Wednesday, December 03, 2008
45th Annual airing of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER
I did catch most of RUDOLPH tonight and... I forgot how poorly edited it was by the network. They used footage from "Fame and Fortune" during the "We're a couple of Misfits" song and the song was all chopped up? They edited out all of the restored scenes....PEPPERMINT SCENE, Musical section of "We Are Santa's Elves," etc. This version was obviously edited by people who could care less about the show and they have the nerve to call it restored and HIGH DEFINITION. I am so glad we have the correct version with the original ending, GE Commercials, Peppermint scene, etc. One day this spectacular TV Special will get the right treatment...I promise AND there will be a MAKING OF Documentary to go along with it.
PRESS RELEASE 12-03-2008
NO "MERRY" FOR THIS CHRISTMAS ICON
Arthur Rankin, Jr., creator of such holiday TV classics as RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, FROSTY THE SNOWMAN, THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS, THUNDERCATS and THE HOBBIT is dealing with a BURGERMEISTER MEISTERBURGER in the form of WARNER BROS. It seems that WARNER BROS. had underpaid RANKIN/BASS in various ways, including 19 years of impermissible $200,000 annual deductions from the pool of revenues from which Rankin's profit participation is paid.
"It was an accounting mistake on WARNER BROS., part, a mistake that the company's accountants readily admit, right down to the penny," said Rankin. "However, WARNER BROS. is now claiming I caught their error too late. So instead of doing the right thing and fairly compensating RANKIN/BASS for helping generate years of viewer enjoyment, not to mention an awful lot of revenue,WARNER BROS.is hiding behind the statute of limitations."
The dispute dates back to the 1980's, when WARNER BROS. acquired from RANKIN/BASS, the rights to several of the RANKIN/BASS Christmas classics and other animated properties, including the enormously popular 1980's animated television series THUNDERCATS and SILVERHAWKS. The recent WARNER BROS. home video DVD box set releases of THUNDERCATS sold over a million DVDs and they are getting ready to release SILVERHAWKS. Mr. Rankin even graciously appeared on Set #2 of THUNDERCATS in a documentary and did the same for the WARNER BROS. Deluxe DVD release of THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS (Which is also available in a new box set).
"This is obviously not the right thing to do to a creator of such wonderful programming and the rest of his staff," says Rick Goldschmidt RANKIN/BASS Historian/Biographer. "As in all RANKIN/BASS specials, writer Romeo Muller would reform the villains. This villain needs to be reformed."
"As far as I am concerned," continues Rankin, "There is no question as to what is right and what is wrong. If you take something by mistake, you put it back. You don't get to keep it. We put those kinds of ethics into our shows for children. Maybe the folks at WARNER BROS. should watch a few of them."
Arthur Rankin, Jr., creator of such holiday TV classics as RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, FROSTY THE SNOWMAN, THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS, THUNDERCATS and THE HOBBIT is dealing with a BURGERMEISTER MEISTERBURGER in the form of WARNER BROS. It seems that WARNER BROS. had underpaid RANKIN/BASS in various ways, including 19 years of impermissible $200,000 annual deductions from the pool of revenues from which Rankin's profit participation is paid.
"It was an accounting mistake on WARNER BROS., part, a mistake that the company's accountants readily admit, right down to the penny," said Rankin. "However, WARNER BROS. is now claiming I caught their error too late. So instead of doing the right thing and fairly compensating RANKIN/BASS for helping generate years of viewer enjoyment, not to mention an awful lot of revenue,WARNER BROS.is hiding behind the statute of limitations."
The dispute dates back to the 1980's, when WARNER BROS. acquired from RANKIN/BASS, the rights to several of the RANKIN/BASS Christmas classics and other animated properties, including the enormously popular 1980's animated television series THUNDERCATS and SILVERHAWKS. The recent WARNER BROS. home video DVD box set releases of THUNDERCATS sold over a million DVDs and they are getting ready to release SILVERHAWKS. Mr. Rankin even graciously appeared on Set #2 of THUNDERCATS in a documentary and did the same for the WARNER BROS. Deluxe DVD release of THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS (Which is also available in a new box set).
