Merry Christmas! I hope you were very good this year so that Santa brought you what you wanted. Here are a few Christmas treats from Saturday Morning Cartoons to get you through the day:
Because it’s not Christmas without the Grinch, here’s the complete How the Grinch Stole Christmas as told by Boris Karloff:
Here we’ve got the Peanuts gang rockin’ it out to “Linus and Lucy” which was specifically written for the “A Charlie Brown Christmas” special
Linus explains to Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about:
On behalf of Brandie, Carrie and myself, we would like to wish all of you a very merry Christmas!
Last Christmas, Brandie and Carrie each talked about some of their favorite Christmas movies so since this is my first year as an official contributor, I decided to do the same.
Here’s a list of some of my favorites:
Favorite Classic (as in pre-1970) Christmas Film – It’s A Wonderful Life (though I’m growing fond of White Christmas)
Favorite Christmas Scenes in a Classic non-Christmas movie – Desk Set, An Affair to Remember, Auntie Mame
Santa Claus's Reindeer? ... Dopey, Sneezy, Grouchy, Happy, Sleepy, Rudolph, and Blitzen
Favorite Recent Christmas Film – How the Grinch Stole Christmas (yup I like both versions)
Favorite animated version of A Christmas Carol – Stingiest Man in Town
Favorite Live Action version of A Christmas Carol – Tie between Muppets and George C. Scott
Favorite claymation animated special – Nestor the Long Eared Christmas Donkey, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Rudolph’s Shiny New Year
Favorite animated specials – How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Charlie Brown Christmas, Raggedy Ann and Andy’s Christmas Caper
Must save Christmas from the Big Bad Wolf
As you can imagine just from that short list, if I tried to talk about of all my favorites, we would be here until next Christmas before I got even close so I’m just going to pick three of my favorites from childhood to talk about: Prancer, Santa Claus: The Movie, and One Magic Christmas.
Prancer (1989)
Prancer is the story of Jessica Riggs and her faith and determination to help a reindeer she believes is Santa’s reindeer Prancer get back to Santa on Christmas Eve. Featuring Sam Elliot as Jessica’s dad John who is trying to keep his family together after his wife has died (though sometimes he’s not sure what to do with his daughter) and Cloris Leachman as their grouchy neighbor Mrs. McFarland who Jessica brings a little Christmas cheer, this one has lots of heart. Jessica is at that age where most of her friends have stopped believing in Santa. Jessica still does because to her believing in Santa is like believing in God. When her best friend Carol says well maybe there isn’t a God, Jessica gets very angry because if there is no God then there is no heaven so what happened to her mom. One of the funniest parts is where Prancer (who Jessica hid in the barn after finding) gets into the house while the kids are at school and John is sitting at the breakfast table and can’t tell what is going on. If you’re looking for a story of childlike faith and putting that faith into practice, this is the one to watch.
Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
Yo!
This one tells the story of how Santa and Mrs. Claus came to be at the North Pole and how Santa was fairing in the 80s. This film has a great cast including David Huddleston as Santa, Dudley Moore as the creative if not always thorough elf Patch, and John Lithgow as unethical toy manufacturer B.Z. One of my favorite parts is when Dooley the head elf is reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas” not long after it is written. He gets to the part describing Santa and Santa takes great offense to the comment about his belly being like a bowl full of jelly. Everyone is trying very hard not to laugh and all his wife can say is that it’s the cookies implying that he could go on a diet. The special effects are exactly what you expect from the 80s but I think that just gives it some charm especially the twinkle effect they use for Santa going up and down chimneys and the reindeer flying. This is a fun one if you haven’t seen it in a while or for the first time.
One Magic Christmas (1985)
Starring Mary Steenburgen, Harry Dean Stanton, and Jan Rubes as Santa Claus, this film tells the story of a very stressed mom that has lost her Christmas spirit. Ginny (played Steenburgen) is struggling to hold it together after her husband Jack loses his job (and thereby their factory owned house) right at Christmas time. Jack is determined to make Christmas as best he can for their kids but Ginny cannot see any point in the waste when they should be focused on packing and him finding a new job. Harry Dean Stanton is the Christmas angel Gideon that appears to the couple’s daughter Abbie asking for her help to help give Ginny her Christmas spirit back.
Gideon the Christmas Angel with Abbie
In almost a It’s a Wonderful Life-esque manner, Gideon is able to remind Ginny that Christmas is about the people in your life not the presents and lights. I actually came to this movie a little bit later in life as we couldn’t find it on tape until sometime around 1998. This is one of my stepdad’s favorites and has replaced It’s a Wonderful Life as our Christmas Eve Christmas movie. So if you are tired of IaWL but want something similar, give this one a try.
