Mrs. Santa Claus is a 1996 American made-for-television musical fantasy comedy film directed by Terry Hughes, with a score by Jerry Herman, starring Angela Lansbury in the title role.
First broadcast as a Hallmark Entertainment presentation on CBS on December 8, 1996, the film was billed as the first original musical written for television since Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella in 1957.
Plot
Anna Claus has Santa's workshop running so efficiently in December 1910, the team has completed all the toys and presents a week ahead of schedule ("Seven Days 'Til Christmas"). Mrs. Claus attempts to offer her husband Nicholas a new, more efficient, route around the world, but he is preoccupied by the deluge of mail as Christmas approaches. Feeling ready for a change in her life, Anna decides to assert her independence by testing the route herself, flying the reindeer sleigh for an impromptu journey ("Mrs. Santa Claus").
A sudden storm forces her to make an emergency landing near the Statue of Liberty. She befriends the stable lad Marcello, who determines Cupid's injury will require a week of rest and recovery. Marcello offers to take "Mrs. North" to the best boarding house in the city; along the way he indicates the marvelous melting pot nature of his neighborhood, and Mrs. North enjoys the sights and sounds of a burgeoning and bustling New York City ("Avenue A").
At the boarding house, host Mrs. Lowenstein worries that her daughter Sadie is attracting police attention for her outspoken opinions regarding women's suffrage. After Mrs. North earns the trust of young boarder Nora Kilkenny, the child helps her get a job with a toy manufacturer. Alas, the proprietor is motivated by greed and reminds his child laborers that their work need only last until Christmas ("A Tavish Toy"). As the new Tavish Toy Company supervisor, Mrs. North dispels any worries that she is too old to be working with the children ("Almost Young"). After her concerns about toy quality are ignored, Mrs. North vows to reform conditions at Tavish.
Santa begins to worry about his wife after Arvo reveals that she's been gone for two days. Meanwhile in New York, Mrs. North helps Sadie gather a crowd to demand votes for women ("Suffragette March"). Marcello and Sadie share a mutual attraction despite their incompatibility ("We Don't Go Together at All"). Outside a Vaudeville show, Mrs. North and Nora cement their friendship and vow to help one another ("Whistle"). Back at the North Pole, devoid of his usual cheer, Santa expresses how deeply he misses his lifelong missus ("Dear Mrs. Santa Claus").
At the Tavish factory, Mrs. North has organized a work slowdown, and she is promptly fired. Nora leaves in solidarity ("Whistle" reprise). Clandestinely entering the Tavish factory via the chimney, Mrs. North rallies the children to organize a citywide strike and crusade for labor reforms. At the Christmas ball the next evening, Sadie raises a toast to Mrs. North and all the lives she's touched since her arrival.
After learning the reindeer have recovered, Mrs. Claus realizes she's ready to return to her husband's side ("He Needs Me"). While searching out the stables, Mrs. Claus is ambushed by Mr. Tavish; he had deduced her real identity, and hid the reindeer to prevent Santa from delivering Christmas presents. Mrs. Claus swiftly resolves the situation with the perfect gift for Tavish.
On Christmas Eve, Santa invites Anna to ride beside him for the first time, using the new route she devised. Aboard the flying reindeer sleigh, Anna and Santa are thrilled to be reunited, and express their shared devotion ("The Best Christmas of All").
Cast
Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Anna Claus
Charles Durning as Santa Claus
Terrence Mann as Augie Tavish, owner of Tavish Toys
Michael Jeter as Arvo, Santa's Head Elf
Debra Wiseman as Sadie Lowenstein, a Jewish immigrant girl who fights for women's rights Lynsey Bartilson as Nora Kilkenny, an Irish immigrant in New York Rosalind Harris as Mrs. Lowenstein, Sadie's mother, a Jewish immigrant Sabrina Bryan as Fritzie David Norona as Marcello Damoroco, an Italian immigrant in New York, who is in love with Sadie Bryan Murray as Police Officer Doyle, an Irish immigrant in New York
Production
Mrs. Santa Claus was filmed from August 12 to September 19, 1996, at the following studios: