The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974) (TV)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Directors:

Jules Bass
Arthur Rankin Jr.

Writers:

William Keenan (writer)
Phyllis McGinley (novel)

Release Date:

10 December 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Plot:

Mrs. Claus tells us about the time Santa had a bad cold and decided to take a vacation from Christmas...

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Stop Motion | Santa Claus | Reindeer | Sibling Rivalry

Cast

Shirley Booth	...	Mrs. Santa (voice)
Mickey Rooney	...	Santa Claus (voice)
Dick Shawn	...	Snow Miser (voice)
George S. Irving	...	Heat Miser (voice)
Bob McFadden	...	Jingle Bells (voice)
Rhoda Mann	...	Mother Nature (voice)
Bradley Bolke	...	Jangle Bells (voice)
Ron Marshall	...	Mr. Thistlewhite (voice)
Colin Duffy	...	Ignatius Thistlewhite (voice)
Christine Winter	...	Blue Christmas girl (voice)

Runtime:

51 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Rankin/Bass Productions

Trivia:

Shirley Booth's last filmed acting project.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: During the "blue Christmas" song the little girl is writing the word blue Christmas with a crayon. As she writes the word Christmas, the letters appears to appear before she writes them.

Quotes:

Heat Miser: Well, well, Mrs. Claus. How's your husband doing? Out doing another commercial for my brother?
Mrs. Santa: Oh come now. You know he's not on your brother's payroll.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Batman & Robin (1997)

Soundtrack:

The Year Without A Santa Claus

This is it - Heat Miser and Snow Miser!!

Almost everyone who was a child in the US during the early to mid-70s seems to remember that Christmas special with Heat Miser and Snow Miser, but no one can remember the title, or much else about the show. After finally tracking it down and watching it again after all these years, I can understand why. The non-Miser Brothers parts don't hold up so well for this adult, at least. I guess the thought of a sulky, depressed Santa isn't as dramatic as it seemed when I was five. However, my brother and I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to sing along again with "He's Mister Heat Miser, he's Mister Sun...."

It's a mystery to me why the folks marketing the video give only a plot summary on the package with no mention of what kids find most memorable. This is also true of most the guides to holiday viewing in the entertainment magazines. Hint to marketing people: make sure you advertise this as the one with Heat Miser and Snow Miser in it, and everyone born between about '66 and '72 will be buying it for their kids, if not themselves.