You may remember me mentiong a store front being assembled by my friend WES! Well, it is almost done and I really like the way it turned out. LINK coming shortly!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
RANKIN/BASS STORE FRONT
You may remember me mentiong a store front being assembled by my friend WES! Well, it is almost done and I really like the way it turned out. LINK coming shortly!
RANKIN/BASS' THUNDERCATS ARE LOOSE on BOOMERANG This weekend!
THANKS to our pal Tom Doyle for letting us know!
c. 1985 RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS/RICK GOLDSCHMIDT ARCHIVES
from the book THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF RANKIN/BASS: A PORTFOLIO
Friday, July 15, 2011
CHRISTMAS IN JULY weekend sale!
c. 1966 RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS/RICK GOLDSCHMIDT ARCHIVES
This weekend! Buy a copy of my book THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF RANKIN/BASS: A PROTFOLIO for $50 shipped and get a copy of RANKIN/BASS' THE DAYDREAMER (1966) as an extra in your envelope along with a few other surprises :)RARE R/B Film Print
This is a very RARE R/B promo film that I located in the archives today! It stars Danny Kaye, Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass...among others. Maury Laws is seen conducting an orchestra and that is why he wrote LONDON SESSIONS August 1971 on the label :) I am adding this film to the JACK DAVIS DVD, because it features art that Jack Davis did for THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF DANY KAYE series, that was never Produced. EXCELLENT stuff! The film also features the ANIMAGIC studios and the ANIMAGIC figures on set.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Another Cartoon DVD set in October, 2011!
My friend Brad Bolke called today! He helped with a NEW HARVEYTOONS DVD set coming in October! 
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
One of my favorite RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS!
I think it will show in my next RANKIN/BASS book!c. 1967 RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS/RICK GOLDSCHMIDT ARCHIVES
CRAMMING
A renewed story about CRAMMING came out today in the national news. Senator Jay Rockefeller is leading a senate commitee to investigate. This was AT&T's response:
"Our policy is to resolve third-party billing inquiries promptly for any customer that reports unauthorized charges, said AT&T spokesman Steven Schwadron. "We currently offer third-party bill blocking to our customers upon request, we clearly identify third-party charges in a separate section of our bills and provide contact information for customers to obtain help or manage their third-party charges."
I was with the company for over 20 years (CRAMMING has continued for years and years, the company is fully aware of what they are doing). The company benefits from this in many ways BUT the biggest are: 1. The company that bills for the CRAMMING pays AT&T to do it's billing and about one in twenty customers catch it on their bill 2. They are getting you to call into the company by billing you for these bogus charges, so they can turn around and offer you UVERSE, DSL, etc. after they remove the minor charges from your bill.
I am not a big fan of sneaky ways to make money off of unsuspecting customers. I am planning to write and fill a book with many of these observations.
"Our policy is to resolve third-party billing inquiries promptly for any customer that reports unauthorized charges, said AT&T spokesman Steven Schwadron. "We currently offer third-party bill blocking to our customers upon request, we clearly identify third-party charges in a separate section of our bills and provide contact information for customers to obtain help or manage their third-party charges."
I was with the company for over 20 years (CRAMMING has continued for years and years, the company is fully aware of what they are doing). The company benefits from this in many ways BUT the biggest are: 1. The company that bills for the CRAMMING pays AT&T to do it's billing and about one in twenty customers catch it on their bill 2. They are getting you to call into the company by billing you for these bogus charges, so they can turn around and offer you UVERSE, DSL, etc. after they remove the minor charges from your bill.
I am not a big fan of sneaky ways to make money off of unsuspecting customers. I am planning to write and fill a book with many of these observations.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
CHRISTMAS IN JULY!
This is fun! Keep your responses coming! Email and PAYPAL Rickgoldsc@aol.com WILLY McBEAN (NEW print) is still on sale for $15 shipped :)
Monday, July 11, 2011
1964 R/B Broadcast
The longest-Running, Highest-Rated TV Special hits the air
waves December 6th, 1964
by Rick Goldschmidt
waves December 6th, 1964
by Rick Goldschmidt
Producers Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass had been in the
Entertainment business for several years with moderate success.
They formed VIDEOCRAFT INTERNATIONAL (later known as
RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS) and produced a few animated
TV series, that could be shown in syndication and broken up over
a week's time in five minute segments. The series were THE TALES
OF THE WIZARD OF OZ and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF
PINOCCHIO. The later was done in ANIMAGIC, a trademark stop-
motion animation, that RANKIN/BASS would be well known for.
RANKIN/BASS hooked up with the brass at the General
Electric company in 1963 and made a linear animated special
for NBC's GENERAL ELECTRIC FANTASY HOUR called
RETURN TO OZ. OZ premiered in February of 1964 and was well
recieved. Arthur Rankin explains, "General Electric wanted a
Christmas special that would also tie into their electrical products.
Johnny Marks and I had brownstones next to each other, so we
had seen each other socially from time to time. I came to Johnny
with the idea to present his 'Rudolph' song within the context of
a TV special. He was reluctant at first. After all, his song was
second to only 'White Christmas' in popularity and had been
recorded by all the top talent. He didn't want to jeopardize the
song in any way. None of us had any idea the effect this special
would have on the song, character, television, etc. I prevailed
upon Johnny and the special was produced to great effect."
