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Changes: The Great Santa Claus Switch

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(Additional puppeteers)
(No source for Spinney, so taking out; Oz isn't playing Skippity either, so it could be Danny Seargen.)
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[[Image:title.santaswitch.jpg|frame|''The Great Santa Claus Switch'' title card.]]
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[[Image:title.santaswitch.jpg|thumb|300px]]
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[[Image:TVG701212.jpg|frame|TV Guide: December 12, 1970]]
  
 
'''''The Great Santa Claus Switch''''' was a Muppet television special that first aired on CBS on December 20, [[1970]].
  
'''''The Great Santa Claus Switch''''' was a Muppet television special that first aired on CBS on December 20, [[1970]].
   
  +
==Plot==
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Jim Henson's Muppets had made several successful guest appearances on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' and in Christmas of 1970, when ''[[Sesame Street]]'' was starting to become popular, Ed gave [[Jim Henson]] and the Muppets a whole hour of his show, becoming the very first Muppet TV special, as a Christmas gift.
 
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[[File:Tgscs_santa_thog_thig.jpg|thumb|300px]]
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The show, narrated by [[Ed Sullivan]], begins at [[the North Pole]] with [[Santa Claus]] and his [[elves]] getting ready for another Christmas. However, [[Cosmo Scam]] has hatched a plan to kidnap Santa and take his place. As part of the plan, Cosmo plans to abduct Santa's elves (one at a time) and replace them with [[Cosmo Scam's henchmen|his evil henchmen]].
   
  +
==Development==
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''The Great Santa Claus Switch'' was a full-on Henson production -- written by [[Jerry Juhl]], music by [[Joe Raposo]], with puppets by [[Don Sahlin]].
  
  +
[[Image:Watercolorfracklesconcept.jpg|thumb|300px|Watercolor illustration by Jim Henson for a 1967 pitch for ''The Great Santa Claus Switch''.]]
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[[Image:Jh bts tgscs.jpg|thumb|300px|Jim Henson on set of the special.]]
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[[Image:JimSantaClausSwitch.jpg|thumb|300px|Illustration by Henson for the 1970 [[The Jim Henson Company Christmas Cards|company Christmas card]].]]
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[[Image:TVG701212.jpg|thumb|250px|[[TV Guide]]: December 12, 1970]]
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The idea for this Christmas special had been developed by [[Jim Henson]] and [[Jerry Juhl]] for several years, and had a long evolution. Notes and sketches date as far back as 1963, when the project was originally titled ''The Witch Who Stole Santa Claus'', and later ''The Sinister Santa Claus Switch''. The story revolved around a failed plot to kidnap and impersonate Santa Claus in order to rob every home in the world. [[Taminella Grinderfall]], the witch from the unsold ''[[Tales of the Tinkerdee]]'' pilot was to play a starring role.<ref>[http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2013/12/121969/ Jim Henson's Red Book entry] - December 1969 </ref><ref> Inches, Alison ''[[Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles]]'', pp. 70-74</ref> Henson and Juhl reworked the script numerous times, and the title changed as well. To help sell the project to television executives, Henson created watercolor illustrations to accompany a written proposal. The concept circulated for several years before [[Ed Sullivan]], based on the response to the Muppets' frequent appearances on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'', agreed to produce the special and air it in his regular Sunday evening time slot.
   
  +
By 1970, Henson's Muppets had made nearly two dozen successful guest appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. ''The Great Santa Claus Switch'' was a full Henson production – written by Juhl, with music by [[Joe Raposo]] and puppets by [[Don Sahlin]]. The production marks the first time Henson worked with [[Richard Hunt]] and [[Fran Brill]].
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==Trivia==
  
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* This special included Gonzo's very first appearence. He was then credited as Cigar Box Frackle, and remodeled and reused for ''[[The Muppet Show]]''.
  
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==Notes==
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* The Alarm Frackle is the original [[Cookie Monster]] puppet, with altered eyes, ostrich feather hair, and teeth.
  
  ⚫
* This special includes the very first appearance of the puppet that would later become [[Gonzo]]. He was then known as [[Snarl]] (or the Cigar Box Frackle) and would be remodeled and reused for ''[[The Muppet Show]]''.
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* The concept for this show as of 1967 used the title ''The Sinister Santa Claus Switch''.
  
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* ''The Great Santa Claus Switch'' is currently available for viewing at [[The Paley Center for Media]].
   
 
==Cast==
  
==Cast==
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*[[Jim Henson]]: [[Fred]], [[Lothar]]
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*[[Jim Henson]]: [[Fred (elf)|Fred]], [[Lothar]], Gloat (as elf)
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*[[Frank Oz]]: [[Thig]], [[Skippity]], [[Hoppity]], [[Boppity]], [[Snerf]] #1
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*[[Frank Oz]]: [[Thig]], [[Hoppity]], [[Boppity]], [[Snerf]]
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*[[Jerry Nelson]]: [[Thog]], [[Zippity]], [[Droop]] (aka [[Snivelly]]), [[Green Scoff]]
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*[[Jerry Nelson]]: [[Thog]], [[Zippity]], [[Snivelly]]
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:and
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*[[Richard Hunt]]: [[Bing]], [[Miss Kitty]] (Frackle with a match)
  
