Fri, 12/25/2009

The Archive Features "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

The Archive has now posted a page for How the Grinch Stole Christmas, featuring animation producer/director Chuck Jones and the voice of Cindy Lou Who herself, June Foray. The perennial TV special first aired on CBS on December 18, 1966. Sponsored by the Foundation for Commercial Banks, Variety noted, "one can wonder at whom [the] sponsor... was making that quiet pitch." Variety raved apropos to the times: "Christmas kiddie programming on the networks somewhat resembles a Christmas truce in the Vietnam war [with] a literate half-hour... right there in primetime on Sunday night."

As posted on the Archive's How the Grinch Stole Christmas page, Chuck Jones talks about the translation of the Dr. Seuss classic to the screen, including the invention of Max, the Grinch's dog. Additionally, animator Phil Roman talks about the cartoon's legacy, June Foray does the voice of "Cindy Lou Who," and producer-director Ron Howard talks about his big-screen version that required the approval of Dr. Seuss' widow.