SimonJack "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."

OllieSuave-007 This is a feel-good Christmas TV movie starring Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Santa Claus, who, feeling neglected, leaves the North Pole with her husband's reindeer and sleigh to go out for a drive, but gets stranded in Manhattan during the Christmas season.This is a movie full of colorful costumes and bright cinematography to highlight the Christmas seasons. The dance choreography was great and the story was uplifting, if not a bit juvenile.There are plenty of spirited songs in the movie, which is perfect for those who enjoy musicals. I'm not a big fan of musicals and almost got driven up the wall with all those unending songs and thought the plot was a bit slow. But, it is still nice seeing Lansbury back on the screen, showcasing her many talents, and nice to have a meaningful movie on TV to bring the family together.

ahmetusa55 As you all know Santa ( St. Nicholas) originated in today's country land of Turkey in reality… Most of the kids and adult do not believe this in America. Some believe its a mythology and some think it is a Disney character so on… But in reality he came from Myra, Patara, Demre Turkey… How does it make around to world and on time every Christmas is a mystery until you see this script layout of mine for a great movie… Contact me please for the discussion of this great script Mr. Ahmet Kalpak email [email protected] Phone# 9522616012 As you all know Santa ( St. Nicholas) originated in today's country land of Turkey in reality… Most of the kids and adult do not believe this in America. Some believe its a mythology and some think it is a Disney character so on… But in reality he came from Myra, Patara, Demre Turkey… How does it make around to world and on time every Christmas is a mystery until you see this script layout of mine for a great movie… Contact me please for the discussion of this great script Mr. Ahmet Kalpak email [email protected] Phone# 9522616012

mntwister This is a quality musical movie, with another ten star score from the great Jerry Herman, my favorite composer. Most others have said many of the things I wanted to say here, so I'll just say don't miss it. Someone questioned why politics were added. In Lansbury's biography, she states that she turned down the role at first because it was too "fluffy" and when they added the human rights thing she was more interested. Composer Jerry Herman was very ill with HIV at the time this was being filmed. She also did this as a favor to him. He really wanted her to do the TV movie of MAME, saying that she was still able to pull it off, but she felt she was too old for the role, and so to do something for her friend, she did this musical, and I am glad she did this (although MAME would have been awesome, and finally a good movie).The score, orchestrations are 10 out of 10, the only problem I had was with a few of the special effects, I felt they could have been a notch better.Lansbury and Durning are excellent. This is a great 2 hour experience of the kind of movie that is so rare, and it works because of all of the broadway talent involved, that's who should be making musicals. Director Rob Marshall (Chicago) did the choreography and that's superb.Great movie, great cast, great music! The DVD also has a great but short "making of." on it, the DVD is definitely in my collection! I wish some of Herman's other shows were good movies, Hello Dolly being the only good one, my opinion of course. There's The Grand Tour, Dear World, La Cage Aux Folles, Milk and Honey and Mack and Mabel, great musicals without being filmed.