Mrs Santa Claus
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Mrs. Santa Claus'' is a 1996 American made-for-television
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
fantasy comedy film directed by
Terry Hughes Terry Hughes may refer to: * Terry Hughes (baseball), American Major League Baseball player * Terry Hughes (biologist), Irish-Australian biologist * Terry Hughes (director), British comedy television director * Terry Hughes (politician), Califor ...
, with a score by Jerry Herman, starring Angela Lansbury in the title role. First broadcast as a Hallmark Entertainment presentation on CBS on December 8, 1996, the film was billed as the first original musical written for television since Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''Cinderella'' in 1957.


Plot

Anna Claus has Santa's workshop running so efficiently in December 1910, the team has completed all the toys and presents a week ahead of schedule ("Seven Days 'Til Christmas"). Mrs. Claus attempts to offer her husband Nicholas a new, more efficient, route around the world, but he is preoccupied by the deluge of mail as Christmas approaches. Feeling ready for a change in her life, Anna decides to assert her independence by testing the route herself, flying the reindeer sleigh for an impromptu journey ("Mrs. Santa Claus"). A sudden storm forces her to make an emergency landing near the
Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...
. She befriends the
stable lad A groom or stable boy (stable hand, stable lad) is a person who is responsible for some or all aspects of the management of horses and/or the care of the stables themselves. The term most often refers to a person who is the employee of a stable ...
Marcello, who determines Cupid's injury will require a week of rest and recovery. Marcello offers to take "Mrs. North" to the best boarding house in the city; along the way he indicates the marvelous
melting pot The melting pot is a monocultural metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" with a common culture; an alternative being a homogeneous society becoming more heterogeneous throug ...
nature of his neighborhood, and Mrs. North enjoys the sights and sounds of a burgeoning and bustling New York City ("Avenue A"). At the boarding house, host Mrs. Lowenstein worries that her daughter Sadie is attracting police attention for her outspoken opinions regarding women's suffrage. After Mrs. North earns the trust of young boarder Nora Kilkenny, the child helps her get a job with a toy manufacturer. Alas, the proprietor is motivated by greed and reminds his child laborers that their work need only last until Christmas ("A Tavish Toy"). As the new Tavish Toy Company supervisor, Mrs. North dispels any worries that she is too old to be working with the children ("Almost Young"). After her concerns about toy quality are ignored, Mrs. North vows to reform conditions at Tavish. Santa begins to worry about his wife after Arvo reveals that she's been gone for two days. Meanwhile in New York, Mrs. North helps Sadie gather a crowd to demand votes for women ("
Suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
March"). Marcello and Sadie share a mutual attraction despite their incompatibility ("We Don't Go Together at All"). Outside a Vaudeville show, Mrs. North and Nora cement their friendship and vow to help one another ("Whistle"). Back at the North Pole, devoid of his usual cheer, Santa expresses how deeply he misses his lifelong missus ("Dear Mrs. Santa Claus"). At the Tavish factory, Mrs. North has organized a work slowdown, and she is promptly fired. Nora leaves in solidarity ("Whistle" reprise). Clandestinely entering the Tavish factory via the chimney, Mrs. North rallies the children to organize a citywide strike and crusade for labor reforms. At the Christmas ball the next evening, Sadie raises a toast to Mrs. North and all the lives she's touched since her arrival. After learning the reindeer have recovered, Mrs. Claus realizes she's ready to return to her husband's side ("He Needs Me"). While searching out the stables, Mrs. Claus is ambushed by Mr. Tavish; he had deduced her real identity, and hid the reindeer to prevent Santa from delivering Christmas presents. Mrs. Claus swiftly resolves the situation with the perfect gift for Tavish. On
Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
, Santa invites Anna to ride beside him for the first time, using the new route she devised. Aboard the flying reindeer sleigh, Anna and Santa are thrilled to be reunited, and express their shared devotion ("The Best Christmas of All").


