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

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

RigbyMel's Specials Without Which The Holidays Are Incomplete

Everyone has their holiday traditions and everyone has opinions on things that can make or break their holiday season.

Being the tv and film geek that I am, I have several holiday specials that, if missed, would make my Christmas feel rather incomplete.

Herewith, a list (not in any order other than the order in which they occurred to me):

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer



The 1964 classic stop-motion special. Unparalelled cuteness. Great songs. Fun additional characters like the Misfit Toys, Yukon Cornelius, Hermey the Elf who wants to be a dentist and the Bumble Snowmonster. Plus, Rudolph overcomes his misfit status and saves Christmas. What could be better?

A Charlie Brown Christmas




This special first aired in 1965 and has become a holiday staple. Featuring the beloved Peanuts characters created by Charles Schultz. Really manages to get at what Christmas is all about in the face of the over-commercialization of the holiday. Plus it has real children voicing the Peanuts gang (as opposed to grown up voiceover actors pretending to be children) and the best Christmas jazz soundtrack ever thanks to Vince Guaraldi.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas!



The 1966 television special based directed by Chuck Jones, narrated by Boris Karloff, based on the book of the same title by Dr. Seuss. Moreover it has Thurl Ravenscroft and another brilliant message about the holidays. "Christmas there will always be, just as long as we have we ... "
Accept no bad Jim Carrey film adaptation substitutes!

Christmas Eve On Sesame Street



First broadcast on PBS in 1978, this sweet little special is well worth checking out. The song "Keep Christmas With You All Through The Year" has a tendency to make me cry (in a good way).

"Keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
Save some Christmas cheer.
These precious moments,
Hold them very dear
And keep Christmas with you
All through the year. "

And here is another Jim Henson special which I don't think quite as many people are familiar with:

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas



Based upon a charming 1971 children's book by Russell and Lillian Hoban (which I also love), this is a 1977 adaptation by Jim Henson and company. It is a kinder, gentler version of O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi".

The story centers on Emmet Otter and his widowed Ma, Alice Otter. They manage to scrape by doing laundry and odd jobs for others in Frogtown Hollow. As Christmas approaches, they hear of a talent contest taking place in a nearby village and Ma and Emmet each decide to enter in order to get Christmas presents for each other. Ma wants to buy a nice guitar for Emmet, and Emmet wants to get a piano for Ma. However, they must sacrifice each other's livelihood for the talent contest -- Ma hocks Emmet's tools for dress fabric, while Emmet turns Ma's washtub into a washtub bass for a jug band. All turns out well in the end though.

This special features a beautiful variety of puppet work (Henson and company were trying out techniques for The Muppet Movie) and wonderful songs by Paul Williams. A secular special made with great care, love and respect for its audience. If you've not seen this, I highly recommend checking it out.

For more info check out the Muppet Wiki entry on the special: Muppet Wiki Emmet entry.

So those are my "can't miss" Christmas specials. What (if any) specials do you find it necessary to watch every year?