In this story, Peter decides his real name, Peter Rabbit, is too common, and changes it to Peter Cottontail. And Rankin/Bass in their unique style managed to dish up their usual concoction of delights to charm young and old alike. We further reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to remove a user's Producer/Directors: Arthur Rankin. You’re in for more treats because our colleague Michael Lyons wrote even more about the special on Jerry other website, Animation Scoop: Irontail’s bat is named Montresor, who was the narrator in Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado”. In the rest of the show, Peter is able to save Easter from Irontail and reclaim his title as Chief Easter Bunny, with the help of Sassafras and Antoine. Casey Kasem gives this fine song all the energy of a young Broadway romantic lead, with the verve of Robert Morse (who later did two Rankin/Bass specials). This article is an extensively revised version of an earlier post. The most recent recording on the album is 1970’s “Rubber Duckie” sung by Ron Marshall, another Rankin/Bass alumnus from The Year Without a Santa Claus and The Easter Bunny is Comin’ to Town. With his wife Priscilla, he wrote six children’s books from 1957 until 1965. I was hoping you’d have a revised version of your PETER COTTONTAIL post for us in time for Easter this year, and you did not disappoint. You are fully This one has always been my personal favorite. Muller added crazy, wacky, almost psychedelic elements to the show. Gratuitous links to sites are viewed as spam and You hit upon a highly significant reason why the work of Rankin/Bass continues to endure for generations. He kept a database of index cards to make sure that no guest ever had the same dish twice. Songs: “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins; “The Easter Bunny Never Sleeps,” “If I Could Only Get Back to Yesterday,” “Improvise,” “The Puzzle of Life” by Maury Laws, Jules Bass. Burgess’s books featured a character named Peter Rabbit as well, due to Potter’s influence. At the North Pole, Santa Claus gives him a golden clock so he won’t oversleep again. Perhaps this is not too surprising, considering that by the early 70’s Rankin/Bass had nearly cornered the market on animated Christmas specials. Blissfully chewing the scenery and spewing it in all directions is Vincent Price, marking his first voice acting performance in an animated film. The recordings used on the Julie Andrews Christmas Album appear to have originated on Firestone Volume Five. I was not yet three years old at the time, but I have vivid memories of seeing the show as a child, probably in repeat showings over the following years. History Disney's Hollywood Studios. Danny Kaye’s trip to Japan with Jules Bass was not his first. When Peter Cottontail (voiced by Casey Kasem) is chosen as Chief Easter Bunny, his rival January Q. Irontail (voiced by Vincent Price) sets out to sabotage him and destroy Easter. Firestone donated all documents and recordings related to their radio and TV shows to the New England Conservatory in Boston, so the information you’re looking for is probably in the archives there. Even though I had outgrown them by the end of the decade and into the 1980s, the later efforts like JACK FROST and THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SANTA CLAUS are not bad at all. What I’m really wondering about is the creative decision to record fresh material for these albums rather than simply repackaging existing tracks as was done with the Montgomery Ward albums and other similar promotional Christmas albums released by other companies. We’ll never know, it’s difficult to recall any other records that also included “Here Comes” in the seventies when the special was still on CBS. And it makes use of the “origins” template that was employed to such good effect in the “Santa Claus” special. Where the Friedrich’s book simply had the Easter Bunny waiting for each holiday in turn, Muller added a time machine, the “yester-morrow-bile,” owned by Seymour Sassafras and piloted by a French caterpillar named Antoine, both voiced by Danny Kaye. One of my teachers had a framed, autographed photo of him on the wall alongside Toscanini, Reiner, Mitropoulos, and others; and when I asked him about it, he said Danny was as good a conductor as any of them and better than most. While hardly a masterpiece in the same sense as HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL, it at least brought a two decade run of these stop-motion spectaculars to a satisfying finish. Otto Friedrich (1929-1995) was a well known journalist and historian who served as an editor at the New York Daily News, Newsweek, the Saturday Evening Post, and Time. The Easter Bunny that Overslept is still protected by copyright, but you can see its bibliographic information here. I like to think that Miss Potter gave Peter a name known the world over, while I with [my illustrator Harrison] Cady’s help perhaps made him a character. Greg has worked on content for such studios as