Cricket on the Hearth (TV 1967)

A delightful, animated musical version of Charles Dickens' classic tale. A Cricket on the Hearth, tells the story of a poor toymaker and his daughter whom a helpful Cricket named Crocket ... See full summary »

Directors:

Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.

Writers:

Charles Dickens (story), Romeo Muller,

Stars:

Danny Thomas, Marlo Thomas, Hans Conried

Cast

Credited cast:
Danny Thomas	...	Caleb (voice)
Marlo Thomas	...	Bertha (voice)
Hans Conried	...	Tackleton (voice)
Paul Frees	...	Various Characters (voice)
Roddy McDowall	...	Crocket Cricket (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ed Ames	...	Edward
Abbe Lane	...	Moll
The Norman Luboff Choir	...	Themselves

Storyline

A delightful, animated musical version of Charles Dickens' classic tale. A Cricket on the Hearth, tells the story of a poor toymaker and his daughter whom a helpful Cricket named Crocket befriends on Christmas morning. When tragedy strikes the family, it's Crocket who comes to the rescue and restores peace and happiness.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | toy maker | father daughter relationship | deception | blindness

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Genres:

Animation | Family

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Details

Official Sites:

Classic Media

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 1967 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rankin/Bass Productions, Thomas/Spelling Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 49 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Real life father and daughter Danny Thomas and Marlo Thomas played father and daughter in this cartoon special.

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Connections

Version of The Cricket on the Hearth (1923)

User Reviews

A Rankin/Bass Christmas Classic

I love animation from Rankin/Bass, ever since I have first watched Rudolph and Frosty, as a kid at Christmas. This special is one of those Christmas Specials that I have never even heard or seen. I have recently bought in on DVD, and after I have watched it, I absolutely love it, it almost made me cry, like the romance between Bertha Plummer & Edward Belton,and the tender moments between Bertha and her dad. Except when Crockett and his mates put stuff (walnuts and pepper) in Mr. Tackleton's tea to prevent him from proposing to Bertha...now THAT made me laugh.

Yes with these beautifully animated specials and the film "The Last Unicorn" it make me wish that Rankin/Bass would have been around longer, along with Fleischer's.