My Christmas evergreen
Evening, all. It's great to see this Christmas chestnut (40th anniversary this year) has such an up-to-the-minute message board. The 1970 SCROOGE is my most oft-revisited Christmas feature (something to watch during the 2-hour procedure of platelet donation), but SANTA is the evergreen of evergreens among TV specials. By popular consensus CHARLIE BROWN, GRINCH & RUDOLPH may constitute the Holiday Trinity, but SANTA is my personal favorite.
Why? Why? Why? First & foremost, along with MAD MONSTER PARTY it represents Maury Laws & Jules Bass' high-watermark as songwriters. Except for the wedding ballad (merely ok) all the songs are strong & singable, particularly FIRST TOYMAKER (Paul Frees sings a duet with himself) & PUT ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER. Sadly, the quality of their songs declined measurably after SANTA. YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS had only one real keeper (HEAT MISER/SNOW MISER) & borrowed from the chestnut sack (BLUE CHRISTMAS/HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS.)
A TV soundtrack album was issued, but instead of banded songs it contains the entire film soundtrack, all 50 minutes of dialogue & music. Haven't yet sprung for the CD version (probably expensive), but a few of SANTA'S musical highlights appear on Nick at Nite's CARTOON CHRISTMAS series. SANTA also reunites 3 MGM veterans on it's voice track: Mickey Rooney, Keenan Wynn & best of all, Fred Astaire. All 3 contributed inspired work. That late 60s/early 70s touch: Jessica lets 'er hair down & belts like Cilla Black (WHO?) against psychedelic backgrounds.
SANTA has terrific comic & sentimental impact: unfairness & oppression, but no real tragedy (as in NESTOR or LITTLE DRUMMER BOY.) Herr Burghermeister's a grand villain (watch his eyebrows dance in rhythm during instrumental fills), I found him lovably loathsome. Indelible image: the choral weeping of the children as their toys are set ablaze. One poster questioned why Herr M wasn't reformed & redeemed. Well, I don't think it would've suited this story, but you can see it happen (kinda' sorta') in 12 DOGS OF CHRISTMAS, where Richard Riehle as Mayor Doyle (a kind of Meisterburgher lite) attempts to enforce an unfair & unworkable city ordinance against dogs, not toys. Hizzoner eventually sees the light, of course. RR's played fleeting bits as Santa in some nasty comedies, but had a much better chance in last year's SEARCH FOR SANTA PAWS.
But..that's another thread & another message board. SANTA, as always, added magic to my holiday viewing, as I expect it will for decades to come. Thank goodness we live in such an age of easily affordable & available media. Hope Christmas 2011 was one of your best ever, and Happy New Year.