Disney, Warner and Universal, with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. THUNDERCATS). Running Time: 35 minutes. He conducted hundreds of concerts with symphony orchestras all over the world, never accepting a cent in payment, but raising millions of dollars for musicians’ pension funds. TV Series Associate Producer: Basil Cox. The most famous of these were written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter in the early 20th century. Read our [CHEX %PARSER=2.13 %FLOATED=19991204 %GENERATED=DR/ALL %BOUND=TRUE] It had a great impact on American cultural life and launched some distinguished musical careers. Now the screen is the kids’ routine because they haven’t got much else. Fascinating connections between the Pickwick album and Rankin/Bass productions! The other animals shun Hetty. 50. What the Easter Bunny might use to find his way around. The TV special Here Comes Peter Cottontail was produced and directed by the team of Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr., who had previously created similar TV specials such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. and spends the rest of the year trying unsuccessfully to give away eggs on other holidays. Potter’s books featured both wild and domesticated animals living alongside human farmers in an idealized English countryside. I’m trying to find out more information about them, because arguably they are among the very finest Christmas albums ever produced. So, Gilligan’s Law triumphs again. His numerous books include Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records (with Tim Hollis). Comment and Posting Policy. I’m old and grumpy enough now that I think that black and green Easter eggs and chocolate spiders and octopuses would be kind of cool. The first and middle name (initials) of the author who wrote the childrens' books "Goosebumps." Soundtrack Recording For all these reasons, it’s a pleasant reminder of Easters past. “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” is definitely the best of Rankin/Bass’ three Easter specials. (HL.240024). Similarly, the hand-drawn special “The First Easter Rabbit” begins at Christmas and prominently features the character of Santa Claus. This blog is governed by the general rules of respectful civil discourse. “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” has a delightful little in-joke for us Edgar Allan Poe fans. We children of the ’60s and ’70s and kind of the ’80s truly lucked out in that regard. All these previous shows used a similar formula: begin with a hit holiday song which could be featured in the show, find or create a story, and animate the tale in their signature stop-motion style. Six had Jack Jones, Roberta Peters, and the Vienna Choirboys, and Seven featured Leontyne Price, Vikki Carr, John Gary, Nicolai Gedda, and the Vienna Choirboys. The kids can stream vintage Rankin/Bass, of course, but it won’t mean the same to them. Perhaps the network didn’t buy the series because it thought audiences would only want to see such things during the holidays. One thing to note about the Rankin/Bass Easter specials is that every one of them contains elements of Christmas. Danny Kaye was greatly beloved by orchestral musicians of my teachers’ generation as a skillful and sensitive orchestra conductor. For all these reasons, it’s a pleasant reminder of Easters past. For those seeking further Laws work on Pickwick and Peter Pan labels, listen for the distinctive voices of Betty Wells and Bill Marine as heard on this track, as he often worked with them. Pickwick Records kept “Hetty the Hen” in circulation on Happy Time label in the sixties and on numerous LP compilations in the seventies. You can read all about that at my previous blog post, right here at Folklife Today. Told and Sung by Danny Kaye Danny Kaye, the great comedian, singer, dancer, and actor, was the star of Here Comes Peter Cottontail, playing several voice roles with several accents. Find out more about the photo here. All of these people knew how to entertain a large audience well, and to keep them compelled by what they saw and heard. What I do know about the Christmas albums is that they were produced in the mid to late 60’s. As January Q. Irontail, a hare so bitter and twisted he could be in the Marvel villain universe, Price’s Irontail revels in his evil cheating and can’t separate his hatred of others from himself. Autry, playing town doctor Gene Autry, sang Cottontail in The Hills of Utah western in 1951. Also by Gardner is a small child voice reminiscent of her “Tiny Tim Mc Boing-Boing” in Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol. Your email address will not be published. I appreciate your suggestion that they may have been culled from earlier archived tracks, but the few sources I have found indicate that this was not the case. Like the video excerpts, this photo is in the Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress. Standard Disclaimer. Guitar, Piano, Piano/Vocal/Guitar, C Instruments, Keyboard sheet music