Mrs. Santa Claus(1996) G
| Director: | terry hughes | Runtime: 1 hr 30 min ( 90 min) |
|---|---|---|
| mrs. santa claus | ..... | angela lansbury |
| arvo | ..... | michael jeter |
| augustus p. tavish | ..... | terrence mann |
| nora kilkenny | ..... | lynsey bartilson |
| officer doyle | ..... | bryan murray |
| marcello damaroco | ..... | david noroña |
| sadie lowenstein | ..... | debra wiseman |
| santa claus | ..... | charles durning |
| mrs. lowenstein | ..... | rosalind harris |
| mrs. brandenheim | ..... | grace keagy |
| mrs. shaughnessy | ..... | linda kerns |
| izzy | ..... | chachi pittman |
| fritzie | ..... | sabrina bryan |
| emilio | ..... | bret easterling |
| henry | ..... | mitchah williams |
| elf #1 | ..... | kristi lynes |
| elf #2 | ..... | jamie torcellini |
| michael kilkenny | ..... | mick murray |
| stage doorman | ..... | ken kerman |
| man in the santa suit | ..... | john wheeler |
| italian neighbor | ..... | tony perrotta |
| jewish neighbor | ..... | jean kaufman |
| miss macGonnigle | ..... | stacy sullivan |
| piano player | ..... | jerry herman |
| elf #4 | ..... | courtney pakiz |
| elf #5 | ..... | marilyn rising |
It's 1910, and production at the North Pole is ahead of schedule. All the toys are finished and the elves are going home early. Santa (Charles Durning), however, still has a ton of work to do before the big night. Mrs. Claus (Angela Lansbury) has some ideas of her own to share. But Santa is too busy to hear them on this night, so she has Arvo (Michael Jeter), the supervisor elf, rig up the reindeer for a quick trip around the world as a test run for Santa.
As they start out their journey, a bit of inclement weather causes the sleigh to make an unexpected pit stop in New York City.
¿Cómo estás?,
Bless my soul!, and
Oy Vey!
And as a result of a harsh touchdown, Cupid has injured his leg and will be grounded for a week...right up until Christmas Eve!
Mrs. Claus presents herself as Mrs. North
and secures lodging at a boarding house run by Mrs. Lowenstein (Rosalind Harris), a Jewish immigrant who always keeps a bag packed in the closet for fear of being deported. Her unwarranted fear stems from the actions of her boisterous daughter, Sadie (Debra Wiseman). Sadie is this story's version of Sarah Brown (Guys & Dolls). She is a soapbox crusader for women's suffrage, and as with the pledge from Sky Masterson to bring a dozen sinners to the mission, Sadie is trying to get a group of women to march with her for a rally at Union Square.
Meanwhile, another resident at Mrs. Lowenstein's is Nora Kilkenny (Lindsey Bartilson), an Irish girl living with her father. This little hooligan
is longing for the day when they can bring her mother and baby brother over from Ireland.
There is also a romantic storyline between Sadie and Marcello (David Noroña), the stable boy who is looking after the reindeer.
But the main conflict in the story comes from the sweat shop toy company, Tavish Toys. Augustus P. Tavish (Terrence Mann) is the Grinch in this story. He is out to ruin everyone's Christmas by making all the toys inferior so they will fall apart the day after Christmas. His motto is It only has to last 'til Christmas!
As it happens, Nora works at Tavish's factory, and gets Mrs. Claus a job as a supervisor. Mrs. Claus sees the horrible conditions under which the children are working, and sets out to change them. In the course of her actions, a secret is revealed about Augustus Tavish that explain why he wants to ruin Christmas.
And speaking of secrets, if you pay close attention to the end of the movie, we learn Mrs. Claus's first name (at least for this movie).
What a terrific Christmas movie! This is the first one in my VCR (yes, it's on VHS) every year, before It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story.
Here we see a Disney® musical featuring Angela Lansbury...a perfect trifecta, as we saw in Beauty and the Beast. This one, however, adds the magic of live-action! Of course, as with most Disney® movies of this nature, the music will be coming out of your mouth for days after you hear it.
Multiple religions and cultures are combined on this one street
in New York City. The actors and actresses are cast perfectly. Outstanding performances form another trifecta with Angela Lansbury (as if she's ever done anything less), Charles Durning (R.I.P.), and Michael Jeter as Arvo, Elf Supervisor.
If you are paying close attention, and have also seen this movie for the eighty-seventh time, you will see the parallels to other movies you should have seen (watch them if you haven't).
Guys & Dolls: Sadie is the Sarah Brown of this story. Sans band, Sadie stands upon her soapbox (literally), shouting for women's suffrage. Sadie also parallels Sky Masterson by pledging to bring a huge group of followers to Union Square to take part in a rally for equal rights. (Watch the movie or see the show if you don't make the connections.)
An American Tail:Santa and Mrs. Claus have the North Star as their special star; the icon they both look to when he is out on his journey. It brings them together when they are apart. Mrs. Claus also shares this wisdom with Nora when she is missing her family, and when she learns that Mrs. Claus must leave too.
Even 4 weeks after Christmas, and even if you don't celebrate it, put this movie into whatever player will accept it, and experience a joyful, cheery day!
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous:
- Santa Claus :
Is it me, or are there more children in the world every year?
Mrs. Claus :Well, as it happens, there are.
- Sadie :
No, mama. This is a free country.
Mrs. Lowenstein :For free, they'll throw us out of it!
- Nora :
I don't suppose you know anything about makin' toys.
Mrs. Claus :Oh....
- Mrs. Claus :
There are some problems, Mr. Tavish. I mean, the heat, for instance...
Tavish :Heat? I don't feel any heat. Do you?
- Sadie :
♫ A girl with a drive and a fellow with a dream...are like pickled herring, with vanilla ice cream. ♫
10 /10 
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