A Very Merry Cricket
1973 animated television Christmas special
- December 14, 1973 (1973-12-14)
Running time
A Very Merry Cricket is a 1973 Christmas animated television special. It was directed by Chuck Jones.[1] It originally aired on ABC on December 14, 1973. who also wrote the teleplay with George Selden.[2] It was a sequel to their acclaimed adaptation of the 1960 book The Cricket in Times Square and was followed in 1975 by another sequel, Yankee Doodle Cricket.
The show included two original songs by Dean Elliott and Marian Dern (Jones' wife): "Christmas in New York" and "What If Humans Were More Like Mice?"[3]
Plot
It is Christmastime in New York City, but the loud mean-spiritedness of its human population is making it a misery for best friends, Harry the Cat and Tucker the Mouse. They resolve to try to bring back the holiday's warmth with the help of their friend, Chester C. Cricket, the musical insect. Chester agrees to this idea, but, against this kind of noisy urban negativity, it will take a miracle for this trio to make a difference.
Availability
The special was released on VHS in 1985, in 1989 as part of the Christmas Classics Series, in 1992 on a Double Feature VHS also containing the Canadian Christmas special Bluetoes the Christmas Elf, and in 1999 by Family Home Entertainment. It was released on DVD for the first time with another Chuck Jones special, Mowgli's Brothers in 2005, and later as part of the Chuck Jones Collection DVD in 2007, both released by Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
Cast
- Les Tremayne as Chester C. Cricket / Harry the Cat
- Mel Blanc as Tucker R. Mouse / Alley Cat
References
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 340. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 330. ISBN 9781476672939.
- ^ Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 439–440. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to A Very Merry Cricket.
- A Very Merry Cricket at IMDb
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Chuck Jones
specials
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
- The Pogo Special Birthday Special (1969)
- Horton Hears a Who! (1970)
- The Cat in the Hat (1971)
- The Cricket in Times Square (1973)
- A Very Merry Cricket (1973)
- Yankee Doodle Cricket (1975)
- The White Seal (1975)
- Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (1975)
- Mowgli's Brothers (1976)
- Bugs and Daffy's Carnival of the Animals (1976)
- A Connecticut Rabbit in King Arthur's Court (1978)
- Raggedy Ann and Andy in The Great Santa Claus Caper (1978)
- Raggedy Ann and Andy in The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile (1979)
- Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979)
- Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over (1980)
- Daffy Duck’s Thanks-for-Giving Special (1980)
- A Chipmunk Christmas (1981)
- Peter and the Wolf (1995)
- Gay Purr-ee (1962, screenplay)
- The Phantom Tollbooth (1970)
- The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979)
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988, animation consultant)
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990, animation sequences)
- Stay Tuned (1992, animation sequence)
- Mrs. Doubtfire (1993, animation supervisor)
- The Bugs Bunny Show (1960-1962, new animated sequences)
- Off to See the Wizard (1967-1968, animated sequences)
- Curiosity Shop (1971-1972)
- Daffy Duck for President (1997)
- Bugs Bunny
- Charlie Dog
- Claude Cat
- Daffy Duck
- Elmer Fudd
- Gossamer
- Henery Hawk
- Hubie and Bertie
- Marc Antony and Pussyfoot
- Marvin the Martian
- Michigan J. Frog
- Nasty Canasta
- Penelope Pussycat
- Pepé Le Pew
- Porky Pig
- Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog
- Sniffles
- The Three Bears
- Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
- Witch Hazel
- Chuck Amuck: The Movie
- Chuck Jones: Extremes & Inbetweens – A Life in Animation
