47 Fun Facts About Hanukkah Movie

Ten years after Eight Crazy Nights, Adam Sandler returned to animation in which 2012 hit?

Hotel Transylvania cast Sandler as Dracula, an overprotective father who runs a monsters-only resort and panics when a human wanders in and falls for his daughter; he voiced the count in two sequels.

In A Rugrats Chanukah, Tommy and his friends imagine themselves as an ancient army with which name?

The Maccababies are led by Tommy as Judah, who goes to war after a Greek king takes over the Jewish kingdom and forces his own culture on its people.

In Eight Crazy Nights, what community service is Davey sentenced to instead of jail?

Refereeing youth basketball, under the eccentric old referee Whitey, is Davey's last chance: the judge warns that one more crime will send him to prison.

Besides Davey and Whitey Duvall, which third character does Adam Sandler voice in Eight Crazy Nights?

Eleanore, the twin sister, and Whitey take Davey into their home after his trailer burns down; Sandler is also credited with the noises of the town's deer.

Who voiced Davey's love interest, Jennifer Friedman, in Eight Crazy Nights?

Jackie Titone, Sandler's future wife, voiced Jennifer Friedman; the couple married in 2003, and she has appeared in most of his films since.

Which bluegrass singer provided the singing voice for Jennifer in Eight Crazy Nights?

Alison Krauss sings Jennifer's songs while another actress speaks the part, a split the film repeats for Davey's parents, sung by Heart's Ann Wilson and Mr. Mister's Richard Page.

How did Eight Crazy Nights fare in theaters in November 2002?

A flop that earned less than it cost: it took about $23.8 million worldwide against a reported $34 million budget, opening fifth on a crowded Thanksgiving weekend.

In Friends, what does Ross dress up as to teach his son Ben about Hanukkah?

An armadillo: unable to rent a Santa suit so late, Ross invents the Holiday Armadillo, Santa's friend, to get his Christmas-loving son excited about Hanukkah.

In Eight Crazy Nights, who confronts a drunken Davey inside the closed mall?

The stores' mascots, come to life, include a Panda Express panda and a talking Victoria's Secret gown; they push Davey to grieve for his parents, and he finally opens their card.

Who plays the title character, Mordechai Jefferson Carver, in The Hebrew Hammer?

Adam Goldberg plays the Hammer, a tough-talking Jewish private eye who is reluctantly recruited to stop a plot against Hanukkah itself.

Who is the villain of The Hebrew Hammer?

Damian Claus, Santa's evil son, takes over after his tolerant father is murdered and sets out to wipe out Hanukkah and Kwanzaa so that December belongs to Christmas alone.

Which comedian plays the Christmas-crazed villain of The Hebrew Hammer?

Andy Dick plays the villain, who schemes to cancel Hanukkah for good; Judy Greer co-stars as Esther, the Hammer's ally and love interest.

What is the name of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front leader who allies with the Hebrew Hammer?

Mohammed Ali Paula Abdul Rahim, head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front, joins the Hammer to save Hanukkah and Kwanzaa; the joke name stitches a heavyweight champion's to a pop star's.

Which cable channel gave The Hebrew Hammer its television premiere in December 2003?

Comedy Central aired The Hebrew Hammer in December 2003, eleven months after its Sundance debut and days before a brief run in theaters.

Which former New York City mayor appears as himself in The Hebrew Hammer?

Ed Koch, New York's mayor from 1978 to 1989, turns up as himself in a caper that runs through Israel and a K-Mart to a final battle at the North Pole.

In The Hebrew Hammer's opening flashback, what does a passing Santa do to young Mordechai?

Crushes his dreidel and flips him off: the bullied boy is spinning the toy on the sidewalk to cheer himself up when a Santa walks by and stamps on it.

Full-Court Miracle (2003) premiered on which network?

Disney Channel premiered the film in November 2003; in it, a school team's young players pool their allowances to hire a down-on-his-luck former college star as their coach.

In Full-Court Miracle, what had kept college star Lamont Carr out of the NBA?

A knee injury had sidelined Lamont, who is living out of his van and sending money home to his family when the boys spot him at a playground.

In Full-Court Miracle, which nickname does the Hebrew Academy team use?

The Lions share their animal with the Lion of Judah, the emblem of the biblical tribe; they are a struggling team with no real coach when the film begins, so the players go looking for one themselves.

How does Full-Court Miracle's final game echo the miracle of the oil?

A near-empty generator keeps running after a storm cuts the gym's power: the teams agree to play only until the fuel runs out, and the generator restarts even after its tank is empty.

In Full-Court Miracle, why does Lamont leave the team just before the big tournament?

The 76ers offer him a contract, a ten-day deal he accepts, so the boys must play the tournament without their coach until he walks back into the gym during the final.

On which network did A Rugrats Chanukah first air in December 1996?

Nickelodeon had pitched a Chanukah special back in 1992, but that idea morphed into 1995's 'A Rugrats Passover' first.

In A Rugrats Chanukah, Grandpa Boris feuds with which old rival over the synagogue's Chanukah play?

Shlomo, Boris's old rival, plays the Greek king opposite Boris's Judah in the synagogue play, so the babies decide Shlomo is the real villain of the holiday.

In A Rugrats Chanukah, what do the babies call the villain they set out to defeat?

The Meanie of Chanukah is what the babies call Grandpa Boris's rival after mishearing the title of the play, The Meaning of Chanukah; their plan is to put him down for a nap.

In A Rugrats Chanukah, why does Angelica free the babies from the nursery?

