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The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town
''The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town'' is a 1977 musical Easter television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, using their "Animagic" stop motion animation. It reunites the writer Romeo Muller. designer Paul Coker Jr., and narrator Fred Astaire, and stars the voices of Skip Hinnant, Bob McFadden, Meg Sargent, James Spies, and Allen Swift. The special originally premiered on ABC in the United States on April 6, 1977. The special includes original songs including two sung by Astaire: "The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town" and "All You Have to Do is Think 'Can Do'". Plot S.D. Kluger returns as a train engineer, but still a mailman to answer questions about the Easter Bunny in the children's letters. The story begins in the small town of Kidville, run by all orphaned children (including S.D. Kluger when he was a child) and located on the other side of Big Rock Mountain. The children enjoy the simple life, despite being bothered by Gadzooks the Bear who hates everything to do wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Romeo Muller
Romeo Earl Muller, Jr. (August 7, 1928 – December 30, 1992) was an American screenwriter and actor most remembered for his screenplays for the Rankin/Bass holiday specials including ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus is Coming to Town''. Early years Muller was born in the Bronx, New York, the son of Mildred (Kuhlmann) and Romeo Earl Muller. He was raised on Long Island. His talents in the arts were evident very early on. At age 11, he became a puppeteer at his grade school and eventually he began writing his own plays. His career in theatre began when he joined an acting troupe called "Theater Go Round" in Virginia Beach, Virginia with producer/friend Lesley Savage. At this time Romeo wrote plays such as ''Angel With The Big, Big Ears'' and ''The Great Getaway'', which eventually became the Rankin-Bass off Broadway play ''A Month Of Sundays''. Since Muller was a big man at 6'2", 300 pounds (1.88 m, 136 kg), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit—sometimes dressed with clothes—bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behavior at the start of the season of Eastertide, similar to the "naughty or nice" list made by Santa Claus. As part of the legend, the creature carries colored eggs in its basket, as well as candy, and sometimes toys, to the homes of children. As such, the Easter Bunny again shows similarities to Santa (or the Christkind) and Christmas by bringing gifts to children on the night before a holiday. The custom was first mentioned in Georg Franck von Franckenau's ''De ovis paschalibus'' ('About Easter eggs') in 1682, referring to a German tradition of an Easter Hare bringing eggs for the children. Symbols Rabbits and hares The hare was a popular motif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own radio show, ''The Wayfaring Stranger'', which popularized traditional folk songs. In 1942, he appeared in Irving Berlin's ''This Is the Army'' and became a major star of CBS Radio. In the 1960s, he successfully crossed over into country music, recording hits such as "A Little Bitty Tear" and "Funny Way of Laughin'". Ives was also a popular film actor through the late 1940s and '50s. His film roles included parts in ''So Dear to My Heart'' (1948) and ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1958), as well as the role of Rufus Hannassey in ''The Big Country'' (1958), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Ives is often associated with the Christmas season. He did voice-over work as Sam the Snowman, narrator of the classic 1964 Christma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The First Easter Rabbit
''The First Easter Rabbit'' is an animated Easter television special that premiered April 9, 1976 on NBC and later aired on CBS. Created by Rankin/Bass Productions, it tells the story of the Easter Bunny's origin. The special is loosely based on the 1922 children's book ''The Velveteen Rabbit'' by Margery Williams. Burl Ives narrated the special which also featured the Irving Berlin song " Easter Parade"; it marked Ives's return to a Rankin/Bass special for the first time since the company's 1964 stop motion television special ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' twelve years prior. Plot G.B., a rabbit, tells the story of Stuffy, who began as a stuffed rabbit given as a Christmas present to a little girl named Glinda. Soon afterward, Stuffy encounters Spats, Flops, and Whiskers, a trio of scheming live rabbits who mock Stuffy for not being real. One day, when Glinda becomes sick after contracting scarlet fever, her clothes and old toys, including Stuffy, are thrown away to be burne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire novelty songs. Kaye starred in 17 films, notably ''Wonder Man'' (1945), ''The Kid from Brooklyn'' (1946), ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'' (1947), '' The Inspector General'' (1949), ''Hans Christian Andersen'' (1952), '' White Christmas'' (1954), and ''The Court Jester'' (1955). His films were popular, especially for his performances of patter songs and favorites such as "Inchworm" and "The Ugly Duckling". He was the first ambassador-at-large of UNICEF in 1954 and received the French Legion of Honour in 1986 for his years of work with the organization. Early years David Daniel Kaminsky was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 18, 1911 (though he would later say 1913), to Ukrainian–Jewish immigrants Jacob and Clara (''n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Here Comes Peter Cottontail
''Here Comes Peter Cottontail'' is a 1971 Easter stop motion animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, currently distributed by Universal Television and based on the 1957 novel ''The Easter Bunny That Overslept'' by Priscilla and Otto Friedrich. The special also features Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins' Easter song "Here Comes Peter Cottontail". It was originally broadcast on April 4, 1971, on the ABC television network in the United States. In later years, it has appeared on CBS, Fox Family, and The CW. In 2005, it was followed by a computer-animated sequel, ''Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie''. Plot Peter Cottontail is a young Easter Bunny who lives in April Valley where all the other Easter bunnies live and work, making Easter candy, sewing bonnets, and of course, decorating and delivering Easter eggs. Colonel Wellington B. Bunny, the retiring Chief Easter Bunny, names Peter his successor, despite his boasting, irresponsibility, and lying. Peter, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Easter Parade (film)
