Halloween Is Grinch Night

Halloween Is Grinch Night
Genre	Animation Comedy Halloween special Fantasy Family
Written by	Dr. Seuss
Directed by	Gerard Baldwin
Voices of	Hans Conried Henry Gibson Gary Shapiro Hal Smith Irene Tedrow Jack DeLeon
Country of origin	United States
Production
Executive producer(s)	David H. DePatie Friz Freleng
Producer(s)	Ted Geisel
Running time	26 minutes
Production company(s)	DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original airing	October 29, 1977 (1977-10-29)

Halloween Is Grinch Night (titled Grinch Night for the sing-a-long videocasette release) is a 1977 Halloween musical TV special and prequel to How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. It won the 1977 Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. It premiered on ABC on October 29, 1977.^{[citation needed]}

Plot

The story takes place in and around Whoville, on a night known as "Grinch Night", which commences when a "Sour-Sweet Wind" blows and sets off the pink colored Gree-Grumps, who lives in tree stumps near Puncker's pond, to start growling, which also caused Puncker's Pond to runkle and grunkle, which got the green colored Hakken-Krakks, who lives in Punkers Pond, to start howling. The Gree-Grumps's growling and the Hakken-Krakks's howling annoys The Grinch into terrorizing the Whos. As the story opens, the Sour-Sweet Wind is just beginning to blow when Euchariah, a polite little Who with a slight astigmatism, goes to use the outhouse (referred to as "the euphemism" in the story), but is swept away to Mt. Crumpit by the wind.

On the road he encounters the Grinch, who is busy picking Brickles out of his rear after failing to hunt down the "Wuzzy Woozoo". Along with the Grinch's dog, Max, who is in the process of bringing a large wagon — called the "Paraphernalia Wagon" — down to Whoville. Euchariah decides to keep the Grinch from reaching Whoville by stalling him. On the first two occasions the Grinch contemptuously dismisses him by saying that Euchariah "isn't worth a first-class Grinching," but after Euchariah's persistence, the Grinch decides that he's had enough of the little Who and invites him to take a closer look at the Paraphernalia Wagon. When Euchariah does so, the Grinch opens up the wagon and a cloud of green smoke with Grinch-like eyes emerges and ensnares him.

Inside the wagon, Euchariah is confronted by surreal imagery, numerous monsters ("members of the Un-Human Race," according to the background lyrics) and the Grinch's mocking voice. Though scared out of his wits, Euchariah bravely keeps on his toes long enough for the Sour-Sweet Wind to die down, thus forcing the Grinch to pack up and retire to his cave; Max on the other hand, who had been abused and overworked by the Grinch, goes home with Euchariah. Back in Whoville, the residents (including Euchariah's grandfather Josiah and his grandmother Mariah) celebrate the little Who's courage in preventing the Grinch releasing the Paraphernalia Wagon's full horrors on their town, and up in the mountains the Grinch, who is hauling the wagon home himself, ominously notes that one day soon the Sour-Sweet Wind will blow once more, and it will be Grinch Night all over again.

Cast

• Hans Conried: The Grinch/Narrator
• Gary Shapiro: Euchariah
• Henry Gibson: Max (singing)
• Hal Smith: Josiah
• Jack DeLeon: Sergeant Samuel McPherson
• Irene Tedrow: Mariah
• Thurl Ravenscroft: Singer, Monsters

Songs

1. "I Wouldn't Go Out on a Night Like This" - Josiah
2. "The Grinch Night Ball" - the Grinch
3. "How Many Times" - Max's inner voice, the Grinch
4. "As the Grinch Creaks Ever Closer..." - Chorus
5. "I Wouldn't Go Out on a Night Like This (Reprise)" - Chorus
6. "He is Wandering in the Wind" - Chorus
7. "Ooga Booga" - the Grinch
8. "Grinch Is Gonna Get You"/"Members of the Un-human race"/"the Spooks tour Finale" - Monster Chorus (Hans Conried, The Mellomen, Mel Blanc, Paul Frees, Hal Smith and Paul Winchell)
9. "There Goes the Grinch" - Chorus

Production notes

• This is the first Dr. Seuss special to be aired on ABC.
• This is the only Dr. Seuss ABC television special to be produced by Dr. Seuss Enterprises.
• Thurl Ravenscroft from the first four Dr. Seuss CBS specials returns as a singer.
• This is the first Dr. Seuss special to have music from Joe Raposo. The music is orchestral, somewhat like Eugene Poddany's music, and unlike Dean Elliott's jazz-themed music.
• This is the first Dr. Seuss special to have David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng both credited as executive producers since "The Cat in the Hat".
• This is the first Dr. Seuss special to not use "A Cat in the Hat Production".

Home video release

The special was first released on VHS by Playhouse Video in 1989. In 1992, it was released by Random House Home Video on VHS. It was also released by VHS by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in 1996, and by Paramount Home Entertainment in 2000. In 2003, the special was released on VHS and DVD from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. On October 18, 2011, the special was released on DVD by Warner Home Video under Dr. Seuss's Holidays on the Loose!, along with How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat.

External links

• Halloween Is Grinch Night at the Internet Movie Database
• Holland, Chris; Scott Hamilton. "Stomp Tokyo Video Reviews - Halloween is Grinch Night (1977)". Stomp Tokyo. Retrieved 18 January 2009.