Halloween Is Grinch Night

Premiered October 29, 1977.

On an autumn evening in Whoville, Josiah Who (Hal Smith) notices that the sour-sweet wind is blowing.  Josiah tells his family that they need to get indoors and stay there, because the winds are a sign that Grinch Night is about to begin!

At his home on Mount Crumpit, the Grinch (Hans Conreid) hitches his paraphernalia wagon to his dog Max (Henry Gibson) and sets out towards Whoville.  Max doesn’t enjoy working for the Grinch and wonders to himself why he still does it.

Whoville’s Grinch Alarm Warden Sergeant Samuel S. McPherson (Jack DeLeon) watches the Grinch’s movements and promises the Whos that he will keep them posted about his activities.

On his way to Whoville, the Grinch defoliates trees, runs over flowers and chases after the rare wuzzy woozoo.

In the middle of Grinch Night, Josiah’s grandson Euchariah (Gary Shapiro) says he needs to go outside to use “the euphemism.”  Unfortunately, Euchariah is caught by the sour-sweet winds and carried far away to the mountains.  He winds up in the exact same spot as the Grinch.  

The Grinch tells Euchariah he has no time for him and continues towards Whoville.  The young Who realizes that he has to be brave, stall for time and prevent the Grinch from reaching the town. 

Euchariah asks the Grinch to scare him.  The Grinch responds by sending an array of monsters and ghosts at Euchariah.  Can Euchariah stop the Grinch from Grinching Whoville?

J.A. Morris says:

I saw this special back when it first premiered and I recall being very excited that the Grinch was getting a second holiday special.  So I bring some nostalgia to this review.  When I was a kid, I remember being confused because at the end of his Christmas special, it would appear that the Grinch had reformed his ways and become a better person.  I guess this special doesn’t share any continuity with the first (any more than A Charlie Brown Christmas shares any continuity with It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown).  

We should mention that in spite of the title, the word “Halloween” is never mentioned in the special. Nor is trick or treating or anything traditionally associated with All Hallow’s Eve.  I guess in the Who’s universe (Whoniverse?) Grinch Night is their equivalent to Halloween.  

Euchariah is a sympathetic protagonist.  Unlike the adult Whos, he stands up to the Grinch.  The Grinch we see here seems a little more evil than in his previous appearance, striking out not because he finds Christmas annoying, but simply because he feels like it.  

The animation is gorgeous, especially the sequence where the Grinch tries to frighten Euchariah, which is the high point of the special.  It's filled with creepy ghosts and monsters that show off Dr. Seuss' wonderful imagination.   It's a visually stunning sequence.

There's also an amusing scene where the Grinch's eyebrows come to life and chase Euchariah!

The voice cast is also strong.  Hans Conreid takes over the voice of the Grinch from the deceased Boris Karloff and he also narrates the special.  Conreid was a famous voice actor, best remembered for voicing Captain Hook and Snidely Whiplash.  Hal Smith, who has voiced Santa in multiple holiday specials, is good as Josiah Who.  Henry Gibson voices Max the dog and he sings a sweet, sad song which questions why Max continues to do the Grinch’s dirty work for the Grinch.  

This is a solid, entertaining special, but it’s not in the same class as How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, which is probably why it never became an annual holiday TV fixture.  For starters, the songs and dialogue are very vague about what the Grinch will do to Whoville.  Will he cause them actual, physical harm?  Steal from their homes like he did at Christmas?  Or just give them a very intense Grinch Night scare?  

Halloween Is Grinch Night features songs composed by Joe Raposo, who wrote dozens of great songs for Sesame Street and The Electric Company.  The songs are all pretty good, especially Max’s aforementioned song.  However, Raposo's tunes are a step down from the songs featured in the Christmas special.  They won’t stick with you forever like “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” or “Fahoofores Dahoodores.”  

Halloween Is Grinch night is something everyone should watch at least once, but I doubt it’ll be something most will want to watch every October.  

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 jack o'lanterns.

RigbyMel says: 

I remember seeing Halloween is Grinch Night on the Disney Channel sometime in the mid-1980s.  I thought it was ok then and still feel like it's pretty ok now.  