Let me just start by saying I absolutely adore this week’s movie. Part of the three-way tie for my affections, there is just something about this story that has always struck a chord with me (maybe it’s the spaghetti), but I remember wearing out a copy of the VHS as a kid.
Lady and the Tramp debuted in 1955 and was the first animated film to be done in Cinemascope. However, because not all the theaters were set up for the new format, the film was also done in the original aspect ratio so that it could still have the wide release.
The story opens at Christmas with Jim Dear giving his wife, Darling, a beautiful cocker spaniel puppy named Lady. The film progresses through the first two years of Lady’s life as she learns about babies and meets and falls in love with Tramp, the stray mutt who literally just wanders into her life one day. Based on a story that was created for Disney by Ward Greene, with the original idea coming from Joe Grant, this classic is probably best known for the contributions by Peggy Lee, the Siamese cats, and the iconic spaghetti dinner.
As with any Disney film, music is a key ingredient to becoming a beloved classic and for that, this film owes a great debt to Peggy Lee. She co-wrote the music with Sonny Burke and sang several songs on the soundtrack including probably the second best-known song from the movie, “He’s a Tramp.” She also lent her voice to Darling, the Siamese Cats, and of course, Peg (the role that everyone associates with her and was created for her).
At the time this film was created, Lee was a well-known singer and actress. Because she was one of the first superstars to lend her singing and voice talents to an animated film, she did several promotional segments for Disney demonstrating some of the music-writing process and performing songs from the film like “He’s a Tramp” and the “Siamese Cat Song.”
I like Lady and Tramp both a lot, but for me, this movie belongs to the supporting cast. One of my favorite parts in the movie is at the beginning where we are introduced to Lady’s friends, Jock and Trusty. Jock is first seen humming/singing (a song that will randomly pop in my head at the most random times) as he goes to bury his new bone in his favorite spot in the backyard, while our first glimpse of Trusty is while he sleepwalks on the porch tracking a caterpillar.
Both of these scenes are very characteristic about both of these dogs–especially Trusty–and I love it. I also love the scene where they come to “propose” to Lady after she is brought home from the pound; they are so protective that you can see the affection they feel for Lady even as they are confirmed bachelors and will gladly kick Tramp’s butt if asked (BTW I somehow missed over the years that them coming to offer her a new home was to save face because she might be having puppies. I always thought that they were trying to give her a different option where she won’t be mistreated by Aunt Sarah. Ah, the ignorance of youth). On a side note, toward the end where it looks like Trusty dies after the accident with the dog catcher’s wagon, it looks that way because that was the way it was originally supposed to go, but after a screening, Walt decided that it was too sad for the audience. So they decided to add him to the Christmas scene at the end so the audience would know that he was OK.
Probably two of the most meddlesome and nasty critters ever to grace a Disney picture are the Siamese cats: Si and Am. These two cats (both voiced by Peggy Lee) come with Aunt Sarah when she arrives for her visit and promptly decide that they now rule everything despite the fact they are the guests and that there is a dog already in residence. They proceed to try to eat the canary and goldfish upon arrival and just make trouble because they can. The fact they get Lady kicked out of the house is a bonus because now they have absolute free reign of the house (not that Aunt Sarah would dream of her angels causing any trouble).
Speaking of Aunt Sarah, one of the things I love about Disney films (well, movies in general) is the variety of roles that a single voice actor might play over the course of a career.
Verna Felton, who provides the voice for Aunt Sarah, also was the voice for the Fairy Godmother, the Queen of Hearts, Mrs. Jumbo, and Flora. All of these roles are quite different so it can be a little weird hearing a favorite character’s voice come out of a completely different kind of character’s mouth. I had that experience when I watched Lady and the Tramp after watching Cinderella not long before and heard a lot the Fairy Godmother in Aunt Sarah.
But after it’s all said and done, the part everyone remembers is the spaghetti dinner date at Tony’s.
This where we get our first inkling that Tramp is a bit of a ladies’ man (no pun intended), and it features probably my favorite Disney love song ever, “Bella Notte,” which lends its opening lyrics as the title of today’s post. This scene has been referenced and spoofed a million different ways by everyone–including my favorite one, which is in 102 Dalmatians (the sequel to the live-action remake of the animated film) where Kevin and Chloe (the humans) go to Tony’s and share spaghetti while the dogs are at home watching Lady and the Tramp.
If you haven’t seen this film in a while, I encourage you to make a pot of spaghetti and curl up with the family to watch this classic today.
