Christmas-Reviewer BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.Cricket on the Hearth is a Christmas special produced by Rankin/Bass, and based on the story of the same title by Charles Dickens..A talking cricket helps an impoverished toy maker and his daughter, who has been blinded after hearing her beloved is lost at sea. It is book-ended by live-action segments hosted by Danny Thomas.Not a bad special but this 1967 Television special has too many songs and none of them are very good. What does work is Television Icons Marlo Thomas and Danny Thomas bring life into an otherwise lifeless script.

jfarms1956 Cricket on the Hearth is a good family movie or for those who love Christmas and are romantic at heart. The movie is fairly short. It can be seen by the children in the afternoon or with the family at night in early prime time. The musical numbers are delightful. The story is okay. Cricket on the Hearth should be a movie staple at Christmastime, like A Christmas Carol. It is a movie that is light hearted and there is little conflict within the movie. Popcorn and soda would be good with this movie. Stringing popcorn for the tree and decorating the house is a good activity while watching this movie. It does move along quickly, but the plot is not a difficult plot to follow so you don't need to see everything -- just listen to the story and the music. Enjoy

MissSimonetta Mind you, Cricket on the Hearth (1967) is no Rudolph either, but it's not unwatchable or a train wreck as these other reviewers would have you believe. It's actually a little better than I expected it would be: as maddeningly average as most of the film is, there is a darkness to it that gives the whole thing flavor.The animation is standard 1960s television fare: limited, stiff, and awkward at moments. The character design is mostly uninspired, but sometimes appealing. None of the songs are memorable, though the voice actors perform them well. Unfortunately, most of the songs do not move the story along and bring the special to grinding halt (I'm looking especially at that brief number in the bar... just why?).The one thing that stands out about this special is not its animation or songs, but the poignancy of the story. There's a lot of dark subject matter here: grief, poverty, blindness, kidnapping, exploitation, and even murder (yes, murder; three henchman get capped in one infamous scene). There's an undercurrent of despair that makes this rather pedestrian movie memorable, though of course there's a happy ending, this being a Rankin-Bass special after all.In the end, this is a decent Christmas special. I doubt most of today's children would go for it, but if you have nostalgia, then it should serve you well. It's certainly not incompetent, as others argue.

Templeton Moss The next time you see a cricket chirping around your house, LEAVE HIM BE! It is well known that cricket's bring good luck. And if you are lucky enough to have a cricket on your hearth, so much the better. In fact, if you are lucky enough to have seen "The Cricket on the Hearth" you're luckier than most.This cell-animated special was released by Rankin/Bass right after their first big hit "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and, I think anyway, it's almost as good. It's a great shame that it's so hard to come by. Look for it on ABCFamily's "25 Days of Christmas."Based on the Charles Dickens story (no, not THAT Dickens story) Roddy MacDowall plays the Cricket, who decides to grace the home of Caleb and his daughter, blinded after suffering tremendous grief. The highlight of this special is the wonderful vocal performance of Danny Thomas (joined by real life daughter, Marlo) and the wonderful song he sings.I like this special, and if you aren't convinced, this entry didn't even EXIST on the database until I suggested it a few weeks ago. Merry Christmas one and all and may you be as lucky as a Cricket on the Hearth.