PHIL MEETS THE MOVIES: TV CAST FLICKS - THE CAST OF THE 1970s RANKIN/BASS SANTA CLAUS TV SPECIALS
Phil Meets The Movies on Digging Star Wars, gets the new year started early, by announcing our new theme for the upcoming year. Beginning now, with December, our new theme will be about famous, classic, TV cast members and one theatrical, motion picture, by each member on the list. I call this theme, Classic TV Cast Flicks. These lists will also be part of the PMTM Quick Lists. Quick Lists are strategically made film lists, that movie-buffs can complete, in short time periods. Quick Lists can be completed in a day, a couple of days, a weekend, one or two weeks, but no more than a month. They are recommended lists for movie-buffs, looking for something they haven't seen or experienced already. In the case of this month's Quick List, you can complete it in one week. Since it is December, what better way to get things started, but with a Christmas theme. When it comes to TV shows that best represent the holidays, the first thing, that comes to my mind, are the animated, stop-motion, Christmas TV specials, produced by Rankin/Bass. Those great animated specials about Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty, the Snow Man (regular animation style), the Snow Miser, the Heat Miser, the Little Drummer Boy and of course, Santa Claus himself.
All of these shows were produced by the stop motion, animation studio known as, Rankin/Bass Productions. Rankin/Bass produced the Rudolph, Frosty, and Drummer Boy TV specials in the 1960s, but interestingly enough, Santa had to wait until the 1970s, for his specials to be made. Rankin/Bass released the first Santa, TV special entitled, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970), which had a sequel called, The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974). This month, we will celebrate the theatrical, motion picture careers, of the voice-cast members, from these two Christmas specials. This ended up being a fun project to take on. As I worked my way through this list of films, I realized there were many connections between the films, the actors, and even connections to Star Wars. There is even a Film366 movie on this list too. Since the Rankin/Bass specials are all animation shows, this edition of Classic TV Cast Flicks, obviously will be using a cast of voice actors and not live-action actors. However, we wanted to cover the live-action acting careers of these voice actors, who are in these two animated Christmas shows. There are seven films on the list and we will be working our way through them, in order of the release date.
Quick List: Classic TV Cast Flicks - The Cast of the 1970s, Rankin/Bass, Santa Claus TV Specials
Mickey Rooney, as the voice of Santa, is the only voice-cast member who is in both specials. There is no Mrs. Claus in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970), however, he does marry her near the end of the story. We will give out an honorable mention to voice-actress Robie Lester, who voices Miss Jessica, the character, who eventually weds Mickey Rooney's Santa, in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970). In fact, most of the voice actors in these shows were not actors. They only worked in voice-acting. Mrs. Claus has a huge role in The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974) and is voiced, by Oscar-winning actress, Shirley Booth. The second Santa special actually focuses the plot more around Mrs. Claus and makes her the main star of the story. Probably, the most popular actor on the list is Fred Astaire. He is the narrator, Special Delivery Kluger, in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970). I mean, who do you think gets to sing the "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" song? Our two antagonists from Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970), are the annoying Burgermeister, voiced by actor Paul Frees, and the evil Wynter Warlock, voiced by actor Keenan Wynn. To round out the seven films on our list, are the two antagonists from The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974). These two characters are almost the most famous characters, from the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. Of course, I am talking about the Heat Miser and his brother, the Snow Miser. The always-entertaining Dick Shawn voices the Snow Miser, while actor George S. Irving voices the Heat Miser.
We have to start with Santa Claus, since he is the star of the show and this means beginning our list with one of Mickey Rooney's earlier films. But, going with one of his earlier films, works together with the Santa specials, considering Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970), is the story of how Santa became Santa. The show begins with Kris Kringle as a baby and explains his life story, up to when he marries Mrs, Claus. You see Kris Kringle as a young man, learning about the life he is going to lead and then, accomplishing those goals, one at a time. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970), has an interesting parallel to our first film on the list, considering the story of the young man, portrayed by Mickey Rooney in the film, who also grows from a kid into a more mature man, who accomplishes his goals. He too, is somewhat being adopted into the main character's family. Rooney plays Mi Taylor, a disgruntled, ex-horse jockey, in the classic, equestrian drama, National Velvet (1944). Still a young, angry man, Mi manages to befriend the family of a young girl, named Velvet (Elizabeth Taylor). It helps the situation for Mi, that the Brown family needs help around the farm and that, he is very experienced with horses. Velvet is a horse-lover, who dreams of racing her new, wild horse, the Pie, in the Grand National. This is how Mi comes into the story and Velvet's life. The filmmakers at Rankin/Bass patterned the faces of their Christmas characters on the voice actors, who voiced each character. So, it is interesting to watch Rooney in National Velvet (1944), especially since he has brown, reddish hair in the film, just like young Kris Kringle. It is even more interesting, since all of us today remember the older Mickey Rooney, that he does look like an older Santa in both specials.