"This is obviously not the right thing to do to a creator of such wonderful programming and the rest of his staff," says Rick Goldschmidt RANKIN/BASS Historian/Biographer. "As in all RANKIN/BASS specials, writer Romeo Muller would reform the villains. This villain needs to be reformed."
"As far as I am concerned," continues Rankin, "There is no question as to what is right and what is wrong. If you take something by mistake, you put it back. You don't get to keep it. We put those kinds of ethics into our shows for children. Maybe the folks at WARNER BROS. should watch a few of them."
to celebrate the annual airing of RUDOLPH tonight...
A FREE signed PAUL COKER, JR. postcard comes with the purchase of my 3rd printing hardcover of THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF RANKIN/BASS: A PORTFOLIO purchased directly through this blog. $75 + $7 P{IROTIY MAIL FLAT RATE Envelope shipping. You can PAYPAL Rickgoldsc@aol.com and put FREE Postcard and how you would like the book signed in the message. ONE DAY ONLY! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!Tuesday, December 02, 2008
THE MAKING OF THE RANKIN/BASS HOLIDAY CLASSIC: RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (MISER BROS PRESS)
We still have RUDOLPH books BUT are running out! Order yours today! $29,95 + $6 shipping PAYPAL: Rickgoldsc@aol.com PLEASE include how you would like it signed! I am offering my DELUXE LE HARDCOVER of THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF RANKIN/BASS: A PORTFOLIO as a package $99 + $7 shipping. These are in short supply too. URBANA RADIO December 6th!
I did a radio interview with Jason Croft for a show called SIDETRACK about RANKIN/BASS for WILL Radio! The program will air on Saturday, December 6th at 6pm (Central time). You can find the streaming audio here: http://will.illinois.edu/am (go to AM580 Live). The archives will be up soon after that and will be here: http://will.illinois.edu/sidetrack/ I am also looking into playing with the STARVING ARTISTS at a few places: THE HIGH DIVE and COWBOY MONKEY! Stay tuned.
WINDY CITY TIMES paper in Chicago
KYOKO KITA working on RUDOLPH! Looks like I am doing an interview for print with Jerry Nunn of the WINDY CITY TIMES in Chicago! Will post when it is availble on the news stands.
'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS/ CRICKET ON THE HEARTH RANKIN/BASS Collector's DVD #3
We offer the 3rd CD in the RANKIN/BASS Collector's collection of 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS with CRICKET ON THE HEARTH in stereo! GREAT Soundtracks with music by MAURY LAWS and JULES BASS! $14.99 + $2 shipping. PAYPAL: Rickgoldsc@aol.comTHE LIFE & ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS collector's DVD
YES...we have the collector's DVD of THE LIFE & ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS for $20 shipped. PAYPAL wonderfullife01@aol.com THANKS!
Doing another RADIO show with my pal TODD MICHAELS!
I worked with TODD a few years back on the LEEZA GIBBONS show LEEZA LIVE! Now Todd Michaels Host, "The Wound-Up Wake-Up"Dial-Global 24/7 Radio Network. He has some 50 affiliates across the country, and the format is Hot AC. I will post the air dates when I have them!
...if you would like INSURANCE on your book package, you need to let me know. If you want your book packed a special way, you would also need to let me know and pay the extra $. I can not control what the UNITED STATES POST OFFICE does with your package after I mail it. YES...sometimes they damage mail. I send all books in a PRIORITY MAIL envelope with tracking.
RANKIN/BASS' RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER airs on CBS TV Tomorrow night at 7pm Central!
RUDOLPH Airs for the 45th time tomorrow night on CBS and I will be doing my annual BOOK SIGNING! Books bought directly from myself or at www.rankinbass.com will be signed and drawn in! E-mail me at Rickgoldsc@aol.com with your requests. I also have the collector's DVD with the original ending and commercials from the 1964 Broadcast for $35 shipped. It has the LITTLE DRUMMER BOY with commercials as well! HAPPY HOLIDAYS from RANKIN/BASS! I talked with ARTHUR RANKIN, JR. again this AM and we are working on a story together that I will post hopefully by tomorrow. Enjoy!Monday, December 01, 2008
SNOW!