To watch a Christmas special on TV, Angelica talks the babies into a breakout and makes off with a television, only to smash the set when she runs into Boris's rival backstage.

In A Rugrats Chanukah, what is the name of Tommy's grandmother, Boris's wife?

Minka opens the special by reading the babies the story of the first Chanukah, then breaks off to help make latkes; Melanie Chartoff voices both her and her daughter Didi.

Which 1986 animated film opens with a mouse family celebrating Hanukkah in tsarist Russia?

An American Tail begins with Papa Mousekewitz giving Fievel his own hat as a Hanukkah gift, moments before Cossacks and their cats attack the village and drive the family to emigrate.

Who directed the 1986 Fievel film whose opening scene is set at Hanukkah?

Don Bluth, a former Disney animator who had left to start his own studio, directed it for Steven Spielberg's Amblin; it became the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film of its day.

The 1995 animated film The Real Shlemiel is based on stories by which Nobel laureate?

Isaac Bashevis Singer wrote the children's stories behind the film, also released as Aaron's Magic Village; in it, an accident just after Creation leaves Chelm populated entirely by fools.

Which horror icon starred as serial killer Judah Lazarus in the 2019 slasher Hanukkah?

Sid Haig plays Judah Lazarus, the original 'Hanukiller', who is shot by police in 1983 before he can sacrifice his own son; Haig died in September 2019, before the film came out.

In The Fabelmans, which Hanukkah gift does young Sammy crash on purpose and then film?

A model train set is what Sammy asks for after a train wreck in a circus epic grips him; his mother lets him shoot one more crash with his father's camera, and a filmmaker is born.

Which 2020 Hallmark film did an Insider review praise as a real Hanukkah movie, unlike the channel's 2019 attempts?

Love, Lights, Hanukkah! centres on a woman discovering her Jewish family, where the two 2019 films had, the review said, felt like Christmas movies with a few mentions of Hanukkah.

In Hallmark's 2020 film, how does Christina Rossi learn about her heritage?

A DNA test shows she is 50% Jewish, sending restaurateur Christina (Mia Kirshner) to find her birth mother Ruth, played by Marilu Henner, in time for Hanukkah.

Which Boy Meets World star plays David Singer, the love interest in Hallmark's 2020 Hanukkah romance?

Ben Savage, Cory Matthews on Boy Meets World, plays David, a restaurant critic who had given Christina's lasagna a lukewarm review before turning up at her new family's Hanukkah table.

Which acclaimed 2017 romance ends with its heartbroken hero staring into a fire during Hanukkah?

Call Me by Your Name closes on Elio staring into the fire after Oliver's Hanukkah phone call announcing his engagement; the two had bonded partly over their shared Jewish identity.

Where did Adam Sandler first perform 'The Chanukah Song' on December 3, 1994?

SNL's Weekend Update hosted the debut on the seventh night of Chanukah, with Sandler on guitar at the desk; he said Jewish kids had only the dreidel song, so he had written them a new one.

Which sitcom star phoned Adam Sandler to thank him after 'The Chanukah Song' name-checked his character?

Henry Winkler, who is Jewish, called to thank Sandler for slipping the Fonz into the song; the call began a friendship that put him in The Waterboy as Coach Klein.

The hybrid holiday 'Chrismukkah' was popularized by which TV series?

The O.C.'s Seth Cohen, son of a Jewish father and Protestant mother, claims he invented 'the greatest superholiday known to mankind'; the 2003 episode 'The Best Chrismukkah Ever' spread the term.

How does Seth Cohen describe Chrismukkah's gift schedule?

Eight days of presents, then one day of many presents, is Seth's pitch for the holiday he says he invented at six to merge his parents' two faiths; the show revisited it every season.

Which comedian voices Tiger, the soft-hearted cat who becomes Fievel Mousekewitz's best friend?

Dom DeLuise voices Tiger, a mostly vegetarian cat; Fievel himself was voiced by Phillip Glasser, a child the filmmakers overheard auditioning for an Oscar Mayer commercial.

Which Saturday Night Live alumnus voices Tom Baltezor in Eight Crazy Nights?

Jon Lovitz voices Tom Baltezor; on Saturday Night Live he had played Hanukkah Harry, who takes over the gift run when Santa is too sick to fly.

Eight Crazy Nights opened on the same day in 2002 as which Disney animated adventure?

Treasure Planet opened beside it on November 27, 2002, and edged it out for fourth place that weekend, yet Disney's film never recouped its $140 million budget and a planned sequel was scrapped.

In Eight Crazy Nights, which town award does Whitey covet?

The All-Star Patch, Dukesberry's yearly thank-you to one resident, keeps passing Whitey by until Davey shames the town into handing it over, along with the patches of past winners.

What did Adam Sandler win in 2003 for his voice work in Eight Crazy Nights?

A Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie went to Sandler in 2003, the same year the film earned him a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor.

The Hebrew Hammer features which filmmaker in a cameo as 'Sweetback', the hero of his own 1971 hit?

Melvin Van Peebles returns as Sweetback, the outlaw he wrote, directed and played in 1971; his son Mario, who played the young Sweetback in that film, is the Hammer's Kwanzaa ally here.

Many scenes of The Hebrew Hammer were shot in which Brooklyn neighbourhood with a large Hasidic community?

Filmmakers feared Hasidic protests in Borough Park like those against A Price Above Rubies, but none materialised.

In which city was the Philadelphia-set Hanukkah movie Full-Court Miracle actually filmed?

Toronto stood in for Philadelphia, and the location shows in the cast: Jerome Williams, then a Toronto Raptors forward, appears as himself.