Hey everyone, PushingUpRoses here and today I have a very fitting holiday special for
my channel, a made-for-TV musical called Mrs. Santa Claus, starring Angela Lansbury.
And before you ask, I did check to see if there were any Murder, She Wrote Christmas
episodes but sadly I think full on homicide is a little too morbid for anything holiday
related.
The reason I am covering this film is because I have these very faint memories of watching
it on VHS tape at my aunt’s house one winter, and I remember enjoying it, but after seeing
it that one time I never saw it again.
It’s weird, because it did VERY well; it debuted on CBS on December 8th, 1996, and
on top of having a great cast with well known names, it also had an experienced director,
writer, and composer.
And yet, when I think about movies to watch over the holidays, this doesn’t come to
mind.
Charlie Brown Christmas?
Yep.
A Muppet Christmas Carol?
DEFINITELY.
Love Actually?
Hugh Grant: “Yeeeah.”
Mrs. Santa Claus is like a an old song that hit #1 and was amazing the year it came out,
but after that initial success it just goes away.
Then when you discover it later on you’re like “Wait, this was a hit?
When?”
So I decided to give this movie another go because I remember being quite charmed by
it when I was a kid - though a lot of things charmed me as a kid if I am honest.
I used to spend my time coloring rocks with cheap crayons.
So here we go, I want the world to know there’s a Lansbury, singing: “Mrs. Santa Claus!”
It was directed by Terry Hughs, an EXCELLENT choice; he also directed the televised version
of Sweeny Todd, which also starred Angela Lansbury, and over 100 episodes of the Golden
Girls.
He’s won several awards so this bodes well for Mrs. Santa Claus.
The script was written by Mark Saltzman who had previous experience with Sesame Street
and a variety of musicals.
He’s won seven Emmys, so we’re now pretty much guaranteed that this will be a good movie;
only thing left is the music, which was all written by Jerry Herman.
His career is ALSO outstanding, but his most famous work is probably Hello Dolly, which
I love.
I love, love, love Hello Dolly.
And Angela Lansbury was, and still is, very active in film and musical theater.
I’m assuming I don’t need to tell you who Lansbury is, but in case you’re not
familiar - She’s a British actress whose career spans several decades.
You may know her as Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast, Jessica Fletcher from the greatest
television show ever made, Murder, She Wrote, but her most well known work is probably Positive
Moves.
Classic Lansbury.
Oh, and one more tidbit, the costume design was done by Bob Mackie.
What in the hell is he doing working on a made-for-TV musical?
You know who he designed for?
Fuckin’ CHER.
As we begin the movie, we’re introduced to the main Elf, Arvo.
Hey it’s the Evening Shade guy!
Yeah, you remember Evening Shade, right?
...No?
No one?
They sing a song about makin’ toys alongside Mrs. Claus, whose first name is Anna, as they
are getting ready for Santa’s trip.
I am loving Mrs. Claus’s hair do - it reminds me of Gerde from Gabriel Knight, which is
such an obscure nerd reference that I almost feel embarrassed.
Almost.
Arvo engages in some brief chit-chat after the other elves leave, asking her if she has
any plans.
“What about you, Mrs. Claus?
Another Christmas Eve alone?”
You wanna spend it with me, the Evening Shade guy?
She goes in to check on her husband who is completely bogged down with mail.
He’s also totally preoccupied and seems to be neglecting her new ideas for a more
efficient navigation plan.
She gets a little irritated, then expresses that she wishes she could help him out.
He responds like a petulant child and says that HE needs to be the one to do it because
HE’S the only one who can do it right.
Santa: “Now call me old fashioned…”
Okay.
You’re old fashioned.
Oh my GOD, look at all of these antlers all over the workshop!
There are on the stairs, and the make up the chandeliers - Are these all from the reindeer
they’ve had for the sleigh?
Oh my god don’t let them see it!
Because she is feeling unwanted and bored, Anna decides to hitch up the reindeer and
test out the new map she designed herself.