PMTM Grade: B (8.2) = 4 Stars Letterboxd / 8 IMDB
We move seven years into the future and before we get to Paul Frees, we need to mention the two, carry-over actresses from National Velvet (1944), who also appear in our second film on the list. In George Stevens's classic thriller-drama, A Place in the Sun (1951), Elizabeth Taylor returns as Angela Vickers. She is a young woman, who falls in love with the wrong man. He is another young man, just beginning his life as an adult, trying to figure out his career and starting new relationships at the bathing suit factory, that his rich uncle owns. It almost sounds like the same path that Kris Kringle and Mi Taylor take in their lives. There is one problem though. George Eastman (Montgomery Clift) becomes a troubled young man, as he continuously makes stupid decisions, that eventually lead to tragic, shocking results. The other actress to note here is the woman who plays George's mother, Hannah Eastman (Anne Revere). Anne Revere also was the actress, who played the mother of Elizabeth Taylor's Velvet, in National Velvet (1944). It was such a good performance, that it earned Revere the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as Mrs. Brown. He was speaking of the Oscars. A Place in the Sun (1951), would go on to win six Oscars, including Best Director for George Stevens. Paul Frees was most famous for his voice-acting work, which included the voice of Boris Badenov from Rocky and Bullwinkle. However, he did do some small, live-action, character-acting work, in films like Hunt the Man Down (1950), The Thing From Another World (1951), and this film. Paul Frees is in the most important moments in A Place in the Sun (1951). His Reverend Morrisone is the complete opposite of the nasty Burgermeister Meisterburger in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970), even though they both deal with jails. Morrisone also is the character, that prepares George Eastman for his fate, in A Place in the Sun (1951). It is a small, but pivotal, role in the film.
PMTM Grade: B+ (8.6) = 4 Stars Letterboxd / 8 IMDB
Next, before moving on to the rest of the cast list, we must talk about Mrs. Claus. As mentioned before, Mrs. Claus makes her biggest appearance in the second TV special, a Year Without a Santa Claus (1974). Oscar-winning actress, Shirley Booth, was cast as the voice of Mrs. Claus. The animators at Rankin/Bass also modeled the face of Mrs. Claus, from the face of Shirley Booth. It makes the experience of watching The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), along with Come Back, Little Sheba (1952), even more entertaining, because both characters, have to take care of their sick husbands. The reason Mrs. Claus is the main focus of The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), is because Santa has a cold this year. In Come Back, Little Sheba (1952), Bloom's Lola Delaney, has to care for her husband, Doc (Burt Lancaster), while he struggles with his affliction. It is an interesting contrast between Santa's cold and Doc's affliction, however, Doc's situation is a sickness of a much more mature, serious nature. Doc is a recovering alcoholic, who has been clean for a year now. Also, music composer, Franz Waxman, who composed our previous film, A Place in the Sun (1951), was the film composer for this film too. The music works with the thrills, with Waxman using tense tunes, jacking up the dramatic thrills that both films possess. The famous, classic costume designer, Edith Head, also worked on both of these films.
PMTM Grade: C+ (7.6) = 3 1/2 Stars Letterboxd / 7 IMDB
Fred Astaire is the next voice actor from our Classic TV Cast Flicks list. His turn as Julian Osborn, in Stanley Kramer’s science-fiction, anti-opus, On the Beach (1959), has an interesting parallel with Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999). In that film, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), is trying to win his freedom and a new life for his mother, by entering himself into a Pod race. In the film On the Beach (1959), Astaire's Osborn, who, along with the rest of the remaining inhabitants of post-atomic Australia, has to accept the fates ahead of him, but like everyone else, he refuses to stop living. He is a scientist, who becomes a race-car enthusiast and enters himself, into the biggest car race, still being held, in this post-apocalyptic, safe zone, called Australia. It is an alternate-Earth concept, that takes place in the future. That future, only five years into the future, but in this case, is 1964. This film has a big-budget feel all over it, but it is one of those science-fiction films that utilizes the idea of science-fiction but doesn't use a single special effect. The idea of science-fiction is expressed by using a good story, strategically placed shots, futuristic-looking set-pieces, and appealing art direction. As we mentioned before, Fred Astaire is the most famous name on our Quick List. I'm sure everyone knows a little bit about his dancing career and all the musicals he did, during that span, so I kept my distance from that aspect of his career, when I chose On the Beach (1959), for this entry. Think about his younger, dancing days, when you view Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970) because Rankin/Bass captures him perfectly as Special Delivery (S.D.) Kluger.
