Rankin/Bass Christmas Specials (1 Viewer)

[rockinricky]

One I've always liked was Link Removed . It was released on VHS but no DVD.

 

[Cynthia]

I'd like to see some of Will Vinton's stop-motion animation hit DVD, especially Link Removed.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

Brian W. - Yes you are right, that is the one I am talking about. I don't know why stations/networks stopped showing it in favor of the clock mouse version. Anyway, here is the link where I found it.
Toonarific Web Site

 

[Qui-Gon John]

Anyone know anymore about the 1968 Elba Productions version of The Night Before Christmas? I was trying to find info on it again and cant'. Even the link I found a couple years ago, above, doesn't work now.

Also, sorry to those above who like the mouse version of Night Before Christmas. Didn't mean to offend anyone. Just to me, knowing the version where Clement Moore is writing the story for his sick daughter, then seeing the one with the mice, well that just seemed such a let down.

 

[ZackR]

I absolutely love all these shows being discussed.

My mom had this tape of Christmas specials she recoreded when I was about 4 years old (around 1984). I watched it so many times at Christmas time growing up that the tape actually broke and had to be spliced and reloaded on another VHS cartridge. On it were the following titles:

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (the version with "Fame and Fortune" in place of "Couple of Misfits.") (available on DVD with "Fame and Fortune" as an extra)
Frosty The Snowman (available on DVD)
Charlie Brown Christmas (available on DVD)
How The Grinch Stole Christmas (available on DVD)
The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas (with a scene where Ted actually goes into the church for a minute when he gets to the city - that scene is not on the commercial VHS) (available on VHS only)
Fat Albert Christmas (available on DVD)
Little Rascals Christmas (available on VHS only)
Jack Frost (Rankin/Bass) (available on DVD)
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (available on DVD)
Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (available on VHS only)
Mickey's Christmas Carol (available on DVD - Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Vol. 2)
Cabbage Patch Kids First Christmas (available on VHS only)
'Twas The Night Before Christmas (with the mice)(available on DVD with Frosty's Winter Wonderland)

Also, there was a second tape with "The Night They Saved Christmas" (Art Carney/Jacklyn Smith). I got that for her on R2 PAL DVD from Amazon.co.uk. Since she doesn't have region-free/PAL capability, I converted it to NTSC Region free for her. I have been working to update her with a DVD of all these titles. I bought her all of the commercial DVDs available. I even edited her commercial Rudolph DVD myself to reinsert Fame and Fortune in place of Couple of Misfits since that is the way she always watched it the last 20 years (that song is a bonus feature on the DVD so I just spliced it in). I purchased the commercial VHS tapes for her of all those that are not available on DVD and transferred them to DVDR for her.

Sorry for the rambling. I have so many good memories watching these with her growing up. It has been a fun project hunting them all down and buying them for her. All these titles that are not available on DVD would be IMMEDIATE purchases for me if they were ever released. I would love to replace all the VHS tapes I had to hunt down!

 

[Joel...Lane]

Here's a few UK ebay items you might be interested in.
Rankin/Bass stuff

 

[BrettGallman]

I still wish "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" were available on DVD. It's pretty much the only major Rankin/Bass title not on the format. I say next year they put this on a disc with "The Story of the First Christmas Snow," and that would make me happy.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

Does anyone know if Little Drummer Boy Book 2 is on DVD. I can't seem to find that one.

 

[Bob_S.]

John, as far as I know, LDBB2 is still not on dvd. Each christmas season I check eagerly on all the dvd web sites and local stores but have yet to see it. This and Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus would make my Christmas collection complete.

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (the version with "Fame and Fortune" in place of "Couple of Misfits.") (available on DVD with "Fame and Fortune" as an extra)

Now waitaminnit...every time I've seen Rudolph, either on TV or the old VHS (haven't seen the DVD), it's had the Fame And Fortune number AND We're A Couple Of Misfits, although the latter is heard in pieces, one piece sung by Hermie, and one sung by Rudolph. On the CD soundtrack, Fame And Fortune is nowhere to be found, but We're A Couple Of Misfits is a version I'd never heard before, sung in duet by Hermie and Rudolph. Is there a scene of the special I've never seen that contains Hermie and Rudolph singing this version of the song? And, if so, why cut Fame And Fortune? Why not leave it in as well?

 

[george kaplan]

The original showing in 1964, had Silver & Gold. That segment was replaced by the Fame & Forune Song the next (and subsequent years). The dvd I have has Silver & Gold in the show, and the Fame & Fortune segment as an extra.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

Actually, as best as I remember, and per the DVD, it always had Silver & Gold. It originally had the Couple of Misfits duet, later replaced by Fame & Fortune.

 

[george kaplan]

Brain freeze typo. Of course I meant Couple of Misfits, not Silver & Gold. :b

 

[Jay Pennington]

I think Jeffrey was confused by the fact that both Hermie and Rudolf sing brief solo versions of "Misfits" in both versions of the special. The duo was a reprise, to be replaced by "Fame and Fortune".

(not sure why this isn't in the TV section...)

 

[Mike Miskulin]

Dredging up this old thread to let everyone know one more Rankin/Bass Classic can be crossed off the list.
Cricket on the Hearth was released in September as a single disc. I also saw it attached in a separate case (thinkpak, none-the-less) to the big Rudolph/Frosty/Santa Claus box set at Best Buy.
Here it is at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Cricket-Hearth...?ie=UTF8&s=dvd
Still MIA:

• The First Christmas (1975)
• The Little Drummer Boy, Book II (1976)
• The Stingiest Man in Town (1978)
• Pinnochio's Christmas (1980)
• The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold (1981)
• The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985)

mike.

 

[JerryKILL]

Thanks for the post, this would have slipped under my radar otherwise.

While not a Christmas special, I'd like to see the Rankin Bass feature Willie McBean & His Magic Machine (1965) on DVD someday....

 

[Tory]

Also not a Christmas Special, but most needed, is Mad Mad Mad Comedians (1970) featuring the voice talents of Groucho Marx, George Burns, Jack Benny, Flip Wilson, Henny Youngman, George Jessel, Tom Smothers, Dick Smothers, Jack Leonard, and Phyllis Diller with Paul Frees as W.C. Fields, Chico Marx, and Zeppo Marx.

 

[BrettGallman]

Of all the Christmas specials not yet released, I want "Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" the most. It seems like it only airs once or twice a year, and I can never catch it at a decent time.

 

[Jim Rankin]

Here is a link with some info on Rankin/Bass stuff - they promise to announce upcoming films but I didn't see any mention of it.
http://www.rankinbass.com/
Seems to be only mainly about the music, figurines etc.
It would be great to get a definitive compiliation of their work on dvd - I grew up on the stuff and always have fond memories of it.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Do the unreleased titles usually air on TV during the holidays? If so, what channel do they usually air on? I would like to at least Tivo them and rip them to a DVD.