Rudolph And Frosty's Christmas In July

Premiered June 30, 1979.

It's late June, but in the North Pole it's still chilly.  Rudolph is hanging out with his best friend Frosty and his snow family.  Santa shows up to tell us (the viewers) that the North Pole was not always such a nice place to live.

Years ago, an evil sorcerer named Winterbolt ruled the North.  Lady Boreal, Queen of the Northern Lights, ended his reign by using her power to put Winterbolt into a deep, but not permanent, sleep.

During Winterbolt's long nap, Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived in the North Pole and set up their toymaking workshop with the Kringle elves.

Winterbolt awakens and learns, from his Ice Genie, that Santa is the most beloved man on Earth due to his kindness to children at Christmas.  The sorcerer is jealous and creates a terrible blizzard to keep Santa grounded and force the cancellation of  Christmas.

At the same time, Lady Boreal's powers are dwindling.  She pays a visit to the baby Rudolph and tells him that she has empowered his red nose in order to help Santa.  However, if Rudolph ever uses his nose for evil, it will no longer shine.   We all know the story of how "the most famous reindeer of all" uses his nose to save Christmas, so Rudolph definitely has used his shiny nose for good purposes.

We cut to the "present day", where Rudolph receives a visit from his friend Milton, an ice cream man who sells his product from a hot air balloon.

Milton is sad because he is unable to marry Lanie Lorraine, a high wire performer in the circus.  They were set to marry when they had to cancel since the circus, owned by Lanie's mother, Lilly is near bankruptcy.

The circus will have to go on the road to make money, thus preventing Milton and Lanie from being together.  Meanwhile, a nasty businessman named Sam Spangles is maneuvering to acquire ownership of the circus for himself.

Winterbolt watches all of this in a crystal snowball and gets some evil ideas.  He manipulates Milton into asking Rudolph to perform at the circus on the 4th of July.

Frosty's kids, Millie and Chillie, are excited about the concept of a circus and beg to go see one. Their mother Crystal agrees that it would be a good experience, but Frosty reminds them they'll melt in the Summer sun.  Winterbolt conveniently materializes in front of them and gives the Frosty family medallions that will allow them to see the circus and the fireworks on Independence Day.

There's a catch though,  the medallions will stop working when the final firework of the 4th has been detonated.  Prompted by Winterbolt, Santa says he can whisk away the snow family near the end of fireworks.

Rudolph and Frosty's circus act is a rousing success.   Winterbolt still schemes to destroy Rudolph's power. He recruits a reindeer of dubious morals named Scratcher to get a job at the circus.

That way Scratcher can frame Rudolph for robbery.  Rudolph inadvertently  gives the circus' revenue to Sam Spangles, who impersonates a police officer.  This somehow violates Lady Boreal's rule and Rudolph's nose shines no more.  

Back in the North, Winterbolt causes a tornado to threaten Santa and Mrs. Claus, slowing down their arrival at the Circus By The Sea.   Excessive delay could lead to the melting of Frosty and his family.

Will Winterbolt succeed in his quest to take over the world, starting with the North Pole?  Can Lilly keep her circus?  Is this the end for Rudolph and Frosty?


J.A. Morris says:

According to its wiki, Rudolph And Frosty's Christmas In July received a theatrical release, but only overseas.  I recall first watching it on HBO in 1981.  I've long had mixed feelings about this movie.

I'll start with the positives:

It's great to see Frosty and family get the Animagic treatment.  It was also nice to see Rudolph and Frosty, Rankin-Bass' most popular characters, interact on screen.

The voice acting is excellent.  Billie Mae Richards and Jackie Vernon reprise their roles as Rudolph and Frosty, respectively.  Shelly Winters, Red Buttons, Don Messick and Paul Frees are also good as usual.

Lilly is voiced by the legendary Ethel Merman.  Any movie with Merman voicing a cowgirl can't be all bad, right?  And we get to hear Merman sing "Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer", in her own inimitable style.

Mickey Rooney plays Santa Claus, who he voiced in Santa Claus Is Coming To Town and A Year Without A Santa Claus.  Rooney always made a great Santa.

The featured song "You Are Everything I've Ever Wanted" isn't the best song of the Rankin-Bass oeuvre, but it's sung well and contains some sweet sentiment.  The movie also includes a performance of "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree".  This song, was written by Johnny Marks, who also wrote "Rudolph, The Rednosed Reindeer."

There are also attempts to maintain some continuity between this and earlier Rankin-Bass specials.  Big Ben from Rudolph's Shiny New Year makes a cameo appearance.  Clarice, Rudolph's girlfriend from the first special, is seen in a flashback.  Jack Frost, previously featured in Frosty's Winter Wonderland and his own self-titled special, plays a small but important role.

There aren't many 4th of July specials, so it has that going for it as well.

The main problem is that the plot is very convoluted.  Winterbolt's plan is way more elaborate than it needs to be.

And there are loose ends at the end.  Scratcher plays an important role in framing Rudolph, but we never learn Scratcher's fate.  Did he get punished?  Was he reformed?  Is Scratcher evil or just misunderstood?

One other thing I need to mention.  Lilly's circus troupe contains three "Indians" who are ugly stereotypes. I'm sure the people behind the movie meant no harm, but they should have known better than to include this depiction of Native Americans by 1979.

Rudolph And Frosty's Christmas In July isn't bad, but it's not something I watch every year either.  Worth checking out at least once for the Animagic and the great voice-actors.

J.A. Morris' rating:

2 and a half candy canes.

Or should it be 2 and half Flags?

.5



RigbyMel says:

I really wanted to like this movie better than I did.   It has Rudolph as well as Animagic Frosty and family.  It has attempts at tying various strains of Rankin-Bass continuity together.    It contains great voice work.  It has an evil antisanta-type wizard with a sled pulled by snakes.

Snake-y Sled!!

 And Ice Dragons too!  

Ice dragons! 

The summer/Christmas in July theme is an interesting idea, but the story is way too complicated to make it a classic.

Did we really need a retcon explaining what made Rudolph's nose shiny?  
What happens to the wrong side of the tracks reindeer Scratcher?  He just disappears.      
Why would Rudolph's innocent mistake in helping give the money to someone he thought was a policeman cause him to lose his powers?  Does Lady Boreal's spell not take intentions into account?  That seems a bit draconian.

If you grew up watching Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas In July,  it might bring back fond memories,  but I came away feeling a bit disappointed.    For me,  Rudolph and company are happier in a Christmas context.  This special strikes me as something of an interesting misfit.

RigbyMel's rating:

2 candy canes

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.