I appreciate the trippy-ness of the sequence where the Grinch attempts to frighten our protagonist. (Side note: on the subject of trippy-ness, it seems to me that some of the graphic design in this sequence owes a lot to the 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine -- just played for creeps as opposed to peace and love.)  

Also the sheer unholy joy the Grinch takes in being his grinch-iest self  is quite fun to watch. 

However, this special doesn't have the magic that makes the 1966 version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas a classic that people come back to year after year.   I think there are a couple of reasons for this.   First,  this special isn't based on a book like its better known sibling.  As a result, although the rhythm and rhyme are fun (how could they not be with Dr. Seuss?),  they're just not quite as catchy and memorable as in the original Christmas classic. 

Secondly, I think the story is not quite as satisfying plot-wise.  What exactly is the Grinch going to do when he descends Mount Crumpit?   Scare anyone foolish enough to be outside?  Prank them?  Steal their apple cider?  It's not really clear.  

Plus, unlike in the 1966 Christmas special, there is no "heart grew three sizes" type transformation in this  -- meaning the Grinch remains a rather flat character in Halloween Is Grinch Night. Maybe this has something to do with Halloween being less codified than Christmas as a holiday.  Christmas changes of heart are common -- a la Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grinch himself.   Perhaps I am reading too much into an animated special aimed at entertaining children? 

As J.A. Morris mentions,  the special makes no mention of Halloween other than in the title.  However, the setting is definitely autumnal and definitely spooky.   

All in all, Halloween is Grinch Night is enjoyable enough, but not a perennial classic special. 

RigbyMel's rating: 

2 jack o'lanterns.

We're No Angels

Premiered July 7, 1955.

Joseph:As soon as it gets dark, we'll help ourselves.  

Albert:The old man might object.

Joseph:If he gets in our way, it'll be just too bad for him.  We'll climb down off his roof and cut his throat for a Christmas present.

Albert:That's the kind of thing that could make you stop believing in Santa Claus.

This year's series of "Oscar Takes A Holiday" reviews begins with We're No Angels, which features multiple Academy Award winners.

Film legend Humphrey Bogart won Best Actor for playing Charlie Allnut in The African Queen. 

Humphrey Bogart, accompanied by his wife Lauren Bacall, celebrates his Oscar win.

It was directed by Michael Curtiz, who won a Best Director Oscar for Casablanca, which of course also featured Bogart.

Michael Curtiz poses with the Oscar he won for directing Casablanca.

Peter Ustinov won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor, the first for Spartacus and another for Topkapi.

Peter Ustinov celebrates his Spartacus Oscar with fellow-winner Shirley Jones at the 1961 ceremony.

On to today's review:

On Christmas Eve, 1895, a trio of convicts named Joseph (Humphrey Bogart)...

 Albert (Peter Ustinov)...

and Jules (Aldo Ray), escape from Devil's Island prison.  

They're accompanied by Jules' pet viper snake Adolphe, who spends most of his time in a carry-case. It's easy for them to hide in plain sight on the island, since lots of convicts are out working on parole.

They visit a store owned by Felix Ducotel (Leo G. Carroll) and offer to repair his damaged roof.  They're true intent is to kill Felix, his wife Amelie (Joan Bennett) and their daughter Isabelle (Gloria Talbott) and rob them, then flee Devil's Island on the next boat out.

Felix and his store have been going through a rough patch.  The store has been losing money and Felix is dreading a Christmas visit from Andre Tochard (Basil Rathbone), his cousin and financial benefactor.  Andre knows about Felix's problems and plans to remove Felix from the business.

Isabelle is excited about Andre's visit because he's bringing along his son and sole heir Paul (John Baer).  She's in love with Paul but doesn't know if the feeling is mutual.

As part of their "murder plot," the convicts decide to help Felix.  Joseph, whose criminal specialty was falsifying documents, offers to "adjust" the financial records and save the Ducotel's family business.  Joseph also impresses the Ducotels with his "business acumen" when he manages to sell a hairbrush and comb set to a bald man!

In exchange for their help, Amelie invites the convicts to Christmas Eve dinner.  Albert, Jules and Joseph decorate the house... 