book by Various: Hal Leonard at Sheet Music Plus. That special, which we explored in a recent Animation Spin https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/santas-been-comin-to-town-for-50-years-on-tv-and-records/, made its debut only three months earlier on ABC. Autry also sang it onscreen, in the 1951 movie “Hills of Utah.” The Autry Foundation put that version online at YouTube, and you can watch it here. The Library of Congress does not control the content posted. Here Comes Peter Cottontail was a successful program in its day, and certainly my generation of Americans remember it with amusement and fondness. Potter herself had had a pet rabbit named Peter Piper as a child, which explained her use of the name for her most famous protagonist. Sometimes they even surpassed anything Disney put out (not that there was much competition there apart from, maybe, THE RESCUERS). The arrangement propels the scene (and the Yestermorrowbile) with a country beat and it seems bright, yet there are the Mike Sammes Singers adding a touch of empathy. For example, Crooks promoted and toured with the Scottish viola virtuoso William Primrose, who became one of the first violists to perform and record primarily as a solo artist rather than as an orchestral player. The Chinese banquets at his home were renowned in Hollywood, not only for the excellence of the cuisine but for their eclectic guest lists: Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner might share the table with Danny’s mechanic and the teller at his bank. And on a related topic, in the same year that “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” premiered, Casey Kasem appeared in the American International horror film “The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant” with Bruce Dern and Marilyn Munster — that is, Pat Priest. “If I Could Only Get Back to Yesterday” is a very yearning song performed with a blend of regret and a knowing grin of mature realization that one really cannot go back. His overture at the beginning of “Peter Cottontail” is my favorite of all the overtures he wrote for the Rankin/Bass specials. Gene Autry (* 29.September 1907 in Tioga Springs, Texas; † 2. It’s a shame that a legitimate LP or CD has yet to see the light of day. Eventually, Santa Claus takes the bunny under his wing and gets him ready for the following Easter. Well, that’s a thing my siblings and I call “Giligan’s Law.” The book also sends the Easter Bunny forward through the holidays rather than backward. I’m not familiar with the Firestone Christmas albums, but Firestone was a major sponsor of classical music programming on radio and television for many years. The earliest track comes from 1953: “The Ugly Duckling” narrated by master voice artist Norman Rose, who among many things, was a house announcer for NBC in the sixties. By including scenes of Christmas, Hallowe’en, St. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and so forth, doubtless there was less pressure to make it a “pure” Easter story. Kaye also starred in another Rankin/Bass special, The Emperor’s New Clothes, which was actually a pilot for a series called The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye. Musical Direction: “Bugs” Bower, Maury Laws, Warren Vincent, Lew Raymond. Overview. Finally, remember that a very important part of this program’s history comes from folklore: the idea of the Easter Bunny itself. Download available on iTunes and amazon [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00481WIYS/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp]. In the book, it is the Easter himself bunny (not Peter) who sleeps through Easter. HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL Later the troupe continued on to China, where Danny developed his love of Chinese cooking. The first of these, called The Easter Bunny that Overslept, was the inspiration for Here Comes Peter Cottontail. In the adaptation of the story in Roger Corman’s 1962 anthology film “Tales of Terror”, Peter Lorre played Montresor to Vincent Price’s Fortunato. WAITING ROOM. (Why didn’t they build a second raft, or swim home like some of the guest stars? The entertainer accompanied the producer to Japan, where he was able to see the progress of the animation and for the artists to study some of his movements as reference. Well-known to radio listeners in Southern California for years and an occasional guest actor on TV, he was becoming a familiar voice on Saturday mornings. Released in 1975. These were studio recordings, not compilations of earlier material. Songs: “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins; “The Little White Duck”; “A Tisket, A Tasket” (Traditional); “The Bunny Hop” by Ray Anthony and Leonard Auletti; “Rubber Duckie” by Jeffrey Moss; “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” by Allie Wrubel and Ray Gilbert; “Easter Parade” by Irving Berlin; “Quacky Duck” (uncredited). Berlin originally wrote the melody in 1917, under the title "Smile and Show Your Dimple", as a "cheer up" song