In memoriam: Arthur Rankin,1924-2014

Arthur Rankin poses with Rudolph & Frosty animagic miniatures.

We are saddened to hear about the passing of legendary producer Arthur Rankin, co-founder of the Rankin-Bass studios.

Rankin's credits read like a Hall Of Fame of holiday specials:

Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, A Year Without A Santa Claus, Frosty The Snowman, Here Comes Peter Cottontail, Twas The Night Before Christmas, and many more.

As we said years ago in our introductory post, we grew up in the 70s-early 80s, the "classic era" of tv specials. Our Christmas seasons would not have been the same without Rankin's contributions and it's doubtful this blog would exist without the aforementioned specials.

Rankin (left) with partner Jules Bass.

It's nice that Rankin lived long enough to be appreciated by so many fans and animation professionals.  We offer our sincerest condolences to friends and family of Arthur Rankin,

The First Easter Rabbit

 Premiered April 6, 1976.
"We came within a hair's breadth, if you'll excuse the pun, of never having an Easter rabbit at all."
-G.B.

A bunny named G.B. (Burl Ives) narrates the story of how the Easter Bunny began his career.

Exuberant narrator G.B.

A little girl named Glinda (Dina Lynn) gets a stuffed animal bunny for Christmas. She names the bunny Stuffy.

Stuffy in Glinda's stocking with a sprig of holly between his paws

Stuffy becomes Glinda's favorite toy.

Glinda later contracts scarlet fever. The doctor tells Glinda's mother Elizabeth (Joan Gardner)  that all of Glinda's possessions must be burned to prevent a relapse of the disease.  Stuffy is among the items that will be destroyed.

While waiting on the rubbish pile, Stuffy is visited by a fairy named Calliope (Gardner again). She turns him into a real bunny and tells him he will become "the First Easter Rabbit."

Calliope sends Stuffy to Easter Valley, where it's always Spring, despite its location near the North Pole. She says Stuffy must "beware of Zero" as she flies away.

On the way to Easter Valley, Stuffy encounters three rabbits of questionable morals (the narrator calls them "con-rabbits").  They're names are Spats (Paul Frees), Flops (Stan Freberg) and Whiskers (Don Messick).   They're skeptical of Stuffy's story, but they offer to help him find Easter Valley, thinking there might be some way for them to profit from the adventure.

Stuffy meets Flops, Spats & Whiskers.

Meanwhile, Zero (Frees again) is also trying to get to the valley.  He is responsible for keeping the North Pole cold, but he can't access Easter Valley.  He asks his toady, a snowball named Bruce (Messick) to find a route to the valley.  Zero plans to make Easter Valley as icy as the rest of the Pole.

Zero, with his flunky Bruce.

Stuffy and the other rabbits meet a bird who directs them to the secret entrance to Easter Valley, which happens to be under a tree. When they arrive, Santa Claus (Frees again) stops by to welcome his new neighbor.

Santa Claus welcomes Stuffy

Stuffy worries that they don't have enough time to prepare for Easter. The other rabbits ask "What's in it for us?" Santa says that if they give presents to children, they'll feel good by doing good.

A little bird tells Stuffy how to access Easter Valley.

Zero observes the rabbits from afar. He conspires to capture the Golden Lily, which enables Easter Valley to stay Spring-like year round.  Once in possession of the lily, Zero causes winter to descend upon Easter Valley. Stuffy and company are snowed in.

Will stuffy be able to deliver eggs, candy and presents to children on Easter?  Will he get to see Glinda again?

Zero captures the Golden Lily, Bruce regrets helping him obtain the lily.

J.A. Morris says:
I had not seen The First Easter Rabbit in more than 30 years and found it was better than I remembered.  I've always felt that Rankin-Bass' "traditionally" animated specials were inferior to their Stop-Motion "Animagic" offerings.

Stuffy puts on a Santa suit while performing "There's That Rabbit".

But the music is nice, the special is full of beautiful Spring colors and the voice actors do a great job.  Paul Frees, Don Messick and Stan Freberg are among the best voice actors of all time and they bring their A-game to this special   Burl Ives also does a good job as narrator here.

Jonathan & Elizabeth (Glinda's doctor & mother, respectively) enjoy the Easter Parade.

 Additionally, his character GB's outfit  bears a strong resemblance to the clothes worn by Snowman Sam in Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer.  Fans of the series Mad Men may be surprised to learn that Robert Morse (yes, Bert Cooper himself) voices Stuffy the Easter Rabbit.

Robert Morse, who plays Bert Cooper in Mad Men...

