Thanks for the memories!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

good back-story, and good acting

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

"Mrs. Santa Claus" is an enjoyable Christmas film that actually centers on Christmas. As a musical, it provides some entertaining songs by Jerry Herman. And it has a couple of good dance scenes. Especially good is the song, "We Don't Go Together." Of course, any musical to be great has to have very good or great singers - if not in the cast, then dubbed. While Angela Lansbury (as Mrs. Santa Claus) is a very good actress who can sing, she is far from a great singer. Several others in this film are just passable as vocalists. Only one person has a great voice - Debra Wiseman, who plays Sadie Lowenstein. The staging, costumes, and all technical aspects of this TV movie are superb. The plot is a good one, but it goes overboard in trying to cover all the big social issues in the U.S. of 1910. Women's suffrage, child labor laws, the great American melting pot and others have long histories. So, this plot plays with history and puts a sugar coating on the culture and mores of the time and place. For instance, women's suffrage began long before 1910. It's official birth was the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. And, it was ratified as the 19th amendment to the U.S. constitution in 1920. By 1910 it would not have been so strange or out of place to see Sadie Lowenstein on a soap box for women's rights - even (or especially) in Manhattan's East Village. One glaring error that caught my attention right away was in the suffrage parade. Several marchers held an unfurled U.S. flag above their heads. It had clear rows of six by eight stars, for a total of 48. But, the U.S. had just 46 states in 1910. The 47th and 48th states (New Mexico and Arizona) would become part of the Union in 2012. In its portrayal of the great melting pot of the U.S. and New York, especially, the film transposes 21st century American idealism on the 1910 culture. Yes, people in many neighborhoods of mixed backgrounds - ethnic and religious especially, lived together and got along. But many more of the time were segregated by neighborhoods and distinct ethnic communities. The song, "Avenue A," narrowed the location in Manhattan to the 13-block street in Manhattan's East Village.Without great singers and superb music, I won't rate any musical higher than eight stars. This is not a "West Side Story," or "The Sound of Music," or "Funny Girl," or "Show Boat, " or "Porgy and Bess," or "Easter Parade." But for the overcrowding of social issues and juggling of history in the screenplay, it would have earned those eight stars. It is an enjoyable Christmas musical.Here are a couple favorite lines from the film. Mrs. Santa Claus in the opening scenes says, "Oh, team, we've done it - 1910 is a record year."Santa Claus (Charles Durning), as he places a letter in an outbox marked "Naughty," says, "There's always the naughty ones with the bad handwriting."

Mrs. Santa Claus Mrs. Claus is childless because she was made from spare doll parts by Santa's elves.Nonetheless, this fantasy maintains she is much more than Santa's sex-doll.After a fight with her husband (Charles Durning) over new flight paths for Christmas 1910, Anna Claus (Angela Lansbury) steals his magic sleigh and heads to NYC. But when Cupid gets hurt, she is laid over in the Big Apple and must lodge with a poor family. While slumming it, Anna involves herself in important social issues of the time, including child labour laws and a woman's right to vote.Although this is a Hallmark television movie from 1996, it does, in some wacky way, deal with real world woes head-on. As well, it manages to finally give Santa's silently doting housewife a voice, and it's a dissenting one at that. Furthermore, if Santa were a woman she would knock before entering your house. Yellow Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

Well, what can I say but THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU !!! The magic of Christmas coupled with the excellent performance of Mrs Lansbury and all the cast, works miracles on my almost 1-year old twins who LOVE watching this movie. My son, Gabriel, recognises the movie from the very first notes of the introductory song while my daughter, Megan, is mesmerised by the music and the choreography. They spend the whole length of the movie in utter awe and complete silence, so when I need a break .. on goes Mrs Santa Claus!! In all honesty, I almost know it by heart myself - dialogue, song and all, considering that they watch it every day. Besides the benefit this movie has brought my family, I recommend watching this movie as it has all the right ingredients for wholesome, family fun. Magical Christmas scenery, catchy tunes, marvellous costumes, original plot, breathtaking choreography are all it takes to make the movie, in Augustus P Tavish's own words ...'OUTSTANDING' ...

Lansbury is charming as always in this musical from Jerry Herman about Old St. Nicks' Mrs. It's nice to see Lansbury singing again and having a good time.