A Very Merry Cricket

*A Very Merry Cricket*
A Very Merry Cricket
Written by	Chuck Jones; George Selden
Directed by	Chuck Jones
Starring	Les Tremayne; Mel Blanc
Music by	Dean Elliott
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Running time	24 minutes
Original release
Release	December 14, 1973

A Very Merry Cricket is a 1973 Christmas animated television special. It was directed by Chuck Jones.^[1] It originally aired on ABC on December 14, 1973. who also wrote the teleplay with George Selden.^[2] It was a sequel to their acclaimed adaptation of the 1960 book The Cricket in Times Square and was followed in 1975 by another sequel, Yankee Doodle Cricket.

The show included two original songs by Dean Elliott and Marian Dern (Jones' wife): "Christmas in New York" and "What If Humans Were More Like Mice?"^[3]

Plot

It is Christmastime in New York City, but the loud mean-spiritedness of its human population is making it a misery for best friends, Harry the Cat and Tucker the Mouse. They resolve to try to bring back the holiday's warmth with the help of their friend, Chester C. Cricket, the musical insect. Chester agrees to this idea, but, against this kind of noisy urban negativity, it will take a miracle for this trio to make a difference.

Availability

The special was released on VHS in 1985, in 1989 as part of the Christmas Classics Series, in 1992 on a Double Feature VHS also containing the Canadian Christmas special Bluetoes the Christmas Elf, and in 1999 by Family Home Entertainment. It was released on DVD for the first time with another Chuck Jones special, Mowgli's Brothers in 2005, and later as part of the Chuck Jones Collection DVD in 2007, both released by Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

Cast

Les Tremayne as Chester C. Cricket / Harry the Cat
Mel Blanc as Tucker R. Mouse / Alley Cat

References

^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 340. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 330. ISBN 9781476672939.
^ Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 439–440. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

External links

A Very Merry Cricket at IMDb

[1] Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 340. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

[2] Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 330. ISBN 9781476672939.

[3] Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 439–440. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

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v t e Works by George Selden
Chester Cricket and His Friends books	The Cricket in Times Square (1960) Tucker's Countryside (1969) Harry Cat's Pet Puppy (1974) Chester Cricket's Pigeon Ride (1981) Chester Cricket's New Home (1983) Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse (1986) The Old Meadow (1987)
Other books	The Genie of Sutton Place (1973)
Adaptations	A Very Merry Cricket (1973) Yankee Doodle Cricket (1975)