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Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Topic Started: Oct 17 2007, 10:19 PM (270 Views)
Laughing Gravy
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“Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot. But the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did not.”- Dr. Seuss

“Everybody hates Christmas a little bit.” - Chuck Jones

I’m willing to bet that when Boris Karloff agreed to voice a made for TV adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! in 1966, he never guessed he was creating a role that would eventually eclipse the Frankenstein Monster as his most remembered. Kids (and former kids) who have never seen James Whale’s films know Boris as the Grinch; I think that would’ve made the old man very happy.

The Grinch is a gnarly green cuss who lives in a cave high above Whoville; he decides to eradicate Christmas by stealing all the presents and decorations and tinsel, but the Whos teach him that that’s not what Christmas is really all about, and consequently his heart grows three sizes and his shoes fit better.

First aired in December 1966, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! became an instant classic, a perennial favorite, and after 40 years still plays (and plays well) on TV every year. There’s scarcely a kid in America that can’t sing “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” at the drop of a big colorful red and white striped Dr. Seuss hat. Karloff’s voice is electronically enhanced when he voices the Grinch to distinguish it from the regular narration, and June “Rocky the Flying Squirrel” and Thurl “Tony the Tiger” Ravenscroft contribute as well. One of my top five favorite Karloff films; it’s worth mentioning, in case you haven’t seen it (lucky you) that the 2000 big-screen disaster with Jim Carrey (narrated by Anthony Hopkins) gets everything wrong and is the absolute antithesis of the original. Would you believe that the plot has the Whos commercializing Christmas until they’re taught the true meaning of the holiday by the Grinch? I mean, how do you $#&% up How the Grinch Stole Christmas?!?
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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The Batman
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A great, great, great film and one of my top five Karloff's, too.

Concerning the live-action remake, I am one of the unlucky ones. What a disaster.
Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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Greypilgrim
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It's the old saw of taking a half hour holiday cartoon gem and transposing it into a hour and a half or so live-action movie.

You have to fill it with something and it seems tha Hollywood tends to fill it with garbage.

It's a good thing they haven't gotten their hands on A Charlie Brown Christmas. It makes me shutter to think what they would do with that property....especially now that Charles Schultz is gone.

Don't feel bad Bats, I saw the live-action Grinch too.

By the way, I have a cousin--in her thirties--who can do the entire cartoon--dialogue AND songs-- by memory at any point in time that you ask her to.

I NEVER do.

Now THAT'S whacked!!
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Laughing Gravy
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It's understanding that they had to expand/fill the story... but place the Grinch's abode in a garbage dump? Make the Whos the villains? Inject a Who wife-swapping party into a family-oriented Christmas movie? That is... appalling, to say the least.
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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Inspector Carr
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greypilgrim
Oct 19 2007, 12:50 PM
It's the old saw of taking a half hour holiday cartoon gem and transposing it into a hour and a half or so live-action movie.

Ditto.....


on the other hand I can proudly admit, I had not interest whatsover in seeing the big screen adaptation. and the only time I have seen a bit and a piece of it is is when surfing through cable.

Obviously all these major league decisions of turning Dr Suess books into full length motion pictures was made after the old Doc went to the big whoville in the sky...

long running cartoon strips like Doonsbury and Bloom County were made into half hour TV specials personally overseen by the creators themselves (which very well may have been the Doc's approach to The Grinch Cartoon and anything else)

by the way anyone seen Mike Meyers "Cat in the Hat film" (I have proudly never seen that either)
"Life is a Crapshoot however you need a pair of dice to participate"
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Inspector Carr
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greypilgrim
Oct 19 2007, 12:50 PM
By the way, I have a cousin--in her thirties--who can do the entire cartoon--dialogue AND songs-- by memory at any point in time that you ask her to.

I NEVER do.




Posted Image

[size=7]BUT YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO................Just let it go...[/size]
"Life is a Crapshoot however you need a pair of dice to participate"
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Greypilgrim
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Inspector Carr
Oct 20 2007, 03:32 AM
...by the way anyone seen Mike Meyers "Cat in the Hat film" (I have proudly never seen that either)

Unfortunately, my daughter saw it with someone else and wanted me to see it when it came to cable.....

Mike Myers can be funny, but not in this film.

If you ever have a chance or a NEED (Heaven forbid) to see this movie, call a mental health clinic for some immediate intervention.

I would rather have cut my wrists and watch the blood drip out than see this movie again!!

This is definitely a movie for non-adults and NOT for ANY inteliigent human of ANY age!!
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rodney
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Seuss's wife approved these films, but wasn't happy with CAT from what I hear.
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Laughing Gravy
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All she cares about is money, from what I've heard, and would approve a porno sequel called THING ONE AND THING TWO if she thought it would be a hit. She liked THE GRINCH 'cause it made a lot of money, but it was so rancid I think it kept people away from THE CAT.
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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