As has been mentioned a couple dozen times over the past two weeks, today is the day I get to talk about one of my top three favorite Disney films of all time, 1950′s Cinderella. Everyone knows the story of the orphaned cinder girl who works for her evil stepmother and sister(s) and then, with the help of her fairy godmother, goes to the ball, meets and falls in love with the prince, runs away at the stroke of midnight, and can only be identified by her glass slipper. This is one of the truly universal stories, as every culture for the past 2000 years has some variation on the classic. For example, in the Chinese version, written down over 1000 years ago, the fairy godmother character is actually a magical fish, while the Grimm Brothers version uses a magic tree on the mother’s grave. Walt Disney chose the version written by Charles Perrault in 1697 with the fairy godmother and magic pumpkin, a much gentler version than the Grimm version, where the sisters cut off portions of their feet so the slipper fits and, at the end, get their eyes poked out by birds (those Grimm brothers didn’t play when it came to handing out punishments). Cinderella has been adapted for every possible entertainment medium including opera, ballet, theater (both musical and play), movies, books, songs, television episodes, and even a comic book or two. The term “Cinderella” is even used to describe sports teams (particularly in NCAA basketball) that make an unlikely trip to the post season and succeed beyond all expectations.
In a lot of ways, the Walt Disney Company was a Cinderella trying to get to the ball when this film debuted. Disney had not had a commercial success since Snow White in 1937. Bambi and Dumbo, while now some of the most beloved films in the canon, were not financially successful the first time out at the box office; and then came World War II, which put many projects on hiatus and forced Disney to put together the package films to remain afloat. While the package films did break even, they really didn’t make the studio much money–to the point that the company was in trouble of going under. Roy O. Disney, Walt’s brother, even went so far as to suggest to Walt that they get out while they still could and retire. But Walt said no and decided to give the single storyline feature-length film concept one last chance. It was a great risk but in the end, it was definitely worth it. Cinderella was one of the highest grossing films of 1950 and has done very well in subsequent releases.
Cinderella has everything that makes a great Disney animated feature: beautiful animation, great characters, and wonderful music. Disney was always innovating with new techniques in animation, and this film was no exception, as it would mark the first time that the entire film would be acted out in live-action and filmed so that the animators would have a point of reference. Cinderella also features one of Walt Disney’s (and my) favorite bits of animation: Cinderella’s dress transformation.
In the category of great characters, this film boasts a good heroine, fun sidekicks, a nasty henchman, and an evil, EVIL villain:
I know Cinderella gets a lot of flak from the feminists today for being a doormat but really, in the time this is portrayed, what else was the girl supposed to do? She wasn’t married and had no means of support. Besides, this was HER house. Stepmom and sisters were the interlopers, not her. But beyond that, Cinderella really wasn’t a doormat. Yes. She did as she was told, but she did try to stand up for herself (not that it did any good). She also had no qualms about scolding Lucifer, was probably breaking half a dozen rules having mice in the house, and was even a little sarcastic (at least to herself) when pondering whether to deliver the ball invitation during the “music” lesson. So, no, I don’t think she was a doormat–just a girl trying to make the best out of a bad situation.
Jaq and Gus Gus are probably my two favorite Disney mice (yes, that’s ahead of Mickey). Jaq is the clear leader of the mice (well, at least the guy mice, anyways) and their spokesmouse. He’s the guy who comes up with the bright ideas and spurs his fellow mice into action. Gus Gus, on the other hand, is the newest member of the household and is still learning the ropes. While he is not always the brightest mouse, he makes up for it with fierce loyalty and determination, as seen with his adventure to get the key back up to Cinderella.
As far as nasty henchmen go, Lucifer the Cat probably only ranks below the Siamese cats (Lady and the Tramp) in terms of pure nastiness. This cat is so mean that he purposely walks dirt all over the clean entryway and does everything possible to thwart the mice in whatever they are doing. Even Cinderella can’t think of one good thing about the cat when talking to Bruno. He also gets great joy out of being evil. Think about the scene with the breakfast trays where Lucifer is trying to catch Gus: when he thinks he’s finally going to get Gus, Lucifer is almost giddy and then crushed when Gus gets away again. One of his best scenes, though, is the one where Lady Tremaine is giving Cinderella her extra chores after Gus shows up on Anastasia’s tray. He perfectly punctuates everything Lady Tremaine says until she adds the thing about his bath and he looks like at her like, “You could have left me out of this.”