Cast

* Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Anna Claus * Charles Durning as
Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...
* Terrence Mann as Augie Tavish, owner of Tavish Toys * Michael Jeter as Arvo, Santa's Head Elf * Debra Wiseman as Sadie Lowenstein, a Jewish immigrant girl who fights for women's rights * Lynsey Bartilson as Nora Kilkenny, an Irish immigrant in New York * Rosalind Harris as Mrs. Lowenstein, Sadie's mother, a Jewish immigrant * Sabrina Bryan as Fritzie *
David Norona David Noroña, usually simplified as David Norona, (born December 14, 1972) is a Cuban American actor and director who has appeared in films including ''Though None Go with Me'', TV series including ''The Mentalist'' and '' Jack Ryan'', and various ...
as Marcello Damoroco, an Italian immigrant in New York, who is in love with Sadie * Bryan Murray as Police Officer Doyle, an Irish immigrant in New York


Production

''Mrs. Santa Claus'' was filmed from August 12 to September 19, 1996, at the following studios: * Universal Studios, Universal City, California – exterior scenes of New York City at New York Street backlot set (Stage 22); * Stewart Stages, Valencia, California – interior scenes of Santa Claus' workshop and Santa's office sets; * Havenhurst Studios, Van Nuys, California – blue screen filming of Mrs. Claus in the red sleigh pulled by a herd of reindeer. The film's musical score was written by Jerry Herman, the composer of such hit Broadway musicals as '' Hello, Dolly!'' and '' La Cage aux Folles''. Directed by
Terry Hughes Terry Hughes may refer to: * Terry Hughes (baseball), American Major League Baseball player * Terry Hughes (biologist), Irish-Australian biologist * Terry Hughes (director), British comedy television director * Terry Hughes (politician), Califor ...
, the costume designer was
Bob Mackie Robert Gordon "Bob" Mackie (born March 24, 1939) is an American fashion designer and costumier, best known for his dressing of entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Diahann Carroll, Carol Channing, Cher, Doris Day, Marlene D ...
with choreography by Rob Marshall. The executive producer, David Shaw, is the stepson of Angela Lansbury. Screenwriter Mark Saltzman based some of the script on family stories of the Lower East Side of Manhattan.


Soundtrack

The original television cast recording of ''Mrs. Santa Claus'' was recorded from August 8 to 22, 1996 at O'Henry Sound Studios in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
. It was released on CD and
cassette tape The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ottens ...
by
RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...
on November 26, 1996. ;Track listing


Reception


Nielsen ratings

The film's original broadcast brought in a 14.7/22 rating share, easily winning its timeslot, and tying with a special Thursday repeat of '' Men Behaving Badly'' on NBC, for #3 out of 110 programs airing that week.


Awards and nominations


Home media

''Mrs. Santa Claus'' was released on VHS and Laserdisc on October 21, 1997, and again on VHS September 18, 2001. It was first released on DVD on September 23, 2003, and was
out of print __NOTOC__ An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a book ...
until a 2018 reissue by Sonar Entertainment.


See also

*
List of Christmas films Many Christmas stories have been adapted to feature films and TV specials, and have been broadcast and repeated many times on television; since the popularization of home video in the 1980s, their many editions are sold and re-sold every year d ...
*
Santa Claus in film Motion pictures featuring Santa Claus constitute their own subgenre of the Christmas film genre. Early films of Santa revolve around similar simple plots of Santa's Christmas Eve visit to children. In 1897, in a short film called ''Santa Cla ...


References


External links


''New York Times'' review, December 6, 1996
* * {{Jerry Herman 1996 television films 1996 films 1990s musical comedy films 1990s fantasy comedy films Christmas television films American Christmas films American musical fantasy films American musical comedy films American fantasy comedy films CBS network films Emmy Award-winning programs Santa Claus in film Santa Claus in television Sonar Entertainment films Films directed by Terry Hughes (director) Films set in New York City Films set in the 1910s Films set in 1910 Films shot in Los Angeles 1990s Christmas films American Christmas comedy films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films