Ah December, when the air turns crisp and cold, the Northeast turns into a winter wonderland, and for those of us who grew up in the 1970s (and later), the one time of year when we can watch those beloved, cheesy stop-motion Christmas TV classics from Rankin/Bass Productions, whose songs we all know by heart (despite ourselves).
*TiVo/DVR alert! ABC is airing Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (that's the one with the Burgermeister Meisterburger and Fred Astaire as the narrator) at 8 p.m. ET tonight!*
From Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (who could forget Hermey the Misfit Elf, who longed to be a dentist, or Yukon Cornelius?) to Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, to Frosty the Snow Man (which featured the voice talent of Jimmy Durante), it just wasn't Christmas without a Rankin/Bass Production.
My favorite Rankin/Bass memory: watching and listening to the Miser Brothers, Snow Miser and Heat Miser, sing their signature song from The Year Without a Santa Claus (which featured the voice talents of Mickey Rooney and Shirley Booth, though not on this song):
*Another TiVo/DVR alert! ABC Family is airing The Year Without a Santa Claus on December 11 at 8 p.m. ET and on December 13 at 7 p.m. ET.*
We all had our favorite Rankin/Bass production. What was yours?
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3 comments:
These bring back fond memories! I wish these were on TV here in France for my kids. I used to be so scared of the abominable snowman in Rudolph...and to this day still can't properly pronounce that word!
The Abominable Snowman in Rudolph used to scare me too, as did the Winter Warlock in SCiCtT. Of the R-B specials, clearly the standout is the Heat Miser/Cold Miser song sequence.
However, the two absolute best Christmas specials are Charlie Brown and the Grinch, in that order. We have both on DVD so as not to be bound to fickle broadcast schedules.
Anyone who can have the Burgermeister Meisterburger is gonna be a winner.
Also, don't forget the Royal Guardsmen and their awesome Snoopy vs. The Red Baron Christmas album.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Guardsmen
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