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).
Fangarius
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Jasmine
commented
Wow, I totally get what you mean about Art Carney’s Santa—it’s such a bizarre mix of charming and chaotic! I remember watching this back in the 80s and being equally torn between laughing at the antics and worrying about the kids’ North Pole adventure. For anyone who wants a little deeper dive into behind-the-scenes stories and fun facts about these classic holiday films, I found a great resource here: https://postspack.com/
. It’s got some interesting tidbits that really add to the nostalgia. -
Muslim
commented
Wow, I totally get your take on this film! The whole North Pole oil-drilling plot is so absurd, but it’s part of what makes the 80s holiday movies so charming. For anyone looking to revisit the movie or find some detailed info about the cast, plot twists, and even similar fun holiday films from that era, I actually found a great resource here: https://getprimeinfo.com/
. It’s got lots of background and trivia that really brings back that retro holiday vibe! -
Kanan Brooks
commented
I recently watched some clips of The Night They Saved Christmas on Insta Pro. such a nostalgic movie, If anyone else wants to check it out, I used the Insta Pro app which lets you find and watch a lot of cool Instagram content. You can download the app here: https://instpro.net/
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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?.....