On December 6th 1964, RANKIN/BASS' TV musical spectacular
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER hit the NBC airwaves
and has been on TV every year since. It was RANKIN/BASS'
breakthrough production and the original 1964 broadcast
captured a 55% share of the audience for it's time slot. The following
year it again won the biggest share of it's time slot, and after thirty
years it grabbed a 65% share with it's 1995 broadcast.
The day after the broadcast, the reviews were in and most of
them glowing. VARIETY said,"The hour came off winningly,
full of charm, occasional wit, and tunes which caught the spirit of
the piece." THE NEW YORK TIMES said, "RUDOLPH was a charming
and tuneful hour of fantasy on the special General Electric program
over the National Broadcasting Company network. The animated
drawings in lovely color radiated a gentle spirit of make-believe."
Suddenly, RANKIN/BASS' phone was ringing off the hook and they
would soon sign a three picture deal with Producer Joesph E. Levine.
Many subsequent TV specials would follow for the GENERAL ELECTRIC
company, under their Entertainment division know as TOMORROW
ENTERTAINMENT.
What is interesting to note, is that there were several changes made
to the 1964 version of RUDOLPH. Jules Bass explains, "There was a
write in campaign after the first airing. People wanted to see Santa
Claus go back to the Island of Misfit toys, so this animation was added
for the 1965 broadcast." In the original broadcast, the end credits
featured one elf throwing packages off of Santa's sleigh, that had the
credits beautifully lettered on packages. This segment of animation
has not been seen on TV since 1964. The animation that we have seen
ever since features the misfit doll, Charlie-in-the-box and the polka
dotted elephant around a campfire. After the toys get picked up, they
are dropped from the sleigh via umbrellas during the end credits. The
end credits we see now, are a plain white lettering that does not match
the opening letter style and a few of the talent names are mis-spelled.
Another scene not seen on network television since 1964, we call
"The Peppermint mine" scene. This scene has been added back into
the Blu Ray and DVD releases. During the special, Yukon Cornelius
(voiced by Larry D. Mann) throws his ice pick up in the air and then
licks it. Each time he licks the pick, he doesn't like what he tastes. It
appears that he is searching for Silver and Gold. In the scene that is
missing from network television, we discover that he was looking for
peppermint. He throws his pick in the air at the end of the special
(Which is the punchline to the joke of the pick licking), just outside
Santa's castle and finds peppermint. Hermey, in disbelief, falls back
in the snow.
General Electric's Willard Saloff (chairman of the board) was responsible
for many of the changes that were made to the original 1964 TV special.
Saloff was the guy who said to Arthur, "Who ever heard of girl elves?" to
which Arthur replied, "Who ever heard of boy elves?" Since Saloff did
much to get the special on the air, Arthur and Jules respected his wishes,
even though they did not necessarily agree with them. Another change made
was the replacement of the song "We're a couple of misfits," with the song
"Fame and fortune." "I thought Misfits was a better song, but we made
the change and reanimated the scene," says Rankin. With the insertion of
the new ending, something needed to be trimmed from the special as
well. The musical section, featuring the elf band during the song "We
Are Santa's Elves" was the casualty. It has since been added back into
the Blue Ray and DVD releases.
The 1964 broadcast was sponsored entirely by General Electric and
featured four 90 second commercials. Three of these commercials were
animated in ANIMAGIC by RANKIN/BASS featuring the Chief Elf, the
tall elf with the glasses and the elf with the sun glasses showing off
GE electrical products. Many people that grew up during this era get
the commercials confused with the NORELCO Santa commercials. I
located the entire original broadcast with commercials in the NBC
lock box in 2000 and had the film transferred to video. It was my R/B
holy grail.
Many people don't know that during the production of the TV
special RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, RANKIN/BASS
simultaneously Produced the ANIMAGIC feature film WILLY
McBEAN & HIS MAGIC MACHINE (1965). They used the same
designer Antony Peters on both and the same canadian voice
group for both Productions. WILLY did not have the same impact
as RUDOLPH, but it was a beautifully animated film that has the
early RANKIN/BASS style that we love so much.
RUDOLPH was a door opener for RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS
and it paved the way for them to branch out into all film styles
including live-action, cel animation and stop-motion. It has inspired
creators and animators such as Tim Burton and most of the staff
at PIXAR and has become a part of our Christmas holiday.
c. 2011 Rick Goldschmidt/RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS
RANKIN/BASS' WILLY McBEAN & HIS MAGIC MACHINE (1965)
c. 1965 RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS/RICK GOLDSCHMIDT ARCHIVESTHANKS to my friend Bob Dube
Jack Davis' KHRUSHCHEV'S TOP SECRET COLORING BOOK for 2 rubles
Ron Murphy gave me this very cool, over sized coloring book a while back! My Davis archives is growing all the time!
Christopher Columbus takes a spill!
My friend Bob also noticed that Christopher Columbus took an ANIMAGIC spill during the filming of RANKIN/BASS' WILLY McBEAN & HIS MAGIC MACHINE (still on sale for $15 shipped this month) BUT since it was only for a frame...it is hardly noticable :) 
AURORA MODEL PAINTED STORE DISPLAYS
I bought these many years ago from a guy in the area...who was selling his collection due to health problems. I found out later from my pal Ron Murphy that these were store displays for the AURORA MODEL CO.. They are beautifully painted and I have several more like this.
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