A storm rolls in and she is forced to make an emergency landing in New York.
Poor Cupid didn’t take the unexpected landing very well.
Anna: “Ohh, you’ve hurt your poor leg!”
Welp, guess we have more antlers for the stairs now.
Luckily, there’s a stable near by, run by an Italian immigrant named Marcello.
He takes Cupid in and says he’ll be ready after one week of rest.
Somehow she convinces him that the reindeer are for a Christmas pageant, and that she
hails from the North.
Marcello: “Ah, Senora de North.”
Anna: “Why yes, actually..
I am Mrs. North.”
Yeah, She ALSO convinces him that her NAME is Mrs. North.What is it about Angela Lansbury
that makes for such trusting characters?
You just wanna believe everything she says.
Marcello shows her around town, specifically Avenue A, a multi-cultural, diverse area where
everyone gets along in perfect harmony.
The story is set in the 1910s and the fashion and settings reflect that; this is also where
you can really see all of the Holly Dolly influence.
Exciting choreo, strong songs and singing, and New York again!
As they go down the street a bagel cart passes by, and it made me want a bagel.
I felt it imperative that I tell you that part.
Marcello brings her to a boarding house she can stay at, but of course she has no money.
Why do people never bring money or purses with them when they travel?
I just watched Noelle recently, which has a similar premise now that I think about it,
and she ALSO didn’t have money.
Who travels without it?
The woman who runs the house, a Jewish immigrant named Mrs. Lowenstein, says she can get a
job and pay her back later.
My god this is moving fast, but Anna doesn’t mind.
She loves the town and the people and can’t wait to see more, since she’s only ever
seen the workshop and snow.
Staying at the boarding house is also an Irish man and his daughter, Nora, who is a bit of
a troublemaker; she especially likes harassing the police, as one does.
Anna takes a liking to her and decides to cover for her when Officer Doyle is searching
the house.
Nora: “Hey… why did you do that?”
Anna: “It so happens that…”
I’m cool as hell.
Nora’s dad works all day, and her mother and baby brother are still in Ireland until
they can make enough money to bring them to the US.
She says she can take care of herself though, as she has a job at a toy making factory.
How convenient for the plot.
Anna is brought on as the supervisor of Tavish Toys, run by Augustis Tavish.
She quickly sees the employees are all children, working under horrible conditions and being
instructed to make cheap toys that won’t last.
The company’s motto is “It only has to last till Christmas.”
Tavish is played by Terrence Mann, who is a Broadway veteran; he was the original Rum
Tum Tugger in cats.
You know.
The sexy one.
...I can’t believe there’s a “sexy one” in cats.
He’s got a bit of Tim Curry vibe going on, specifically from Rocky Horror, so I was not
shocked to find out that Mann played Frank N. Furter in the play’s Broadway revival
from 2000.
He’s extremely talented and makes for a vile character in this film.
Anna: “Oh, just a little hug.”
Tavish: “Get that bear away from me.”...Dang, he even LOOKS a little like Tim Curry.
Also, I wonder what Tim Curry would be like as Rum Tum Tugger…
(Tim Curry laughing) These toys really do look extra terrible - instead of buying red
balloons they are DYING them.
The kids don’t trust Anna at first, but they warm up to her after she starts singing
them a song called “Almost Young.”
It expresses that just because she’s old in number doesn’t mean she can’t do a
lil jig.
It’s the catchiest song I’ve heard that explicitly uses the word DIRGE.
Anna, singing: “But when my dirge is sung!”
Anna approaches Tavish and explains to him there is no heat and the quality of the toys
is horrible and unacceptable.
He tells her not to worry about it because they make him money, and money makes him happy,
and who cares about toy quality.
After all: Tavish: “They only need to last till Christmas.
He locks himself in his office, then Anna boldly promises to do something about Tavish.
She doesn’t know what yet, but the kids cheer her on and we get a reprise of Almost
Young.
SING MY DIRGE.
Now that she has a job she is able to buy some stylish new digs - so fancy.
