Rankin Bass trying to create a special based off a song is kind of par of the course, they already did that with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snoweman and if you want to be pedantic, "Winter Wonderland " but with Frosty. This year if you are reading this in 2020 (congrats you made it!) it's the 50th anniversary of this special, "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" which first aired on ABC on December 14th 1970.
The title is based off the popular Christmas song of the same name. The song has a sad history behind it, which I wrote about here. The special does something else, it gives us an origin story to Santa Claus because we all need origin stories. There are so many origin stories of Santa Claus, and you can just make your own up because he's a character you can just use and not get sued....yet. (Santa grabbed Geraldine passionately, what oh yeah...) Rankin Bass set out to make an origin story.
I personally think this is Rankin Bass' master piece Christmas special, their best special, and best work. Yes, even better than 1964's Rudolph. (good now, that some have left this post in anger, the rest of us can go along with the fun)
The special starts with a mail man named Special delivery Kluger, or S.D (Scooby Doo?) for short. He's the narrator, because Rankin Bass Christmas specials need narrators. He is voiced by the legendary Fred Astaire. Astaire brings a great voice to this character and since he can sing, that works too! Kluger decides to commit felonies (unless North Pole is different) and open the mail that was meant of Santa. Many children have questions about old Claus and apparently, Kluger knows all about him. (Because he's a stalker , help!)
I know where you live/ Copyright Rankin Bass
So he tells the kids (off screen kids) the story of the origins of Santa. (Santa was walking down the street with his parents who were then ....oh wait that's Abe Lincoln) It starts in a town called Sombertown. (If you named a town that you'd be somber too) It's run by man named Burgermeister Meisterburger and he's our villain. (I'd be mad too, if that was my name) One of the burgermeister's minions, comes in with a baby. (Where do Babies come from, Rankin Bass won't tell you the truth!) B M M B doesn't like babies and orders that it gets sent the orphan asylum.
Baby? I don't order that , send it back! / Copyright Rankin-Bass
Yeah, Santa's an orphan, because parents would just get in the way. (What?) The only clue to the baby's name is a tag (the run away parents had time to make tag?) with the name Claus on it. See, he's Claus. The minion loses the baby because of course he does. A wind blew the baby and the sled the baby was on through the forest. (Oooh alright) There's a second looming villain in this special called the Winter Warlock. The animals keep Claus safe and they put his sled in front of a house. A group of elves live there and they are called Kringles. See, origin special, why is he called Kris Kringle. (With a k?) The Kringles also were these Santa suits because you can put 2 and 2 together. (That's right, they are hippies)
We drink Pespi, so this is strange/Copyright Rankin Bass
Cut... It is fun to see in this special how a majority of it you won't be seeing classic Santa. I mean with the big white beard, fat, old, stuff. It's a nice thing to see something a little different for Santa Claus.
The Kringles are happy to have the baby live with them and since baby Santa isn't very interesting, they grow him up to competent child Santa. The Kringles taught him how to read, write, count stars on a crystal night, and make toys. (As yes, the 2 rs , a c and a m) This special has some good memorable songs like "Toymakes to the King" about the Kringles being big Royal toy makers. I do get confused, because where's the king now? Were they exiled, was this a France situation, the burgermeister was called the mayor earlier, none of this is explained. (odd for a special trying to explain things)
This special liked this song they used it twice, and swapped the lyrics, more on that later. Anyway, Kris also learned from the animals, because the animals. The Seals though him to go ho ho ho because they had to find a strange way to explain that. Kris is man now. (He has manly needs!)
I'm giant! Help me/ Copyright Rankin Bass
Kris is going to Sombertown to deliver toys. He also gets a real Kringle suit because we already know why. Now Santa Kris is going to Sombertown. He runs into a penguin that go so lost somehow. He names the penguin Topper. Yeah that second villain shows up and warns Kris to go back , which is kind of nice of him. Kris runs to Sombertown. (yay!) In Sombertown, B M M B trips over a toy and broke a bone and thus he decides to ban toys. (logical) The special uses the same song from before but swaps the lyrics for the Burgermeiser.
Penguin/ Copyright Rankin Bass
Cut.. Also Mickey Rooney plays Kris/ Santa in this special and his voice is really good for Santa, and R and B used him later for another Santa role. It's a very earnest sounding Santa, but still has an authority to his voice. Paul Frees, a Rankin Bass frequently used actor, is here to be the Burger Meister, the minion named Grimsley, Topper the Penguin, and pretty much anybody else they need.
