Saturday night saw the premiere of the new holiday movie Haul Out the Holly on the Hallmark Channel, and this was a moment years in the making for Ellen Travolta. Known for her roles in classic sitcoms like Happy Days and Charles in Charge, Travolta was stricken with grief when she lost her husband of 34 years, Jack Bannon, in 2017. Soon after Bannon's passing, Travolta had taken in a friendly cat from outside, one her husband had nicknamed "O" when he was still around. The two then worked through Travolta's grief by watching Hallmark Channel movies together.
“For half a minute I thought, ‘Is Jack back as a cat? I can’t ignore this,’” Travolta explained, via The Spokesman-Review. “So I let him in. He came up on the couch and we watched Hallmark. And that was the beginning of the rest of that year. From Oct. 25 on through, O and I watched Hallmark movies and I fell in love with them.”
It was during this time that Travolta developed a new dream of appearing in a Hallmark Christmas movie. She explained that she wanted to be involved as these films are "hopeful," even if they're not always realistic. Trying to make that happen meant speaking about it to everyone she knew in show business, and at one point, she explained this to her famous brother, John Travolta. Fortunately, her brother was able to pull a few strings to get the ball rolling on the casting, leading to her getting a call from the network. From there, she was cast in the holiday movie Haul Out the Holly.
“I was away with John in Austria and all I did was talk about being on Hallmark. So when we got back, he called his agent and asked, ‘What do we have to do to get Ellen in a Hallmark movie? All she wants is one line,’ Travolta said with a laugh. “Lo and behold, they called."
John Travolta Celebrated the Casting on Social Media
Haul Out the Holly follows Lacey Chabert as Emily, a woman who unexpectedly spends the holidays alone at her parents' house, reluctantly participating in the HOA's many Christmas festivities. Ellen Travolta plays Mary Louise, a very festive neighbor. The film also stars Wes Brown, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Melissa Peterman.
Ahead of the film's premiere on the Hallmark Channel, Travolta celebrated the moment with a post on his Instagram Stories. He shared a screenshot of Travolta in the movie along with writing, "My sister Ellen always wanted to be in a Hallmark Christmas movie and has had so much fun making it!"
You can watch the trailer for Haul Out the Holly below.