It reminds me of Meet Me in St. Louis.
Roses singing: Clang, clang, clang went the trolley, Ding, ding, ding went the bell!
Since this is a period piece, it does touch on issues from that time - child labor being
one of them, and women’s rights being the other.
Mrs. Lowenstein’s daughter, Sadie, is a suffragette who Anna befriends, and they collaborate
on protest ideas to improve the state of Tavish Toys.
Anna also helps Sadie to convince the women on Avenue A to join the march to union square
and stand up for their rights, helping them to realize their strength and potential.
We get a song, which is just one of the previous songs from earlier with altered lyrics, about
getting the right to vote.
It’s no Sister Suffragette, but it’ll do.
“Votes for women!”
Marchello, who is in love with Sadie, asks her out on a date, and she responds in song.
It’s one of the catchiest in the entire movie, but the lyrics are something to be
desired.
She just goes on and on about things that don’t commonly go together.
Sadie: “An onion roll at a Mayfair tea…”
“A bowl of borscht and a pizza pie…” “corn beef and cabbage topped with Mayonnaise…”
Hey that sounds pretty good.
There’s also a song about whistling; why are all these musicals insisting I whistle
to feel better?
Anna: “Whistle when you feel that no one is near…”
Snow White: Whistle while you work…”
Anna (The King and I): “I whistle a happy tune…”
Jiminy Cricket: “Give a little whistle!”
Through Sadie, Anna learns about factory slow downs, and convinces the kids to use it to
protest Tavish Toys.
The idea is to work very slowly until production comes to a halt, but the kids are nervous.
Kid: “What if we get scared?”
Anna: “ALL YA HAVE TO DO IS WHISTLE.”
What??
NO.
After the factory slowdown fails due to Tavish threatening to have the kids work on Christmas,
Anna now has to find some other way to save them from their predicament.
Anna: “Hmmm...Auggie Tavish.”
Is it weird that this isn’t the only time Angela Lansbury has called someone Auggie?
Jessica Fletcher: “So I hear you’re the man I should talk to...Auggie.”
Meanwhile, after a few days, Santa finally notices that his wife is missing and expresses
precisely one emotion about it.
This.
It’s a mood all right.
Santa has no fucks to spare.
He can’t really go off to find her because they only had one sleigh and one set of magical
reindeer.
I can’t believe he doesn’t have any backups, this is really poor planning on his part.
Good news is he figures out that he loves his wife.
Good for him?
But Anna can’t go back just yet, as she is still wants to help out the kids working
at Tavish Toys, Cupid is still healing, and she has a party to attend.
This really is turning out similar to a Murder, She Wrote episode.
Just like JB Fletcher, Anna gets into everyone’s life problems and attempts to solve them.
Except no one dies.
Since the slowdown didn’t work, Anna suggests a strike, where the kids take to the streets
and tell people about their deplorable conditions, and the poor quality of the toys.
It works flawlessly, and opens the public’s eyes to child labor.
Tavish takes it well.
(Tavish growling)
While at a policeman’s ball, Anna finds out that Cupid is all better, AND she is given
honors by Sadie.
Jeez, she really did a lot in the few days she was in New York; she joined the suffragettes,
marched to union square, led a protest, and called for child labor laws.
She even played matchmaker a couple times.
Damn STRAIGHT the world should know there’s a Mrs. Santa Claus!
But she forgot about one person.
Augustus Tavish.
Okay, so bear with me because the ending to this movie is just a teensy bit contrived.
Anna realizes it’s time for her to go back to the north pole and bids goodbye to Nora,
who is heartbroken and asks if she’ll ever see her again.
Anna: “Remember…
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WHISTLE…”
As Anna is leaving, Tavish attempts to steal the sleigh and the reindeer that were kept
at the stable, then tells Anna that he knew she was Mrs. Claus all along.
What?
HOW?
Because… the Claus family is known for their activism?
I know she’s experienced in toy making but going from toy maker to MRS.
SANTA CLAUS is a pretty hefty leap.