Anyway, the toys are rounded up and nobody stops the man. (He has a broken leg, they could have just said no and killed him) I like the Sombertown look of it being mostly gray and dark colors. The people also wearing gray and dark colors works too. It makes Kris' colorful outfit and red hair pop out as he's bringing color to their dark lives. (Symbolism!) Kris is trying to say hello and everyone is grumpy at him. My favorite is the guy that says "Don't Hi me!" . He mentions toys and the everyone runs away like he was offending their mothers. The kids are washing stockings, ( this is foreshadowing) and he tells the kids don't be glum.
You'd be sad too in this town/ Copyright Rankin Bass
He says the line from the song and gives them toys. Toys are illegal though. There's a school teacher named Jessica, she also has red hair. Hmmm. yes... She tells Kris, not to give kids toys because they are immoral and illegal. He gives her a China doll and she melts like butter. The moral is give people toys and they won't be mad anymore. (World peace)
I'm no longer mad/Copyright Rankin Bass
Now it's time for Kris to sing a song about sitting on his lap or something. Yeah, they are referencing why you sit on his lap at the mall. (Profit!) Rooney's a good singer too. (What's a mall?) The Burgermeister sees children playing with their toys and is going to arrest them. (He's tough on crime, but murder is way down) Kris tries his give a toy thing again, but Grimsley tells him he's breaking his own law. (Couldn't he just undo his own law?)
more after the jump
After escaping the Meister, he runs into the Winter Warlock. Due to Kris giving the Warlock a toy train, the Warlock comes to Kris' side after his icy heart melts. (sounds like dying) The Warlock now wants to be good, and this gives us one of the special's best song. "Put one foot in front of the other" The song is about it's as easy to go from good to bad as easy as it as to learn to walk. (Oh really?) The idea is if you want to be a good person, you take easy steps and soon it will be a natural thing to do.
Weee/ Copyright Rankin Bass
Jessica shows up and Kris tells her that he has magic snow ball powers to see how kids behave. (oh yeah that) She kisses him because this is also a romance special. Kris decides a new idea to give toys by dark, starting the idea of Santa going out at night. I do like how the special just shows you how it gives us the origins of Santa. Burgermiester is un happy and orders everyone to lock their doors. Kris gets a new idea from his penguin to tell him to go through the chimney. (man listened to a penguin) The Burgermeister decides that he wants to do searches of houses for toys and arrest anybody found with them. Kris spreads the word and hides toys in stockings. (Foreshadowed earlier)
Burgermeister decides that he'll just trap and arrest Kris. Jessica goes to warn him, but he already left. Winter has also lost his magic for some reason; Winter and the Kringles were arrested. Kris is arrested as well, he only surrenders because they have his penguin. (Oh no!) The children's toys are destroyed by bonfire. Jessica pleads with Burgermeister to let them go. This brings another good song, sung by Jessica. It expresses her love of Kris. This song has some trippy background, and uses a mixture of hand drawn animation with the stop motion. I think it's a really good song in general, it's not catchy but it's still worth it. (Don't look at the fact her reflection in the water doesn't move when she moves)
I'm standing on the fountain and you can't stop me! /Copyright Rankin Bass
She finds Winter in jail and he still has magic beans that can make reindeer fly, not sure how this gets them out of jail but it works. It is a way to explain why Reindeer fly. Meisterburger makes them outlaws and they have to push further north. Kris grows a beard (yeah that'll make him hard to find)
Who the heck is that? /Copyright Rankin Bass
Tanta Kringle tells him his real name is Claus, and he must use that now. Jessica marries Kris. I think this scene is the prettiest in the special. The wedding song , sung by Astaire, is one of the prettiest Rankin Bass songs throughout any of the specials.
He chose Christmas Eve so it'd be easy for Anniversary gifts/ Copyright Rankin Bass
The special gets to the point of showing why Santa lives in the North Pole, how he decided to just focus on Christmas Eve, the most holiest night of the year. Apparently, Winter got his powers back, so that was plot convenient power losing. They explain that the Burgermesiter just dies out ,so really nothing happens to the villian except the normal enteral grip of death. The special ends with how some people don't like Christmas because they don't understand it. It asks what would happen if we all gave like Santa with our talents and hearts, that the world would be a better place.
Like I said, I think this is one of Rankin Bass best specials. The animation quality is good, with great stop motion, where it's smooth. The story is a fun take on how Santa and Santa traditions come to be. It makes a fun timeless story, that is a reason that it has been rebroadcast ever and has a worth even 50 years later. It's a very memorable special and it's pretty special. It is a great special and here's hoping it's still loved in 2070 as much as it is now.
That's if or now, tune in next time, when we put one foot in front of the other.
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