New York - A legendary Perry Como Christmas special shown only once on network television will be rebroadcast this weekend on TV Land, said Viacom spokesman Chet Brinker.
Archivists for NBC, the network that broadcast Como ’s Christmas specials for thirty years until he renounced Christianity in 1984 and joined the American Atheist Society, said they found the original tape in a storage locker.
The special, which featured appearances by the comedian John Belushi and the Ayatollah Khomeini, was thought to be lost by television historians. Viewers tuning in will be treated to rare footage of the Ayatollah and Mr. Como performing several comedy sketches, including one in which the Ayatollah plays a harried sales clerk trying to help Mr. Como pick out a bottle of perfume for his wife.
“Khomeini was a natural, and this special proves it,” said Brinker. “If he had chosen comedy over toppling the Shah, he could have been another John Ritter.”
The show also features a segment with Mr. Belushi, Mr. Como and the Ayatollah in the kitchen discussing favorite recipes, family traditions, and their resolutions for the New Year.
“Belushi asks Khomeini if he wants a part in his new film, which turned out to be ‘The Blues Brothers.’ It’s fascinating to speculate how history would have been changed had he accepted.”
Brinker added that people who know Khomeini only as a man given to fire and brimstone-filled harangues will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of his singing. “He does a version of ‘Marshmallow World’ that will warm your heart.” The special airs Saturday. Consult your local listings for the time in your area.
