At Christmas time, we all sit down to watch many holiday Christmas specials made by those keepers of the yuletide, Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, Frosty the Snowman, Twas the Night Before Christmas, The Little Drummer Boy and The Year Without a Santa Claus are among the many holiday specials that this duo were behind producing. But Rankin and Bass were not just Christmas-fixated. One of their best and most beautifully constructed stop-motion animation special debuted in 1977, on April 6th.
TV Tidbit: Double Dare
In the early days of the Nickelodeon Network, there was a raucous fun to be found in TV shows like You Can’t Do That on Television, Out of Control, Danger Mouse, Turkey Television, Don’t Just Sit There and Hey, Dude. Totally outrageous and always full of wisecracking humor that delighted kids, these shows are what the network’s success were built on. Another show from the early Nickelodeon pack that was a must-watch for kids was the gameshow Double Dare.
Broadway Blip: Helen Gallagher
Helen Gallagher was a mainstay of the Broadway musical throughout 50s, 60s, and 70s. A celebrated supporting player with a delicious comedic timing and a radiant personality, she never seemed to find that vehicle that would elevate her to star status. Gallagher won Tony Awards for Supporting Actress for her appearances as Gladys Bumps in the 1952 revival of Pal Joeyand for Best Actress for her turn in the 1971 revival of No, No, Nanette.
Movie Morsel: My Man Godfrey
Classic comedy of the early Silver Screen. There is nothing quite like it. Whether it is Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night, or William Powell and Myrna Loy in The Thin Man, there is a style and charm to how these classics were made. For my money, though, the one that grabs my heart with every viewing is the 1936 film My Man Godfrey. Starring William Powell and Carole Lombard, every moment in this film brims with wit and wackiness.