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A Christmas Wish (
1950) a.k.a. "
The Great Rupert"
starring
Jimmy Durante
A little squirrel with lots of charm accidentally helps two poor, down-but-NOT-out families overcome their obstacles.
The Great Rupert (A Christmas Wish), is a 1950 comedy family film, produced by
George Pal, directed by
Irving Pichel and starring Jimmy Durante,
Tom Drake and
Terry Moore. It is based on a story, written by
Ted Allan, which has also been published as a children's book under the title "
Willie the Squowse". The story revolves around a little animated squirrel who, with lots of charm, accidentally helps two economically distressed families overcome their obstacles.
Jimmy Durante as
Mr. Louie Amendola
Terry Moore as
Rosalinda Amendola
Tom Drake as
Peter '
Pete'
Dingle
Frank Orth as Mr.
Frank Dingle
Sara Haden as
Mrs. Katie Dingle
Queenie Smith as Mrs. Amendola
Chick Chandler as
Phil Davis
Jimmy Conlin as
Joe Mahoney
Rupert as Himself the
Squirrel
Hugh Sanders as
Mulligan
Don Beddoe as Mr. Haggerty
Candy Candido as Molineri - Florist
Clancy Cooper as
Police Lt.
Saunders
Harold Goodwin as
Callahan -
F.B.I. Man
Frank Cady as Mr. Taney - Tax
Investigator
Lester Dorr
... Eddie, the
Bartender
Kenner G.
Kemp ...
Passerby in
Park
Frank Marlowe ...
Dave the
Mailman
Torben Meyer ... Mr. Petrushka the
Baker
Ralph Montgomery ...
Fireman
Irving Pichel ... Puzzled
Pedestrian
Harry Strang ...
Fire Chief
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante (
February 10, 1893 --
January 29,
1980) was an
American singer, pianist, comedian, and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of
America's most familiar and popular personalities of the
1920s through the
1970s. His jokes about his nose included referring to it as a "
Schnozzola", and the word became his nickname.
Durante became a vaudeville star and radio personality by the mid-1920s, with a trio called
Clayton,
Jackson and Durante.
Lou Clayton and
Eddie Jackson, Durante's closest friends, often reunited professionally.
By 1934, he had a major record hit with his own novelty composition, "
Inka Dinka Doo". It became his theme song for the rest of his life. A year later, Durante starred on
Broadway in the
Billy Rose stage musical
Jumbo, in which a police officer stopped him while leading a live elephant and asked him, "What are you doing with that elephant?" Durante's reply, "What elephant?" was a regular show-stopper. This comedy bit, also reprised in his role in
Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962, based on the 1935 musical) is likely to have contributed to the popularity of the idiom the elephant in the room. Durante also appeared on Broadway in
Show Girl (1929),
Strike Me Pink (1934) and
Red, Hot and Blue (1936).
He began appearing in motion pictures in a comedy series pairing him with silent film legend
Buster Keaton and continuing with
The Wet Parade (1932),
Broadway to Hollywood (1933),
The Man Who Came to Dinner (
1942, playing "
Banjo", a character based on
Harpo Marx),
Ziegfeld Follies (1946), Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962, based on the 1935 musical) and
It's a
Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (
1963).
Jimmy Durante is known to most modern audiences as the character who narrated and sang the
1969 animated special
Frosty the Snowman. There are numerous Durante depictions and allusions in animation. Many
1940s Looney Tunes/
Merrie Melodies cartoons had characters based on Durante.
George Pal's stop-motion animation used in creating the illusion of a dancing squirrel (Rupert) was so realistic that he received many inquiries as to where he located a trained squirrel.
In
2003,
20th Century Fox and
Legend Films revived the (now) public domain film with a colorized special edition of the film, under the title A Christmas Wish. For that release, Terry Moore provided an audio commentary track.
George Pal .... producer
Original Music by
Leith Stevens
Cinematography by
Lionel Lindon
Film Editing by
Duke Goldstone
Production Design by
Ernst Fegté
Set Decoration by
Joseph Kish
Flora James .... hair stylist
Harry Ray .... makeup artist
Lewis J. Rachmil .... production supervisor
Harold Godsoe .... assistant director
William H. Lynch .... sound
Barry B.
Sandrew .... visual effects producer
Maurice Goldberg .... still photographer
B.P. Jacques .... grip
Stanley Williams .... gaffer
Lothrop B.
Worth .... camera
operator
Fred Madison .... animator: "Rupert"
Helen Rachmil .... costume stylist
Buddy Kaye .... songs
Fred Spielman .... songs
Clarence Wheeler .... orchestrator
John S.
Abbott .... technical supervisor
Miles E.
Pike .... technician
Curly Twiford .... animal trainer
Giby Whitlock .... script supervisor
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- published: 04 Dec 2012
- views: 14372