Tag: Rick Goldschmidt

Tune Tuesday – Happy 50th Anniversary

Today marks the 50th anniversary of (in my humble opinion) the greatest Christmas special of all time. On December 10, 1974 ABC aired The Year Without a Santa Claus for the first time. The plot focused on a fear of every child – Christmas being cancelled and Santa Claus taking the night off.

In 2019, I wrote a piece for The Happy Holidays Blogathon on the special. It goes into much more detail than I will in this blog. It remains one of my most read blogs to date. You can read that piece here:

The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)

I don’t think anyone would disagree with me when I say that the characters who truly make this special are The Miser Brothers. The Snow Miser and Heat Miser are instantly recognizable to kids who were raised in the mid-70’s and early 80’s. These two also top the list of my favorite characters:

My Top 20 Favorite Christmas Characters

Their songs are the high points of the musical score. It only makes sense that I post those two songs for Tune Tuesday. Here is the great Dick Shawn as Snow Miser and George S. Irving as Heat Miser! After the video, read on for more 50th anniversary info.

My friend, Rick Goldschmidt, is the official Rankin/Bass Productions historian/biographer and has authored many books on their specials. This year, in celebration of the 50th anniversary, he has put out a book on The Year Without a Santa Claus (and the Night Before Christmas). It can be bought here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MISERBROS

You can learn more about him at his blog: https://enchantedworldofrankinbass.blogspot.com/

He was nice enough to even sign my copy!

The Year Without a Santa Claus is something I will watch every year. I will sing along with the Miser Brothers, cry at Blue Christmas, and (spoiler) rejoice that Santa decides to NOT take the day off.

Holiday Recycling Project – The Year Without a Santa Claus

In December of 2019, I took part in The Happy Holidays Blogathon. For that event, I chose to write about one of my favorite holiday specials – The Year Without a Santa Claus. This special is obviously a favorite for many other people, too. I say that because every year since I posted it, it has been one of the Top 10 most read blogs on my site.

For new followers, here is a link to that original post:

The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)

Recently, on Facebook, I was able to connect with Rick Goldschmidt. He is the official historian and biographer of Rankin Bass productions. He has written quite a few books about some of the beloved holiday specials as well as a book about all of them. I am currently saving up some money to get the 20th Anniversary Edition of The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass.

In messaging back and forth, I saw that a soundtrack for The Year Without a Santa Claus was available. I received one from Rick with autographed photos of Snow Miser and Heat Miser. I popped the CD in my car and was blown away at the sound quality.

The great thing about this CD is that it not only includes the songs from the show, it also includes the background music. I loved every minute of it!! If you are a fan of this holiday special, you can inquire about getting a copy of the soundtrack, books, and more at the following website:

Home
http://www.miserbros.com

Rick has been busy getting items out for Christmas, and I am sure that you can nab something for the Rankin/Bass fan on your Christmas list from the site.

Rick wrote a piece that is featured in the December issue of Remind magazine about Paul Coker Jr. Paul was the guy who designed some of the most memorable Rankin/Bass characters, including the Miser Brothers. It is on newsstands now and available for you to check out.

Thanks again, Rick, for the photos and soundtrack! Thanks for keeping the characters of these holiday specials alive for years to come!