Suddenly, Anna realizes his name is familiar.
He had written to Santa asking for a Teddy Bear when he was a child, and he was given
one.
But his step brother stole it and Tavish was ruined.
So ruined, in fact, that he wanted to ruin everyone else’s Christmas, including this
one.
Tavish: “Yes it’s true, I can’t deny…”
Really?
Really.
Your teddy bear was stolen so you got into child labor.
Because of a TEDDY BEAR?
I mean, this is easily rectified.
Anna gives him a new Teddy Bear, just like the one Santa gave him years before, then
says: It’s not the gift that matters, it’s the love behind it.”
And he is INSTANTLY changed.
You can pinpoint the exact moment where his heart grows several sizes.
Meanwhile, Santa is having the most miserable Christmas Eve ever.
Not only is Anna not there, but the cocoa that Arvo makes is terrible.
Anna gets back home just in time for Santa’s trip, and he is relieved to see her.
While she was gone he realized how neglectful he had been, and invites her to join him on
his journey, using her new map.
The movie ends with them joyously singing together and delivering presents.
Right!
Final thoughts.
I watched this movie twice so I could decide if I really enjoyed it or not - the first
time I was slightly underwhelmed, but the second time, I appreciated it more for some
reason.
It’s actually a really decent musical that has a lot of interesting storylines and characters.
The shining star of the film is Angela Lansbury, who brings joy and expression to every moment
and every song.
The score is not as memorable as other beloved musicals, but it’s fun and fitting for this
movie.
I like the choreography, the sets, and the early 1900s costumes - it’s light hearted
and kept my attention.
It’s also a breath of fresh air to see a holiday movie tackle deeper subjects, versus
the same old “gotta find a fiance for Christmas so I can please my overbearing family” plot
line, which seems to be all the rage right now.
It’s a little less fluffy than the thousands of Christmas movies that have the personality
of a head of cabbage.
This is one of the only Hallmark family movies I found that doesn’t have an emphasis on
a love interest, or centers around a young, hot protagonist that needs to learn the meaning
of Christmas.
In fact, even though this takes place during Christmastime, and the main character is Mrs.
Claus, the plot of the movie is so much more than that; we have an older woman who is experiencing
her own life and finding strength in who she is, learning that her contributions to the
world matter, and helping other women to stand up and be independent.
This is the most feminist I’ve ever seen Mrs. Claus - usually they’re a little more...matronly.
Not Anna - look at her rock that red dress.
Though I gotta admit, this film isn’t particularly memorable.
The songs are fun, but they aren’t fantastic and they don’t stay in the public conscious.
Some of the songs are reused melodies with different lyrics so there isn’t much variety
either, and the conclusion is absurd - Tavish is an absurd villain to begin with so maybe
it’s appropriate, but I couldn’t believe how quickly things got resolved between him
and Anna.
Also, did she just happen to have a Teddy Bear in her cloak?
I guess you never know when someone needs one.
However I did like watching this as an adult; if you’re looking for a lesser known holiday
special that tackles a few adult issues, and you like beautiful costumes and exciting choreo,
then I’d suggest giving this movie a shot.
I’m a little sick of the usual Nightmare Before Christmas and Love Actually viewings
so this movie mixed it up for me a little.
I hope you enjoyed this video, and I wish you all the happiest of holidays.
And remember!
When you’re feeling low… all you have to do… is WHISTLE.
Hey everyone, thank you for watching my video on Mrs. Santa Claus.
If you are interested in more content from me, I have it, but first I would like to throw
out my patreon campaign.
Patreon is how I am able to keep my show going, it helps support me financially, and I have
a few rewards on offer, so check it out if you feel the desire.
If not, a wonderful holiday gift would be a like, retweet, or comment.
If you aren’t sure if you want to sub to me and need more content to decide, then I
got you.
On the left I have a comprehensive review of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries with an
emphasis on character analysis, and on the right I have my other holiday video that tackles
a silly episode of The Golden Girls.
Thanks again, and as always, I will see you in the next one.