A closer look at the legacy of Rankin-Bass

Kirk Baird

Monday, Dec. 9, 2002 | 8:59 a.m.

For more than 20 years the Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass partnership produced some of TV's best-loved holiday specials. Below are some of the duo's more famous Christmas shows, all available on DVD or video cassette, rated on a Rudolph scale of one to five:

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," 1964:

This is the animated special that started it all for Rankin and Bass. It remains the duo's best.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a lovely blend of imaginative characters and heartfelt lessons about fitting in with the crowd. At one point, early in the story, a curmudgeonly Santa Claus borders on bigotry after snubbing Rudolph for his neon nose, only to recant his small-minded slight later.

OK, the stop-motion effects used to bring the figures to life, dubbed "Animagic," are crude and choppy by today's computer-generated standards. Still, there is a familiar warmth to the figures, which lends itself well to repeated viewings. After years of watching the show, it's impossible to imagine anything but the Rankin-Bass TV creation as Rudolph.

Memorable songs, such as "We're a Couple of Misfits," "Silver and Gold" and "A Holly Jolly Christmas," all of which were written by Johnny Marks, the composer of the original "Rudolph" song, also add to the festive spirit of the special, which has rightfully been dubbed a holiday classic.

The show airs Friday night on CBS (Channel 8).

"The Little Drummer Boy," 1968:

The holiday magic and charm of "Rudolph" is notably absent in Rankin-Bass' second Christmas special.

Again expanding a popular song into a story, this half-hour effort based on the "The Little Drummer Boy" Christmas carol is mostly forgettable.

Set during the birth of Christ, the story concerns Aaron (the titular character), a bitter boy whose only love is playing the drum. His percussion prowess is such that animals dance and march along to his rat-tap-tapping.

A sinister sheik, however, kidnaps the animals and forces Aaron to play for money. Later Aaron encounters the three wise men and, after escaping the sheik, finds himself performing for a certain babe in a manger.

The over-the-top moralizing in "The Little Drummer Boy" makes "Davey and Goliath" seem almost hedonistic by comparison. There's not much excitement or life in this somber, spiritless effort. Followed by "The Little Drummer Boy, Book II" in 1976.

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town," 1970:

The Rankin-Bass return to familiar Christmas territory with the story of Kris Kringle, aka Santa Claus, with festive results.

Almost every facet of ol' St. Nick's life and vocation are explained in this hourlong special, from his red suit and jolly "ho, ho, ho"-ing to his flying reindeer and his method of household entry, the chimney.

The story takes place in and around Sombertown, where its cruel ruler, Burgermeister Meisterburger, has outlawed toys. Enter Kris Kringle, who wins the affection of the town and warms the heart of the mean Winter Warlock in the process with his generous toy-giving, thus becoming Santa Claus.

Mickey Rooney is a bundle of joy as the voice of the Merry Ol' Elf. And the storyline is fanciful fun while imparting the all-important message of the joy of giving.

"The Year Without a Santa Claus," 1974:

Rooney again dons the fabled red suit, only this time Santa is under the weather. Worst yet, he's convinced the world no longer cares about Christmas.

It's Mrs. Claus (Shirley Booth) to the rescue, who sends two elves -- Jingle and Jangle Bells -- and the young reindeer Vixen out into the world to find a sign of Christmas spirit. Eventually "Mrs. C" joins them in their mission, as they get caught in a weather tug-of-war between bickering step-brothers Heat Miser and Snow Miser.

The hourlong special is based on the book of the same name, and falls just short of both "Rudolph" and "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." Still, there's a great deal of whimsical fun to be had, especially when Heat Miser and Snow Miser croon their ego-driven theme songs.

"Rudolph's Shiny New Year," 1976:

Rankin-Bass kept to their tried-and-true formula of stories about Christmas icons. Only, by now, there was little Christmas myth left to be explored, after three other holiday specials devoted to the North Pole's most famous residents.

So the partners found another holiday: New Year's Day.

The result is hit-and-miss as Rudolph sets out in search of the missing Baby New Year, Happy. Feeling like a misfit because of his gigantic ears, Happy has wandered off to the Arch of Pellico Islands, where time remains frozen.

Without Happy, there is no successor to Father Time. So, it will remain Dec. 31 forever. Rudolph is sent to find Baby New Year.

This holiday special suffers from forgettable tunes and dull new characters, as well as the simple fact that the story isn't particularly exciting or fun. And the repetitive "You're not a misfit" moral is as subtle as a lime-green leisure suit.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys," 2001:

While this isn't a Rankin-Bass production, it is based on their characters, and takes place shortly after the first "Rudolph" special.

All the familiar faces are back: Rudolph; Hermey, the elf dentist; Yukon Cornelius, the grizzled prospector; Bumble, the Abominable Snow Monster; and, of course, Santa.

The story involves a mysterious thief, Toy Taker, who spends his nights snatching children's toys from homes and stores. After Santa's workshop is stripped bare, courtesy of the Toy Taker, Rudolph and Hermey decide to catch the culprit.

The most striking aspect of this new special from GoodTimes Entertainment is that the animation is entirely computer generated, instead of the stop-motion Animagic employed by many of the Rankin-Bass holiday classics.

While the characters' movement is certainly smoother as a result, it's not necessarily better. The CG-animated Rudolph, for example, seems less alive as a computer creation, often resembling a video-game character.

And, yes, once again the songs are nowhere near classic.

Still, with Richard Dreyfuss, Jamie Lee Curtis and Rick Moranis lending their vocal talents, the nearly 75-minute special is better than you might think.