ABC Airs SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN Tonight

Santa Claus IS COMING TO TOWN, the classic animated one-hour holiday special that has delighted generations, will air TONIGHT, DECEMBER 11 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. (Rebroadcast. OAD 12/2/05)

In the perennial favorite created in 1970 by Rankin-Bass Productions (“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,”) Fred Astaire narrates this timeless tale of Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney), a young boy with an immense desire to do good things for others. In his home village of Sombertown, Kris has started a gift factory where he builds toys and gives them to all the local children. But when the evil ruler, Burgermeister Meisterburger (Paul Frees), bans toys from the land, Kris is forced to go directly to Mother Nature and ask her for assistance. With the help of magical elves and several special reindeer, Kris overcomes the Burgermeister and delivers toys to children all over the world, earning him the name Santa Claus.

Narrated by Fred Astaire, the vocal cast features Mickey Rooney as Kris Kringle, Keenan Wynn as Winter, Paul Frees as Burgermeister Meisterburger, Grimsby, the soldiers and the townsmen; Joan Gardner as Tanta Kringle, Robie Lester as Jessica and Andrea Sacino, Dina Lynn, Gary White and Greg Thomas as the children.

“Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” is a Rankin-Bass Production. It was directed and produced by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. and written by Romeo Muller.