...also voices Stuffy, the First Easter Rabbit!

 I always enjoyed the supporting role Santa Claus plays in this special.  As a kid, seeing Santa here was a nice reminder that Christmas was not as far away as it seemed.  And I also thinks it's cool that Santa helps Stuffy & friends deliver their Easter goodies.  Wouldn't it be nice if we could call up Santa for help if we were stuck in a snowdrift?

Santa & his reindeer (yep, led by Rudolph) arrive in Easter Valley to help Stuffy.

The introductory song "There's That Rabbit" isn't the best thing Maury Laws wrote, but it's catchy and memorable. Which is good, because the song pops up throughout the special.  The inclusion of Irving Berlin's classic song "Easter Parade" gives this special a real "major league" feeling.  And the "Easter Parade" scene is a nice finale, the reunion of Glinda and Stuffy is touching.

Stuffy & Glinda reunite at the Easter Parade.

All in all, The First Easter Rabbit is a very good Easter special and is recommended.  And if you're a fan of Mad Men, you may find it particularly amusing to hear the voice of "Bert Cooper" coming out of a cartoon rabbit.

Stuffy dances & charms the crowd at the parade.

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 Easter Eggs

RigbyMel says:

This special is relatively new to me - the first time I saw it was last year.  The story is an interesting mixture of elements, including similarities to the 1964 Rankin-Bass classic Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer with plot  from Margery Williams' 1922 tale The Velveteen Rabbit  and a bit of Irving Berlin thrown in for good measure.   The polyglot nature of the special works better than one might expect.

Stuffy and friends working on Easter goodies to share

On a side note, I am amused at how often Santa Claus seems to show up in various Easter related specials.  (It makes sense considering the origins of both holidays.)    That being said,  Santa's message to the sidekick bunnies about making others happy being more rewarding than personal gain is one that bears repeating year-round.

Off-Season Santa is around for help and advice!

 I do find the villain in this special to be a bit lacking in motivation compared to some other Rankin-Bass bad guys.   Bruce the anthropomorphic snowball is a creative addition, though.

The Macguffin Golden Easter Lily

As J.A. Morris says,  the voice acting is very appealing, the songs are fun and the bright spring colors are delightful. 

This might not be required viewing every year, but it is certainly an enjoyable way spend a half an hour.

RigbyMel's rating:

2 and a half Easter Eggs

The Easter Bunny Is Coming To Town

First Aired April 6, 1977

The Easter Bunny is comin to town today

Here's hopin' he's hippity-hoppin' your way

So get your brushes and paints, give him a hand

It's Easter throughout all the land!
-S.D. Kluger, in his introductory song.

Mailman Special Delivery "S.D." Kluger (Fred Astaire, reprising his roll from Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town) answers letters sent from children about the Easter Bunny. They want to know "Where does the Easter Bunny come from?", "Why do we color eggs at Easter?", "Why are Easter flowers called lillies?", "Who made the first chocolate bunny?". It turns out S.D. is an old friend of the Easter Bunny, so he tells a story that will answer the kids' inquiries.

Fred Astaire narrates the special as S.D. Kluger.

The story opens in a town called Kidville, its population was made up entirely of orphaned children. S.D. was a child-mailman in Kidville. It was cut off from the rest of the world by Big Rock Mountain. Life in Kidville was peaceful, except for one thing: a bear named Gadzooks (Allen Swift) would occasionally interrupt the children's celebration of holidays and birthdays.

One Easter morning, the kids find a baby bunny (Skip Hinnant) who is also an orphan. They decide to name him Sunny. He grows up (rabbits mature faster than children) and quickly becomes a leader in Kidville.

Sunny is given a "Carot Cake" on his 1st birthday.

Sunny says they need to share the things they make with the outside world. He sets out to sell hard boiled eggs, but doesn't know where to go. Sunny encounters a hobo named Hallelujah Jones (Swift again), who directs him to a town called...Town.

Sunny encounters Gadzooks.

On the way to Town, Sunny is chased by Gadzooks, who wants Sunny's eggs. Sunny escapes and arrives in Town, and learns that there are no children in Town, when babies are born their parents are forced to leave with them.  It is a very dark and depressing community.

Sunny arrives in Town.

The only kid in Town is seven year-old King Bruce The Frail (James Spies). Bruce is very lonely, he doesn't want to be king, he longs to be "just an ordinary kid". He is pushed around by his Aunt Lily Longtooth (Meg Sargent), the real power behind the throne. Lily orders Bruce to eat his beans, which seems to be the only food  ever served in Town. Sunny observes this and is determined to bring cheer to Town, and to Bruce's life.