It is a WINTER WONDERLAND in the Chicagoland area right now! It looks GREAT! Love the snow leading up to the holiday! This is a RARE shot of the BUMBLE from the classic RANKIN/BASS TV Spectacular.RADIO SHOWS
I heard from ARTHUR RANKIN today! We are working on a NEWS story together that I will post on my blog shortly. I talked with MANCOW tonight and I will be doing his Christmas show soon on WLS RADIO. He also said he will be getting me on some other radio shows too! I also heard from my old friend BOB MANGELS from WJQZ radio CLASSIC HITS/OLDIES RADIO in Wellsville, New York and I will be doing his Christmas show for the third time soon!The RANKIN/BASS RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER DVD!
Just talked with KEVIN KRIESS at www.timeandspacetoys.com and he found a batch of the DVD I always recommend when people ask what is the BEST commercially released version of RUDOLPH on DVD! It was issued in 2001 with an image I provided for the cover and says "RANKIN/BASS" right on the front cover! ARTHUR RANKIN, JR. talks about the creation of the special with pictures from the archives I provided (In fact, ARTHUR is holding my first book during the introduction) and I was given screen credit. This introduction has since been removed (They removed his FROSTY THE SNOWMAN intro too). CLASSIC MEDIA/ENTERTAINMENT RIGHTS has this philosophy now that they do not want kids to know people created this classic TV Special. They want the kids to think that the characters are real? This is completely the wrong approach to take with the classic RANKIN/BASS specials. Many generations have grown up with these classics and want to know the back story! Kids are not buying these DVDs...their parents ARE and they want EXTRAS! This version of the DVD is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by myself and I suggest you hurry to www.timeandspacetoys.com before they sell out.JIMMY DURANTE
Here is a cool picture of JIMMY DURANTE with FROSTY THE SNOWMAN. JIMMY narrated and starred in the RANKIN/BASS TV Special FROSTY THE SNOWMAN in 1969! It is one of the few RANKIN/BASS specials that has been on network television every year since it originally aired on Network television. My friend Jim Engel sent this along.CYBER MONDAY!
You can tell it is CYBER MONDAY....I had about a dozen e-mails from websites in my mailbox at 6am! Looking forward to more CYBER SALES soon!Sunday, November 30, 2008
What RANKIN/BASS collector's DVDs do you have?
As you know, we have some cool RARE collector's DVDs here: 1. 1964 RUDOLPH w/ commercials/THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY w/ commercials and GRINCH w/ bank bumpers $35 2. THE NEW ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO 1 and 2 $15 each 3. THE LIFE & ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS $20 4. THE FIRST CHRISTMAS $15 5. THE TOMFOOLERY SHOW w/ 4 episodes + WILLIE MAY, THE SAY HEY KID $20 6. TALES OF THE WIZARD OF OZ 1 and 2 $15 each 7. THE FLIGHT OF DRAGONS $20 9. THE BALLAD OF SMOKEY THE BEAR (1966) with THE RED BARON $25 10. THE MOUSE ON THE MAYFLOWER w/ commercials and two FESTIVAL OF FAMILY CLASSICS including THE CHRISTMAS TREE + 2 NEWS appearances with the restored SANTA & RUDOLPH ANIMAGIC figures $25 11. THE RELUCTANT DRAGON & MR. TOAD SHOW $20 12. MAD MAD MAD COMEDIANS + 2 FESTIVAL OF FAMILY CLASSICS $20 13. THE BERMUDA DEPTHS with extra scenes $25 14. WILLY McBEAN & HIS MAGIC MACHINE (1965) re-mastered w/ trailer $20 and coming soon TALES OF THE WIZARD OF OZ Vol. 3 email Rickgoldsc@aol.com
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