Mrs. Santa Claus
Encyclopedia
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.
, 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
.
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.
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.
1996 in television
The year 1996 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1996.For the American TV schedule, see: 1996-97 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
television
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
starring Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
as the wife of Santa Claus
Mrs. Claus
Mrs. Claus is the wife of Santa Claus, the Christmas gift-bringer in North American Christmas tradition.While Santa Claus himself emerged from the 1820s from a number of traditions of European folklore, Mrs...
. The musical score for Mrs. Santa Claus was written by Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage...
, the composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of such hit Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musicals as Hello, Dolly!
Hello, Dolly! (musical)
Hello, Dolly! is a musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955....
and La Cage aux Folles.
Synopsis
The movie is set in December, 1910. Mrs. Santa Claus is trying to convince her husband, Santa ClausSanta Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
, to take a new route, but he is preoccupied with the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
rush and won't listen. Disgruntled, she takes the sleigh out herself, but is forced to land in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, 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
Child labor
Child labour refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and is illegal in many countries...
and women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
.
Cast
- Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Claus
- Charles DurningCharles DurningCharles Durning is an American actor. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon , along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two...
as Santa Claus - Michael JeterMichael JeterMichael Jeter was an American actor.- Early life :Michael Jeter was born in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. His mother, Virginia , was a housewife...
as Arvo - Terrence MannTerrence MannTerrence Vaughan Mann is an American actor, director, singer, songwriter and dancer who has been prominent on the Broadway stage for the past three decades...
as Augustus P. Tavish - Lynsey Bartilson as Nora Kilkenny
- Linda Kerns as Mrs. Shaughnessy
- Bryan Murray as Officer Doyle
Background/production
The movie first was broadcast on CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
on December 8, 1996. Directed by Terry Hughes, the costume designer was Bob Mackie
Bob Mackie
Robert Gordon Mackie is an American fashion designer, best known for his costuming for entertainment icons such as Judy Garland, Cher, Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Tina Turner, and Mitzi Gaynor...
, with choreography by David Krane and Rob Marshall
Rob Marshall
Rob Marshall is an American theater director, film director and choreographer. He is a six-time Tony Award nominee, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe nominee and four-time Emmy winner whose most noted work is the 2002 Academy Award for Best Picture winner Chicago.-Life and career:Marshall was...
. 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 KeagyGrace KeagyGrace Keagy was an American actress, best-known for her work on the stage in character roles. She is best known for her Drama Desk Award nominated performance as "Rosa" in the original 1979 production of Joseph Stein and Alan Jay Lerner's Carmelina.-Career:Keagy was born in Youngstown, Ohio and...
/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
Awards and nominations
The movie received Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
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.