Lilly scolds King Bruce.

Hallelujah suggests that Sunny color the eggs so that Gadzooks won't know they're eggs. The plan works (he tells Gadzooks the eggs are "colored stones") and Sunny runs to Town.

The Hendrews Sisters lay Easter Eggs for Sunny & set up an assembly line for decorating them.

The people love the eggs, especially Bruce (he's thrilled to eat something other than beans), who christens Sunny "The Easter Bunny, Royal Knight Of The Easter Eggs."

Sunny is Knighted by King Bruce.

But Lilly puts a stop to this, forcing Bruce to declare eggs illegal.  She sends Bruce to bed without dinner.

Gadzooks realizes it's better to be loved than feared & gets a girlfriend.

Next Easter, Sunny devises a way to get around the "no food but beans" rule.  With the help of Hallelujah and Herbert the baker, Sunny invents jelly beans.

Sunny, Hallelujah and Herbert cook the first jelly beans!

They are a hit with the people of Town.  This enrages Lilly and she tells her soldiers to use any means necessary to stop Sunny.

Bruce & his servants enjoy some jelly beans.

J.A. Morris says:

I remember when The Easter Bunny Is Coming To Town first aired.  It was a regular part of network Easter programming for several years in the 70s and 80s.  I've always enjoyed it.

Sunny inspires the first Easter Parade!

Sunny is a likeable champion who fights for a just cause.  And he's very cute too, especially as a baby.  This is the 2nd Rankin-Bass special that tells the "origin" of the Easter Bunny, following The First Easter Rabbit.  

S.D. Kluger with Chugs, the Little Engine Who Could.

The main problem with this special is that it's very derivative of other Rankin-Bass offerings.  It's a sequel to Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town and borrows much of its story.  It also owes a lot too Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer too.  Gadzooks is sort of a combination of the Bumble and the Winter Warlock, just like them he is ultimately reformed.  But Gadzooks looks very amusing in his "Easter Outfit".  Lilly seems to be channeling the Burgermeister Meisterburger.

The Hendrew Sisters perch on Gadzooks, after he joins the good guys.

The songs by Maury Laws aren't as good as the ones featured in earlier specials like Rudolph, but they're mostly nice and help move the story along.  I've had several of the songs stuck in my head for days, ever since I re-watched the special.  "Someone's Gotta Take A Taste" is the strongest song of the bunch. 

Sunny gives the first Easter toys to King Bruce.

Unlike other specials of the era, it doesn't feature many famous voice actors (with the obvious exception of Astaire's narration).  But Sunny is voiced by Skip Hinnant.  If that name doesn't ring a bell, you might remember Hinnant from his time as cast member on The Electric Company, where he played Fargo North, Decoder (among other characters).  Hinnant does a great job in this special, his voice is perfect for the Easter Bunny.

Skip Hinnant as Fargo North.

I'm not sure how often this special airs on TV these days, but it's available on DVD and is worth seeking out  

 The Easter Bunny Is Coming To Town is a solid special that features a likeable protagonist, and an entertaining origin story but it's derivative aspects prevent me from giving it our highest rating:

J.A. Morris' Rating:

 3 and 1/2 Easter Eggs.

Another image of "Baby Sunny" because he's so darned cute!

RigbyMel says:

This particular special was not one that I saw until a couple of years ago.   As J.A. Morris says, it does suffer  from feeling a bit too much like other, better Rankin-Bass offerings.    Sadly, the songs are not particularly memorable and I find the "Which came first the chicken or the egg song" to be a bit ontologically troubling. This is a cute enough special,  but definitely not a great one, in my opinion.

RigbyMel's rating:

2 and 1/2 Easter Eggs.

Rudolph's Shiny New Year

First aired December 10, 1976

"You know Rudolph who guided and pulled Santa’s sleigh and who saved Christmas by lighting the way but there’s more to tell Rudolph saved the new year as well..." - Father Time

Rudolph (Billie Mae Richards) and Santa Claus (Paul Frees) arrive home at the North Pole after delivering toys on Christmas Eve. Santa has received a letter from his old friend Father Time (Red Skelton). Happy, the Baby New Year has disappeared. Santa explains that if Happy isn't found before Midnight on New Year's Eve, the New Year will never arrive, and the world will be stuck on December 31st forever. Since it still foggy out, Santa tells Rudolph is the only one who can save Happy and the New Year.  ""Rudolph with your nose so bright, you’ve 6 days left to set things right," says Santa!

