The Little Drummer Boy is a 1968 Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, based on the song of the same name. Romeo Muller said that, of all the specials that he wrote for Rankin/Bass, this one was his personal favorite.
Plot[]
In Biblical times, a young boy named Aaron lives a peaceful life on a farm with his parents and three animals—Samson the donkey, Baba the lamb, and Joshua the camel. Aaron is given a drum as a birthday present, which makes the animals dance with joy whenever he plays it. However, Aaron’s happy life takes a dark turn and changes him forever when desert bandits attack one night, stealing the livestock, killing the boy’s parents and burning the farm. Aaron survives, with his only companions being Baba, Samson and Joshua, but being left emotionally scarred, vows to hate all mankind for the death of his father and mother.
One day, while the animals dance their way through the desert to the tune of Aaron’s drumming abilities, they catch the attention of a greedy performer named Ben Haramed and his lanky partner, Ali. The villainous duo take the boy and his animals prisoner, pressing them into service as entertainers in their caravan (with some rather inept performers) against their will. Because of Aaron’s vow to hate people, he naturally resists as best as he can, but to no avail. When the troupe arrives in Jerusalem, they roll out the carpet and begin the show, starting with two unsuccessful, clumsy Chinese tumblers, followed by Ali attempting to juggle pots but only ending up breaking them instead. However, Aaron saves the show by closing it with “Why Can’t the Animals Smile?” with some assistance from Baba, Samson and Joshua (Ben resorts to painting a fake smile on the dour Aaron’s face because he refuses to smile for the people). The audience loves it and go wild and applause and money, begging for more. But Aaron’s vow to hate all humans overtakes him, and he becomes angry at them for being happy after his painful loss. He lashes out at the townspeople in a fit of rage, accusing them of being thieves and knaves. The troupe beat a hasty retreat as the bewildered crowd turns hostile and chases them out.
That night after setting up camp, the troupe discover the caravan of Three Kings, traveling from the east and following the star of Bethlehem. But Ben, Ali and Aaron are unable to see the star’s beauty, due to Ben and Ali being too full of greed and Aaron being too full of hatred. Seizing his chance, Ben promises Aaron he will give him half the money and set him free if he does a performance for the Kings, to which Aaron agrees. However, to Ben’s dismay, the Kings are uninterested as they are leaving to follow the star and as such have no time for a performance. But when one of the Kings’ camels becomes too weak to continue traveling and collapses, they remember seeing a camel with the trio, and Ben bargains with them that they use Joshua in exchange for some of their gold. When Aaron finds out that Ben sold Joshua, he is horrified and refuses to take any gold from him and escapes the troupe, leaving for Bethlehem with Samon and Baba to follow the King’s caravan and reclaim Joshua.
Aaron and his two remaining animal companions Samson and Baba resort to following the star as the Kings did and soon come upon the manger, the birthplace of Jesus, where a crowd is gathered. There, they spot Joshua and happily run to meet him. Unfortunately, a speeding Roman chariot comes careening past and injures Baba. Heartbroken, Aaron carries Baba and leads Samson and Joshua to one of the Kings. He begs one of the Kings to save his lamb, but is told that the child in the manger is the King of all Kings and Aaron should go to him for help. He does not understand, but reluctantly lays down his beloved lamb and approaches Jesus. Having no gift to give the baby, Aaron offers the only “gift” he can give by playing a song on his drum, while the Vienna Boys Choir sing the title song. Jesus then smiles at him, and as a sign of gratitude, Baba is healed, filling Aaron’s heart with joy at last and making him finally realize that the vow he had made and kept on the night of his parents’ death was wrong. The special ends with the star of Bethlehem still shining in the sky, protecting and illuminating Bethlehem forever.
Songs[]
- “When the Goose is Hanging High”
- “Why Can’t the Animals Smile?”
- “One Star in the Night”
- “The Little Drummer Boy”
Cast[]
- José Ferrer as Ben Haramed
- Paul Frees as Ali, Aaron’s father, the Magi
- June Foray as Aaron’s mother
- Teddy Eccles as Aaron
- Greer Garson as “Our Storyteller”
- The Vienna Boys Choir singing the title song
External links[]
The Little Drummer Boy on YouTube