"'Twas the Night Before Christmas" Soundtrack on Disneyland Records


M

musicradio77

Member
As anybody heard this album? That album was a soundtrack from a Rankin/Bass TV special "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" which is now running on ABC Family during the "25 Days of Christmas". It was released on the Disneyland label back in 1976, but the TV special was aired back in 1974 two years before the soundtrack was released. It has the same supporting cast from the TV special.

There was also another LP from the soundtrack to another Rankin/Bass TV special called "Frosty's Winter Wonderland" which is also running on ABC Family again as part of the "25 Days of Christmas". It was also on the Disneyland label as well.

Those are the two soundtracks for that awesome holiday specials produced by Rankin/Bass. I only have one called "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" on LP. Those are great. Anybody remember that LP? I got this pic here courtesy of Ebay is the LP that I have.

b6_1.JPG
 
F

FRAN?OIS

Member
I have both Lps I got back then in the seventies and I haven't listened to them since then...

I remember them as quite entertaining!

Glad to see someone getting excited by "old" Disney records!
 
G

Greg Ehrbar

Member
Tim and I mention these album in MOUSE TRACKS. Apparently, Rankin/Bass approached Disney to make these soundtrack albums. This was when Jymn Magon and Gary Krisel were among the creative team. Jymn told me that there weren't many R/B specials left that had not been released on records; the original "Rudolph," "Frosty" and "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" soundtracks were done by other labels (and were also released on CD).

My theory is that they chose "Frosty's Winter Wonderland" for Disneyland Records because of the popularity (and high ratings) of the 1968 R/B Frosty special, and this was a new sequel that year. "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" usually followed Frosty when it was shown on CBS, and was a high rating special for 14 years (until that NON-Rankin/Bass "Frosty Returns" came along).

These are wonderful albums. You'll notice that both soundtracks start with the opening title sequence, then jump back to the actual "cold opening" where the story begins. It was most likely edited so the story flowed more smoothly on the record.

If you love Rankin/Bass stuff as much as we do, you may want to visit Rick Goldschmidt's rankinbass.com site and check out his two books.
 
J

Joseph

Member
Does anybody know if these albums were direct film to record soundtracks or if there was narration added or other in the studio material recorded specifically for the albums?
 
B

BDBopper

New Member
I can't say anything about Frosty's Winter Wonderland but Twas the Night Before Christmas LP is direct soundtrack
 
G

Greg Ehrbar

Member
There is no additional narration on either album, just the complete soundtracks with the one minor edit I mentioned earlier. Since Rankin/Bass specials were usually narrated, the soundtracks often could stand on their own with no additional narration. The only holiday-related R/B films I can think of that did not have narrators were RUDOLPH AND FROSTY CHRISTMAS IN JULY, THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS, and the most recent SANTA BABY.

Besides the Rankin/Bass albums, the only other soundtrack dialogue albums without extra narration that come to mind are THE WIZARD OF OZ (MGM Records, on CD from Rhino), the SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS box set (Buena Vista) and Laurel & Hardy in BABES IN TOYLAND (Mark 56).
 
S

Steve Carras

Member
You know, I always fantasize a situation of Disneyland records doing Rankin Bass soundtracks (and I enjoy the Goldschmidt site and his book which I have rented from the library!), from or even in the 60s, with the logiistics a cast like the following for the udnerrated feature flick "Daydreamer" (whcih BTW had a FULL Disney type cast and a story Little Mermaid, being Hans Christian Anderson based and all, that Disney would start their Rennaisance (sp?) period with..)

IF DISNEYLAND RECORDS SECONDARY CAST WAS USED FOR RANKIN BASS'S DAYDREMEAE?
(Of course, CERTAIN performers would be on hand.._

Just to put it in context, here are the actual cast
"Sandman"...Cyril Richard
"Chris"(Anderson)....Paul O'Keefe
His Papa..................Jack Gilford

Pieman....................Ray Bolger

Mrs.Kopplebobbler, the mean shoemaker customer....
Margaret Hamilton (nice to see MGM's "Wizard of Oz's" Scarecrow and Wicked Withc reunited.)

The Little Mermaid.....Hayley Mills

The Little Mermaid's sisters....Billie Richards (better known as Rankin Bass's "Rudolplh")

Their father, a.k.a. "King Neptune"...Burl Ives

The evil sea Witch...Tallulah Bankhead (swan song for her on the big screen)

The two tailors....Terry Thomas (Fat) and VIctor Borge (skinny)
;D

The Emporor.....Ed Wynn

The Warden (wearing pirate hat)...Robert Harter

Thumbelina......Patty Duke (this flick's star Paul O'Keefe is her "PD Show" costar as "younger smartass brother Ross"" 8)

The Rat/Mouse.......Boris Karloff

The Mole......Sessue Hayakawa


That is the actual 1966 "Daydreamer" movie cast

Obviously, Mills even though leaving Disney might reprise her mermaid, and cerntainly Ives,maybe but Wynn had died and Bolger apparently was busy doing other things like singing his delightful theme song, Frank Loesser's 1940s "Once in love with Amy" and "If I Only had the brain" pn various Johnny Carsons, and others were dead or had comitsments though Terry-Thomas would be the Robin Hood snake..so here is how I, as a casting direcors (and a start of such hypothesies here and elsewhere..)
would cast a 1970s Disneyland "The Daydreamer" record album, and some of the major stars would obviosuly not be avaible.

"The Sandman",maybe just have actor Cyril Richard (alive until 1978) reprise that role.

"Chris"/"The Mole and Rat"/"Tailors"/"Emporoer"/heck most others..Dal McKennon

"Pieman"...Ray Bolger or if unaviable Dal McKennon or Sam Edwards

"Papa"...Sterling Holloway
(Just perfect!)

"Mrs,Kopplebobbler"..Robie Lester (If Maggie Hamilton couldn't make it, this is a early 70s "what if..")

"Mermaid"...Ginny Tyler

"Neptune"....."THurl Ravenscoft"

"The Warden"...Mel Blanc!!!! (surprised?)

"Thumbelina"...Janet Waldo

(For the others as mentioned I would cast at Disneylasnd records Dal McKennon)

8)
 
B

BDBopper

New Member
Remember that link I put up in a reply above. Well the blogger responsible posted Frosty's Winter Wonderland for good measure.
 
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