Story of movie Halloween Is Grinch Night : Halloween Is Grinch Night (titled It's Grinch Night for the 1992 videocassette release and Grinch Night for the sing-a-long videocasette release) is a 1977 Halloween television special and either the prequel or sequel to How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. It won the 1978 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program. It premiered on ABC on October 29, 1977.
| Halloween Is Grinch Night | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animation Comedy Halloween special Fantasy Family |
| Written by | Dr. Seuss |
| Directed by | Gerard Baldwin |
| Voices of | Hans Conried Henry Gibson Gary Shapiro Hal Smith Irene Tedrow Jack DeLeon |
| Narrated by | Hans Conried |
| Composer(s) | Joe Raposo |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | David H. DePatie Friz Freleng |
| Producer(s) | Ted Geisel |
| Running time | 26 minutes |
| Production company(s) | DePatie–Freleng Enterprises |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | October 29, 1977 |
Screenplay
In Whoville, on a night known as "Grinch Night", which commences when a "Sour-Sweet Wind" blows and a chain of events causes the Gree-Grumps and Hakken-Krakks to prompt The Grinch into terrorizing the Whos, as he believes such nights are the perfect nights for a Grinch Night. Later, Euchariah, a polite little Who with a slight astigmatism, goes to use the outhouse (referred to as "the euphemism" in the story), but is swept away to Mt. Crumpit by the wind.
On the road he encounters the Grinch, who is busy picking Brickles out of his fur after failing to hunt down the "Wuzzy Woozoo". Along with the Grinch's dog, Max, who is in the process of bringing a large wagon called the "Paraphernalia Wagon" down to Whoville. Euchariah decides to stall the Grinch from reaching Whoville. After some persistence from Euchariah, the Grinch tricks him into getting a strange trance in the Paraphernalia Wagon.
Inside the wagon, Euchariah is confronted by surreal imagery, numerous monsters and the Grinch's mocking voice. Although he is scared out of his wits, Euchariah bravely keeps on his toes long enough for the Sour-Sweet Wind to die down, thus forcing the Grinch to pack up and retire to his cave. Max on the other hand, who had been abused and overworked by the Grinch, goes home with Euchariah. Back in Whoville, the residents (including Euchariah's grandfather Josiah, his grandmother Mariah, and his sisters Obediah and Bethiah) celebrate the little Who's courage in preventing the Grinch from releasing the Paraphernalia Wagon's full horrors on their town and up in the mountains the Grinch, who is hauling the wagon home himself, ominously notes that one day there will be another Grinch Night when the Sour-Sweet Wind blows once more.
- Hans Conried: The Grinch
- Gary Shapiro: Euchariah
- Henry Gibson: Max (singing)
- Hal Smith: Josiah
- Jack DeLeon: Sergeant Samuel McPherson
- Irene Tedrow: Mariah
- Mel Blanc: Monsters, Chorus
- Paul Frees: Monsters, Chorus
- Thurl Ravenscroft: Singer, Monsters
- The Mellomen: Chorus, Monsters
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While the special has been previously accepted as a prequel to How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, new scholarship on the film has brought this idea into contention. In a 2014 article for the now defunct website Grantland, Holly Anderson provides interesting commentary in support of the idea Grinch Night is, in fact, a sequel. Anderson argues Max leaving the Grinch to live with Euchariah at the end of the story proves Grinch Night must come after the Grinch's Christmas antics since Max plays a prominent role in helping the Grinch steal Christmas. Sequel-backing theorists argue the Grinch's heart may have shrunk back to size after Christmas, causing the Grinch to return to his evil ways. Members of the prequel camp counter by arguing the Grinch could have simply stolen Max back between this Halloween and the Christmas depicted in the original story. Prequel-backers argue the Grinch's enlarged heart at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! would mean the Grinch remains good and loving, so Grinch Night must occur first in the Seuss Universe. It has even been suggested that Max is actually two completely different dogs, thus resolving the problem of his desertion of the Grinch at the end of the "Grinch Night". Ultimately, continuity errors exist with both theories, and the debate cannot be resolved.
The special was first released on VHS by Playhouse Video in 1989. In 1992, it was released by Random House Home Video on VHS under the title It's Grinch Night. It was also released by VHS by CBS Video through 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in 1996 under the title Grinch Night. In 2003, the special was released as a bonus special on the VHS and DVD release of Dr. Seuss on the Loose from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. On October 18, 2011, the special was released on DVD by Warner Home Video under Dr. Seuss's Holidays on the Loose!, along with How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat.
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