The Little Drummer Boy (TV special)
The Little Drummer Boy | |
---|---|
Genre | Christmas |
Based on | "The Little Drummer Boy" Katherine Davis Jack Halloran |
Written by | Romeo Muller |
Directed by |
|
Starring |
|
Narrated by | Greer Garson |
Theme music composer | Maury Laws |
Country of origin |
|
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producers |
|
Cinematography | Takeo Nakamura (uncredited) |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Production company | The Little Drummer Boy, Book II |
The Little Drummer Boy is a
Plot
A
Some time later, the troupe comes upon the
Voice cast
- Greer Garson as "Our Storyteller"
- Teddy Eccles as Aaron
- Jose Ferreras Ben Haramad
- Paul Frees as Ali, Aaron's father, Three Kings (Melchior, Casper, and Balthazar), Samson, Baba, Joshua, Guards, Male townspeople, Driver, and Tumblers
- June Foray as Aaron's mother and Female townspeople
- The Vienna Boys' Choir singing the title song.
Reception
The Little Drummer Boy received an approval rating of 75% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on thirteen reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "The Little Drummer Boy is a mature addition to the Rankin-Bass catalogue, with a powerful conclusion that compensates for the special's dour storytelling and unpolished animation."[3]
Restoration problems
In 1998, a restoration of The Little Drummer Boy by the company Classic Media was hindered because the film's original 35mm negative went missing, according to Rankin/Bass historian Rick Goldschmidt. A 16mm print was located, as well as an unreleased stereo soundtrack. However, the latter was missing several sound effects, most notably a piece of narration in the final scene, which instead used a scratch track by Paul Frees.[4]
1976 sequel
In 1976, Rankin/Bass produced a sequel, titled The Little Drummer Boy, Book II, again sponsored by the American Gas Association. It premiered on December 13, 1976, on NBC, and like its predecessor, has also aired on Freeform and separately on AMC as of 2018.[5] Warner Bros. is the show's current distributor through their ownership of the post–September 1974 Rankin/Bass Productions library via Telepictures.[6] In this sequel, written by Jules Bass (under the pseudonym Julian P. Gardner), Aaron and his animal friends team up with Melchior, one of the Magi, to protect silver bells, made to ring for Christ's arrival, from a band of greedy Roman soldiers.[7] Warner Archive released The Little Drummer Boy Book II, in a collection called Rankin/Bass TV Holiday Favorites Collection.
Voice cast
- Greer Garson as Our Storyteller
- Zero Mostel as Brutus
- David Jay as Aaron
- Bob McFadden as Plato
- Ray Owens as Melchior
- Allen Swift as Simeon and The Soldiers
See also
References
- ISBN 9781476672939.
- ^ "The Little Drummer Boy". 19 December 1968 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "The Little Drummer Boy". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ https://enchantedworldofrankinbass.blogspot.com/2006/12/little-drummer-boy-1968.html
- ^ "AMC Presents Its Largest Slate of Holiday Programming With 'AMC Best Christmas Ever'". 8 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
- ^ "The Little Drummer Boy Book II". IMDb. 13 December 1976.
- ^ "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. 24 December 2017.
External links
- The Little Drummer Boy at IMDb
- The Little Drummer Boy Book II at IMDb