General Ticker and Rudolph making their way to Father Time's castle

With the guidance of General Ticker (Frees again), one of Father Time's foot soldiers, Rudolph embarks on his journey, through snow and ice and a desert called the Sands Of Time. They encounter a Camel named Quarter Past Five (Frank Gorshin), who offers them a ride across the desert.

Aeon the Terrible swoops towards Rudolph and friends

 They're suddenly attacked by a giant vulture named Aeon the Terrible (Frees yet again). His "aeon" is up and he will turn to snow and ice when the new year arrives. If Rudolph can't find Happy, Aeon will live on forever.

Father Time looks a lot like Red Skelton (who voices the character)

 They escape Aeon and reach Father Time. He tells them Happy ran away because his ears were larger than average and caused people to laugh at him. Rudolph can relate, since his nose was also laughed at. Father Time says Happy can be found in the Archipelago of Last Years.

Father Time explains about the Archipelago of Last Years

It contains island for every year, the "Baby New Years" of each year retire to the island and it remains that year forever.

Rudolph meets Big Ben

Rudolph sets out for the Archipelago in a sail boat, only to be attacked by Aeon once more. He is rescued by a whale named Big Ben (Harold Peary) and they make their way to the islands.

Rudolph and friends, old and new

Rudolph is eventually joined by a caveman named One Million BC (Morey Amsterdam),  a knight known as 1023 (Gorshin again) and even a Ben Franklin-ish fellow called 1776 on his journey. Aeon also continues his search for Happy and continues to divert Rudolph's search. Will Rudolph find Happy and get him back home before the New Year?

Will there be a "Happy" ending?

J.A. Morris says:

There's a lot going on in this special. The business about each past year having its own island and each year having a personification is either very imaginative or very convoluted (depending on your perspective). And it's not exactly a classic. But it's generally a fun ride. It's nice to hear Billie Mae Richards voice Rudolph again, and Paul Frees and Frank Gorshin are great in multiple roles.  Gorshin's exhortations as 1023 still make me (literally) laugh out loud.

Sir 1023:  " Thou looketh for the wee babe Happy?...comest with me, comest! We seeketh!"

This story here may not be as good as the 1964 Rudolph special, but the "animagic" is even better than the original. The new songs by Johnny Marks aren't as good as his classic Christmas songs, but they're enjoyable. The lyrics about the passage of time are very poignant, I appreciate them more in my 40s than when I first heard them.

"The moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on ..."

 There's an interesting bit of "traditional" animation that appears near the end.  Rudolph tells Happy his "origin" story and we get a new cartoon short that accompanies the "Rudolph" song.

This special has sentimental value for me, as I can remember watching Rudolph's Shiny New Year when it was brand new. But I imagine children still enjoy it. It features a talking Sperm Whale and dinosaurs that sing and dance! How cool is that?!

DINOSAURS!

 My rating:
3 and half champagne flutes.

RigbyMel says:

This is a fun special, although perhaps not required annual viewing.   As J.A. Morris says, there is an awful lot going on here -- perhaps too much, but it's still a fun journey.

Baby Happy visits 1776

I like the idea of the Archipelago of Last Years a lot and also quite enjoyed the creativity employed with bringing in fairy tales on 1023's island and the 4th of July on 1776's island (1976, the year this special first aired, was the U.S. bicentennial, after all).

Baby Happy meets Baby Bear (of the Three Bears) on 1023's island

There are a LOT of songs in this special, but most of them are not particularly memorable, which keeps me from rating it a "classic" like the 1964 Rankin Bass "Rudolph" special.   That being said,  "Have A Happy New Year" and "It's Raining Sunshine" are ear worms, despite being a bit fragmentary in nature. 

I remember watching and enjoying this special when it aired on the Disney Channel in the 1980s.  I liked learning of Rudolph's further adventures, but it bothered me a bit that the young reindeer seemed to have been regressed age-wise.  (I guess the powers that be at Rankin-Bass decided a younger looking Rudolph was cuter?)

1964 Rudolph at the end of the the original Rankin Bass special

A more youthful looking Rudolph with Santa at the beginning of the 1976 special

The supporting characters are all a lot of fun -  even ones in relatively minor roles.   I felt a bit sorry for Baby Bear not getting to hang out with his new friend for very long.
I also LOVE the dinosaurs that appear on One Million B.C.'s island especially a baby pterodactyl that Baby Happy encounters.

A pterodactyl baby!!!

"Cast" photo

RigbyMel's rating:
3 champagne flutes