
Billie Mae Richards
1921 - 2010Born as Billy Mae Dinsmore in Toronto, she was best known for voicing the role of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1964's television special (credited as "Billy Richards" to mask the fact that she was a woman[1]).[2] She also voiced Tenderheart Bear in the first two Care Bears movies, as well as the DIC-produced television series (credited as "Billie Mae Richard"), and Brightheart Raccoon in the Nelvana-produced Care Bears television series.[3] In an interview, she stated "I'm just so glad that my kids, my grandkids, my great-grandkids and probably my great-great-grandkids will see Rudolph."[3] She voiced Rudolph again in two other Rankin-Bass productions, 1976's Rudolph's Shiny New Year and 1979's summertime sequel Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July. Richards' four other appearances in Rankin-Bass productions were in Willie McBean and his Magic Machine, The King Kong Show, The Smokey Bear Show and The Daydreamer (both from the mid-1960s). About that same time, she appeared in the original Spider-Man television series. She also voiced all the female characters in The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo and The Toothbrush Family with Len Carlson, who voiced all the male ones.[citation needed] She also made a guest appearances on the television shows Maniac Mansion, My Secret Identity, War of the Worlds and The Hidden Room. She appeared in Pennies from Heaven (1981; with Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters). She also had a bit part in the 1998 horror film Bram Stoker's Shadow Builder, in which her character was attacked with an axe by Paul Soles (who had played Hermey the elf in the original Rudolph special), and the 2001 short Bluehair. Richards retired to Toronto. She was at one time married to musician Bill Richards and their daughter Judi Richards is a successful pop singer and songwriter.[4]
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Larry Roemer
Burl Ives, Billie Mae Richards
Sam the snowman tells us the story of a young red-nosed reindeer who, after being ousted from the reindeer games because of his glowing nose, teams up with Hermey, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, the prospector. They run into the Abominable Snowman and find a whole island of misfit toys. Rudoph vows to see if he can get Santa to help the toys, and he goes back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. But Santa's sleigh is fogged in. But when Santa looks over Rudolph, he gets a very bright idea...
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
Fred Astaire, Mickey Rooney
A postman, S.D. Kluger, decides to answer some of the most common questions about Santa Claus, and tells us about a baby named Kris who is raised by a family of elf toymakers named Kringle. When Kris grows up, he wants to deliver toys to the children of Sombertown. But its Mayor is too mean to let that happen. And to make things worse, the Winter Warlock lives between the Kringles and Sombertown.
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
The Trolls and the Christmas Express
John R. Gaug
Roger Miller, Hans Conried
The Trolls and the Christmas Express is an animated classic about six roguish trolls who are determined to sabotage Christmas by infiltrating Santa's village disguised as elves. After a week of wreaking havoc but still not completely ruining Christmas, they are about to give up when they get a devilishly clever idea. On the day before Christmas Eve they get the reindeer dancing and singing songs all night long. The poor reindeer are so tired the next day that they cannot find the energy to pull Santa's sleigh. Christmas looks like it has finally been ruined - but everyone knows you can't stop Christmas! The elves quickly devise a plan to link the train from Santa's village with tracks that travel all over the world. Santa can deliver the toys using the Christmas Express.
The Trolls and the Christmas Express
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
Red Buttons, Ethel Merman
Winterbolt is trying to make the North Pole his evil wonderland, and it is up to Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and others to stop him.
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
The Daydreamer
Jules Bass
Paul O'Keefe, Jack Gilford
A young Hans Christian Andersen goes in search of knowledge in the Garden of Paradise in order to make his studies easier. Each time he falls asleep, he experiences in his dreams the different characters he would later write about in fairy tales including The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, and The Emperor's New Clothes.
The Daydreamer
Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation
Dale Schott
Hadley Kay, Chris Wiggins
This animated adventure goes back in time to the Care Bears' first-ever Caring Mission, when True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse touch down on Earth to boost the spirits of some unhappy kids at summer camp. But the evil Dark Heart has other plans, and convinces one of the campers to help him capture the Care Bears. Will our lovable heroes' Care Stare be enough to vanquish the villain -- and convince his apprentice that good's the way to go?
Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation
The Care Bears Movie
Arna Selznick
Mickey Rooney, Jackie Burroughs
The Care Bears have their work cut out for them, because Nicolas, a lonely magician's assistant, is about to fall under the evil influence of a bad spirit who lives in an ancient magic book -- it seems Nicolas will do just about anything for friends. Aside from Nicolas, Kim and Jason are in trouble because they are starting not to trust people after suffering many disappointments.
The Care Bears Movie