Mrs. Santa Claus

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Mrs. Santa Claus

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Plot

Angela Lansbury shows off her gifts as a singer and dancer in this holiday-themed made-for-TV musical. Near the turn of the century, Stanta Claus (Charles Durning) is busy getting ready for his annual toy delivery -- in fact, he's so busy he hasn't had much time for his wife, Mrs. Claus (Angela Lansbury), and his spouse has developed a case of cabin fever. Determined to get away and have some some fun on her own, Mrs. Claus hitches up the reindeer and takes them out for a quick spin around the world; however, she has reindeer trouble over New York City, and is forced to make an emergency landing. Stuck in New York for a week as her deer heal, Mrs. Claus's desire to help others quickly comes into play when she befriends a handful of children working in a sweatshop, as well as a group of women who've embraced the cause of sufferage for all. Mrs. Santa Claus first aired on December 8, 1996. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Cast

Charles Durning - Santa; Michael Jeter; Angela Lansbury

Credit

Rob Marshall - Choreography, David Krane - Choreography, Donald Pippin - Conductor, Bob Mackie - Costume Designer, Terry Hughes - Director, David Shaw - Executive Producer, Charles Durning - Composer (Music Score), Terrence Mann - Composer (Music Score), Jerry Herman - Composer (Music Score), Larry Blank - Musical Direction/Supervision, J. Boyce Harman, Jr. - Producer, Mark Saltzman - Screenwriter, Donald Pippin - Executive Music Producer, Jerry Herman - Executive Music Producer, Donald Pippin - Music Producer, Mark A. Burley - Supervising Producer

Previous:Mrs. Rivington's Pride (1910 Film), Mrs. Ratcliffe's Revolution (2007 Film)
Next:Mrs. Silly (1985 Film), Mrs. Slacker (1918 Film)
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Mrs. Santa Claus

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Mrs. Santa Claus

DVD cover
Directed by Terry Hughes
Produced by David Shaw
Written by Mark Saltzman
Starring Angela Lansbury
Michael Jeter
Terrence Mann
Lynsey Bartilson
Bryan Murray
David Norona
Debra Wiseman
Music by Jerry Herman
Cinematography Stephen M. Katz
Editing by Stan Cole
Distributed by Hallmark Entertainment & Corymore Productions
Release date(s) December 8, 1996
Running time 90 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Mrs. Santa Claus is a 1996 television musical starring Angela Lansbury as the wife of Santa Claus. The musical score for Mrs. Santa Claus was written by Jerry Herman, the composer of such hit Broadway musicals as Hello, Dolly! and La Cage aux Folles.

Contents

Synopsis

The movie is set in December, 1910. Mrs. Santa Claus is trying to convince her husband, Santa Claus, to take a new route, but he is preoccupied with the Christmas rush and won't listen. Disgruntled, she takes the sleigh out herself, but is forced to land in New York City, where she is stranded when one of the reindeer (Cupid) becomes injured. As "Mrs. North", she takes up board with a family of Jewish immigrants, who don't celebrate Christmas. She befriends many of the local children and women, and becomes involved with political issues of the period such as child labor and women's suffrage.

Cast

  • Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Anna Claus
  • Charles Durning as Nicholas Claus, Santa
  • Michael Jeter as Arvo, one of Santa's Elves
  • Lynsey Bartilson as Nora Kilkenny, an Irish immigrant in New York
  • Debra Wiseman as Sadie Lowenstein, a Jewish immigrant girl who fights for women's rights
  • Rosalind Harris as Mrs. Lowenstein, Sadie's mother, a Jewish immigrant who runs a boarding house
  • David Norona 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
  • Terrence Mann as Augustus P. Tavish, owner of Tavish Toys

Background/production

The movie first was broadcast on CBS on December 8, 1996. Directed by Terry Hughes, the costume designer was Bob Mackie, with choreography by David Krane and Rob Marshall. The executive producer, David Shaw, is the stepson of Angela Lansbury.

Musical score

  • Seven Days 'Til Christmas - Michael Jeter/Kristi Lynes/Jamie Torcellini/Angela Lansbury
  • Mrs. Santa Claus - Angela Lansbury
  • Avenue A - David Norona/Grace Keagy/Linda Kerns/Ensemble
  • Avenue A (Reprise) - Angela Lansbury
  • A Tavish Toy - Terrence Mann/The Kids
  • Almost Young - Angela Lansbury
  • Almost Young (Reprise) - The Kids/Angela Lansbury
  • Suffragette March - Linda Kerns/Grace Keagy/Debra Wiseman/Angela Lansbury/The Women
  • We Don't Go Together At All - Debra Wiseman/David Norona
  • Whistle - Angela Lansbury/Lynsey Bartilson
  • Dear Mrs. Santa Claus - Charles Durning
  • Whistle (Reprise) - Angela Lansbury/Lynsey Bartilson
  • He Needs Me - Angela Lansbury Listen Listen
  • The Best Christmas Of All - Charles Durning/Angela Lansbury/Ensemble

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Awards and nominations

The movie received Emmy Award nominations for: Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special, Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special, Outstanding Music and Lyrics (for the song "Mrs. Santa Claus"). It won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special.

References

External links


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Copyrights:

Mentioned in

Mrs. Santa Claus [Original Soundtrack] (1996 Album by Original Soundtrack)
Santa Claus: The Movie (1985 Children's/Family Film)
Christmas in High Fidelity (1955 Album by George Melachrino)
Jerry Herman (Soundtrack Artist, '60s-2000s)
The Christmas Path (1999 Children's/Family Film)