Santa Claus
Conquers the Movies!!!

Since the birth of cinema, mythical figure and popular icon extraordinaire, Santa Claus, has been a fixture on the big screen. What is slightly odd is that this most utilitarian emblem of the Industrial Revolution hasn’t been more popular over the years.

The very dawn of movies lists several entries celebrating the jolly gift-giver: SANTA CLAUS AND THE CHILDREN (1898), SANTA CLAUS (1899), SANTA CLAUS FILLING STOCKINGS (1897). Even cinema luminaries such as Thomas Edison and D.W. Griffith contributed to this august canon: SANTA CLAUS’ VISIT (1900), WAITING FOR SANTA CLAUS (1901), AN UNEXPECTED SANTA CLAUS (1908), A TRAP FOR SANTA CLAUS (1909), THE ADVENTURE OF THE WRONG SANTA CLAUS (1914), SANTA CLAUS VS. CUPID (1915).

As silent film hit its stride in the 1920’s, Santa appeared as a regular fixture in a most odd genre, the classic comedy short subject. Films such as THE DETECTIVE’S SANTA CLAUS (1924), SANTA CLAUS (1925), and THERE AIN’T NO SANTA CLAUS (1926, with Charley Chase) used the Holiday icon as a comic buffoon or red herring, in films intended largely for adults.

The advent of sound movies seems to haven been oddly mute on the subject of our favorite childrens’ hero: to our knowledge, there isn’t one feature film produced during the 1930’s which featured Santa Claus as an actual, or literal character. The jolly man was relegated to low-brow short subjects and cartoons such as Disney's SANTA’S WORKSHOP (1932), THE SHANTY WHERE SANTY CLAUS LIVES (1933), THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1933) and CHRISTMAS COMES BUT ONCE A YEAR (1938). Perhaps the Great Depression made the bountiful Santa Claus appear less plausible, or less likable, in a time of such great want. There was, of course, an appearance of the great bearded one in Hal Roach's magnificent BABES IN TOYLAND (1934), starring Laurel and Hardy.

The 1940’s brought us two pivotal evocations of Santa Claus, the first being the amazing MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947), wherein a young Natalie Wood instructs the unfaithful on the true joy of believing.

Also, animator Dave Fleischer, now separated from brother Max, created a syrupy but hardy cartoon version of the classic children’s song, RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (1948). Rather simplistic, yet fun and colorful, Fleischer’s RUDOLPH was first released as a holiday cartoon, but had a most curious second life, at the bottom of Kiddie Matinee double bills, being shown well into the 1960’s! The last sighting of this well-worn animation was as the “co-feature” to the 1970 re-release of Kiddie Matinee wonderment MAGIC CHRISTMAS TREE! Now that’s longevity!

The 1940’s boasted several more Santa Claus short subjects, designed primarily for schools, libraries and home viewing. One of the most interesting of these ubiquitous postwar short subjects is 1946’s THE CHRISTMAS DREAM (aka VÁNOCNÍ SEN), an early film by famed Czech animator Karel Zeman (who went on to great acclaim with animated fantasies such as THE FABULOUS WORLD OF JULES VERNE), in which a little girl’s rag doll comes to life, in some crude but marvelous stop-motion animation.

In the 1950’s, postwar culture was passionately embracing a consumer mentality, and baby boomers were popping out from every corner. Thus, it is extremely curious that ‘50s cinema was also Santa-free, but for occasional appearances in the film ghetto known as educational/instructional film: SANTA CLAUS PUNCH AND JUDY, SANTA IN ANIMAL LAND, A PRESENT FOR SANTA CLAUS, etc. There were also assorted cartoons, such as SANTA’S SURPRISE (1951) starring Little Audrey, and the excellent THE CHRISTMAS VISITOR, by famed UK animators Halas/Batchelor.

Perhaps the only place one could find Santa Claus in the 1950’s (other than at your favorite department store) was in two TV productions of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1955 and 1959). The former production purportedly had a slim theatrical release, but this has not been verified.

