Hobo
  • The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
  • Living Free
  • The Lone Ranger
  • The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold
  • Long John Silver
  • Lost Angel
  • The Lost World
  • The Macahans
  • Made in Heaven
  • The Magic of Lassie
  • The Magic Sword
  • The Man in the Iron Mask
  • The Man in the Iron Mask
  • The Mark of Zorro
  • The Mark of Zorro
  • The Master of Ballantrae
  • Matilda
  • Maya
  • The McConnell Story
  • Meet Me in St. Louis
  • Merry Andrew
  • Mickey's Christmas Carol
  • The Mighty Ducks
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
  • A Minor Miracle
  • The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima
  • Miracle on 34th Street
  • Mission of the Seahawk
  • Mister 880
  • Mister Scoutmaster
  • Moby Dick
  • Monkey Business
  • Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
  • Mountain Man
  • Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
  • The Muppet Movie
  • The Music Man
  • The Mudlark
  • Mutiny on the Bounty
  • My Brother Talks to Horses
  • My Fair Lady
  • My Friend Flicka
  • My Side of the Mountain
  • Mysterious Island
  • Namu, My Best Friend
  • National Velvet
  • Northwest Mounted Police
  • Northwest Passage
  • Oh Heavenly Dog
  • Oklahoma
  • One Magic Christmas
  • Operation Petticoat
  • The Palomino
  • Penrod and Sam
  • Penrod's Double Trouble
  • Pete's Dragon
  • The Pied Piper
  • The Plainsman
  • Pony Soldier
  • Prancer
  • The President's Lady
  • The Pride and the Passion
  • Pride of the Blue Grass
  • The Pride of the Yankees
  • The Prince and the Pauper
  • Prince Valiant
  • The Princess and the Pirate
  • The Private War of Major Benson
  • The Proud Rebel
  • The Prisoner of Zenda
  • PT 109
  • Raymie
  • Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
  • Red Skies of Montana
  • Return to Oz
  • Ring of Bright Water
  • Rio Grande
  • Rip Van Winkle
  • Robin Hood
  • Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie
  • Rusty
  • Safe at Home!
  • Sammy Going South
  • Santa Claus The Movie
  • Saskatchewan
  • The Scarlet Pimpernel
  • Scary Tales
  • Scott of the Antarctic
  • Scrooge
  • Scrooge
  • The Sea Hawk
  • The Secret Garden
  • The Secret of Monte Cristo
  • The Secret of NIMH
  • Seminole
  • Sergeant York
  • Seven Cities of Gold
  • Seven Seas to Calais
  • The Sheepman
  • Shenandoah
  • The Singing Nun
  • Sink the Bismarck
  • Sitting Pretty
  • Sleeping Beauty
  • Terms of Endearment
  • The Slipper and the Rose
  • The Small Miracle
  • Smoky
  • Snoopy Come Home
  • Snowfire
  • Son of Lassie
  • The Son of Monte Cristo
  • The Song of Bernadette
  • The Spanish Main
  • Stanley and Livingstone
  • Stars and Stripes Forever
  • The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
  • The Story of Louis Pasteur
  • The Story of Seabiscuit
  • Stowaway to the Moon
  • The Sun Comes Up
  • Susannah of the Mounties
  • Swiss Family Robinson
  • The Sword in the Stone
  • A Tale of Two Cities
  • The Rescuers
  • The Rescuers Down Under
  • The Red Pony
  • The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker
  • The Return of Monte Cristo
  • The Rocketeer
  • The Tender Years
  • The Thief of Bagdad
  • The Three Musketeers
  • The Time Machine
  • The Time Machine
  • The Unfinished Dance
  • The Wacky World of Mother Goose
  • The War of the Worlds
  • The Wild and the Free
  • The Yearling
  • They Died with Their Boots On
  • Thoroughbreds Don't Cry
  • Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
  • Thundercloud
  • Thunderhead, Son of Flicka
  • A Time for Every Season
  • Tobor the Great
  • To Find a Rainbow
  • Treasure Galleons
  • Treasure Island
  • Treasure Island
  • Treasure of the Golden Condor
  • Two Years Before the Mast
  • Uncle Sam Magoo
  • Union Pacific
  • Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
  • Wee Willie Winkie
  • Wells Fargo
  • Western Union
  • When the North Wind Blows
  • When Worlds Collide
  • Who Framed Roger Rabbit
  • Wilderness Journey
  • White Christmas
  • White Fang
  • White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf
  • White Feather
  • Willy McBean and his Magic Machine
  • Yankee Doodle Dandy
  • Yellow Jack
  • Young Mr. Lincoln
  • Young People
  • ''Young Tom Edison''