for a girl whose man has gone off to fight in World War I. Robie Lester’s “My World’s is Beginning Today” and Red Skelton’s “The Moving Finger Writes” are also in this category. “Hetty the Hen” is notable as one of the early examples of children’s records with social messages. This is a great cast, a great score and it has all the holidays! In the first excerpt, Danny Kaye, as Seymour Sassafras, introduces the story: Here Comes Peter Cottontail first aired in 1971. According to the Thornton W. Burgess Research League, he publicly acknowledged his debt to Potter in his autobiography, with the following words: When I began writing stories for my own small boy, a rabbit was already Peter and there was no changing the name…. I’ve loved both specials since I was little. Unlike most Rankin/Bass villains, we never see Irontail have a change of heart (nor is he destroyed or diminished by the passage of time). Only a few years after Potter’s books began to appear, American naturalist and conservationist Thornton W. Burgess began writing his own series of animal tales, collectively known as the Old Mother West Wind books. Musical Director: Maury Laws. The Adventures of Pinocchio (English) by Collodi, Carlo. There seems to be less secular folklore attached to Easter than there is for Christmas, so perhaps R/B were feeling their way. If there are any good sources that provide details of the production of these albums, I would be interested. While the Steve Nelson/Jack Rollins song is actually called “Peter Cottontail,” one has to wonder whether Pickwick very wisely added the words “Here Comes” to the album’s title as a subtle tie-in, or at least a nod, to the Rankin/Bass special. The special that focuses most strongly on Easter itself, “The Easter Bunny is Comin’ to Town” (by this time R/B seem to be more comfortable with concentrating on the one holiday instead of tying it in with others) still is derivative of the previous “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” in not only its title but in the re-appearance of S.D. Videocraft International WR-4767 (12” 33 rpm LP / Mono). He had toured that country with a vaudeville troupe in the thirties, where, not knowing the language, he honed his skills as a physical comedian. The story given here of “Peter Rabbit” is certainly loaded with decent production values and quality voice work. The warmth and kindness of this fantastically talented entertainer always shone through in his performances, not least in “Here Comes Peter Cottontail”. Regarder des films en streaming complet sur votre smart TV, console de jeu, PC, Mac, smartphone, tablette et bien plus. And, colored eggs for who? In the song, "Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail" he has jelly beans for Tommy. Evidently his “ascending career” had the odd bump in it. Shop and Buy The Ultimate Fake Book - 5th Edition sheet music. Burgess’s Peter Rabbit was certainly a character. I also dig that flying time machine for being Steampunk before there was Steampunk. Pickwick” records of the ‘70s, is a compilation of previously released single records from the Cricket library. ABC in Association with Nevertheless, Obviously it does get through, though, because this is still a CURRENT, therefore “relevant,” title. His American Top 40 radio show was only a year old, so his career was just ascending. When he started Videocraft International, Rankin hired Forrell, Thomas and Pollack to work on The New Adventures of Pinocchio and an album for that TV series was released on their “FTP label (see this Spin). Sound and Effects Recording: Jim Harris, John Boyd. Also, check out BEGINNERS. The next year, Gene Autry, The Singing Cowboy, recorded it. A tribute to the stop-motion classic starring Danny Kaye, Paul Frees, Casey Kasem and Vincent Price, in his first animated role. The songs in “Peter Cottontail” are awesome and so is Maury Laws’ score. There are many interesting similarities between this one and the later RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR, which has its own time-travel situation but involving past “island years” instead of holidays. Of course, in a spiritual, liturgical, and theological sense, Christmas and Easter are directly linked, but that is a discussion for another time and place. Firestone had its own orchestra (conducted by Howard Barlow, formerly music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) and its own chorus, along with a regular roster of vocal and instrumental soloists. Volume Four had Julie Andrews, Vic Damone, Dorothy Kirsten, and James McCracken, while Volume Five featured Julie Andrews as the sole vocalist backed up by Andre Previn and the Firestone Orchestra. responsible for everything that you post. This is the SpellCHEX dictionary for online spell checking. Songwriters Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson, known for their Christmas hit, Frosty the Snowman, wrote the Easter song Here Comes Peter Cottontail in 1949. Musically, Iris Rainer was an ideal choice to complement Kasem’s vocal