...and prepare a turkey for Christmas dinner. 

The trio even serenades the Ducotels with a Christmas song.  The family invites them to spend the night, not knowing that the convicts have planned to kill them and take their money.

The holiday celebrations are interrupted when Felix's cousin Andre arrives and immediately throws his weight around and belittles everyone in the house.  Andre demands to see the financial records before Joseph has a chance to "fix" them.  

The convicts also learn that Paul is not in love with Isabelle and he plans to tell her so. 

The scenario gets even more complicated when Adolphe the snake goes missing!  

Will Joseph, Jules and Albert go through with their plans to rob and murder the Ducotels?  Can they prevent Andre from learning the financial conditions of Felix's store?  What will happen between Paul and Isabelle? 

J.A. Morris says:

When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of Humphrey Bogart and made every effort to watch every one of his films.  However, We're No Angels was not a movie that was readily available on TV or home video.  That's changed in the last decade and this movie is now part of TCM's annual Christmas programming.  

And that's a good thing, because We're No Angels is lots of fun!  Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray make a great trio and Basil Rathbone is delightfully sleazy as Andre.  Jules' pet snake Adolphe also plays an important role in the film, but to say more about Adolphe would spoil jokes and plot points. 

Bogart didn't appear in many comedies, and he shows off some nice, subtle comic timing here.  It's a shame he didn't squeeze in a few more humorous roles during his career.  Leo G. Carroll, Joan Bennett and Gloria Talbott provide solid support as the Ducotels.   

Some viewers may have a problem with some of the darker jokes.  The "angels" don't express much sympathy for a guard they "tried to kill" during their escape from Devil's Island.  Albert makes multiple jokes about killing his wife (which is one reason he's in prison), not something you usually hear in Christmas movies!  However, 30 minutes into the movie, it's obvious that (SPOILER ALERT), this is a trio of "whimsical" criminals who will commit no violent crimes during the film's running time.  

We're No Angels is based on a stage play called My Three Angels, which was adapted from French play titled La Cuisine Des Anges by Albert Husson.  

We're No Angels has a great ensemble cast and is filled with funny moments and is recommended to all fans of holiday films, especially film fans who enjoy a side of dark humor with their eggnog.  It's a nice excuse to spend time watching "Bogie" every December.  

J.A. Morris's rating: 

4 candy canes!

RigbyMel says:

We're No Angels was unknown to me until a couple of years ago, when we watched it on TCM, which is a shame because it is a delight.   This comedy features excellent performances by Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray as criminals who turn out to have hearts of gold.    

The holiday setting helps to keep the viewer off balance initially.  Then Christmas works its transformative power on our criminals who have a change of heart thanks to the warmth and kindness of their erstwhile victims, the Ducotel family.   

From thence, our non-angelic trio tries to fix the Ducotel's financial and familial difficulties...by any means necessary.   We even get an unexpectedly heroic turn from Adolphe the Viper! 

I really love the dry wit of the dialogue throughout this script, as well as Basil Rathbone's obvious enjoyment at playing cousin Andre, the REAL villain of the piece. 

Another unexpected treat in this film is that the audience gets to hear Bogart, Ustinov, and Ray SING during the family Christmas party scene.   The words concerning angels were written for the movie, but the tune is an old hymn tune called "St. Athanasius" which has had many different lyrics set to it over time.    The singing is far from gorgeous, but is utterly appropriate for the characters and charming in that appropriateness.  

Moreover, I agree with J.A. Morris that it would have been nice to see Bogie in other comedic roles since he handles this one so well. 

Interestingly, Joan Bennett who plays Amelie Ducotel had been caught up in a tabloid scandal a few years prior to this movie -- her husband shot her manager!  Although it was not her fault,  she was tainted by association and was not getting much work.   Humphrey Bogart actually went to bat for her to be cast in this movie as he thought she was treated unfairly -- an example of real-life kindness underpinning a holiday film -- and Bennett's performance is lovely.  

If dry and dark wit is not your thing, We're No Angels is probably not going to resonate with you, but for those that appreciate the humor, this is a non-treacly holiday film that is well worth adding to your seasonal rotation! 

RigbyMel's' rating: 

4 candy canes!