Santa and the Three Bears

Santa and the Three Bears
November 7, 1970
Ellman Film Enterprises
Children's, Fantasy, Musical
VHS
C+

No, Santa doesn't eat porridge or sleep in beds that are too soft, too hard, or just right.  He's mostly offscreen, but he becomes a bone of contention between Otis the town drunk and Wilma Flintstone.  OK, Hal Smith (who ironically played a drunk Santa in The Apartment a decade earlier) is playing a park ranger and Jean Vander Pyl is the talking bear mother of talking cubs (played by Annette Ferra of The Cool Ones and Bobby Riha of The One and Only...Family Band).  This is one of the movies that was part of my '70s childhood and, although never a favorite, is pleasant and innocuous enough, and at about 45 minutes is brisk enough.  I was surprised on this viewing at the lack of gender stereotypes (except with the blue and pink bears in the dream sequence).  Both the ranger and Nana Bear are caring and brave, and the two cubs are drawn much alike, except for slightly different color fur.  The music is middling, no standouts (like "Different" in Pufnstuf), but nothing wincey like in Pinocchio in Outer Space.  

Speaking of Pinoke, no, OK, I'll save that for tomorrow, and not spoil the innocence of this post....