Musicals On TV - Mrs. Santa Claus

CBS, 1996
Starring Angela Landsbury, Charles Durning, Michael Jeter, and Lynsey Bartilson
Directed by Terry Hughes
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman

Hoping to bring back the Golden Age of TV Musicals, CBS made this their big Christmas attraction in December 1996. It was a hit at the time...but it seems to have been slightly forgotten in recent years, even as musicals continue to make a comeback on the big and small screens. Is this holiday-themed vehicle for Landsbury still worthy of our attention, or should it be left behind like stale fruitcake? Let's head to the North Pole, where the elves are working diligently on the toys, to find out...

The Story: Feeling unappreciated by her husband when he won't hear her suggestion for a new route, Mrs. Anna Claus (Landsbury) takes the reindeer and sleigh out for a spin about a week before Christmas. A blizzard lands her in New York's Avenue A in 1910, a melting pot of immigrants struggling to survive. She moves into a boarding house run by Mrs. Lowenstein (Rosalind Harris) and her daughter Sadie (Debra Wiseman).

Sadie stands on a soapbox on the street and tries to preach to the crowds about women's rights, but she can't get their attention. Marcello (David Norona), the handsome young caretaker at the stable where the reindeer are housed, has a crush on Sadie, but is too intimidated to tell her. Nora (Bartilson), an Irish child at the boarding house working to raise money for her mother to come over from Dublin, offers "Mrs. North" a job at Tavish's Toys...which turns out to be a sweatshop with deplorable working conditions run by nasty Mr. Tavish (Terrance Mann). She gets involved with everyone, trying to solve their problems, all while badly missing her husband. Meanwhile, Santa (Durning) is just as lost without her, despite the efforts of his head elf (Jeter) to make him feel better. Not to mention, if the sleigh isn't back by Christmas Eve, he won't be able to make his big trip.

The Song and Dance: For the most part, this one is definitely on the nice list. Landsbury pours her heart into the role of the neglected wife who ends up helping everyone around her change their lives for the better. She does especially well with Bartilson and the other kids, clowning around and having a blast with them. Lavish sets and costumes - the outfits were done by the legendary Bob Mackie - add greatly to the period feel.

Favorite Number: There's two good ensemble routines, "Avenue A," where Marcello shows Mrs. Claus around the street and introduces her to the locals, has some spirited choreography in a sequence set at a bar. There's also some nice choreography in Landsbury's number with the kids at Tavish's Toys, "Almost Young." Landsbury joins Bartilson in turning sheets hanging on a clothesline into vaudeville costumes in "Whistle" and duets with Durning on the finale, "The Best Christmas of All."

What I Don't Like: This movie is trying to do way too much. It throws together Mrs. Claus' story about being appreciated with commentary on women's rights and child labor, the secondary romance between Marcello and Sadie, and the one with Nora and her family. Any one or two of those plotlines probably would have covered a full 90 minutes. Not to mention, this is obviously intended to be a cute, smiley-happy musical and lacks the grit of the real New York in that time period. The darker themes don't always work with the sugary feel.

The score is also disappointing for Herman's last work to date. Some of the songs are pleasant enough, but they're not as memorable as his tunes for his Landsbury stage vehicles Mame and Dear World.

The Big Finale: Not a bad way to spend an hour and a half on a cozy Christmas evening if you're a fan of Landsbury or Herman, or are looking for a sweet holiday musical for the whole family.

Home Media: Not currently on streaming, but it was re-released on DVD two years ago and can often be found for under ten dollars.

DVD