Continuing in my efforts to be less Grinchy and more Holly Jolly this month, I wanted to talk to you briefly about Thurl Ravenscroft.
“What or who is Thurl Ravenscroft?” I can hear you saying, “He’s from Lord of the Rings, right? No wait, Game of Thrones! Is it Game of Thrones?”
Nope!
“Is it some sort of Nordic death metal band?”
Negative. Although…
The Thurl Ravenscroft I’m referring to was a singer and a voice actor who might best be known(or maybe not) for singing the classic “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” from the 1966 TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
After a recent viewing, I was shocked to learn that Thurl wasn’t credited in the animated special.
Did they expect us to believe that the narrator, Boris Karloff, provided the vocals?
Dr. Seuss himself felt terrible about the situation and later tried to remedy it with a letter-writing campaign to various influencers of the day, giving credit to Thurl.
I imagine it went something like this:
While doing my brief bit of research I’ve found that people have been asking Google this question: “Did James Earl Jones sing the Grinch?”
That’s a pretty good guess. But no, James Earl Jones did not sing the Grinch, it was Thurl Ravenscroft.
If only there was some way this confusion could have been avoided from the start.
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M. R. Kessell is a dark artist and a writer and illustrator of Batboy comics.
One last thing before I set off on the sea of swirly-twirly gum drops...
In the spirit of the season, I want to share with you a special little animated gif that I created.
Please feel free to share!
Especially if you have ever been wrongly labeled a Grinch.
CLICK HERE FOR A PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES OF HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!
Click here for more about Thurl.
CHECK OUT MY HOLIDAY MONSTER GIF COLLECTION HERE!
While you’re still here, let’s take a quick look at the lyrics to “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch”
Verse 1
You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch, you really are a heel
You’re as cuddly as a cactus, as charming as an eel,
Mr. Grinch!
You’re a bad banana with a greasy black peel!
Verse 2
You’re a monster, Mr. Grinch, your heart’s an empty hole
Your brain is full of spiders, you’ve got garlic in your soul
Mr. Grinch.
I wouldn’t touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole
Verse 3
You’re a vile one, Mr. Grinch. You have termites in your smile
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile,
Mr. Grinch!
Given a choice between the two of you…
I’d take the seasick crocodile!
Verse 4
You’re a foul one, Mr. Grinch, you’re a nasty wasty skunk
Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk
Mr. Grinch!
The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote:
“Stink, stank, stunk!”
Verse 5
You’re a rotter, Mr. Grinch, you’re the king of sinful sots
Your heart’s a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots
Mr. Grinch!
Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable…
Mangled up in tangled up knots!
Verse 6
You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch, with a nauseous super “naus”!
You’re a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss,
Mr. Grinch!
You’re a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich…
With arsenic sauce!
I love that line about the “three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce”
James Earl Jones grinch. James Earl Jones Mr Grinch. Chuck Jones the Grinch. Doctor Seuss Art. Dr Seuss Artwork. You re a mean one mr grinch lyrics thurl ravenscroft.
M. R. KESSELL 