''Easter Parade'' is a 1948 American Technicolor musical film starring Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Peter Lawford and Ann Miller. The music by Irving Berlin includes some of Astaire and Garland's best-known songs, including " Easter Parade", " Steppin' Out with My Baby", and " We're a Couple of Swells". Gene Kelly was originally cast opposite Judy Garland, but he broke his ankle. The part was then offered to Fred Astaire, who had retired two years earlier. Astaire, who was very eager to work again, consulted Kelly about the offer, and Kelly was happy to support his decision to take the role. Garland and Astaire were a successful team, and Astaire was restored to his status as a top MGM star. A critical and commercial success, ''Easter Parade'' was the highest-grossing musical film of 1948, and the second-highest grossing MGM musical of the 1940s, after ''Meet Me in St. Louis''. Plot In 1912, Broadway star Don Hewes buys Easter presents for his sweetheart ("Happy Easter"), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (film)
''Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town'' is a 1970 stop motion Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions in New York, New York. The film is narrated by Fred Astaire and stars the voices of Mickey Rooney, Keenan Wynn, Robie Lester, Joan Gardner, and Paul Frees, as well as an assistant song performance by the Westminster Children's Choir. The film tells the story of how Santa Claus and several Claus-related Christmas traditions came to be. It is based on the hit Christmas song "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town", which was written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie for Leo Feist, Inc. and introduced on radio by Eddie Cantor in 1934, and the story of Saint Nicholas. The special was created using Japanese stop motion animation called "Animagic", in which all the characters are made out of wood and plastic and animated via stop-motion photography. The special was originally telecast on December 13, 1970 by ABC, which continues to air the special every year along with it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Big Rock Candy Mountain
"The Big Rock Candy Mountains", first recorded by Harry McClintock in 1928, is a country folk song about a hobo's idea of paradise, a modern version of the medieval concept of Cockaigne. It is a place where "hens lay soft-boiled eggs" and there are "cigarette trees". McClintock said that he wrote the song in 1895, based on tales from his youth hoboing through the United States while working for the railroad as a brakeman. It is catalogued as Roud Folk Song Index No. 6696. History The song was first recorded by McClintock, also known by his "hobo" name of Haywire Mac. McClintock said that he wrote the song, though it was likely partially based on other ballads, including " An Invitation to Lubberland" and "The Appleknocker's Lament". Other popular itinerant songs of the day such as "Hobo's Paradise", "Hobo Heaven", "Sweet Potato Mountains", and "Little Streams of Whiskey" likely served as inspiration, as they mention concepts similar to those in "Big Rock Candy Mountain". Befo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernard Hoffer
Bernard Hoffer (born October 14, 1934) is a Swiss-born American composer and conductor. He is best known for his work on American cartoons such as '' ThunderCats'' and ''SilverHawks''. He worked on several of Rankin/Bass' television series and specials. The music he developed for ''The MacNeil-Lehrer Report'', used on the ''PBS NewsHour'' until 2015, was nominated for an Emmy Award, and he has won six Clio Awards for his work on commercials. He has also conducted several musical shows, such as the ballets '' A Boston Cinderella!'' and '' Ma Goose''. Early life and education Hoffer was born in Zurich, Switzerland. In his early years he received musical training at the Dalcroze School in New York, then later studied composition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. Career Hoffer worked as the arranger for the U.S. Army Field Band of Washington, D.C., and later became a freelance musician. Filmography * '' The MacNeil-Lehrer Report'' (1975) * '' The Ivory Ape'' ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laura Dean (actress)
Laura Dean (born Laura Francine Deutscher; May 27, 1963) is an American film, television and voice actress who is known for the roles of Sophie, Rachel's coworker at Bloomingdale's, in the 3rd and 4th seasons of ''Friends'', of the character Tamara in ''Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders'', and on ''Christmas in Cartoontown''. Since she was 10 years old, she also played the New York City Opera for five years in ''La bohème'', ''Die tote Stadt'' and ''Mefistofele''. She is best known as the character "Lisa" the ballet dancer who gets kicked out of the dance department in the film '' Fame''. She also appeared in the Broadway musical version of ''Doonesbury'' and as the mother of the title character in ''The Who's Tommy ''The Who's Tommy'' is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Pete Townshend and a book by Townshend and Des McAnuff. It is based on the 1969 rock opera '' Tommy'' by The Who. Productions The musical opened at La Jolla Playhouse in San Dieg ...''. Refe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lily
''Lilium'' () is a genus of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are native to the northern hemisphere and their range is temperate climates and extends into the subtropics. Many other plants have "lily" in their common names, but do not belong to the same genus and are therefore not true lilies. Description Lilies are tall perennial plant, perennials ranging in height from . They form naked or tunicless scaly underground bulbs which are their organs of perennation. In some North American species the base of the bulb develops into rhizomes, on which numerous small bulbs are found. Some species develop stolons. Most bulbs are buried deep in the ground, but a few species form bulbs near the soil surface. Many species form stem-roots. With these, the bulb grows naturally at s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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