Forgotten Schoharie County - West Fultons Link to a Christmas Classic

WEST FULTON - In 1823, Clement C. Moore penned one of the most famous poems ever written, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," better known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." In 1974, it was adapted as an animated classic starring, among others, West Fulton's John McGiver.

Mr. McGiver utilized his distinctive sound to voice the Mayor and his elaborate vocabulary. 

For those who have not had the pleasure of watching the show, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas was a 1974 animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The special first originally aired on CBS on December 8, 1974, and the network aired it annually until 1994, when The Family Channel (now Freeform) took over its syndication rights. AMC took over syndication rights for the special in 2018.

Mr. McGiver was not the only famous voice in the classic.

Although the opening credits mention "told and sung by Joel Grey", it is really narrated by George Gobel (a frequent guest on the Hollywood Squares), as there is more emphasis on the point of view of Father Mouse, with Mr. Moore's poem read by Mr. Grey as a secondary plot.

In the show, Santa Claus is offended by an anonymous letter printed in a Junctionville newspaper claiming that he does not exist. In response, Santa returns all of the townspeople's letters unopened. Upon reading the letter, Father Mouse, an assistant to the clockmaker Joshua Trundle, (voiced by Joel Grey) suspects that his son Albert is the author, and Albert confirms this. To make amends with Santa, Father Mouse and the Trundle Family build a clock tower that will play a special song to convince Santa not to bypass Junctionville on Christmas Eve.

Unfortunately, Albert sneaks into the clock and inadvertently causes it to malfunction in front of the whole town. The Mayor, embarrassed by the clock's failure, denies Joshua access for repairs. After confessing his mistake, Albert decides to fix the clock himself and manages to get it to play its song within earshot of Santa, prompting Santa to visit the town after all.

There are three musical numbers in the show that enliven the cartoon. They are "Give Your Heart a Try," sung by Father Mouse (George Gobel), "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand," sung by Joshua Trundle (Joel Grey) and Albert (Tammy Grimes), and "Christmas Chimes are Calling (Santa, Santa)."

Rankin/Bass produced some of the best Christmas specials ever including: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, the Little Drummer Boy, and several others, along with other non-Christmas movies and shows.

As the Mayor, Mr. McGiver uses long and complicated words. He says one of his best lines when Mr. Trundle comes to City Hall after the clock fails in its demonstration before the whole town.

The guard says, "A citizen to see you, Mr. Mayor, and the Mayor responds, "Citizen? They're not allowed in here. This is public property."

Boris McGIver, one of John McGiver's 10 children and a fine actor in his own right, has a limited recollection of the television special.

"I was quite young, toddler most likely," wrote the younger Mr. McGiver, born in January 1962.

"I have no recollections of that time. I've seen it," he said, "It's cute."

John McGiver was born in New York City in 1913 before settling in West Fulton. He made more than a hundred appearances in television and motion pictures over a two-decade span from 1955 to 1975.

The had what was described as a mid-Atlantic accent and had precise diction, and was often cast as pompous Englishmen and other stuffy, aristocratic and bureaucratic types. He was known for his performances in such films as Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961); The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Who's Minding the Store? (1963) and Man's Favorite Sport? (1964).

Mr. McGiver was married to Ruth Schmigelsky from 1947 until his death. They had 10 children: Brigit, Maria, Terry, Basil, Clare, Oliver, Ian, Clemens, Boris, and Cornelia. Mr. McGiver died at the age of 61 on September 9, 1975, at his home in West Fulton.