Halloween Is Grinch Night

“	They don't talk about it much in Whoville, but before he stole Christmas, the Grinch haunted Halloween!	”
— A TNT promo advertising this special

Halloween is Grinch Night (titled It's Grinch Night for the 1992 VHS release and Grinch Night for the 1996 sing-along VHS release) is a 1977 Halloween musical TV special and prequel to How the Grinch Stole Christmas! It was animated by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and premiered on ABC on October 29, 1977, notably being the first Dr. Seuss animated special to premiere on that network, and won the 1977 Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

Synopsis[]

The story takes place in and around Whoville, on a night known as "Grinch Night", which commences when a "Sour-Sweet Wind" blows and sets off the pink colored Gree-Grumps, who lives in tree stumps near Puncker's pond, to start growling, which also caused Puncker's Pond to runkle and grunkle, which got the green colored Hakken-Krakks, who lives in Punkers Pond, to start howling. The Gree-Grumps's growling and the Hakken-Krakks's howling annoys the Grinch into terrorizing the Whos. As the story opens, the Sour-Sweet Wind is just beginning to blow when Euchariah, a polite little Who with a slight astigmatism, goes to use the outhouse (referred to as "the euphemism" in the story), but is swept away to Mt. Crumpit by the wind.

On the road he encounters the Grinch, who is busy picking Brickles out of his rear after failing to hunt down the "Wuzzy Woozoo". Along with the Grinch's dog, Max, who is in the process of bringing a large wagon — called the "Paraphernalia Wagon" — down to Whoville. Euchariah decides to keep the Grinch from reaching Whoville by stalling him. On the first two occasions the Grinch contemptuously dismisses him by saying that Euchariah "isn't worth a first-class Grinching," but after Euchariah's persistence, the Grinch decides that he's had enough of the little Who and invites him to take a closer look at the Paraphernalia Wagon. When Euchariah does so, the Grinch opens up the wagon and a cloud of green smoke with Grinch-like eyes emerges and ensnares him.

Inside the wagon, Euchariah is confronted by surreal imagery, numerous monsters ("members of the Un-Human Race," according to the background lyrics) and the Grinch's mocking voice. Though scared out of his wits, Euchariah bravely keeps on his toes long enough for the Sour-Sweet Wind to die down, thus forcing the Grinch to pack up and retire to his cave; Max on the other hand, who had been abused and overworked by the Grinch, goes home with Euchariah. Back in Whoville, the residents (including Euchariah's grandfather Josiah and his grandmother Mariah) celebrate the little Who's courage in preventing the Grinch releasing the Paraphernalia Wagon's full horrors on their town, and up in the mountains the Grinch, who is hauling the wagon home himself, ominously notes that one day soon the Sour-Sweet Wind will blow once more, and it will be Grinch Night all over again.

Cast[]

Voice actor	Character
Hans Conried	The Grinch Narrator
Gary Shapiro	Euchariah
Henry Gibson	Max (singing)
Hal Smith	Josiah
Jack DeLeon	Sergeant Samuel McPherson
Irene Tedrow	Mariah
Thurl Ravenscroft (uncredited)	Singer Monsters

Songs[]

"I Wouldn't Go Out on a Night Like This" - Josiah
"The Grinch Night Ball" - the Grinch
"How Many Times" - Max's inner voice, the Grinch
"As the Grinch Creaks Ever Closer..." - Chorus
"I Wouldn't Go Out on a Night Like This (Reprise)" - Chorus
"He is Wandering in the Wind" - Chorus
"Ooga Booga" - the Grinch
"Grinch Is Gonna Get You"/"Members of the Un-human race"/"the Spooks tour Finale" - Monster Chorus (Hans Conried, The Mellomen, Mel Blanc, Paul Frees, Hal Smith and Paul Winchell)
"There Goes the Grinch" - Chorus

Production notes[]

This was the first Dr. Seuss special to have music from Joe Raposo. The music is orchestral, somewhat like Eugene Poddany's music, and unlike Dean Elliott's jazz-themed music.
This was the first Dr. Seuss special to have David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng both credited as executive producers since the 1971 adaptation of The Cat in the Hat.
This was the first Dr. Seuss special to not be labeled as "A Cat in the Hat Production".
Thurl Ravenscroft, whose voice can be heard as part of the chorus who sings "As the Grinch Creaks Ever Closer...", also sang "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" in the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas! animated special.

Availability[]

The special was first released on VHS by Playhouse Video in 1989, then by Random House Home Video in 1992, and by CBS Video through 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in 1996 and again in 1997 by Fox Kids Video for the Sing-a-Long Classics Collection.

In 2003, Universal Studios Home Video included the special on the VHS and DVD releases of Dr. Seuss on the Loose. On October 18, 2011, the special was released on DVD by Warner Home Video on the Dr. Seuss's Holidays on the Loose! DVD set, which also included How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat.^[1] Its most recent release was on the How the Grinch Stole Christmas!: The Ultimate Edition DVD and Blu-ray (marking the special's debut on the latter format), released on October 23, 2018.