Lady Tremaine is definitely in the top three among villainesses (and I would say top five across all Disney Villains) in terms of pure evil and ruthlessness, which is why it’s fitting that her voice is provided by Eleanor Audley, who would later go on to voice Maleficent (best Disney villain EVER). Lady Tremaine is very focused on doing everything in her power to get her daughters into the best circles possible, preferably at the expense of Cinderella. She takes almost a delight in watching her awful daughters destroy Cinderella’s dress, then calmly wishing her a goodnight. Later, she gets similar joy at the Duke’s reaction after she trips his footman, shattering the glass slipper.
But what everyone remembers most about Cinderella is the music. Songs like “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” and “The Work Song (Cinderelly Cinderelly)” have the lovely effect of getting in your head and not going away. You know what I’m talking about, as you will probably be humming one or the other for the rest of the day even though (melody-wise) they are two of the most obnoxious tunes ever. My favorite song from this classic, however, is the title of this post: “A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes.” This song sums up beautifully the point of the whole film, which is: even in tough times, trust in your heart and have faith, and eventually things will get better. Dreams do come true, but you have to believe in them and work towards them. Even Cinderella worked towards her plans by getting all her chores done so she could go; she just had a little help with the dress and transportation.
While the classic story has been adapted, modernized, and parodied by everyone from Rogers & Hammerstein and Jerry Lewis to Drew Barrymore, Hilary Duff, and Shrek, this beloved version is the one that most people think of first. The motifs of fairy godmothers, magic pumpkins, the stroke of midnight, and glass slippers are such a part of our cultural fabric that we’ve all used them at some point or another–even in unexpected places, like this corporate Disney commercial from 2002:
If somehow you’ve managed to miss this classic or haven’t seen it in a while, go quickly and watch it, because for a short time, you will remember that “if you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true.”
In honor of Halloween, here’s a couple of clips that might put you in the mood:
This one is the intro to the 80s Disney special “A Disney Halloween.” This is a fun special with clips from some of the best Disney films through 1980. Besides, this song has been stuck in my head and I wanted to share.
While looking for the first clip I stumbled across this one that was too awesome not to share.
During WWII, many of Disney’s animators were drafted, and eventually the studio itself was commandeered for the war effort, making it difficult to work on big features. Walt had snippets of various things that had been in different stages of production when the war broke out, so he decided to put them to together a la Fantasia to keep things afloat. He did a total of six “package” films. The first two, Saludo Amigos and The Three Cabelleros, Brandie talked about last week; so this week we’re going to talk about the next three: Make Mine Music, Fun and Fancy Free, and Melody Time.
Make Mine Music (1946)
While Fantasia was a collection of classical music selections, Make Mine Music is a mixture of jazz and popular music sung and performed by living legends such as Benny Goodman, Dinah Shore, and the Andrews Sisters. Originally there were 10 segments but one, “The Martins and the Coys” (based on the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys), has since been cut in later releases because Disney felt the violence inappropriate for children. If you had the Disney Channel back in the 80s and early 90s, you probably saw some of these clips (including the Martins and the Coys) shown between movies and other programming. Here are my favorites:
All the Cats Join In
This one is performed by legendary jazz musician Benny Goodman and his band. Basically it’s the story of a bunch of kids getting together at the malt shop, but the awesome thing about it is how they employ a technique where the pencil drawing the cartoon as it happens is a character too.
Casey at the Bat
This is one that I’ve always liked. Don’t really have a reason. It’s a musical recitation of the poem “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Thayer.
Peter and the Wolf
Of all the segments I’m covering today, this is probably my all-time favorite. Based on the 1936 piece by Sergei Prokofiev, this animated version of the story of the little boy, Peter, who went out hunting a wolf is narrated by Sterling Holloway (a favorite voice actor for Disney). At the beginning, Holloway explains that the different instruments signify a different character, making this a wonderful segment for introducing children to the pieces of the orchestra. As you watch the piece, you can hear the different instruments working together as the characters interact, and you can start to pick out which part goes with which instrument.
The Whale Who Wanted to Sing At the Met
This piece is narrated and sung completely by Nelson Eddy, who tells the story of Willie the Whale, who wants to sing at the Met. I know, for me, some of the music in this was my first exposure to opera and is still how I initially think of those pieces when I hear the name. Besides I really love Willie’s version of Shortnin’ Bread.
