Is Rankin/Bass’ ‘The Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold’ a St. Patrick’s Day TV Special or a Christmas Special?
As the official Rankin/Bass Productions Historian/Biographer I am here to say that the Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold is indeed a St. Patrick’s Day TV Special! I reserve my viewing for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday because the classic TV Special is loaded with cute Leprechauns and Emerald Green, with Christmas thrown in as an afterthought. The TV Special first appeared on ABC on December 23rd, 1981. Producers Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass had developed a long relationship with the network through their friend Michael Eisner (Later Walt Disney Co. CEO), who was in charge of programming. Rankin/Bass began providing content for ABC in 1970 with prime-time television specials, Saturday morning cartoon series, and eventually, live-action films for their Friday night movies.
©2001 Miser Bros Press/Rick Goldschmidt Archives
Hirokazu Minegishi and Hiroshi Tabata working on the Animagic set of The Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold
Art Carney, better known as Ed Norton from The Honeymooners, voiced Blarney Killikillarney perfectly. In fact, Art loved being a part of the Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass so much, that we became friends. He loved my first two books, the first of which covers The Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold (The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass). Peggy Cass voiced Blarney’s wife Faye and says things like, “When your shoes get holey, don’t come to me to save your soles!” I have recently been watching Peggy Cass on old reruns of To Tell The Truth (A game show on BUZZER), and it wasn’t hard to see why Arthur chose her for this Production. Her voice was perfect for animation and this was always the main reason for their selection of most actors and actresses.
Miser Bros Press/Rick Goldschmidt Archives
©2001 Miser Bros Press/Rick Goldschmidt Archives
Senchi Araki and Hiroshi Tabata working on the Animagic set of The Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold
Everett Collection
For the voice of Old Mag the Hag, the Evil Banshee, they selected my late friend, veteran voice actor Bob McFadden (Frankenberry, Milton The Monster, etc). Bob always nailed every character he ever did, including female voices!
The story is more about the Leprechauns mining gold and Mag’s attempt to have it given to her by Dinty Doyle, who unknowingly let the Banshee free, by cutting down a Pine tree for Christmas, that she was buried under. Rankin/Bass musical composer Maury Laws and lyricist Jules Bass (Who for this special was credited as Julian P. Gardner on the lyrics: Maury said the P. was for phony), wrote some wonderful, St. Patrick’s Day, festive tunes with the title song, “The Golden Gold of Ireland” and “Killikillarney shoes.” The classic, “Christmas in Killarney” was also thrown in for what I believe was a late addition.
My St. Patrick’s Day viewing always consists of The Quiet Man, Walt Disney’s Darbey O’ Gill and the Little People, and Rankin/Bass’ The Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold!
This year is the 60th Anniversary of Rankin/Bass’ Animagic production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer! It is also the 50th Anniversary of The Year Without A Santa Claus and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas! I am busy working on my seventh book featuring those two titles with ReMIND Magazine’s Karen Ruud.
Remind 
Home For The Holidays
November 2021
Celebrate the holidays with your favorite classic stars!
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