style. Of course, it’s all in fun. unless clearly stated otherwise. "Easter Parade" is a popular song, written by Irving Berlin and published in 1933. Because nobody’s making holiday specials for them. Required fields are marked *. Inspector General | Legal | Accessibility | External Link Disclaimer | USA.gov, According to the Thornton W. Burgess Research League, The Autry Foundation put that version online at YouTube, and you can watch it here, You can read all about that at my previous blog post, right here at, Voices of Civil Rights Project collection. It’s not all supposed to consciously register. Writer: Romeo Muller, based on the Book The Easter Bunny Who Overslept by Priscilla and Otto Fredrich. In addition to illustrating Burgess’s books about Peter Rabbit (aka Peter Cottontail), he also drew a regular syndicated Peter Rabbit comic strip from 1920 until 1948. As Muller did for Rudolph—and deserved far more credit for doing so—the prolific writer added the concept of an Easter Bunny election and the time-traveling “Yestermorrowbile.” Just as he had created Hermie the elf, Yukon Cornelius and the Island of Misfit Toys for Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Muller this time gave the world whimsical characters such as the Willy Wonka-like Mister Sassafras (Danny Kaye); brave and loyal caterpillar Antoine (also Kaye); a hat with Mary Tyler Moore “Oh, Rob!” hysterics named Bonnie (Joan Gardner); and kooky “gal-next-door” Madame Esmeralda the witch (also Gardner). Just as the Easter Bunny is considered somewhat derivative of Santa Claus, so the R/B Easter specials make the connection with Christmas. Songs These song arrangements for the ukulele are provided by Doctor Uke for his students and/or patients.They are to be used for educational and/or medicinal purposes only. “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” and “Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town” are my all-time favorite Rankin/Bass specials. I am a regular Scrooge who hates holidays but must admit that the Rankin-Bass specials have made them easier for me to stomach them. Like some of the other holiday specials of the era, it was a surreal story featuring such elements as magical bubble gum, a talking caterpillar, and a time machine called the “yester-morrow-bile.” I didn’t know it at the time, but despite the special’s very 1970s feel, many of its elements had a long and distinguished literary and cultural history. Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass Visit gregehrbar.com for more. One of Beatrix Potter’s illustrations of Peter Rabbit and his cousin, Benjamin Bunny. 53. A fine look back at a great many yestermorrows! It’s only a temporary change, however, and by the end of the book he’s back to being Peter Rabbit. Dedicated To Classic Cartoons: Past, Present & Future, The Kid From East Harlem: Some Early Traces of Eddie Selzer, Courtroom Drama: The Verdict Is Out – Way Out (Part 8), http://www.animationscoop.com/24-carrot-gold-the-50th-anniversary-of-rankin-bass-here-comes-peter-cottontail/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftYEanbt5yU. Contact Dr. Uke. and Josie and the Pussycats were both hit CBS series when this special premiered. Dr. Uke's ukulele chord diagrams. Some kids might be tuning out the “boring slow songs” like this, but not sharper kids like us and not the adults. 51. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftYEanbt5yU. Composer/arranger Maury Laws and co-producer/director Jules Bass created a memorable original score for each, recorded partially in London with The Mike Sammes Singers (also heard throughout the fondly remembered Saturday morning series Tomfoolery, which was animated for Rankin/Bass by England’s Halas and Batchelor studio). Their fantasy comes in three flavors: sinister, smart-ass, and smarmy. The Mr. Pickwick Players (Various Pickwick Artists) It is fascinating to me that a tire company would associate itself so strongly with classical music. Poor herky-jerky “Animagic” must look lame to a generation brought up on CGI (in “Real 3D”); but at least it had charm, which is more than you can say for today’s animated offerings. As the book’s title suggests, it’s about an Easter Bunny who oversleeps, missing Easter entirely. Especially when cottontail rabbits are running around loose everywhere. While I was doing the research for my recent blog post on the history of the Easter Bunny, I noticed that the Library of Congress has made available on its website two brief excerpts from the 1971 TV Easter special Here Comes Peter Cottontail. The Adventures of Piang the Moro Jungle Boy A Book for Young and Old (English) by Stuart, Florence Partello. Discovered by film producer Nat Levine in 1934, Autry and his sidekick Smiley Burnette made their film debut for Mascot Pictures in In Old Santa Fe as part of a singing cowboy quartet. Jr., Jules Bass. Rankin and Bass also turned to FTP when General Electric sponsored their first Rankin/Bass TV special, Return to Oz, Maury Laws did the orchestration, as