ST. ELSEWHERE: SANTA CLAUS IS DEAD (TV)
Summary
One in this medical drama series set in St. Eligius hospital in Boston. In this episode, a hired Santa Claus at the hospital's Christmas party has a heart attack after a conversation with Dr. Auschlander's young grandson, Max, who becomes upset and feels partly responsible because he told Santa that he didn't believe he was real. Meanwhile, Dr. Craig tries to compensate for the loss of his son by diving into the planning and hosting of an elaborate wassail party, where, after getting drunk, his anger and sadness finally surface. Dr. Ehrlich is upset that no one bought him a Christmas gift, and after being told that no one remembered him because of his selfishness, he overcompensates with a show of generosity towards an unwilling patient. Elizabeth Westphall's boyfriend is saddened by the lack of Christmas spirit in the Westphall home and by his own parents' absence, which prompts the holiday-loathing Dr. Westphall to re-evaluate the meaning of Christmas. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: December 18, 1985 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:49:10
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:14454
- GENRE: Drama, medical
- SUBJECT HEADING: Christmas; Drama, medical; African-American Collection - Drama
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1982-1988
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Bruce Paltrow … Executive Producer
- Abby Singer … Coordinating Producer
- Mark Tinker … Supervising Producer, Developed by
- John Masius … Producer, Developed by, Writer
- Tom Fontana … Producer, Writer
- Beth Hillshafer … Associate Producer
- Leo Penn … Director
- Joshua Brand … Created by
- John Falsey … Created by
- Charles H. Eglee … Writer
- Dave Grusin … Theme Music by
- J.A.C. Redford … Music by
- Ed Flanders … Cast, Dr. Donald Westphall
- Norman Lloyd … Cast, Dr. Daniel Auschlander
- Ed Begley … Cast, Dr. Victor Ehrlich
- Stephen Furst … Cast, Dr. Elliot Axelrod
- Eric Laneuville … Cast, Orderly Luther Hawkins
- Howie Mandel … Cast, Dr. Wayne Fiscus
- David Morse … Cast, Dr. Jack Morrison
- Denzel Washington … Cast, Dr. Phillip Chandler
- William Daniels … Cast, Dr. Mark Craig
- Bonnie Bartlett … Cast, Ellen Craig
- Jane Wyatt … Cast, Katherine Auschlander
- Sagan Lewis … Cast, Dr. Jacqueline Wade
- Kavi Raz … Cast, Dr. V. J. Kochar
- Aaron Fletcher … Cast, Santa Claus
- Judyann Elder … Cast, the Patient
- Byron Stewart … Cast, Orderly Warren Coolidge
- Dana Short … Cast, Elizabeth Westphall
- Chad Allen … Cast, Tommy Westphall
- Casey Siemaszko … Cast, Rick Messina
- Bernard Ruby … Cast, Richard Lesniak
- Ian Fried … Cast, Jeff Rosenthal
- Max Auschlander … Cast, Danny McMurphy
- Alison Sweeney … Cast, Chrissy
- Harold Ayer … Cast, the Minister