How The Grinch Stole Our Hearts
BY LUCRETIA VOIGT INDEPENDENT ARTS WRITER
Fifty years ago, a man from Springfield, Mass. wrote a simple Christmas tale about a curmudgeon who wanted to spread Christmas misery to everyone in Who-ville, enlisting his poor little dog Max into his army of ill will. First published in 1957, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" by Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, has become a Christmas classic, jumping from the printed page onto the television screen in 1966, and then most recently onto the movie screen in 2000. This Sunday, December 16 at 2 p.m., the Nantucket Atheneum will host a free screening of the animated classic in the Great Hall.

How did the Grinch become the Grinch? The 2000 movie attempted to fill in some of the details, but to get to the heart of the Grinch, be it large or small, you need to know his creator. Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in 1904 in Springfield, Mass. to a second generation brewmaster, Theodor Robert Geisel, and Henrietta Seuss Geisel, both German immigrants. Springfield served as a stomping ground for Seuss and his sister, Marnie, and as an inspiration for many of the characters in his stories. Upon graduating from high school he chose to stay close to home and attended Dartmouth College. He was editor-in-chief of the college humor magazine, "The Jack-o-Lantern," until a party worthy of "Animal House" led to his dismissal from the paper. Never one to let a detour stop him, he continued to submit articles and political cartoons to the paper but signed them Seuss. "Dr. Seuss" was born.

Seuss' father wanted his son to be a man of letters and pushed him to attend Oxford University. While attending Oxford, Seuss met Helen Palmer, a classmate six years his senior who was studying to be a children's book author and editor. Bored with school, Seuss traveled around Europe but found himself returning to Palmer's side. Upon their return to America they were married.

Seuss did not set out to be a children's book writer. He settled down to married life as an advertising man for Standard Oil. While the work provided an outlet for his talent, his creative humor was yearning to be set free. He began contributing cartoons to "The Saturday Evening Post" and with the advent of World War II he expanded into political cartoons published in "PM" magazine. Those politics formed the basis for "The Butter Battle Book" about neighboring countries separated by the side on which they butter their bread.

Seuss' first book, "And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street" was rejected 27 times before being published in 1937 by a friend. Once again, Seuss rose to the challenges presented to him, and with the help of his wife Helen, he continued to write children's books. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" was published in 1957, the same year as "The Cat in the Hat." Unlike the animated classic, the original Grinch was not green. Seuss' signature black and white pen drawings introduced America to the images that lived in his mind. It was not until 1965 that collaboration with Chuck Jones allowed the Grinch to step off the page and into our lives.

Chuck Jones, the animator for classic cartoons starring the Road Runner and Pepe LePew, had worked with Seuss on wartime training shorts. Seuss trusted him and Jones admired Seuss' talent. Jones chose the color mustard green for the Grinch, a color that has come to represent all things grinchy for those of us who remember the original, despite the recent recoloring that gave the Grinch a neon green tint. The television version was a "who's who" of the animated world, with June Foray, the voice of Rocky the flying squirrel and Natasha Fatale in the "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" cartoon, bringing Cindy Lou Who to life. Boris Karloff, the scary movie icon and original Frankenstein, narrated the story and was the voice of the Grinch. The original Tony the Tiger, Thurl Ravenscroft, sang "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." On December 18, 1966, America tuned in and watched the magic of Christmas turn the Grinch into a cultural icon that took the place of the Dickens' classic Scrooge.

Seuss did not have any biological children but his books have made him the favorite uncle of generations. He was very close to the children of his second wife, Audrey Dimond Geisel, and his stepdaughter Lark Dimond created the sculptures in the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden in Springfield, Mass.

Even though the Grinch was the same age as Seuss when the original book was written, Seuss would neither deny nor confirm that he was the basis for the character. Whether the Grinch is Seuss in disguise or a being directly from the netherworld of Who-ville, every year, thanks to Seuss' imagery, we get to experience with the Grinch:

"And the Grinch, with his grinchfeet ice-cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!" And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas...perhaps...

means a little bit more!" I

- "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" will be shown at the Nantucket Atheneum Great Hall on Sunday, Dec. 16 from 2 to 3 p.m. Admission is free, and Cindy Lou Who's favorite cake will be served.