50th anniversary showing of ‘Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town’ airs Friday night on ABC-7

EL PASO, Texas -- The 50th anniversary airing of the Rankin-Bass holiday classic "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" is coming to your TV on Friday night.

The beloved special, which first aired on the ABC television network in 1970, will be shown at 7 p.m. Mountain time on ABC-7.

The special was filmed in the "Animagic" stop-motion style that is a distinct feature of so many of the Rankin-Bass holiday productions, like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "The Year Without a Santa Claus."

The film tells the origin story of Kris Kringle and featured the voices of legendary actor Fred Astaire, as narrator S.D. Kluger; Mickey Rooney, who plays Kris Kringle/Santa Claus; Keenan Wynn as the Winter Warlock; and Paul Frees, who performed different roles throughout the film.

Fred Astaire narrates this timeless tale of Kris Kringle, the future Santa Claus, starting from when he is an orphaned baby taken in by the Kringle family, who happen to be toymakers.

When Kris is all grown up, he is tasked with delivering toys to the gloomy city of Sombertown, which is, as the name implies, not a happy place because it's run by the despotic Burgermeister Meisterburger, who won't allow toys into the town.

Kris Kringle finds a way to beat the odds, but not before tangling with the Burgermeister and the Winter Warlock, and along the way meeting the woman who becomes Mrs. Claus.

The special also features a number of classic holiday songs, including "Put One Foot in Front of the Other" and, of course, "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town."

"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" is among numerous special holiday programs airing on ABC-7 this holiday season.