?It’s 2001, and a magical partridge is sending me on a coat drive for some kind of Karate Kid-style Santa training.  Hop in our light blue ’54 convertible and buckle up as we take you on a joyride through the very last and most forgotten Rankin/Bass Christmas special, featuring a mostly black cast starring Patti LaBelle, Gregory Hines, and a criminally underused Eartha Kitt as a talking cat.  ****  ? Guests:  Andre Bennett (Cult Cinema Cloister, Philadelphia Championship Rock Paper Scissors).  Tim Babb (Can’t Wait for Christmas Podcast).  ****  ? Topics & Tangents:  1. This special was co-written by Suzanne Collins, who went on to write “The Hunger Games.”  2. The other co-writer, Peter Bakalian, also has a book series. It’s called “The F.A.R.T. Diaries.”  3. Patti LaBelle in Philadelphia’s “Get to Know Us” tourism campaign, 1985.  4. Patti LaBelle on “Sesame Street” singing “How I Miss My X.”  5. IMDb’s photo gallery for “Santa, Baby!” is full of high-quality promotional images.  6. RankinBass.com’s first look at “Santa, Baby!” from December 2001.  7. Gregory Hines in “The Muppets Take Manhattan” and “Running Scared.”  8. Rankin/Bass finally includes “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and “Jingle Bells” in a Christmas special.  8. Natalie Toro (Samson) lists “Santa Baby!” on her bio page.  10. Andre’s uncle co-wrote K-Ci & JoJo’s “All My Life.”  ****  ? Commercial Break:  McDonald’s “Wake Up” Breakfast Commercial featuring Patti LaBelle, 1990.   Can’t Wait for Christmas, the podcast dedicated to keeping the spirit of Christmas alive all year round.  ****  “Santa, Baby” © 2001 Perisphere Pictures, Inc.  
Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.