MRS. SANTA CLAUS (TV)
Summary
In this made-for-television musical, Mrs. Anna Claus, tired of being neglected at Christmastime, takes Santa’s sleigh for a spin and gets stranded on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The program, set in 1910. begins at the North Pole with Arvo and the other elves singing “Seven Days ‘Til Christmas” about making holiday toys and applauding Mrs. Claus for helping to get the work done a week early. Finishing up, Mrs. Claus sends the elves home to spend Christmas with their families. Santa notices that he is getting behind in his mail, which he feels the need to answer personally. Soon, Mrs. Claus finds herself frustrated that her husband ignores her ideas about a new course to navigate on Christmas Eve. Wanting a challenge of her own and to leave the North Pole for once, she sings “Mrs. Santa Clause,” about being “the invisible wife.” Mrs. Claus opts to take out the sleigh to try her new route. Once in the sky, a storm causes Mrs. Claus to make an emergency landing in New York City. On the ground, Mrs. Claus tries to console injured reindeer Cupid while concealing her true identity. Calling herself “Mrs. North,” she enters a barn where she meets stable boy Marcello Damaroco, asking him if he can help with the lame reindeer. Then, Marcello takes her to a boarding house on Avenue A. Mrs. Claus is startled to be in such a bustling city as Marcello sings about the Lower East Side street, “Avenue A.” Marcello takes her past woman’s suffrage activist Sadie Lowenstein and her mother, who tries to remove her rabble-rousing daughter from the street before police arrive. Marcello continues to show Mrs. Claus the diversity of the area. Then, Marcello brings Mrs. Claus to Mrs. Lowenstein’s boarding house, where she meets trolley conductor Mr. Kilkenny and his mischievous daughter Nora. Mrs. Claus talks with Sadie about her thoughts on suffrage, then identifies Marcello as her admirer. Mrs. Claus has to reveal that she has no money to pay Mrs. Lowenstein; the woman tells her not to worry, as she’ll soon have a job. Next, Officer Doyle drops by, angry at the “holy hellfire” Nora has been raising. Mrs. Lowenstein discusses her fears of Sadie getting in trouble and causing them to get thrown out of the country. Later, Marcello admires Sadie in song, reprising “Avenue A.” Meanwhile, Mrs. Lowenstein discusses how she is going to make some latkes for Hanukkah, though is upset to find her eggs missing. Mrs. Claus realizes that Nora swiped the eggs, hoping to hit Officer Doyle with them. He arrives at the boarding house looking for her. Mrs. Claus helps Nora hide and sends the officer off in the wrong direction. Nora reveals that her mother and baby brother are back in Ireland, her father working hard in order to earn money to bring them over. Nora also reveals that she can help Mrs. Claus get a job at her place of employment, Tavish Toy Company. There, self-serving owner Augustus P. Tavish sings “A Tavish Toy” about making defective toys, then hires Mrs. Claus as the factory’s new supervisor. Mrs. Claus introduces herself to some of the young employees, learning what happened to the last supervisor. Nora defends Mrs. Claus from the other children’s taunts. Mrs. Claus sings “Almost Young,” about her knowledge of toys and ignoring her physical limitations. Mrs. Claus goes to Mr. Tavish to discuss his flawed toys, as well as the factory’s bad conditions, but he doesn’t care. Meanwhile, after Arvo brings Santa some sub-standard cocoa, the big guy is upset to learn that his wife has left. Later, Mrs. Claus gets advice from Sadie about how to improve working conditions at the factory. Sadie comes up with a game plan for Mrs. Claus to follow. In turn, Mrs. Claus advises Sadie that she could better inspire women if she got off her soapbox. Soon, Mrs. Claus, Sadie, and other women are singing “The Suffragette March” about “being counted” as even Marcello joins them. Later that night, Mrs. Claus checks on her reindeer, only three days away from Christmas. Marcello tries to ask Sadie out but she sings “We Don’t Go Together At All.” Later, Nora discusses her mother with Mrs. Claus, saying how much she misses her and wondering what she now looks like. Nora takes Mrs. Claus to see vaudevillian performers Maud & Claude. After the show, Nora and Mrs. Claus try on some wardrobe costumes while they sing “Whistle” about the importance of ending loneliness. Meanwhile, Officer Doyle stops Mr. Tavish’s young employees from running off with a Christmas tree, thinking they stole it. Mrs. Claus and Nora intercede to stop the police officer from confiscating the tree. Then, Officer Doyle invites Mrs. Claus to the police officer’s benefit on Christmas Eve. Afterward, Mrs. Claus tells her employees to spend the next day working as slowly as possible. Meanwhile, Santa is sad at being alone. Arvo and the other elves try to cheer him up but it doesn’t work. Arvo inspires Santa to get his feelings to Mrs. Claus on paper and he sings “Dear Mrs. Santa Claus” about missing his wife. Then, Officer Doyle comes by the boarding house to tell Mrs. Lowenstein how a “secret Santa” has bought a ticket for her to attend the policeman’s benefit. Mr. Tavish is shocked to see how slowly his employees are now building toys, demanding an explanation from Mrs. Claus, who blames the cold air. Mr. Tavish is so furious he tells his employees that they will have to work on Christmas day to do “clean up.” Mr. Tavish tricks the children into ratting out Mrs. Claus and subsequently fires her. Later, Nora reveals to Mrs. Claus that she hates Christmas, what with her mother not being around. The pair sing a reprise of “Whistle.” Later, Mrs. Claus and Nora break into Mr. Tavish’s and again speak with the employees about needing to believe in themselves and stick together to take down their cruel boss. Mrs. Claus inspires them to begin a boycott of Mr. Tavish’s toys. Mrs. Claus and the children go to the street to strike, getting the ear of the mayor. Soon, Sadie and Mrs. Claus are reading newspapers about the outcry for labor laws, causing Mr. Tavish to vow revenge on Mrs. Clause. That night at the policeman’s ball, Marcello informs Mrs. Claus that her reindeer are now healed. Then, Sadie makes a Christmas toast to “Mrs. Santa Claus of Avenue A.” Afterward, Mrs. Claus searches the sky for the north star, singing “He Needs Me” about her enduring love with Santa. Finally, Mrs. Claus tells Nora that it is time for her to leave New York. However, Mr. Tavish has figured out the identity of Mrs. Claus and tries to stop her from returning to the North Pole, thus ruining Christmas. Mrs. Claus also realizes that Mr. Tavish wrote a letter to Santa as a lad and how his present was stolen, souring him on others’ Christmases. She gives him a duplicate of the present he lost, making Mr. Tavish repent his evil ways. Ultimately, Mrs. Claus returns to Santa and Arvo, just in time for him to handle his Christmas duties. Santa and Mrs. Claus sing “The Best Christmas of All,” after which he invites her to join him on his round-the-world journey. They fly over the boarding house, just as Nora’s mother and baby brother arrive, Marcello and Sadie connect, and Mrs. Lowenstein gains security in America. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: December 8, 1996 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:01:12
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:80067
- GENRE: Comedy; Music
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Music
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV, 1996
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Shaw … Executive Producer
- Mark A. Burley … Supervising Producer
- J. Boyce Harman, Jr. … Producer
- Eric Ellenbogen … Co-Producer
- Priscilla Morgan … Associate Producer
- Terry Hughes … Director
- Mark Saltzman … Writer
- Jerry Herman … Music by
- Rob Marshall … Choreographer
- Angela Lansbury … Cast, Anna Claus
- Micheal Jeter … Cast, Arvo
- Terrence Mann … Cast, Augustus P. Tavish
- Lynsey Bartilson … Cast, Nora Kilkenny
- Bryan Murray … Cast, Officer Doyle
- David Norona … Cast, Marcello Damaroco
- Debra Wiseman … Cast, Sadie Lowenstein
- Charles Durning … Cast, Santa Claus
- Rosalind Harris … Cast, Mrs. Lowenstein
- Grace Keagy … Cast, Mrs. Brandenheim
- Linda Kerns … Cast, Mrs. Shaughnessy
- Chachi Pittman … Cast, Izzy
- Sabrina Bryan … Cast, Fritzie
- Bret Easterling … Cast, Emilio
- Mitchah Williams … Henry
- Kristi Lynes … Cast, Elf #1
- Jamie Torcellini … Cast, Elf #2
- Mick Murray … Cast, Michael Kilkenny
- Ken Kerman … Cast, Stage Doorman
- John Wheeler … Cast, Man in Santa Suit
- Toni Perrotta … Cast, Italian Neighbor
- Jean Kaufman … Cast, Jewish Neighbor
- Stacy Sullivan … Cast, Miss MacGonnigle