‘Davey and Goliath’ return for special
You don’t have to be Lutheran to love “Davey and Goliath.” The classic stop-motion animated morality-tale series featuring a little rubber boy and his faithful talking dog returns to television after more than 30 years with the holiday special “Davey and Goliath’s Snowboard Christmas” (noon Sunday, Hallmark).
A Sunday-morning staple in the 1960s and ‘70s, “Davey and Goliath” was a presentation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and had the clear intent of bringing a religious message to young viewers. In every episode, Davey would follow his free will and get into some kind of jam, while Goliath doggedly offered cautionary advice.
As a young, cartoon-obsessed non-Lutheran, I always found the stories fascinating, and the “message” parts vaguely spooky and a tad out of the blue. All of the sudden Goliath would ask, “Why do we die, Davey?” only to get an earnest answer from Davey’s dad or some other authority figure.
On the other end of the animation spectrum, the “Adult Swim” feature “Tom Goes to the Mayor” (11:30 p.m. Sunday, Cartoon Network) offers a Christmas special with the title “Rat’s Off to Ya!”
For the uninitiated, “Tom” is a talky, slyly silly cartoon that takes minimal animation to a whole new level. Heck, it makes the low-budget effects of “Aqua Team Hunger Force” look like “Fantasia.”
The second “Da Vinci Code”-inspired special in as many weeks, “Unlocking Da Vinci’s Code: The Full Story” (9 p.m., Sunday, National Geographic Channel) explores the controversial notion that Mary Magdalene was really the wife of Jesus and bore him a child who began a secret dynasty, the story of which was suppressed by the early church and supported by a conspiracy of geniuses, including Leonardo Da Vinci.
“Unlocking” follows the religious detective story from Jerusalem to Paris, through the villages of southern France and all the way to Scotland.
For those who can’t get enough of this iconoclastic theorizing, there’s also a repeat of “The Two Marys: The Madonna and the Magdalene” (5 and 8 p.m. tonight, CNN), an hourlong examination of the ideas posited in Dan Brown’s book and elsewhere.
And yet another discussion of the Christmas story and today’s conflicting theories unfolds on “The Birth of Jesus” (9 p.m. Sunday, Fox News), which features experts like John Dominic Crossan and Jonathan Reed, authors of “In Search of Paul: The New Quest to Understand His World and Words” (HarperCollins, 2004); Elaine Pagels, author of “Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas” (Random House, 2003); and Erwin Lutzer, author of “Da Vinci Deception: Credible Answers to the Questions People Are Asking About Jesus, the Bible, and The Da Vinci Code” (Tyndale House, 2004).
A yuppie lawyer (Gary Sinise) returns to his rural Maine roots and finds an acquaintance (Joely Richardson) from his past in the 2003 holiday romance “Fallen Angel” (9 p.m. Sunday, CBS). A handsome film featuring a fine performance by Sinise, this tale of December romance moves as slowly as diners toward second helpings of last year’s fruitcake.
Tonight’s highlights
The voices of Ed Asner, Betty White and Tim Curry animate the 1996 holiday special “The Story of Santa Claus” (8 p.m., CBS).
Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo and Randy Quaid star in the 1989 comedy “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (8 p.m., NBC).
Denzel Washington stars in the 1997 football drama “Remember the Titans” (8 p.m., ABC).
A departed mother returns for the holidays in the 2004 Christmas weepy “Angel in the Family” (9 p.m. tonight, Hallmark).
Scheduled on “48 Hours Mystery” (10 p.m., CBS): new theories about the murder of JonBenet Ramsey.
A body is fished from a swimming pool on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (10 p.m., NBC).
Robert De Niro hosts “Saturday Night Live” (11:30 p.m., NBC), featuring musical guests Destiny’s Child.
Sunday’s highlights
Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): Miami Dolphins renegade Ricky Williams; Gretchen Wilson; a controversial biblical ossuary.
Scheduled on “Dateline” (7 p.m., NBC): an interview with Kirstie Alley.
A Kansas farm girl (Judy Garland) gets blown far off course in the 1939 musical fantasy “The Wizard of Oz” (7:30 p.m., WB).
A light-phobic child requires a special dwelling on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (8 p.m., ABC).
Bree meets her persnickety match in Maisy Gibbons (guest-star Sharon Lawrence) on “Desperate Housewives” (9 p.m., ABC).
A musician romantically linked to a prominent shrink is found murdered on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (9 p.m., NBC).
Jordan races to clear her dad’s name on “Crossing Jordan” (10 p.m., NBC).