When one thinks of animated primetime television specials of the 1960s and 1970s, few brand names are likely to come to mind as quickly and fondly as Rankin/Bass. From 1964 to 1985, only the rare year went by without TV viewers being treated to a new creation from Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass.
For those who know it, “Rankin-Bass” summons a cheerful vision of stop-motion, for this is the medium in which the director-producers most frequently dabbled.
The bulk of the company’s extensive filmography deals with Christmas; their best-remembered works are as closely associated with the holiday as anything. Programs like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), Frosty the Snowman (1969), and The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974) have long been staples of seasonal viewing and doubtlessly garner more attention in some families than Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
From time to time, Rankin and Bass adapted tales from the likes of Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Kenneth Grahame. On three occasions, the partners turned their attentions to another holiday: Easter. Debuting in 1977, The Easter Bunny is Comin’ to Town was the last of these. The Easter Bunny is a sequel to Rankin/Bass’s Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town and it is modeled closely after that well-regarded 1970 special. The strongest link between the two is Fred Astaire, who reprises his role as mailman S.D. Kluger, serving again as storyteller and singer for this outing.

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