Starring Liza Minnelli, Cyril Ritchard, Vic Damone, and The Animals (Eric Burdon, Chas Chandler, Dave Rowberry, John Steele, and Hilton Valentine)
Directed by Sid Smith
Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Bob Merrill
Stephen Sondheim wasn't the only major songwriter in the 60's who lent his talents to a TV musical. This was actually Styne and Merrill's second shot at a holiday musical extravaganza, their first being the animated Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol in 1962. Does this wacky fairy tale spoof reach the heights of the Magoo special, or should it be tossed into the Big Bad Wolf's (Ritchard) stew pot? Let's begin at the zoo, where the Big Bad Wolf tells what he considers to be a tragic tale, and find out...
The Story: Lillian (Minnelli) is a naïve teen living in the forest with her mother. She's disappointed when her mother gives her a blue cloak, until she turns it inside out and wears the red lining. She loves it so much, she calls herself Little Red Riding Hood. On a day when her mother sends her to Granny's house to bring goodies, she encounters the Wolf on the road. He's already been made fun of by the younger wolves in his pack (The Animals) for not being aggressive enough and tries hard to snare her, but she's terrified of wolves. She does no better with a handsome woodsman who believes he's an enchanted prince (Damone). It isn't until she encounters the Wolf in drag at Granny's house that she realizes what he's really after...and he proves he's not so "refined" after all.
The Song and Dance: Charming satire has a lot of fun goofing on familiar fairy tale tropes, from the horny wolf to the clueless enchanted prince to the heroine who is too impossibly sweet to get by on anything but sheer luck. Richard does the best playing the role of the erudite canine who thinks he's too smart for the woods, especially when he throws on Granny's dress and camps it up with Minnelli towards the end. Some of the score isn't bad, especially "We Wish the World a Happy Yule" in the finale. Liza has a great time going to town with Ritchard on "Ding-a-Ling" at Granny's, too.
Favorite Number: Lillian sings happily to her mother about why she loves "My Red Riding Hood" - it allows her to stand out. The Big Bad Wolf laments with his pack The Animals about how he's "Snubbed" by the other wolves for not being scarier. The woodsman tries to sing to Lillian why she should have someone help her "Along the Way," even as he continues to split a log. Lillian tells the wolf how "I'm Naïve" and will believe whatever she hears. The Wolf in drag joins Lillian for an energetic "Ring a Ding" while he's trying to get her in the stew pot. The show ends with the entire cast back in the woods, singing "We Wish the World a Happy Yule."
Trivia: Like Evening Primrose, this was original broadcast in color, but the masters have since been lost.
The Animals were a popular British rock group in the mid-60's. Their biggest and best-known hit is probably "House of the Rising Sun."
What I Don't Like: The presence of the Animals alone dates this badly. Their solo "We're Going to Howl Tonight" is the least-interesting number in the show, and other than tease Ritchard a bit, they don't have that much to do. There's a lot of references that those who don't know their mid-20th century history may not get, including Ritchard's line about "people needing people" from the Styne-Merrill hit Funny Girl. This is a flat-out wacky comedy, more like an American version of the pantomimes that are popular in the United Kingdom during the holidays. It's probably a little too goofy and weird for those expecting a darker fairy-tale ala Into the Woods, especially the silly and cheap animal costumes.
And...other than the opening and closing at the zoo and Lillian bringing her granny Christmas goodies, what does any of this have to do with the holidays? It could have been set at any time of the year without missing a beat. Not to mention, the prints currently available are dim black and white, watchable, but not even as good as the ones for Evening Primrose.
The Big Finale: Worth checking out once for really big fans of the stars, Styne and Merrill, 60's rock, or families looking for the closest we'll likely get to an English pantomime in the US.
Home Media: Only on DVD from Jef Films
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