The Night They Saved Christmas
If you thought Art Carney was bad in the Star Wars Holiday Special, and was disturbing in that Twilight Zone Episode: "Night of the Meek," as a drunken Santa, then hold on to your hats!
This was a Made-for-TV film back in 1984, where Art Carney reprises his role as St. Nick, aka Santa Claus. With this odd tale about how an oil corporation almost pulverizes Christmas (yeah, I know). Basically, the spiel is this: Jacklyn Smith plays as a mother with two kids, whose husband, Michael is drilling near the North Pole for oil. Not Alaska, not in Texas, but the North Pole..
Anyhoo, Jacklyn and her kids meet an elf who takes them to Santa Claus' workshop. Enter Art Carney as Santa. The problem is the oil company blasting for oil is too close for comfort to Santa's Workshop and wants Jacklyn and the kids to tell her husband and their company the proper spot for the oil deposit (so much for being Eco-Friendly, eh?). As would expected nobody believes Jacklyn, or her kids, despite the fact there are obvious tell-tale signs. But what is worse, the husband's boss thinks some rival has drugged the wife and kids, in order to throw everyone off the track (hey, with some of the Holiday riffs you've guys done, anything's possible, eh?). So the kids go off into the North Pole to warn Santa that no one will believe them by traveling back via snowmobile..
Anyway, not to give too much away (tho' I might have, sorry about that), this is one of the funnier Holiday films that came out of the 80s, and I feel the RiffTrax Crew would definitely do it justice (or injustice, considering your point-of-view).
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John Bladel commented
This movie is currently available to watch on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pumoKL8i9mo&ab_channel=ChickenSoupfortheSoulTV
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John Bladel commented
Starring:
Jaclyn Smith ("Charlie's Angels")
Art Carney ("The Honeymooners", "The Star Wars Holiday Special")
June Lockhart ("Lassie", "Lost in Space")
Mason Adams ("Lou Grant")
Paul Williams -
Thomas Mossman commented
I haven't seen this movie in years but I recall it being rerun for several years in syndication in the early 90s in Los Angeles.
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Profchaos777 commented
This movie is deserving of the RiffTrax treatment. I’ve loved this psycho Christmas Willy Wonka style train wreck of a movie since I was a kid. It really has to be seen to be believed. Will Santa be blown up by oil tycoons? What joyful Christmas song will Santa cut you if ever sing it in his presence?Will Santa simply use his freakin time machine to save everyone? (Nope) Was the family drugged or did they meet Santa? And what of the reindeer zephyr?.....