Changes: The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow

Revision as of 19:12, 29 December 2019

The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow is a critically-acclaimed Christmas television special produced in stop-motion animation by Rankin-Bass in 1975. It was narrated by Angela Lansbury and costars Cyril Ritchard. It was the first Christmas special that Jules Bass wrote under the pseudonym "Julien P. Gardner" (he would use that name again for The Little Drummer Boy, Book II and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus).

Synopsis

A few weeks before Christmas, a young shepherd named Lucas is struck by lightning while wandering the countryside with his animals. A group of kindly nuns - Sister Theresa (the narrator), Sister Jean, and Sister Catherine - rescue him, taking him to their abbey nearby. Soon, they and the abbey's priest, Father Thomas, learn that Lucas has not only been blinded by the lightning, but he is an orphan. Father Thomas is slightly irritated, but nevertheless, Lucas is allowed to stay at the abbey while he recovers from the accident, and Sister Theresa becomes a mentor to him. She is the one to tell him about snow, something not he nor anyone else at the abbey has ever seen (the village is "much too close to the sea"). Lucas is fascinated and begins to dream of a "white Christmas".

Later on, Father Thomas tells Sister Theresa of his plans to send Lucas to an orphanage after Christmas time. Lucas overhears this and is heartbroken. In the meantime, Lucas gets to participate as an angel in the abbey's Christmas pageant with some other children from the village. There, he meets a girl named Louisa, another one of the angels who immediately befriends him. Lucas shares with her his dream of seeing snow for the first time.

On Christmas Eve, Lucas realizes that he won't be able to take his animals, a herd of sheep and a dog named Waggles, to the orphanage with him after Christmas. He tells Waggles that he has decided to give her and the sheep to Sister Theresa as a Christmas present. At the same time, three mischievous boys who are in the Christmas pageant with Lucas have been eavesdropping on him and decide to lock the sheep in a shed as a prank. Shortly afterwards, though, the sheep get out and run into the wolf-ridden forest nearby, and Lucas sets out to find them. The boys admit to Sister Theresa what they have done before following Lucas into the forest to help find the sheep. When they arrive, Lucas has found all of his sheep except Woolly, who has fallen into a deep hole. Lucas and the other boys work together to save Woolly, and just in time for the Christmas pageant!

001 — Lucas (left) learns he is allowed to stay at the abbey.

At the Christmas pageant, after the children sing their song, "The First White Christmas", it begins to snow. Louisa excitedly explains this to Lucas, who is so happy that he cries. Miraculously, Sister Theresa explains, these tears restored Lucas's sight, "not just for the moment, but for good".

After the pageant, a small party is held, where Lucas gives Sister Theresa his animals. Sister Theresa is flattered, but explains to Lucas that she wouldn't be fit to care for the animals, and invites him to stay at the abbey to watch over them instead of going to the orphanage. Even Father Thomas agrees, saying, "I do feel that the best place for a boy with no parents is with people who love him." Lucas is thrilled and remarks that this Christmas has been the "first real, happy Christmas of [his] life".

Songs

Broadcast history

The special originally premiered on NBC on December 19, 1975. It later aired on CBS usually as the last Rankin/Bass special aired for the season. In the 1990s and 2000s, it was then aired as part of ABC Family's annual 25 Days of Christmas event, but was dropped as a regular part of the lineup in 2011, only briefly returning to the lineup for 2012 & 2015. As of 2019, it currently airs uncut on AMC as part of their annual Best Christmas Ever programming block.

Availability

There have been two VHS releases of the special, the first one released by ABC Video Emterprises, thru Golden Book Video, in 1987, and the second one released by Warner Home Video in 1993. Warner later released a Deluxe Edition DVD of the special on October 2, 2012. The DVD was repackaged along with three of Warner's other Rankin/Bass Christmas DVDs in the 4 Kid Favorites: Merry Masterpieces box set, released on October 13, 2015.

Notes

The special's title actually refers to the Christmas pageant the orphan children put on Christmas Eve, though the title could also refer to the first time Lucas actually experiences snow after his sight returns.
The special has been said to take place in Southern France.
Arthur Rankin stated in an interview that Irving Berlin, the songwriter of the centerpiece song, "White Christmas", was initially strongly opposed to Rankin/Bass producing the special.

Cast

Voice actress/actor	Character
Angela Lansbury	Sister Theresa
Cyril Ritchard	Father Thomas
David Kelley	Lucas
Dina Lynn	Louisa
Greg Thomas Don Messick Sean Manning Dru Stevens	Additional characters
Iris Rainer	Sister Catherine
Joan Gardener	Sister Jean
Hilary Momberger	Octavia

Gallery

External links

Rankin/Bass

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer • Cricket on the Hearth • The Little Drummer Boy • Frosty the Snowman • Santa Claus is Comin' to Town • "A Christmas Tree" • 'Twas the Night Before Christmas • The Year Without a Santa Claus • The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow • Frosty's Winter Wonderland • Rudolph's Shiny New Year • The Little Drummer Boy, Book II • Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey • The Stingiest Man in Town • Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July • Jack Frost • Pinocchio's Christmas • The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold • The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus • Santa, Baby!

