Danny & Marlo Thomas & Roddy McDowall in Cricket on the Hearth (1967)

When we think of Dickens and Christmas, we naturally think of A Christmas Carol. In truth, Dickens wrote five Christmas stories, including the one that this holiday special was based on. Though this animated story produced by holiday heavyweights Rankin & Bass bears little resemblance to the original novela, it has some charming musical numbers and a sweet story to warm your heart. Bertha (Marlo Thomas), the daughter of toy maker Caleb (Danny Thomas) is in love with handsome Edward. When Edward is lost at sea, Bertha suffers a case of hysterical blindness and the family falls on hard times. Will the luck of their cricket, Crocket (Roddy McDowall) see them through? Also in the cast is veteran character actor Hans Conried, Abby Lane and the Norman Luboff Choir.

This special is available on DVD, and can also be seen on YouTube. Part one is above, uploaded by starwarsmarveldc.

Obscurity factor: 8 (available on DVD & YouTube, largely forgotten)

Ziggy in Ziggy's Gift (1982)

Christmas specials fall into one of two different categories - classics or obscurities. This one, though of a classic quality is definitely in the second camp. Our intrepid little hero, so familiar to us from the comic pages, has a devil of a time finding his way through the holiday season, though he never loses his faith and good humor. The special was written by Ziggy's creater, Tom Wilson, and features the voice of Perry Botkin Jr., who created the theme music for another Obscurity Factor series - Quark. The charm and warmth of this special make it a joy to watch. Perhaps it didn't catch on because it's set in a rather bleak urban environment. One way or the other, it's definitely worth seeing.

Ziggy's Gift is available on DVD and can be found relatively easily. It's also been uploaded to YouTube in two parts by jiggerfool. Part 1 is above.

Obscurity factor: 8 (available on DVD & YouTube, known and loved by a cult following of fans)

John Lithgow & Cynthia Nixon in The Manhattan Project (1986)

Paul (Christopher Collet) is a bright boy. He excells in science and math and his curious mind is accompanied by a somewhat devious nature. John Matthewson (Lithgow) is a scientist working on high grade plutonium and trying to make time with Paul's mother. To that end, John invites Paul to visit his lab. Unfortunately, he's underestimated Paul's knowledge and understanding. In a move that's part protest, part prank, Paul and his friend Jenny (Nixon) steal some plutonium and Paul proceeds to make an atomic bomb with it for a science project. Will he win first prize... or even live to compete?

Wikipedia.com

This film by Woody Allen collaborator Marshall Brickman was undoubtedly green lit because of the success of War Games (1983). It features the same archetypes and asks some of the same questions. The characters differ somewhat and have some compelling flaws. Some of the situations are a bit far fetched, but the whole thing holds together as entertainment. It's fun to see Cynthia Nixon as a teenager and look for Robert Sean Leonard in a small role.

This film is available on DVD, but can be hard to find online. Above is the trailer for it from Video Detective.

Obscurity factor: 9 (on DVD, hard to find otherwise, largely forgotten)

James Caan & Sally Kellerman in Slither (1973)

Car thief, Dick Kanipsia has just gotten out of prison. With no real plans, he drifts, until the possibility of a fortune drops into his lap. This possibility sends him on a strange and unsettling road trip where he meets kooky and slightly psychotic Kitty Kopetzky (Kellerman) and the Fenakas (Peter Boyle & Louise Lasser), a band leader and his wife, also in pursuit of the loot. They join forces and pile into the Fenaka's Airstream trailer, only to be pursued by an ominous black van, which soon multiplies into two. Will our band of intrepid travelers reach their goal before being overtaken by the unidentified evil lurking behind them?

MoviePosterShop.com

This is a very strange film. For starters, the title says nothing about it and is much better suited to the 2006 horror film that shares it, and the circumstances are bizzarre and have a random quality to them that can be confusing. That being said, oddly enough the film holds together well. It's really because of the character portraits created by these talented actors. It's very much a black comedy, with some very funny twists to it. Look for character actors Alex Rocco, Richard B. Shull and Allen Garfield in small but pivotal roles.

 

Slither is available on DVD. Above is the trailer for it from the TCM site. Other scenes from the film can be watched at TCM, but I haven't been able to find the full film available online.

Obscurity factor: 9 (largely forgotten, on DVD, otherwise hard to find)

Jane Fonda & Jeff Bridges in The Morning After (1986)

Alex Sternbergen (Fonda) drinks too much. This fact is made painfully obvious to her when she wakes up next to a bloody corpse and has no memory of how she got there. Did she kill him, or has she been set up? Her blind panic is mitigated by ex cop Turner Kendall (Bridges) who helps her organize her thoughts and get to the bottom the mess. Will she figure it out before it drags her under?

This is a great example of an 80's thriller and Fonda does a great job as the booze soaked actress. It's masterfully directed by Sidney Lumet and look for gay character actor James Haake as a drag queen friend of Sternbergen's who helps her out of a jam and Bruce Vilanch in a small role as a bartender.

This film is available on DVD though it's out of print and can be expensive. Luckily it's also available on Amazon Direct at considerably lower prices.

Obscurity factor: 4 (somewhat remembered, on DVD & VOD)

Peter Lawford & Sammy Davis Jr. in Salt & Pepper (1967)

The sixties saw an explosion of spy themed filmes, all inspired by the success of the 007 franchise. From serious cold war dramas like The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (1965) to ridiculous romps with sexy starlets like Modesty Blaise (1966), the intrigue was thick and heavy. This film is one of the latter type, with Lawford and Davis playing night club owners who are sucked into a seriously stick situation. A girl is found dead in their club and she just happens to be part of a terrorist group, bent on wrecking havoc on the British government. Will the inimitable Salt (Davis) and Pepper (Lawford) be able to intervene in time?

MoviePosterShop.com

This silly film is more of an excuse for the stars to act cool and hip and for the producers to parade an endless collection of sexy sixties babes in front of the camera. The scenes of swinging London are fun to look back on and the film was successful enough to inspire a sequal - One More Time (1970) which has the distinction of having been directed by Jerry Lewis.

This film is available on DVD, as is its sequal. Above is the trailer, uploaded to YouTube by OurManInHavana.

Obscurity factor: 7 (on DVD, known to rat pack fans, dimly remembered otherwise)

Gary Burghoff & Ray Buktenica in W*A*L*T*E*R (1984)

This is the second and last of the official spinoffs of M*A*S*H. In it we catch up with Radar, the gentle radio man from the original series. His marriage has failed and he's decided to become a policeman in St. Louis, MO, after being encouraged by his cousin (Buktenica). This comedy is of the "laughter through tears" brand of sitcoms made popular by the foregoing series, featuring the lead character in some gritty circumstances including that failed marriage, the loss of his family farm and a suicide attempt. The lead character's charm apparently wasn't enough to pull the show through, however. It was never picked up, and the pilot ran only once as a special in the eastern and central time zones on July 17th, 1984, being preempted by convention coverage on the west coast.

This is an extremely rare show and without YouTube would be almost impossible to find. It's been uploaded by TheGorzak for your viewing pleasure, however.

Obscurity factor: 9 (not on DVD, almost completely forgotten, available on YouTube)