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Author	Comment
BijouBob8mm	Rankin & Bass	Lead	[-]
Feb 5 08 9:55 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	We've seen mention of Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass in conjunction with MAD MONSTER PARTY, their animated and live-action takes on KING KONG, as well as their holiday specials, scattered across the board. As a result, I felt maybe the lads were deserving of their own topic, here. In addition to the numerous fantasy creatures in their holiday specials, they've also given us tales from Tolkien, THE LAST DINOSAUR, THE BERMUDA DEPTHS, and other sci-fi and fantasy-oriented fare. Although not usually thought of alongside the likes of O'Brien, Harryhausen or Danforth, these two have kept stop-motion very visible over the years.
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Rakshasa		#1	[-]
Feb 5 08 11:59 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Big fan here! I just recently picked up the new deluxe DVD of YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS, which contains to new featurettes: - an interview with the Chiodo Brothers & Ray Harryhausen who discuss the art of stop-motion - a history of Rankin & Bass mini-documentary I also have a fantastic soft-cover book called THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF RANKIN & BASS by Rick Goldschmidt, which I recommend heartily to any fans of the team (especially their holiday specials such as Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer). Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758
CAPTAINCOMPANY		#2	[-]
Feb 5 08 1:18 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hey guys! I'm a HUGE fan of Arthur Rankin & Jules Bass (and kudos should also go to musical composer Maury Laws, writer Romeo Mueller, and artists/designers Paul Coker Jr. and Dan Duga as well) and their "Ani-Magic" television specials, the majority of which are considered staples of pop culture. Whether you're aged four or forty, it's a safe bet you're familiar with their many holiday-themed (predominantly Christmas) specials, most of which are "must see" viewing. (could you imagine Christmas without "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?) And as Bijoubob mentioned, their forays into live action productions, "King Kong Escapes" (with Toho), "The Last Dinosaur", and "The Bermuda Depths", while not necessarily considered "genre classics", still retain massive cult followings. As we mentioned in the "Mad Monster Party" thread, there are still many "nuggets" from Rankin/Bass that NEED to be released!!! Bryan
BijouBob8mm		#3	[-]
Feb 5 08 1:18 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF RANKIN & BASS by Rick Goldschmidt I love that book. I've put a lot of miles on my copy. I need to order Goldschmidt's book on the making of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, which everyone seems to give a hearty thumbs-up to! LAST DINOSAUR almost could play alongside those Amicus/AIP Edgar Rice Burroughs films from the mid-Seventies. Not exactly "Jurassic classics," but still fun. As for BERMUDA DEPTHS...well, Connie Sellecca may not be "AniMagic," but she's still a visual effect! It's good for a rainy afternoon or late night viewing. Last Edited By: BijouBob8mm Feb 5 08 1:23 PM. Edited 2 times.
Rakshasa		#4	[-]
Feb 5 08 2:10 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Who could forget the soul-wrenching ballad/theme song from THE LAST DINOSAUR: "He is the last! There are no more! He is the last...Dinosaur!" Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758
Jimchig	Well deserving of it's own thread!	#5	[-]
Feb 5 08 2:17 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Whether you're aged four or forty... I would venture to guess that the bulk of fans are over 40 as well.
CAPTAINCOMPANY		#6	[-]
Feb 5 08 2:23 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hey Jimchig! I didn't mean to exclude you, I just chose forty because its my age (although I must say, you don't look a day over four months!) (and Bijoubob, I fell MADLY, DEEPLY, & PASSIONATELY in love with Connie Sellecca when I first saw "Bermuda Depths" in 1975 (despite the fact that I was 7 years old) Bryan
BijouBob8mm		#7	[-]
Feb 5 08 3:29 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I fell MADLY, DEEPLY, & PASSIONATELY in love with Connie Sellecca when I first saw "Bermuda Depths" in 1975 (despite the fact that I was 7 years old) I was a bit younger than that when VIVA LAS VEGAS played the local drive-in, and Ann-Margret left a lasting impression. To this day, I still favor redheads. (Although I was open-minded enough to appreciate Michele Carey when she popped up in another Elvis film, LIVE A LITTLE, LOVE A LITTLE, just a few years later. Hey, with no home video back then, I had to watch something between Rankin & Bass broadcasts!) Who could forget the soul-wrenching ballad/theme song from THE LAST DINOSAUR: "He is the last! There are no more! He is the last...Dinosaur!" I notice that wasn't included in the Rankin & Bass Sing-Along VHS tape the U.S. Post Office sold, several holiday seasons ago. Last Edited By: BijouBob8mm Feb 5 08 3:32 PM. Edited 1 times.
Jimchig		#8	[-]
Feb 5 08 6:04 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	you don't look a day over four months It's this damn smoking. I believe it's stunted my growth.
