Enter Into His Gates With Thanksgiving

I've posted during several other Thanksgiving seasons on The Mouse and the Mayflower. The finest legacy of this classic Rankin-Bass TV special (first broadcast in 1968) is the wonderful songs by Maury Laws and Jules Bass. You can read a report on the only recording of these beautiful songs ever released —and it was a promotional recording, at that, never released to the public—by Greg Ehrbar as part of his not-to-be-missed weekly Animation Spin column at Cartoon Research. (The record was only released to employees of the Gas company, which as you can see below, was the sponsor of the premiere broadcast of the "delightful new musical tale" on NBC.) Two of the most The Mouse and the Mayflower beautiful songs are mashed up for the big climax, for in telling of that first Thanksgiving feast, the animated special showcases the lovely "November," leading into a reprise of the majestic "Mayflower," all richly sung by the always excellent Tennessee Ernie Ford. You can see and hear that part of the special here. The special also incorporates Psalm 100, proclaimed by Tennessee Ernie Ford in his rich, expressive voice. Much has been made of the inclusion of a scripture reading in A Charlie Brown Christmas, and rightly so, but The Mouse and the Mayflower does it too. Here is what Ernie proclaims, a perfect "joyful noise unto the Lord" for Thanksgiving Day: Make ye a joyful noise unto the Lord. Come before his presence with singing. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto him and bless his name, for the Lord is good. His mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. 

Going Bannas For Thanksgiving

How does a band of Jungle Book buddies celebrate a holiday associated with cooking and baking when they don't have "Man's red flower"? Simply celebrate with bananas, of course—even though Kaa and Shere Khan seem as if they might be considering Mowgli as the main course. This unusual Disney artwork comes from the cover of the Disney Studios in-house newsletter, Disney Newsreel, for November 26, 1982. No credit is given so the artist is unknown—but whoever created it, this unique take on Thanksgiving reminds us there's more than one way to celebrate even the most tradition-bound holiday. 

  

Let Us Give Thanks

Here's a heartwarming artwork created by Disney artist Russell Schroeder (author of Disney Lost Chords, which you can purchase here) that was published on the cover of the November 24, 1983 issue of Walt Disney World Eyes & Ears (the cast member newsletter). (Click on the image for a larger view.) Leave it to heartfelt Mickey Mouse—and of course Minnie—to so cozily, so simply, yet so profoundly remind us that Thanksgiving Day is all about counting our blessings. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Thanksgiving At The Treasure House

Hospitality and welcoming. These qualities were a big part of Captain Kangaroo, the classic TV series that ran for decades every weekday morning on CBS, and I think this photo is an illustration of some of those attributes, in both setting (the most charming, most "real" version of the Treasure House, seen on the show 1965 through 1971) and cast (both people and puppets). Some associate the Thanksgiving holiday with Captain Kangaroo because from 1959 through 1965 (perhaps even later), Captain and his friends hosted the Thanksgiving Day parade coverage on CBS. But in what was an annual tradition for a good number of years, Captain would celebrate Thanksgiving within the show broadcast on that particular November Thursday. The conclusion of the Thanksgiving show was particularly powerful: To illustrate that for which we as a country should be grateful on this national day of thanks, Captain would display Norman Rockwell's famed series of paintings, The Four Freedoms. Then, as the Perry Como version of the hymn "Prayer for Thanksgiving (We Gather Together)" played, the Captain, Mr. Green Jeans, Dancing Bear, Bunny Rabbit and Mister Moose (the very characters seen on this record cover) gathered at a festive Thanksgiving table and reverently bowed their heads in prayer. The hymn ended with Perry and chorus powerfully singing the compelling lyric "Lord, make us free." Silence. Fade to black. There were no closing credits and no closing theme music... just a dramatic reminder of what Thanksgiving is supposed to be about: giving thanks.

A Thanksgiving Duck

A turkey gets the best of the Duck on this Thanksgiving-themed cover from the November 1940 issue of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories. This was only the second issue of this long-running title—all the more remarkable given it just published its 700 issue. Word is that the new publisher, Boom! Comics, will start running more comics in the classic tradition of this great comic book that will be celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2010. Reason enough to give thanks.

A Vegan Thanksgiving Treat

Bugs Bunny is bypassing the bird to feast on his favorite vegan Thanksgiving (or anytime) treat in this cover from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies comic book (#122 1955). I love how pushed the art was in this era, giving the characters a look that was both cute and a bit manic—looney, one might say. Enjoy this classic Warner Bros, cover as you plan on what veggies you will serve (or eat) on Thursday.

Hey Kids! No School Tomorrow!

A little known footnote of the Disney theatrical roster, feature- or featurette-length compilations of cartoon shorts were a way to repackage the cartoons and satisfy the demand for Mickey and his pals. Thanksgiving weekend of course means four days of no school so it’s naturally prime time to pack movie theaters full of kiddies. In 1953, when this Thanksgiving cartoonarama were released, the Disney theatrical animated short was on its last legs and the following year Disney entered series television with a regular showcase for his animation. Cartoon compilations like this was another way to showcase classic cartoons while giving theatres the opportunity to tap into the matinee audience, which of course expanded past Saturday afternoon during the Thanksgiving school break. This particular poster offers its own pleasures with that wonderful art—definitely something to be thankful for.