Olivia Newton-John, the Australian singer who became one of the biggest stars of the 1970s thanks to her iconic performance in “Grease,” died Monday at the age of 73.While she’ll be remembered for dozens of roles, Queen City viewers have a special connection to her first made-for-TV movie."A Mom for Christmas" was released in December 1990. It’s the story of a little girl whose only Christmas wish is to have a mother again. A mannequin, played by Newton-John, comes to life to grant her wish.The movie was filmed in several parts of Ohio, including Cincinnati and Wyoming. The most recognizable setting was the Millliman's department store, of which the real-life location was Shillito's. Shillito's was known as Lazurus at the time of filming. In a 1990 interview with WLWT’s Michael Collins, Newton-John discussed the film. “You know, I think children who are in single-parent families will relate to her part a lot because they’re missing either a mom or a dad at Christmas, and this little girl is going through all their feelings and it’s a hopeful film,” she said. Newton-John said she liked Cincinnati, but also recounted a picnic with her daughter that went awry. “We didn’t know our way around. We didn’t know anywhere … we just took a freeway and just tried to find a park or a countryside. Well, we couldn’t find one. We kept driving. We ended up having a picnic in the parking lot of a factory in Kentucky somewhere because we couldn’t find a park,” Newton-John said.
Olivia Newton-John, the Australian singer who became one of the biggest stars of the 1970s thanks to her iconic performance in “Grease,” died Monday at the age of 73.
While she’ll be remembered for dozens of roles, Queen City viewers have a special connection to her first made-for-TV movie.
"A Mom for Christmas" was released in December 1990. It’s the story of a little girl whose only Christmas wish is to have a mother again. A mannequin, played by Newton-John, comes to life to grant her wish.
The movie was filmed in several parts of Ohio, including Cincinnati and Wyoming. The most recognizable setting was the Millliman's department store, of which the real-life location was Shillito's. Shillito's was known as Lazurus at the time of filming.
In a 1990 interview with WLWT’s Michael Collins, Newton-John discussed the film.
“You know, I think children who are in single-parent families will relate to her part a lot because they’re missing either a mom or a dad at Christmas, and this little girl is going through all their feelings and it’s a hopeful film,” she said.
Newton-John said she liked Cincinnati, but also recounted a picnic with her daughter that went awry.
“We didn’t know our way around. We didn’t know anywhere … we just took a freeway and just tried to find a park or a countryside. Well, we couldn’t find one. We kept driving. We ended up having a picnic in the parking lot of a factory in Kentucky somewhere because we couldn’t find a park,” Newton-John said.
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