| |
TV Movie 1974 |
The Year Without a Santa Claus
|
Back Home
|
Santa Claus: All right. What are you up to?
Mrs. Santa: Up to? Do I look like I'm up to something?
Santa Claus: No, you don't look like you're up to something, but whenever you look like you're not up to ANYTHING, you're up to something.
|
Snow Miser's Men: He's Mister White Christmas, he's Mister Snow. He's Mr. Icicle, he's Mister 10 below.
Snow Miser: They call me Snow Miser, whatever I touch turns to snow in my clutch. I'm too much.
|
Snow Miser: Don't be such a stranger. Come around with your husband, we'll have a blizzard. Ha ha ha ha.
|
Mrs. Santa: Would you mind doing us a favor?
Heat Miser: I don't see why I should. No one ever does anything for me. What is it?
Mrs. Santa: Could you let it snow in the south for one day?
Heat Miser: WHAT? SNOW IN THE SOUTH?
Mrs. Santa: Just for one day?
Heat Miser: NEVER.
[thinks for a few seconds]
Heat Miser: Hmmm... unless of course... there was... you know... something in it for me?
|
Heat Miser: Oh, some like it hot, but I like it REALLY hot.
|
Heat Miser: Well, well, Mrs. Claus. How's your husband doing? Out doing another commercial for my brother?
Mrs. Santa: Oh come now. You know he's not on your brother's payroll.
|
Dr. Bobbin: And for what? Just to deliver presents to a bunch of folks who don't give a hoot in the first place.
Mrs. Santa: Now, now, Doctor. It's not just presents and you know it. What about all that Christmas spirit and good will?
Dr. Bobbin: If you had any sense, you'd give it up as a bad job and stay home in bed this year.
Mrs. Santa: Oh come now, if Santa stayed home, why there would be no Christmas.
Dr. Bobbin: Who cares? Nobody cares about Christmas anymore.
Santa Claus: They don't?
Dr. Bobbin: Of course not. Wouldn't surprise me none if nobody even believed in you anymore.
Mrs. Santa: Now Santa, don't you pay him any mind.
Dr. Bobbin: Nobody cares a hoot and a holler for you or Christmas. Oh by the way, Merry Christmas to you.
|
Snow Miser: So, Mrs. C., how's your hubby?
Mrs. Santa: Not too good, Snowy, he's got a bad cold.
Snow Miser: Aw, that's a shame. He should've come to see me, I'd've given him a good one. HO HA HO... a little chilly humor, there.
|
Jingle Bells: [answers the phone] Hello? Jingle Bells, number 1 elf speaking. May I ask who is calling please? Oh, hi, Mrs. Claus. Yes, Mrs. Claus. Okay, Mrs. Claus. Sure thing, Mrs. Claus. Right away, Mrs. Claus.
[hangs up]
Jangle Bells: Who was that?
Jingle Bells: That was... Ooh.
|
Mrs. Santa: No fighting, you two.
Snow Miser: Well, if I can't have any fun I might as well leave.
|
Heat Miser's Men: He's Mister Green Christmas. He's Mister Sun. He's Mister Heat Blister. He's Mister Hundred-and-One.
Heat Miser: They call me Heat Miser. Whatever I touch starts to melt in my clutch. I'm too much.
|
Description
When his devious head elf, Sparky (Kattan), tells him that he must "keep up with the times" no matter how materialistic Santa Claus (Goodman) resists, fearing that the holiday has become far too commercial. Convinced that no one believes in him anymore and that people have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas, Santa decides to take the year off and not deliver any gifts, much to the dismay of his two closest elves, Jingle (Suplee) and Jangle (Griffin). When Santa tells them that he doesn't think there are any children left who still care about the true spirit of Christmas, the two elves decide to prove him wrong. But their efforts are complicated by Heatmiser and Snowmiser, the two feuding sons of Mother Nature (Kane), whose help Jingle and Jangle will need if they want to save Christmas.
Amazon.com
Based on the classic 1976 animated Rankin and Bass Christmas special The Year Without a Santa Claus, this 2006 live-action, modernized version of the story features John Goodman as Santa Claus, Delta Burke as Mrs. Claus, Eddie Griffin as Jangle, Ethan Suplee as Jingle, and Chris Kattan as Sparky. In both productions, Santa is disgusted with the commercialization of Christmas and feels overworked and underappreciated. Add in a bad cold and Santa declares that he is canceling Christmas this year and it falls to two elves, Jingle and Jangle, to restore Santa's faith by finding a child who understands the true spirit of Christmas. The most striking differences in this new production are the cynical, almost satiric portrayal of the extreme commercialization of Christmas at Santa Company (complete with punk rocker dolls, violent video games, and a crazed employee named Sparky who dreams of taking Santa's place as action-hero-inspired "Extreme Santa"), a makeover of the elf Jangle as a television-junkie obsessed with talk shows, a less prominent role for Mrs. Claus, and a twist on the young boy and town Mayor story line that focuses less on encouraging the boy (who just happens to be the Mayor's son in this version) to believe in Santa Claus and more on inspiring the Mayor's realization that his relationship with his son is much more important than his political ambitions. While neither version has the warmth of the more optimistic Rankin and Bass animated specials like Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Frosty the Snowman, this latest live-action version of The Year Without a Santa Claus is full of modern day references that will date it in future years, is somewhat crass, and at times downright unlikable. (Ages 9 and older) --Tami Horiuchi
|
|