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*[[John Lovelady]]: [[Bong]], [[Snake Frackle]], [[Blue Scoff]], [[Snerf]] #2, [[Alarm Frackle]]
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*[[Danny Seagren]]: [[Gloat]], [[Snarl]], [[The Snerfs|Snerf]]
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*[[Danny Seagren]]: [[Green Frackle (Gloat)|Gloat]], [[Cigar Box Frackle]] (aka [[Cigar Box Frackle|Snarl]], aka [[Gonzo the Great]]), [[Snerf]] #3
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*[[John Lovelady]]: [[Bong]], [[Snake Frackle]], [[Scoff]], [[The Snerfs|Snerf]], Alarm Frackle
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*[[Richard Hunt]]: [[Bing]], [[Miss Kitty|Frackle with a match]], Guard Frackle
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*[[Fran Brill]]: [[Snerf]] #4
  
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*[[Marilyn Sokol]]
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*Additional Muppet Performers: [[Marilyn Sokol]], [[Byron Whiting]], [[Greg Antonacchi]], [[Cary Antebi]], [[John Byrum]]
 
  ⚫
*[[Fran Brill]]: Green Bird Frackle
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*Byron Whiting
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*[[Greg Antonucci|Greg Antonacchi]]: Gloat (some scenes)
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*[[Cary Antebi]]: Scoff (assistant)
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*[[John Byrum]]
   
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==External Links==
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==Credits==
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*Produced by Bob Precht
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*[http://www.toughpigs.com/anthsanta00.htm Tough Pigs' Transcript: The Great Santa Claus Switch]
  
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*Directed by [[John Moffitt]]
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*Book and lyrics written by [[Jerry Juhl]]
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*Music composed and conducted by [[Joe Raposo]]
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*Settings designed by Bill Bohnert
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*Puppet construction supervised by [[Don Sahlin|Donald Sahlin]] with [[Kermit Love]] and [[Caroly Wilcox]]
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*Associate producer for the Muppets: [[Diana Birkenfield]]
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*Conceived and executed for the Muppets by [[Jim Henson]]
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*Produced in Association with [[The Jim Henson Company|Henson Associates, Inc.]]
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*A Presentation of Sullivan Productions Inc.
   
   
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<gallery widths="209" spacing="small" orientation="landscape">
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santaclausswitch1.jpg
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Santaclausswitch1-12.jpg
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santaclausswitch1-6.jpg
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santaclausswitch1-4.jpg
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santaclausswitch1-3.jpg
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santaclausswitch1-2.jpg
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santaclausswitch1-5.jpg
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santaclausswitch1-1.jpg
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santaclausswitch1-11.jpg
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santaclausswitch1-10.jpg
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santaclausswitch1-9.jpg
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santaclausswitch1-8.jpg
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santaclausswitch1-7.jpg
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tvguide_dec12-18_70_cover.jpg
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tvguide_dec12-18_70_pp18-19.jpg
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tvguide_dec12-18_70_pp20-21.jpg
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IMG_5865.JPG
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promo pic 1.JPG
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art carney colorized.jpg
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</gallery>
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==Sources==
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<references />
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==External links==
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*[http://www.toughpigs.com/anthsanta00.htm Tough Pigs' Transcript: The Great Santa Claus Switch]
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*[http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2013/12/12201970/ Jim Henson's Red Book entry about the special (12/12/1970)]
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*[http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2012/06/61-31970/ Jim Henson's Red Book - Frackle casting assignments (6/1-3/1970)]
 
[[Category:Muppet Specials|Great Santa Claus Switch]]
  
[[Category:Muppet Specials|Great Santa Claus Switch]]
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[[Category:Christmas|Great Santa Claus Switch]]
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[[Category:Christmas Productions|Great Santa Claus Switch]]

Revision as of 07:39, 25 April 2014

Title

The Great Santa Claus Switch was a Muppet television special that first aired on CBS on December 20, 1970.

Plot

Tgscs santa thog thig

The show, narrated by Ed Sullivan, begins at the North Pole with Santa Claus and his elves getting ready for another Christmas. However, Cosmo Scam has hatched a plan to kidnap Santa and take his place. As part of the plan, Cosmo plans to abduct Santa's elves (one at a time) and replace them with his evil henchmen.

Development

Watercolorfracklesconcept

Watercolor illustration by Jim Henson for a 1967 pitch for The Great Santa Claus Switch.

Jh bts tgscs

Jim Henson on set of the special.

JimSantaClausSwitch

Illustration by Henson for the 1970 company Christmas card.

File:TVG701212.jpg

TV Guide: December 12, 1970

The idea for this Christmas special had been developed by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl for several years, and had a long evolution. Notes and sketches date as far back as 1963, when the project was originally titled The Witch Who Stole Santa Claus, and later The Sinister Santa Claus Switch. The story revolved around a failed plot to kidnap and impersonate Santa Claus in order to rob every home in the world. Taminella Grinderfall, the witch from the unsold Tales of the Tinkerdee pilot was to play a starring role.[1][2] Henson and Juhl reworked the script numerous times, and the title changed as well. To help sell the project to television executives, Henson created watercolor illustrations to accompany a written proposal. The concept circulated for several years before Ed Sullivan, based on the response to the Muppets' frequent appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, agreed to produce the special and air it in his regular Sunday evening time slot.

By 1970, Henson's Muppets had made nearly two dozen successful guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. The Great Santa Claus Switch was a full Henson production – written by Juhl, with music by Joe Raposo and puppets by Don Sahlin. The production marks the first time Henson worked with Richard Hunt and Fran Brill.

Notes

  • This special includes the very first appearance of the puppet that would later become Gonzo. He was then known as Snarl (or the Cigar Box Frackle) and would be remodeled and reused for The Muppet Show.
  • The Great Santa Claus Switch is currently available for viewing at The Paley Center for Media.

Cast

and

Credits



Sources

  1. ↑ Jim Henson's Red Book entry - December 1969
  2. ↑ Inches, Alison Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles, pp. 70-74

External links

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