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Italic title}}
+{{title
-{{title|image=Title-firstxmas1.jpg|director=[[Arthur Rankin, Jr.]]<br>[[Jules Bass]]|writer=Julian P. Gardner {{s|(Jules Bass)}}|release=December 19, 1975|runtime=22 minutes|rating=TV-G|available=VHS<br>DVD<br>[https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-first-christmas-the-story-of-the-first-christmas-snow/id732812699 iTunes]<br>[https://www.amazon.com/First-Christmas-Story-Snow/dp/B01BD69WFI Amazon Instant Video]}}
+|image=Title-firstxmas1.jpg
-'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is a critically-acclaimed [[Christmas]] television special produced in stop-motion animation by [[Rankin-Bass]] in 1975. It was narrated by {{w|Angela Lansbury}} and costars {{w|Cyril Ritchard}}.
+|director={{W|Arthur Rankin, Jr.}}<br>{{W|Jules Bass}} {{s|(producers)}}
+|writer={{W|Jules Bass}}
+|release=December 19, 1975
+|runtime=24 minutes
+|rating=TV-G
+|available=VHS<br>DVD<br>[https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-first-christmas-the-story-of-the-first-christmas-snow/id732812699 Apple TV]<br>[https://www.amazon.com/First-Christmas-Story-Snow/dp/B01BD69WFI Amazon Video]}}
+'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is a critically-acclaimed [[Christmas]] television special produced in stop-motion animation by [[Rankin-Bass]] in 1975. It was narrated by {{w|Angela Lansbury}} and costars {{w|Cyril Ritchard}}. It was the first Christmas special that {{W|Jules Bass}} wrote under the pseudonym "Julien P. Gardner" (he would use that name again for ''[[The Little Drummer Boy, Book II]]'' and ''[[The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985)|The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus]]'').
 ==Synopsis==
-{{spoiler}}[[File:Thefirstchristmas.jpg‎|thumb|250px|Lucas surrounded by the nuns]]
+[[File:Thefirstchristmas.jpg‎|thumb|250px|Lucas surrounded by the nuns]]
-[[File:1354419647_2.png.jpeg|thumb|250px]]
+[[File:1354419647 2.png.jpeg|thumb|250px]]
 A few weeks before Christmas, a young shepherd named [[Lucas]] is struck by lightning while wandering the countryside with his animals. A group of kindly nuns - [[Sister Theresa]] (the narrator), Sister Jean, and Sister Catherine - rescue him, taking him to their abbey nearby. Soon, they and the abbey's priest, Father Thomas, learn that Lucas has not only been blinded by the lightning, but he is an orphan. Father Thomas is slightly irritated, but nevertheless, Lucas is allowed to stay at the abbey while he recovers from the accident, and Sister Theresa becomes a mentor to him. She is the one to tell him about snow, something not he nor anyone else at the abbey has ever seen (the village is "much too close to the sea"). Lucas is fascinated and begins to dream of a "white Christmas".
@@ Line 16: / Line 23: @@
 After the pageant, a small party is held, where Lucas gives Sister Theresa his animals. Sister Theresa is flattered, but explains to Lucas that she wouldn't be fit to care for the animals, and invites him to stay at the abbey to watch over them instead of going to the orphanage. Even Father Thomas agrees, saying, "I do feel that the best place for a boy with no parents is with people who love him." Lucas is thrilled and remarks that this Christmas has been the "first real, happy Christmas of [his] life".
-{{endspoiler}}
 ==Songs==
-* "[[Save A Little Christmas]]"
+*"[[Save A Little Christmas]]"
-* "[[Christmas Snow Is Magic]]"
+*"[[Christmas Snow Is Magic]]"
-* "[[White Christmas (song)|White Christmas]]"
+*"[[White Christmas (song)|White Christmas]]"
-* "[[The First White Christmas]]"
+*"[[The First White Christmas]]"
-==Trivia==
-*The speical's title actually refers to the Christmas pageant the orphan children put on Christmas Eve, though the title could also refer to the first time Lucas actually experiences snow after his sight returns.
-*The special has been said to take place in Southern France.
-*Arthur Rankin stated in an interview that {{w|Irving Berlin}}, the songwriter of the centerpiece song, "White Christmas", was initially strongly opposed to Rankin/Bass producing the special.
 ==Broadcast history==
