Your Soundtrack Film: Katherine Davis :: The Little Drummer Boy

[postlink]http://yoursoundtrackfilm.blogspot.com/2011/12/katherine-davis-little-drummer-boy.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZvjPCcHI4gendofvid
[starttext]

The Little Drummer Boy

Come they told me

F C

Pa rum pum pum pum

A new born King to see,

F C

Pa rum pum pum pum

Our finest gifts we bring

F C

Pa rum pum pum pum

To lay before the King

C F

Pa rum pum pum pum

F C

Rum pum pum pum

C G

Rum pum pum pum

So to honor Him

F C

Pa rum pum pum pum,

G C

When we come.

Little Baby

F C

Pa rum pum pum pum

I am a poor boy too,

F C

Pa rum pum pum pum

I have no gift to bring

F C

Pa rum pum pum pum

That's fit to give our King

C F

Pa rum pum pum pum

F C

Rum pum pum pum

C G

Rum pum pum pum

Shall I play for you!

F C

Pa rum pum pum

G C

On my drum.

Mary nodded

Pa rum pum pum pum

The ox and lamb kept time

Pa rum pum pum pum

I played my drum for Him

Pa rum pum pum

I played my best for Him

Pa rum pum pum pum

Rum pum pum pum

Then He smiled at me

Pa rum pum pum pum

Me and my drum.

*http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/k/katherine_davis/the_little_drummer_boy_crd.htm

Storyline, The Little Drummer Boy (TV, 1968):

When you think of Christmas, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Santa Claus? Bright, twinkly lights and lot's and lot's of presents? Well, yes Christmas is about that also, but it's really about so much more and this is the story that explains Christmas's backstory. It begins long, long ago. Long before Santa Claus even. The people were being heavily taxed by the Roman Emperor. Some could pay while others could not, and two desert rats, Ben Haramad and his dim-witted assistant Ali, comes across Aaron, the little drummer boy. Haramad had plans to use him in his act. See, he was trying to get rich by entertaining people, but to get Aaron to agree to be in his act would be tough because Aaron hated people. All people. It wasn't always this way. Long ago, he was a happy boy living with his parents on the farm. He received a drum on his birthday once and was very happy. Then one night, some desert bandits crept onto the farm, killed Aaron's parents, stole the sheep and burned the place down. Luckily, Aaron escaped and since then, he'd had a hatred towards people for what they had done, so now his friends were the animals, Bahbah a lamb, Samson a donkey and Joshua a camel. Ben Haramad kidnaps Aaron and takes him into Jerusalem where he sets up his act. Ali starts performing, but ends up making a fool out of himself, but Aaron finally performs and the crowd just loves it, but Aaron still felt hatred towards them.

That night, Ben Haramad saw three wise kings had set up camp and saw fortune in putting on an act for them, but the kings were not interested as they were on a quest: they were following the bright star of Bethlehem in the sky. One of their camels had fallen ill so Ben sold them Aaron's camel and got a handsome payment for it. Aaron was mad so he left them and with Bahbah and Samson, followed the kings. They arrive in Bethlehem and for some reason, a bunch of poor shepherds were coming into town, also following the star. They had all gathered at a stable. Upon getting a closer look, Bahbah was wiped out by an ox-cart and nearly died. The kings could do nothing, but perhaps the new king, the baby laying in the manger, as their was no room at the inn, could help, but Aaron had no gift to bring, however he decided to play for him on his drum. The new king loved it and cured Bahbah and from then on, Aaron's life had changed. He was no longer a people hater. He learned that all hatred was wrong and there was peace on earth and good will to men.

A pretty good Christmas special. It goes right into the hall of fame with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. Greer Garson narrates The Little Drummer Boy, and this is probably the first Rankin/Bass feature where the narrator is not a character in the movie. The Little Drummer Boy had a sequel: The Little Drummer Boy Book II, which I haven't seen; other voices include José Ferrer, Paul Frees, June Foray and Teddy Eccles. This feature seems darker than other Rankin/Bass specials, but it's still good. It tells the tale of Baby Jesus and how the ritual of Christmas was started, so this Christmas, check it out won't you? by robocop, USA

Note:

"The Little Drummer Boy" is a popular Christmas song, with words and music by Katherine K. Davis. Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone have been credited with writing the song, even though they were only the arrangers for their recordings of it.

The lyrics tell the apocryphal story of a poor young boy who, unable to afford a gift for the infant Jesus, plays his drum for the newborn with the Virgin Mary's approval. Miraculously, the baby, although a newborn, seems to understand and smiles at the boy in gratitude. The story is somewhat similar to an old twelfth-century legend retold by Anatole France as Le jongleur de Notre-Dame (The Juggler of Notre Dame), which was adapted into an opera in 1902 by Jules Massenet. In the French legend, however, a juggler juggles before the statue of the Virgin Mary, and the statue, according to which version of the legend one reads, either smiles at him or throws him a rose (or both, as in the 1984 made-for-television film).

Performers: The Harry Simeone Chorale

Period: 20th Century

Written: 1941; USA

*http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063230/reviews