The Little Drummer Boy

The Little Drummer Boy is a very beautiful and poignant gem from Rankin'/Bass, and it has a great message and conveys so wonderfully the true meaning of Christmas. For me, while I adore this, I don't think it is quite as good as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, two very timeless classics. But this is very overlooked and unjustly, because it is probably the most moving of the Rankin'/Bass Christmas specials. With very detailed miniature sets and art direction, it is a delight to look at, and the music is truly stunning as well, especially with the haunting sound of the Vienna Boys Choir singing the title song. The death of Aaron's parents is truly unforgettable, and is a real tear jerker. And the voice acting is top notch, Jose Ferrer is brilliant as Ben and Paul Frees and June Foray are delightful as Aaron's parents, and Aaron himself is voiced with real sensitivity by Ted Eccles. Special mention though has to go with Greer Garson, who was perfect as Our Story Teller speaking with such gentleness and sincerity that is a rarity nowadays. All in all, beautiful. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Although less highly regarded by many than the masterful "animagic" hour of "Rudolph", this 27-minute gem throbs with the joy and heartache of living that is timelessly captured by Rankin/Bass and the brilliant detail of the Dentsu Company miniature sets and artistic direction (so often overlooked in these productions). A hearty and rich score, especially the underscoring of the tragic death of the boy's parents, is unforgettable. Ferrer, Frees, and Eccles are delightful and the often cloying "Miss" Greer Garson delivers the narration with a gentle stroke that is soothing and sincere. The nativity scene is overwhelmingly moving and the film ends on a perfect note. There was a pointless and meandering sequel years later,"Little Drummer Boy-Book II" which is best left unopened- a lifeless and repetitive tale justly obscure. The original, common on video but shown infrequently now during the Christmas season, showcases that deep color film tone that NBC employed so effectively in the mid-60's, which today adds to the nostalgia. Children's prime-time specials once heralded a great era in the success of the medium. All that remains are these video souvenirs.

****out of ****

This holiday classic is still refreshing to see even after almost 40 years. The story line is of course about the little drummer boy who ends up coming to grips with his hatred of people. In the end he has to play his drum for the baby Jesus and even though he is certainly no Buddy Rich it does come from the heart which, as we know from years of watching these type of films is what really counts and in the end the little drummer boy receives a change of heart.It's pretty much the same holiday format that for some reason one can never grow tired of no matter how many times we watch it or different forms it comes in...Certainly a great one to bring the kids up on.

Each year as the Christmas season unfolds I look forward to the showing of The Little Drummer Boy. Aaron, along with his drumming of the movie's title music always brings tears to my eyes, but they are happy tears because of the love and compassion that fills this little child. It is a wonderful story that I believe everyone should do themselves a favor and watch at least once. I find myself humming the title song for days after seeing the film.

Little Drummer Boy, The (1968)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Greer Garson narrates this Bass-Rankin stop-motion production telling the story of a troubled boy who follows three wise men to Bethlehem where his life is changed forever. Watching this film in 2011 it's quite obvious that something like this would never get made today, which is rather sad when you sit back and think about it. The one objectable thing is the way Arabs are shown but outside of this there's a terrific story being told here and there's no doubt that the message will shine loud and clear. With that said, thankfully the film never becomes too preachy to where you really don't care what the message is. The story itself is such a strong one and Bass and Rankin tell it in such a way that you'd have to be made of stone if you weren't touched at the end. The stop-motion effects are extremely effective here and especially the stuff towards the end when the little boy is asked to play the drums. The song is played throughout the film and it's so effective each time it comes up. Garson does a very good job reading the story and we get strong vocal work from Paul Frees, June Foray and Jose Ferrer.