PMTM Grade: C (6.9) = 3 1/2 Stars Letterboxd / 7 IMDB
Our next film on the list could be coupled with our last film, On the Beach (1959), as a more humorous prequel film, of sorts. It is especially an interesting prospect, considering Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), was released in 1964, which was the year On the Beach (1959), mostly takes place in. This Stanley Kubrick classic also is one of our films from our Film366 film list. It is a pick we use in October, for the actor George C. Scott's birthday. Scott, along with a great cast, helps catapult Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), into film history. The connections to Star Wars begin to surge here too. This film co-stars a very young James Earl Jones. If you aren't sure who James Earl Jones is, why are you reading this? The future voice of the Lord of the Sith plays a technician on an American bomber. A plane, which is responsible for the fate, that happens at the end of this satirized, dark-comedy, commentary, on the military and Cold War hysterics. Since the bomber is flying near the Arctic, the snow-covered mountains, seen outside the bomber windows, remind us of the dark snowy lair of the Wynter Warlock, from Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970). Voiced by actor Keenan Wynn, who was cast as Colonel 'Bat' Guano in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), Wynter Warlock proves to be a test, for the young Kris Kringle. It is a test that mirrors the test, that Wynn's Guano has to face, because of his undying loyalty to his country. Can he trust Peter Seller's British officer, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, or not? I also noticed a taste of The Empire Strikes Back (1980), as I peered through the bomber's windows at the snow peaks, reminiscent of the ice-planet of Hoth.
PMTM Grade: B (8.3) = 4 Stars Letterboxd / 8 IMDB
Most of you know Dick Shawn as Ethel Merman's, beatnik son, Sylvester, in another Stanley Kramer classic, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), can be a bonus film, that you should watch along with the seven films on our Classic TV Cast Ficks list. Especially, since the film, also has Mickey Rooney, music composed by Ernest Gold (On the Beach - 1959), Kramer, and Dick Shawn. However, for this list, we wanted to concentrate on a role for Dick Shawn, that was slightly bigger than his role in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). In Mel Brook's comedy classic, The Producers (1967), Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, hatch a scheme, involving the production of the worst theater play in history. A scheme that backfires, because Dick Shawn's, (L.S.D.) Lorenzo St. DuBois' performance, ends up being a hit with the new, rebellious, late-1960s audience. It is a mirrored contrast to his icy, stop-animated, kid-friendly form, of the dancing, spinning, sniveling Snow Miser, in The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974).
PMTM Grade: B- (7.8) = 4 Stars Letterboxd / 8 IMDB
As mentioned before, Dick Shawn's Snow Miser, from The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), has a twin brother named the Heat Miser, voiced by veteran character actor and voice talent, George S. Irving. Irving, like Paul Frees, was more notable for his voice-over work. He is the voice of the narrator, from the popular Underdog (1964-1973), an animated TV series. However, Irving did do many live-action performances, during his lengthy career. The threads between all the films in our Classic TV Cast Flicks list are abundant in our final film on the list. From The Producers (1967), Zero Mostel's son, Josh Mostel, has a cameo in our seventh film on the list, the crime-drama, Deadly Hero (1975). It was very entertaining watching Deadly Hero (1975), which has George S. Irving, as a man, running for the mayorship of New York City, coupled with, watching The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), because Rankin/Bass paid so much attention to, capturing the faces of the voice-actors, onto their stop-motion counterparts. In Deadly Hero (1975), hearing Irving's voice was precious in a humorous way, because it felt like the Heat Miser was running for Mayor of NYC. On top of all of this, just two years before the release of Star Wars (1977), the voice of the evil Sith Lord himself, James Earl Jones, returns in Deadly Hero (1975), as Rabbit Shazam, a crook, who takes his unscrupulous profession too far, with disastrous results. The film is rated R for language and violence, but nothing extreme. It enhances Jones' performance, knowing he eventually becomes Darth Vader. The main plot of Deadly Hero (1975) revolves around a police officer (Don Murray), who becomes unhinged, as he begins to terrorize the only witness, who can prove he's lost it. This thread also creates an interesting parallel between Deadly Hero (1975) and Sterling Hayden's, unhinged, Brigadier General, Jack D. Ripper in, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Deadly Hero (1975) gets off to a great start but begins to crash and burn, near the end of the film. So, to help compensate for that, try and hum the Heat Miser theme song, in your head, while George S. Irving is on the screen. You'll be glad you did it.
PMTM Grade: D (5.9) = 3 Stars Letterboxd / 6 IMDB
As I mentioned earlier in this article, if you can, add the bonus film, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), to your viewing list, with the seven main films on our Classic TV Cast Flicks list. I would also recommend viewing The Thing From Another World (1951), for an extra dose of Paul Frees. This was a fun Quick List to do, during the holiday season. Phil Meets The Movies on Digging Star Wars will be back in 2024, with another Quick List, featuring another cast, from Classic TV Cast Flicks and some more great cinema chat. As always, enjoy the movies.
About the Author
Phil Congleton is a lifelong film buff, who worked in television for 30 years and produced a few, small independent films in the 1990s. He is the co-creator of Film366 with Chris Mich and the curator of Phil Meets the Movies. Now retired, Phil commits his time to promoting the movies and the art of film. You can read more about Phil's film reviews on Letterboxd.
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