-The special originally premiered on {{w|NBC}} on December 19, 1975. It later aired on {{w|CBS}} usually as the last Rankin/Bass special aired for the season. In the 1990s and 2000s, it was then aired as part of {{w|Freeform (TV channel)|ABC Family}}'s annual [[25 Days of Christmas]] programming block, but was dropped as a regular part of the lineup in 2011, only briefly returning to the lineup for 2012 & 2015. As of 2018, it now airs on {{W|AMC (TV channel)|AMC}} as part of their annual [[Best Christmas Ever]] programming block.
+The special originally premiered on [[NBC]] on December 19, 1975. It later aired on [[CBS]] usually as the last Rankin/Bass special aired for the season. In the 1990s and 2000s, it was then aired as part of [[Freeform|ABC Family]]'s annual [[25 Days of Christmas]] event, but was dropped as a regular part of the lineup in 2011, only briefly returning to the lineup for 2012 & 2015. As of 2019, it currently airs uncut on {{W|AMC (TV channel)|AMC}} as part of their annual [[Best Christmas Ever]] programming block.
 ==Availability==
-There have been two VHS releases of the special, the first one released by ABC Video Emterprises, thru Golden Book Video, in 1987, and the second one released by {{w|Warner Home Entertainment|Warner Home Video}} in 1993. Warner later released a Deluxe Edition DVD of the special on October 2, 2012. The DVD was repackaged along with three of Warner's other Rankin/Bass Christmas DVDs in the ''4 Kid Favorites: Merry Masterpieces'' box set, released on October 13, 2015.
+There have been two VHS releases of the special, the first one released by ABC Video Emterprises, thru Golden Book Video, in 1987, and the second one released by {{w|Warner Home Video}} in 1993. Warner later released a Deluxe Edition DVD of the special on October 2, 2012. The DVD was repackaged along with three of Warner's other Rankin/Bass Christmas DVDs in the ''4 Kid Favorites: Merry Masterpieces'' box set, released on October 13, 2015.
-<gallery widths="200" spacing="small" captionalign="center" bordercolor="transparent" hideaddbutton="true">
+<gallery widths=200 spacing=small bordersize=none>
-TheStoryOfTheFirstChristmasSnow_GoldenBookVideo.jpg|{{Gallery note|VHS|ABC Video Enterprises<br>{{s|(Thru. Golden Book Video)}}<br>1987}}
+TheStoryOfTheFirstChristmasSnow GoldenBookVideo.jpg|{{GNH|VHS|ABC Video Enterprises<br>{{s|(Thru. Golden Book Video)}}<br>1987}}
-TheStoryOfTheFirstChristmasSnow VHS.jpg|{{Gallery note|VHS|Warner Home Video<br>1993}}
+TheStoryOfTheFirstChristmasSnow VHS.jpg|{{GNH|VHS|Warner Home Video<br>1993}}
-TheStoryOfTheFirstChristmasSnow DVD.jpg|{{Gallery note|DVD|Warner Home Video<br>October 2, 2012}}
+TheStoryOfTheFirstChristmasSnow DVD.jpg|{{GNH|DVD|Warner Home Video<br>October 2, 2012}}
 </gallery>
+==Notes==
+*The special's title actually refers to the Christmas pageant the orphan children put on Christmas Eve, though the title could also refer to the first time Lucas actually experiences snow after his sight returns.
+*The special has been said to take place in Southern France.
+*Arthur Rankin stated in an interview that {{w|Irving Berlin}}, the songwriter of the centerpiece song, "White Christmas", was initially strongly opposed to Rankin/Bass producing the special.
 ==Cast==
@@ Line 54: / Line 59: @@
 | Dina Lynn || Louisa
 |-valign=top
-| Greg Thomas<br>[[Don Messick]]<br>Sean Manning<br>Dru Stevens || Additional Voices
+| Greg Thomas<br>[[Don Messick]]<br>Sean Manning<br>Dru Stevens || Additional characters
 |-
-| Iris Rainer || Sister Catherine
+| [[Iris Rainer Dart|Iris Rainer]] || Sister Catherine
 |-
 | Joan Gardener || Sister Jean
@@ Line 64: / Line 69: @@
 ==Gallery==
-<gallery widths="200" spacing="small" position="center" hideaddbutton="true">
+<gallery widths=200 spacing=small>
+First-Christmas-1.jpg
+first christmas.jpg
 TSOTFCS.jpg
+1354421420 1.jpg
 </gallery>
 ==External links==
-* {{imdb title|0073751}}
+*{{imdb title|0073751}}
-* {{bcdb title|27836}}
+*{{bcdb title|27836}}
 {{rankinbass}}
@@ Line 77: / Line 85: @@
 [[Category:Rankin/Bass]]
 [[Category:Originally aired on NBC]]
-[[Category:Warner Home Video]]
 [[Category:1975 releases]]
-[[Category:The First Christmas]]
+[[Category:Warner Home Entertainment]]
+[[Category:The Nativity]]