Amahl and the Night Visitors
The historic, original, live airing of what would become an annual Christmas tradition throughout the 1950s, this opera tells the story of Amahl, a crippled shepherd boy, and his destitute mother, who provide temporary shelter to three men who are following a star to the newly-born Christ child.
From the archive
Christmas Eve will be marked appropriately on television with all regular programs making some provision, and a number of special programs also planned. Among the special ones are two on WNBW. The first of these (9:30 p. m.) is Gian Carlo Menotti's opera, "Amahl and the Night Visitors," an hour-long production written especially for this television performance. This is the story of a lame boy who meets the Three Wise Men on their way to Bethlehem. Menotti wrote both libretto and score and will also stage the work. WNBW's second special production (11 p. m.) is an hour-long reading of Christmas stories by Charles Laughton. (The Washington Post, Dec. 23, 1951)
Why this is free to watch
Amahl and the Night Visitors (1951) is hosted by the Internet Archive as a public-domain or openly licensed work, which means its copyright has expired, lapsed, or was released by the rights holder. No signup, no payment and no advertising interrupts playback. Nitrate streams the file directly from the Archive and hosts no video itself.
- Director
- Kirk Browning
- Starring
- Chet Allen, Rosemary Kuhlmann, Andrew McKinley, David Aiken, Leon Lishner, Francis Monachino, Melissa Hayden, Nicholas Magallanes
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