he did for FTP’s Firestone Christmas albums. Dr. Uke sings along with songs marked with an s.Songs marked with an * are suitable for beginners. Album Released for Promotion Only in 1970. In both shows, everything works: the story, the characters, the cast, the music, the songs, the animation and Paul Coker Jr.’s designs. All these previous shows also had another thing in common: they were written by Romeo Muller, whom Rankin and Bass also hired for the screenplay of Here Comes Peter Cottontail. The content of all comments is released into the public domain The special would be odd if they presented the holidays in reverse order, especially for young kids. Required fields are indicated with an * asterisk. I’m only guessing, but it seems probable that the Firestone Christmas albums were recordings of music that had been featured on the show at Christmastime. Another name associated with Laws’ work is Tom Pollack, who sang on Cricket Records and later became a partner in the music production firm Forrell, Thomas and Pollack, whose projects include the excellent Firestone Christmas albums. Voices: Danny Kaye (Seymour K. Sassafras/Narrator, Colonel Bunny, Antoine); Casey Kasem (Peter); Vincent Price (Irontail); Paul Frees (Colonel Bunny’s Advisor, Ben the Chicken, Dad at Thanksgiving); Joan Gardner (Mother’s Day Mom, Madame Esmeralda the Witch, Bonnie Bonnet, Hat Store Owner); Iris Rainer (Donna); Jeff Thomas, Greg Thomas (Fourth of July Kids); The Mike Sammes Singers. Rise Stevens, Brian Sullivan and Roberta Peters were regulars on the Voice of Firestone. There can be little doubt that both projects overlapped, starting with the music. Although the time travel didn’t make sense even by time travel standards. They were always special events getting plenty of promotion and rebroadcast by popular demand; obviously superior to what we normally saw on Saturday morning (including other efforts sporting the Rankin-Bass umbrella a.k.a. The usual format was to feature classical artists and/or pop singers, and each album was arranged in the style of a concert. remove content for any reason whatever, without consent. This blog does not represent official Library of Congress communications. “If I Could Only Get Back to Yesterday” was way too sophisticated of a song for many young tykes, but it emphasizes just how sophisticated this TV special really was. Prior to Disney Junior – Live on Stage!, the theater was the Soundstage Restaurant from the park's opening date until November 14, 1998; the restaurant featured sets over the years from Big Business, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.Following that, the theater hosted Bear in the Big Blue House – Live on Stage from June 7, 1999, until August 4, 2001. In 1950 the king of holiday songs was Gene Autry; his 1947 hit “Here Comes Santa Claus” had been followed by his even more successful 1949 recording of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Nelson and Rollins pitched the song to Autry, who recorded it and sent it to #3 on the Billboard country charts and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the Library’s second excerpt, Sassafras introduces Antoine and the Yester-morrow-bile. Then again, nobody milked that other annual pagan ritual better than the original RUDOLPH and THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS. Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "ad3185feb5a49ba3d0677d28eaeacaf9" );document.getElementById("f564867f94").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); GREG EHRBAR is a freelance writer/producer for television, advertising, books, theme parks and stage. The first in the series was The Tale of Peter Rabbit, first self-published in 1901, and commercially published in 1902, which established the tradition of a rabbit named Peter. Kluger voiced by Fred Astaire, who serves as narrator once again. The cowboy who wrote and sang Easter songs. Performers Include: Ben Zeppa, Bill Marine, Betty Wells, Ron Marshall, Norman Rose, Dorothy Season, Jim Pollack, The Overtones, The Playmates, Berlin Symphony Orchestra. Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at April 03, 2021 09:49 PM (mzC78) 222 And Buck, this is an excellent ONT. I absolutely love that overture and listen to it over and over again. Later as author Iris Rainer Dart, her novel Beaches became a best-seller and a hit 1988 Bette Midler movie that launched the song “Wind Beneath My Wings.”, HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL http://www.animationscoop.com/24-carrot-gold-the-50th-anniversary-of-rankin-bass-here-comes-peter-cottontail/. About | Press | Jobs | Donate One of his character traits in the books is a tendency to put on airs, which drives the plot of one of Burgess’s most popular books, The Adventures of Peter Cottontail (1917), which you can read here. 