The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
Director: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass
Studio: Rankin/Bass Productions
Starring: Greer Garson, Teddy Eccles, José Ferrer
Synopsis:
An orphan is kidnapped and made to perform in a caravan of entertainers, only to later witness the Nativity.
Impressions:
You might think that a three-minute song doesn't provide enough material for a 25-minute story, but the writer manages something. This isn't one I saw as a kid, so the nostalgia factor isn't at work here. This is a decent little story with some occasionally stilted dialog, but I did enjoy Greer Garson's narration and José Ferrer's performance as Ben Haramed. It's not amazing, but it'd be decent viewing at Sunday School or something around Christmastime. At very least, you might want to check it out as a historical artifact. Give it a watch.
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