Review of Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

The evil wizard Winterbolt (deliciously voiced with plummy aplomb by the great Paul Frees) gets reawakened from his centuries of slumber and decides to take over Christmas from Santa Claus. He gives Frosty the Snowman and his family magic amulets so they can go see a circus in July without melting. Moreover, Winterbolt tries to get Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to do something bad so his nose will go out. This typically pleasant and good-natured feature length holiday television program from the always reliable Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. benefits greatly from a steady pace, nifty stop-motion animation, cool characters (Winterbolt's fearsome snow dragons are genuinely gnarly), a simple and engaging story, an amusingly easy'n'breezy sense of gentle humor, and plenty of catchy'n'merry songs. Moreover, the cast all voice their roles with tremendous flair and affection: Jackie Vernon as Frosty the Snowman, Shelley Winters as Frosty's sweet wife Crystal, Red Buttons as affable lovestruck ice cream salesman Milton, Ethal Merman as feisty cowgirl circus owner Lily Lorraine, Billie Mae Richards as the endearingly nasal Rudolph, Mickey Rooney as the warm and lovable Santa Claus, Shelby Flint as fetching high wire artist Laine Lorraine, and Alan Sues as nasty, jealous, spiteful outcast reindeer Scratcher. A really fun and entertaining show.