How many of these shows do you remember , or maybe still observe every yr ?
1. The Year without a Santa Claus
This 1974 Rankin - Bass favorite was establish on a poor story by the same name written by Phyllis McGinley that was publish inGood Housekeepingmagazine in 1956 . The piece received such a convinced reaction that it was release in script spring the next year . In 1968 , Capitol Records hired Boris Karloff ( who ’d had success with his voice workplace inThe Grinch Who Stole Christmastwo years earlier ) to narrate the story on an album . The LP featured McGinley ’s news report on the A - side , and a collection of Christmas birdsong from Capitol ’s depository library on the B - side .
Academy , Emmy , and Tony Award achiever Shirley Booth provided the voice of Mrs. Claus in the especial and serve as the show ’s narrator . Press releases at the time stated that Booth had agreed to the project because of her longtime appreciation for McGinley ’s work , but in true statement Booth was smarting from the recent and disconnected cancellation of her fresh ABC situation comedy , A Touch of Grace . Her return to meshing idiot box had been ballyhoo in the crush , and its getting axed after just 13 episode was a major reverse . Booth was divert by the fact that even though she sings a duo with Mickey Rooney ( Santa Claus ) in the exceptional , she had never fit the thespian in person . She ’d recorded her portion of the Sung dynasty in New York , he did his in Chicago , and the producers melded the two division together .
The stand - out “ stars ” ofThe twelvemonth Without a Santa Clauswere , without question , the Heat Miser and Snow Miser , voiced by George S. Irving and Dick Shawn severally . Despite a long calling as a pic thespian and stand - up comic , Shawn might well have been think of most for his voice work as the icy Snow Miser had it not been for his most strange demise . Shawn was perform a one - valet show at U.C. San Diego in April 1987 and had just launched into a procedure about politicians and their clichés and campaign promises . short after emit the line “ If elected , I will not rest down on the job ” he go down confront down on the stage . It was almost a full five minutes before members of the level bunch actualise that this was not part of his act ; Shawn had abide a fatal fondness attack onstage .
2. Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
If you outcry when Bambi was orphaned or when Old Yeller sign up madness , then avoidNestorat all costs . There is a picture where Nestor ’s mama protect him during a snowstorm that put a unadulterated damper on any flavour - good that shows up later when the floppy - eared little guy helps a twosome find their room to Bethlehem .
Anyway , Nestor started out as a holiday disc by Gene Autry , who was desire to duplicate the success he ’d had with “ Rudolph , the Red - Nosed Reindeer . ” The record flop , but Rankin - Bass turned it into one of their Animagic specials . Nestor is a fleck of a departure for R - B not only because it features the Nativity shot , but also because the villain is n’t an obvious make - believe monster ( like the Abominable Snowman ) but chilling Roman soldiers .
3. Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas
This wizardly special from Jim Henson and his Muppet crew first air out on HBO in 1977 , shortly before the Muppets bump off the real - big time in their first feature film . The story is fairly base on O. Henry’sThe Gift of the Magi , with the very poor Otter family ( minus Pa , who has gone on to that big river in the sky ) want to get into a local Christmas talent show . But Ma has to soak Pa ’s tool chest in ordering to corrupt a wearing apparel for the contender , and Emmet has to cut a hole in Ma ’s washtub to make an just bass … Luckily , the up - tempo songs and delightful yield design keep the story from swim in pathos .
Emmetwas one of the most challenging productions Jim Henson ’s ship’s company had undertaken to particular date . This was long before CGI was at every animator ’s fingertip , so the gang actually construct a 55 - foot - prospicient river that was 10 feet all-encompassing across the degree they ’d built in a Toronto studio . Emmet ’s dinghy was radio - controlled , and some of the Muppets were operated via a brand new contraption Henson ’s locomotive engineer had devise called a “ Waldo . ” The Waldo is an electronic telemetric machine that the Muppeteer put on like a mitten . mold like the character ’s head , it leave the wearer to control the marionette ’s back talk remotely via radio signals .
4. The Little Drummer Boy
found on the Katherine Kennicott Davis song by the same name , Rankin - Bass obviously had to flesh out the narration to fill up 30 proceedings of airtime . So they gave Aaron ( the Drummer Boy ) a back account : orphaned when his parents were killed by thief , he was force to join a genus Circus because his drumming made his fauna friends trip the light fantastic . He eventually escapes with his friend — a camel , a sheep and a Equus asinus — and join up with the Three Wise Men ’s van to Bethlehem . The sheep is spite along the way , and Aaron asks the new-sprung baby Jesus to heal him . When the Infant Savior grants his request , appreciative Aaron gives the only talent he has to propose , that of music .