The Big Baby Boom came of consumer age during the 1960s, so it is no surprise that the 1960’s is THE decade of the cinema Santa Claus. Several “big” movies, and many low-budget wannabes, honored our hero while raking in tons of dough from unwary parents and undiscriminating tots.

The first, and best, of these is the 1959 Mexican live-action fantasy, appropriately titled SANTA CLAUS (1959). While it was produced and released in late 1959, for all practical purposes we consider the film to belong to the subsequent decade, for that is where it made its significant mark world-wide.

SANTA CLAUS is the film which began the Kiddie Matinee. Florida producer K. Gordon Murray purchased U.S. theatrical rights to this wonderfully bizarre Mexican fantasy, and released it to a “Weekends Only” campaign, all tickets sold at 50 cents. He backed this up with heavy TV and newspaper advertising. Kiddies flocked to this weird film, which seemed somehow especially designed for them (even moreso than the lugubrious Disney adventures which were already all over the place).

Industry spectators watched, at first with amusement, and then in growing horror, as this low-rent import from a small-time producer started to garner impressive box-office receipts that in some cases, topped those of similar product from the major studios. Clearly, Murray was on to something, and more importantly, the Kiddie Matinee was born!

Soon, features designed expressly for the wee ones became abundant, from Disney and others. Murray himself released more bizarre fairy tale films such as PUSS N' BOOTS, LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, and LITTLE BOY BLUE AND PANCHO.

By 1964, the Kiddie Matinee was a force to be recognized, and that year proved to be the biggest year for the unique marketing niche. Noting correctly the swelling Babyboomers demographic, Murray decided to re-release SANTA CLAUS. He also released a hastily-concocted short feature, SANTA CLAUS AND HIS HELPERS, to further his hold on the market, and help Murray’s brand identification with the jolly old moneymaker.

Joseph E. Levine released the classic U.S. science-fiction/fantasy picture SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS (1964). This film, with its tabloid title, camp pretensions, and rollicking musical score by Anne & Milton Delugg, has come to symbolize more than any other film, the Kiddie Matinee at its most playful and imaginative.

Meanwhile, Disney chimed in with non-Clausian blockbusters MARY POPPINS (1964) and THE THREE LIVES OF THOMASINA (1964). A small California film group released a Grade-Z Santa picture, with occult overtones, called MAGIC CHRISTMAS TREE (1964). And most obscure of all is a “lost” Santa Claus feature, THE MIRACLE OF SANTA’S WHITE REINDEER (1964).

Whether big-budget or micro-budget, all of these films made money, and Santa Claus was now an integral part of the mythos of the Kiddie Matinee.

1966 saw the release of one big and two small Santa pictures. The beloved THE CHRISTMAS THAT ALMOST WASN’T, starring Rosanno Brazzi, Paul trip and Sonny Fox, really brought the notion of a contemporary Santa Claus home to U.S. Babyboomers. The Kansas-made SANTA’S CHRISTMAS CIRCUS (1966) featured local TV star, Whizzo the Clown, in his only theatrical appearance. K. Gordon Murray filmed another quickie Santa featurette, SANTA’S ENCHANTED VILLAGE (1966), and released it along with other Holiday offerings.

1967 saw two more low-budget offerings. SANTA’S MAGIC KINGDOM was Murray’s last original Santa Claus featurette, filmed entirely at a Santa’s Village theme park in the Midwest.

Herschell Gordon Lewis, known primarily for his reprehensible horror pictures featuring copious amounts of on-screen blood and guts (commonly known as “gore”), concocted the abominable SANTA VISITS THE MAGIC LAND OF MOTHER GOOSE, considered by many to be the worst motion picture ever produced for young people. A badly-filmed, near-amateur stage production, SANTA/GOOSE also holds the dubious distinction of being the only children’s movie ever to contain “gore” (a brief shot of a witch’s charred, smoking skeleton). The fact that a clearly-drunk, giggling Santa Claus introduces this horrifying bit of celluloid misanthropy only adds to its tragic legend.