Rakshasa		#9	[-]
Feb 5 08 8:04 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	BijouBob8mm wrote: I notice that wasn't included in the Rankin & Bass Sing-Along VHS tape the U.S. Post Office sold, several holiday seasons ago. Yeah, I kind of thought that should have been on there... Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758
M F Berry		#10	[-]
Feb 6 08 10:18 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The slightly amazing thing is that the theme song to The Last Dinosaur is sung by Nancy Wilson. Not the Nancy Wilson of the group Heart, but the Nancy Wilson who's one of the most respected and beloved jazz vocalists of all time!
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BijouBob8mm		#11	[-]
Feb 6 08 11:26 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Either I forgot about Nancy Wilson doing it, or I overlooked it all these years. (Maybe a remake could use the other Nancy Wilson? Been a Heart fan ever since a friend of mine picked up the Little Queen album, back in the day. Like jazz legend Nancy Wilson, as well.)
The Batman of Gotham		#12	[-]
Feb 8 08 5:05 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	So, just exactly what was Rankin/Bass's involvement in the movie KING KONG ESCAPES - ????? - GJS
Rakshasa		#13	[-]
Feb 8 08 9:35 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The Batman of Gotham wrote: So, just exactly what was Rankin/Bass's involvement in the movie KING KONG ESCAPES - ????? - GJS King Kong Escapes was a Rankin/Bass production. The producer/director was Arthur Rankin, Jr. Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758
The Batman of Gotham		#14	[-]
Feb 9 08 1:18 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Somehow I got the idea that KING KONG ESCAPES was a japanese movie which Rankin/Bass got the US distributing rights for. Otherwise, why didn't the movie more closely reflect R/B's King Kong cartoon series? I realize that there were some cursory connections between the two but, not close enough to satisfy me as a youngster. - GJS
Rakshasa		#15	[-]
Feb 9 08 4:05 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I got that info straight off an original King Kong Escapes poster. IMDB lists Toho Productions and Rankin/Bass as the production companies, so you may be right. I'm definitely not an expert. I was just reading the credits off a poster for the film. Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758 Last Edited By: Rakshasa Feb 9 08 4:08 PM. Edited 1 times.
The Batman of Gotham		#16	[-]
Feb 9 08 4:51 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Interesting. I'd still like to find out more if anyone has more info on the subject. - GJS
The Batman of Gotham		#17	[-]
Feb 9 08 4:58 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I guess this pretty much answers my question: While THE KING KONG SHOW was in production, Rankin/Bass approached Toho Studios (who had previously made the hit KING KONG VS. GODZILLA) about co-producing a live-action theatrical film based on the show. Toho executive producer Tomoyuki Tanaka assigned screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa (MOTHRA, GODZILLA VS. THE THING, GHIDRAH THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER) to the project. Sekizawa's script, "King Kong vs. Ebirah: Operation Robinson Crusoe", was rejected by Arthur Rankin because he felt it did not capture the feel of the animated show, so the story was quickly reworked and filmed as the seventh movie in the Godzilla series, GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER (Gojira, Ebira, Mosura: Nankai-no Daiketto, 1966). Toho's second attempt, written by Takeshi Kimura (under the pen name "Kaoru Mabuchi"), hit the mark. The new screenplay featured concepts, characters, and situations introduced in THE KING KONG SHOW such as Mondo Island, Dr Who (who kidnaps King Kong after knocking the ape unconscious with gas bombs), an arctic hideout, Mechani-Kong, and even a lead female character named Susan. Arthur Rankin supervised the Americanization of the film, which was released in the US in 1968 under the title KING KONG ESCAPES. Found this info here: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.henshinonline.com/images/kong_cartoon_05.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.henshinonline.com/archive.html&h=768&w=546&sz=100&hl=en&start=3&tbnid=0p8tA9tBybvsZM:&tbnh=142&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dking%2Bkong%2Bescapes%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG - GJS Last Edited By: The Batman of Gotham Feb 9 08 5:01 PM. Edited 2 times.
Rakshasa		#18	[-]
Feb 9 08 6:37 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Cool. Thanks for the info! Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758
Dr Acula		#19	[-]
Feb 10 08 9:56 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I absouletely dig The Last Dinosaur and The Bermuda Depths, and I've been looking for both to get a solid DVD release. Are the rights for their live-action features owned by the same people who own the cartoons? They also did one other film with Richard Boone, The Bushido Blade, which also had Tishiro Mifune, and dealt with Japanese envoys trying to recover a stolen sword in America in the late 1800's or so... it's been so long since I've seen it, I've forgotten it for the most part. My God, what's Bond doing?... I think he's attempting re-entry, sir. http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/ Cole's Comics: All About Jack Cole http://colescomics.blogspot.com/
killer meteor		#20	[-]
Feb 12 08 4:06 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus was one of the first films I saw and it scared me witless. It needs a DVD pronto!
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