Christmas Comes But Once a Year
| Christmas Comes But Once a Year | |
|---|---|
| Color Classics (Grampy) series | |
| Directed by | Dave Fleischer |
| Produced by | Max Fleischer |
| Voices by |
Mae Questel (Orphans-uncredited) Jack Mercer (Grampy-uncredited) |
| Music by |
Sammy Timberg Bob Rothberg Tot Seymour |
| Animation by |
Seymour Kneitel William Henning |
| Studio | Fleischer Studios |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 4, 1936 |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 8 mins |
| Language | English |
Christmas Comes But Once a Year is a 1936 animated short produced by Fleischer Studios and released on December 4, 1936 by Paramount Pictures. It is part of the Color Classics series.
The short begins in an orphanage, where the orphans are all asleep, awaiting Christmas morning. Just then, the clock chimes, a puppy in the place of the cuckoo jumps out, then slides down a ramp and licks on one of the orphans. The first orphan to wake shouts to the others, "Merry Christmas, everybody!" They all jump out of bed and make their way to the hall, singing and dancing to the title song where they grab the toys from their , and get ready to play with them. However, they discover the terrible truth that the toys are old, worn and already broken when they completely fall apart when played with. The children are traumatized and burst into tears over losing them and having no other Christmas presents.
Meanwhile, Professor Grampy is out riding through the snow in his outboard motor-driven sleigh, singing the title song to himself. He soon hears crying as he's passing the orphanage, so he parks the sleigh, runs to the door and peeps through the window to see the orphans wailing and tearfully heading back to their bedroom. Grampy feels distressed for them and starts to think of a way to give the orphans a better Christmas. He puts on his "thinking cap" and shortly, the lightbulb on the cap blinks, meaning he has an idea. He sneaks in through the kitchen window and starts making new toys out of household appliances, furniture, and other kitchen paraphernalia (a washboard, a roller shade, the works of an old alarm clock, etc.)
While the orphans are still crying in their bedroom, Grampy dresses up as Santa Claus (with bent stovepipes as the boots, a red table cloth as the jacket, a pillow for the weight, a strop as the belt, a picture frame as the buckle and a red purse as the hat), grabs a dinner bell, and surprises the orphans by ringing the bell and shouting, "Merry Christmas, everybody!" The orphans brighten up instantly, stop crying, and all rush out excitedly to play with their new toys.
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