The early 1970’s wheezed on with a few more truly terrible Santa Claus movies, milking the Kiddie Matinee perennial for every cent he was worth, and then some. The legendary SANTA’S MAGIC FOUNTAIN (1970) was a cynical re-release of a boring 1961 fantasy picture called THE MAGIC FOUNTAIN. SANTA AND THE THREE BEARS (1970) was a pleasant but unexceptional animated feature, with live-action scenes.

The infamous SANTA AND THE ICE CREAM BUNNY (1972) is a bona-fide cult legend, with many devoted followers, and rightly so; along with SANTA VISITS THE MAGIC LAND OF MOTHER GOOSE, SANTA/BUNNY is a contender for the worst movie ever made for Kiddies.

SANTA AND THE ICE CREAM BUNNY was one of several Kiddie Matinee features mounted by former exploitation filmmaker Barry Mahon. Filmed at Pirate’s World, a Florida amusement park, and padded with another Kiddie Matinee film, THUMBELINA, the no-budget SANTA/BUNNY comes across as little more than a home movie/promotional film, and has been shocking unwary viewers for over thirty years now.

Curiously, Barry Mahon’s next Kiddie Matinee feature, SANTA’S CHRISTMAS ELF (NAMED CALVIN) (1971) is yet another candidate for “worst kiddie picture ever”. Called by Mahon the first feature film created solely on a computer (?!?!), SANTA’S/ELF is a motion picture in concept only, as the lethargic story unfolds completely in still photographs, like an hour-long slide show! Surely this is the height of cynicism towards an intended audience, and one can only imagine the shocked reaction of all but the tiniest tots to this shameless disregard for all entertainment value. Watching this film must have been true torture for a theatrical audience.

Curiously, at about this time, Santa Claus moved to the boob tube, starring in over a dozen made-for-TV movies, perhaps making a needed exodus from a medium which had treated him so shabbily, and tarnished his good reputation. Indeed, at almost the same moment, theatrical features began to use the poor fellow, and Christmas in general, as the focus of some rather tasteless horror movies, such as BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974), SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT (1973), YOU BETTER WATCH OUT (1980), SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT (1984).

A full decade elapsed before Santa Claus dared make an appearance again on-screen for his kiddie fans. But when he did, it was with a vengeance.

The French fantasy J'AI RENCONTRÉ LE PÈRE NOËL was released in the U.S. as HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS (1985), an intriguing combination of child’s fantasy and social commentary. Disney presented the syrupy suburban-rebirth fable, ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS (1985), which featured Santa Claus as a curious "consumers advocate".

And then came SANTA CLAUS: THE MOVIE (1985). A curious stepchild of the new Hollywood trend towards big-star, big-budget “Blockbusters” such as STAR WARS, ROCKY and SUPERMAN, SANTA CLAUS: THE MOVIE took what was essentially the plot and spirit of the Mexican SANTA CLAUS, updating it to contemporary setting, and throwing in tons of production design and spectacular special effects.

As a film, SANTA CLAUS is a mixed bag. Dudley Moore and John Lithgow are fantastic as always. But in an attempt to be both fantastic and campy, some of the plot and dialogue just don’t make it. Also, trying to drag Santa Claus over from Kidfilm Icon to Mainstream Superhero (ala “Rocky” or “Indiana Jones”) proved a failure, and the film did poorly in its initial theatrical run.

Perhaps the “Curse of Movie Santa Claus” is that, despite all the publicity about the new movie, most people thought it was just another crummy Kiddie Matinee! After being ripped off for years with dreck like SANTA AND THE ICE CREAM BUINNY, can anyone blame the audience for being wary, and staying away in droves?

The last twenty years has seen a humbled and deformed Santa Claus dragged out in such embarrassing PC fiascoes as THE SANTA CLAUSE (1994), SANTA CLAUSE II (2002), a malodorous remake of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1994), the befuddled ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS (1988), and the wheezy PRANCER (1989). And let us stay as far away as possible from new-age wannabes like ELF and BAD SANTA! Just as cinema itself is dead, at least in America, so too, we fear, is the jolly fat man who gave us all those wonderful gifts during our formative years, the greatest gifts being a belief in the magical, and a love for all that is good and true…