Fun and Fancy Free(1947)
Fun and Fancy Free is different from the other compilations I’m covering in that the segments featured are actually tied together by a frame featuring Jiminy Cricket. Jiminy opens the film singing the title song, “Fun and Fancy Free.” He then finds and plays a record of Dinah Shore telling/singing the musical story of Bongo the Circus Bear. After the Bongo segment, Jiminy finds an invitation to a party at Edgar Bergen’s house, so Jiminy decides to go see what’s going on. Edgar Bergen is best known to most people today as Candice Bergen’s dad, but in the 40s, he was a well-known ventriloquist and radio host. His two “friends,” Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd, were stars as well–particularly Charlie, who made it into several animated shorts. Jiminy arrives just as Bergen is getting ready to tell the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, or more appropriately, Mickey and the Beanstalk. The great thing about this section of the film is the switching back and forth between animation and live-action, and even the occasional overlapping like when Willie the Giant opens the roof to ask if anyone has seen a mouse, frightening Bergen. While this was only a year after Song of the South was released and the concept of the two mediums overlapping was still very new, it’s remarkable that the shots are as clean as they are given the technology of the day.
Bongo the Circus Bear
Bongo is based on a short story written by Sinclair Lewis (yup, the same guy who wrote The Jungle), about a circus bear who gets tired of living in captivity and runs away to live in the woods. Once he escapes the circus, he initially loves everything about being free, but after a really awful night and a bad morning, he’s about ready to pack it in when he sees Lulu-Belle. Lulu-Belle is definitely a flirt, making Bongo chase her until finally letting him catch up. Enter the big, mean Lumpjaw. He also has his eye on the lovely Lulu-Belle, and after a small misunderstanding about wild bear mating rituals, she accidentally slaps Lumpjaw, leading him to believe that she loves him. Apparently bears say “I love you” with a slap (because that’s the message we need to give small children). Once Bongo figures out his mistake, he rides in to the rescue, ultimately saves the day, and gets the girl.
Mickey and the Beanstalk
We’re all pretty familiar with one version or another of this story so I’ll spare you the summary. This particular version features Mickey, Donald, and Goofy as our heroes, off on an adventure to meet the giant and save the Golden Harp. Willie the Giant is introduced for the first time and would make appearances later in other projects such as “Mickey’s Christmas Carol,” where he plays the Ghost of Christmas Present (and mirrors the end of this film with lifting of roofs and peeking in to find the Cratchits). This film also marked the last time that Walt Disney would lend his voice to Mickey Mouse, which he had been doing since first giving Mickey his voice in “Steamboat Willie.” While in the film version of this segment the narration was provided by Edgar Bergen, if you’ve ever seen the stand-alone version of this short, the narrator is Sterling Holloway.
Melody Time (1948)
Much like Make Mine Music and Fantasia, Melody Time is a collection of musical shorts strung together. But unlike either of those predecessors, Melody Time features a master of ceremonies, Buddy Clark, to do a little narration between shorts. This film features seven shorts including such timeless classics as Bumble Boogie, Johnny Appleseed, Little Toot, and Pecos Bill, all of which were seen years later on the Disney Channel. Like Fun and Fancy Free, this film uses some live-action/animation blending, particularly in “Blame it On the Samba,” which features Donald Duck, José Carioca, and the Aracuan Bird while organist Ethel Smith plays. Here are a couple of my favorites from this collection:
The Legend of Johnny Appleseed
This is the story of how John Chapman became known as Johnny Appleseed. It starts with Johnny minding his orchard and dreaming of going west like the pioneers, when an angel appears to him telling him that his mission is to go west and plant apple trees. And so he sets off with a bag of seeds, his Bible, and an old metal pot that also serves as his hat. He soon makes friends with the animals and for the next 40 years, he travels, planting apple trees until he passes away and his angel comes to take him to plant trees in heaven. This is based on the true story of John Chapman, who went all over Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois planting trees and spreading the gospel. This is a fun way to introduce the legend of Johnny Appleseed and one of several American Legends that Disney has animated over the years.
Pecos Bill
The last segment of the film is Disney’s version of the legend of Pecos Bil–as told by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers to child actors Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten (both were in Song of the South and So Dear to My Heart). The story details how Pecos came to be and is used to explain several things, including why coyotes howl at the moon, how the Painted Desert and the Rio Grande came to be, and why Texas is the Lone Star State. At the time the film was released, Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger were HUGE stars and were featured in countless films in the 30s and 40s. The segment features several songs including “Blue Shadows” and “Pecos Bill,” both of which are guaranteed to get stuck in your head. This clip has been heavily edited in recent years to remove all references to smoking (but somehow the parts about shooting out the stars were allowed to remain. Go figure). A popular favorite and one definitely to check out.
Brandie will be back next week to finish up our discussion of package films with a look at The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad as well as a post about Song of the South. After that we will move back into traditional animation with Cinderella.