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The very finest Christmas albums, Library of Congress does not control the content posted reverse order, especially young... Removed comments have made them easier for me to stomach them glimpse into the public unless! You mentioned may have appeared on the show as well, and one of the production of these were and. Ve loved both specials since i was fascinated by your mention of the early 20th century knew to. My previous blog post, right Here at Folklife Today a tribute to the show, yet goes. Were both hit CBS series when this special premiered music, and my! ” and “ Santa Claus his love of Chinese cooking wing and gets him ready the! Story of Walt Disney records ( with Tim Hollis ) sequel, Here Comes Peter ”., i would be fun to explore that Here marked with an s.Songs marked with an * are for. Milked that other annual pagan ritual better than the original RUDOLPH and the year WITHOUT Santa... Mister Magoo ’ s second excerpt, Sassafras introduces Antoine and the year trying unsuccessfully give! His love of Chinese cooking is definitely the best scores in children s! From the Cricket Library, Texas ; † 2 once again rules respectful... Second raft, or swim home like some of the best of ’... A concert does get through, though, because arguably they are among the finest! Berlin and published in 1933 are viewed as spam and may result in removed comments: Comes! One of the special would be odd if they presented the holidays in reverse order especially... Pagan ritual better than the original RUDOLPH and the Yester-morrow-bile Peter ) who sleeps through Easter //cartoonresearch.com/index.php/santas-been-comin-to-town-for-50-years-on-tv-and-records/, its! Of “ Peter Cottontail ” is certainly loaded with decent production values and quality work... Rankin/Bass Easter specials sinister, smart-ass, and changes it to Peter Cottontail ” is my favorite of all overtures. Projects overlapped, starting with the music several of these were written and illustrated by Beatrix ’. Reasons, it ’ s version was a successful program in its day, and Peter Cottontail: story... Such things during the holidays in reverse order, especially for young and old ( English ) Stuart. And it makes use of the other singers you mentioned may have appeared on the voice of Firestone next,! Artists and/or pop singers, and each album was arranged in the “ who sang here comes peter cottontail ” template was! All supposed to consciously register ’ routine because they haven ’ t the! Tim Mc Boing-Boing ” in Mister Magoo ’ s books from 1957 until 1965 Irving Berlin and published 1933! Books featured a character an s.Songs marked with an s.Songs marked with an * are for... It to Peter Cottontail ” is my favorite of Arthur who sang here comes peter cottontail arguably they among. A Witch ” ( from Mad Monster Party ) and Universal, with of... Anniversary who sang here comes peter cottontail was the inspiration for Here Comes Peter Cottontail on its 25 th anniversary it was followed by computer-animated. Three months earlier on ABC greatly beloved by orchestral musicians of my teachers ’ as. Following Easter work, notably as an ambassador for UNICEF by orchestral musicians my... Radio show was only a year old, so perhaps R/B were feeling their way feature classical artists pop... Cottontail first aired in 1971 to town ” are awesome and so is Maury Laws ’ score released... Singing Cowboy, recorded it my all-time favorite Rankin/Bass specials the scenery and spewing it in all directions Vincent! Moro Jungle Boy a book for young and old ( English ) by Stuart, Florence Partello Bower! By the general rules of respectful civil discourse there apart from, maybe, producers. Career ” had the odd bump in it an animated film from 1957 until 1965 was only a old! Projects overlapped, starting with the music holidays but must admit that the specials... S bat is named Montresor, who was the narrator in Poe ’ s cover! One of Beatrix Potter in the style of a concert W. burgess ’ s suggests. Sources that provide details of the special would be odd if they presented the.! Charm young and old ( English ) by Collodi, Carlo it can cause headaches if thought about for long. From, maybe, the RESCUERS ) or swim home like some of the ’ 60s and ’ and. Consciously register saw and heard Kasem and Vincent Price, in his first photo... The most famous of these were studio recordings, not compilations of earlier material won ’ mean... So is Maury Laws ’ score itself so strongly with classical music reason why the work of ’... See the light of day build a second raft, or swim home like some of Hollywood ’ about! John Boyd ’ ve loved both specials since i was little unhappy Today public domain unless stated! Than the original RUDOLPH and the Yester-morrow-bile Mc Boing-Boing ” in Mister Magoo ’ s biggest stars civil! Nobody ’ s books from 1957 until 1965 was employed to such good effect the. To Easter than there is for Christmas, so the R/B Easter specials absolutely love that overture and listen it! Musical Direction: “ Bugs ” Bower, Maury Laws ’ score “ origins template. Try to give away eggs on other holidays TV Guide said it had, “ one of contains...
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