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

Easter Parade

Hannah Brown:Oh look, the Easter Parade, isn't it beautiful?
Don Hewes:It's all right if you like Easter Parades.

Premiered June 30, 1948

Don Hewes (Fred Astaire), a Broadway star and showman, is walking through New York, exchanging wishes of "Happy Easter" with passersby.  Don visits his girlfriend and co-star Nadine Hale (Ann Miller). He's shocked when Nadine tells him she's leaving their dancing team ("Nadine & Hewes") and won't be going on tour with him. Nadine has received an offer to headline her own show. Don pleads with her, but she has already signed a contract to star in another production.

Nadine breaks up (professionally & personally) with Don.

Their mutual friend Johnny (Peter Lawford) also tries to get Nadine to stay with Don, but she rebuffs him too. It also appears that Nadine is attracted to Johnny and vice versa.

Don is crushed, until he finds showgirl Hannah Brown (Judy Garland) and believes she can replace Nadine. He offers her $100 a week to be his dance partner and tells her to come meet him for rehearsal later.

On Easter Sunday,their first rehearsal doesn't go well, Hannah is having trouble telling the difference between her left and right feet. Afterwards, they walk outside and stumble on the Easter Parade. Nadine is there too, she's is getting more attention than anyone else. Don tells Hannah that he will make her a huge star and that in next year's Easter Parade, Hannah will be the object of everyone's interest.

Later, Hannah gets caught in a rainstorm and meets Johnny, who helps her find shelter.  Johnny is immediately attracted to Hannah and decides to pursue her.  But Johnny is simultaneously pursuing Nadine.  Don also seems to be noticing Hannah, so a "love quadrangle" is created.

Can Don make Hannah a star? Will they fall in love? Will Nadine and Johnny get in the way of Don and Hannah, professionally and/or romantically?  Will Hannah be the star of next year's Easter Parade?

J.A. Morris says:

I'll state up front that I generally don't like musicals. There are a few exceptions, though, and this is one. Easter Parade contains 11 song and dance performances, only one ("The Girl on the Magazine Cover") feels pointless. The story is basically an excuse to showcase the production numbers, sandwiched between two Easter Parades.  And if you're going to watch a musical, you can't do better than one that stars Astaire and Garland with songs by Irving Berlin!

The absolute high point of the film comes when Astaire performs "Steppin' Out With My Baby".  Astaire dances with dozens of dancers in this show-stopping production number.  Director Charles Waters  does a great job super-imposing a slow-motion Astaire near the end of the scene. 

In addition to the classic title song, the film opens with Astaire singing a song called "Happy Easter".  I enjoyed that song and I'm sorry it never caught on as an "Easter song". 

Despite their 20+year age difference, Garland and Astaire have great chemistry.  It takes a little while for them to fall in love and it doesn't feel forced.

Ann Miller is also good in her role as Nadine.  She plays a somewhat thankless role, since she's an obstacle between Don and Hannah getting together.  Miller is not as well remembered as other stars of classic musicals, but this film shows that she was a fantastic dancer.  Miller's performance of "Shakin' The Blues Away" is another highlight of the movie.

Nadine shakes "the blues away".

Rounding out the main cast is Peter Lawford, who performs solid work as Johnny.  And Jules Munshin (best remembered as Ozzie in On the Town) has some funny scenes as Francois the maître d'.  

Francois tells Hannah & Don how "Salad Francois" is made.

Easter Parade is a classic Hollywood musical.  It's available on dvd, streams on Amazon and is probably the only "Easter" movie that has aired on television at Easter time for as long as I can remember, which makes it the "Citizen Kane" of Easter movies!  This movie is strongly recommended for fans of musicals and non-fans (like me!) alike!

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 Easter Eggs!  

RigbyMel says:

Unlike J.A. Morris, I am a fan of musicals generally.  Easter Parade is a very fun film to watch.  It falls more into the "musical revue" category, combining music, dance and vignettes -  the songs are there because they are great songs, not so much because they further the plot or give much in the way of character development. That being said, the film's plot carries convincingly throughout and the romance between Astaire and Garland's characters develops in an interesting and un-forced way, making this a cut above the average revue-type show.   

The production numbers are pretty wonderful and the dancing is amazing.  Some of the song and dance numbers are reminiscent of some numbers in Singin' In The Rain, which may or may not have something to do with Arthur Freed serving as producer for both films. (For example,  compare the vaudeville scenes in both films -  "Fit As A Fiddle" from Singin' In The Rain is quite similar to "The Ragtime Violin" in Easter Parade in terms of staging.  Both films also feature bits where magazine cover type images are staged with live models.)  I think one of my  favorite bits of the film is the "Drum Crazy" number.  The "We're A Couple of Swells" number is also great, silly fun.  You can't really go wrong with Irving Berlin music performed by luminaries like Judy Garland and Fred Astaire.     

This is a film well worth adding to your Easter viewing list.  

RigbyMel's rating:

 





4 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.