SOME GRINCH TRIVIA...

Like Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL, it's the ending of this story that brings us back to it every Christmas season.  The Grinch realizes - after stealing all the Who's decorations, presents, and feasting food - that he can't stop Christmas from coming...

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.

"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

And what happened then...?

Well...in Who-ville they say

That the Grinch's small heart

Grew three sizes that day!

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS was written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel, otherwise known as "Dr. Seuss", in 1957.   The animated musical television version, directed by Chuck Jones, was first televised in December of 1966, with narration done by Boris Karloff.  The original "book" Grinch appears white and black (like everything else in the book), with occasional pink and red splotches.  In the animated cartoon, he is green.

Karloff was the voice of the Grinch, but the song, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" was sung by Thur Ravenscroft, who also lent his vocal talents to Disney, including for "Fritz" (the German parrot in the Tiki Room), the original narration for the Disneyland Railroad (which was changed in 2001), and for many Disney feature films. Another of Thur's claims to fame was as the well-known voice of Tony the Tiger. 

Although the character of Max the dog was minor in the book, Jones made him a major character in the cartoon, partly because "he represented the audience, including me…. He was the one you wanted to rescue."

I didn't particularly like the live-action feature film adaptation of HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, starring Jim Carrey.  But I do find it interesting that Carrey brilliantly portrayed and voiced Scrooge in the CGI animated Disney movie (directed by Robert Zemeckis) A CHRISTMAS CAROL.  And now I'm back to where I began in this post!

To read my other posts about Dr. Seuss, click here.