Director Jules Bass, whose holiday classics “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” has been enjoyed by generations of viewers, died Tuesday.
Bass died at an assisted living facility in Rye, NY, his publicist told Variety. He was 87 years old.
Bass worked with Arthur Rankin Jr. on the stop motion animation programs, forming “Rankin/Bass Animated Productions,” which went on to create the Christmas specials which continue to air on television
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,’ first aired on NBC in 1964 and is the longest-running Christmas TV special in history. “Frosty the Snowman” premiered on CBS in 1969, with the story of children building the title character and bringing him to life by placing a magician’s hat on his head gaining critical acclaim.
The team of Bass and Rankin followed with “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” the popular 1970 ABC program, narrated by Fred Astaire. Other Bass-Rankin collaborations include “The Little Drummer Boy,” “The Year Without A Santa Claus” and “Pinocchio’s Christmas.”
Bass’ “The Little Drummer Boy II” earned an Emmy nomination in the “Outstanding Children’s Special” category in 1977.
Bass’ last film credit came in 2020, where he served as a consulting producer for the “ThunderCats Roar” television series.
He attended NYU and worked at an advertising agency before his filmmaking days. Bass’ daughter, Jean Nicole Bass, died in January at 61.