The Year Without a Santa Claus (2006) (TV)

Director:

Ron Underwood

Writers (WGA):

Larry Wilson (teleplay) and
Tom Martin (teleplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

11 December 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Plot:

Thoroughly disgruntled, Santa (Goodman) opts to take a year off from delivering presents, until a young man helps his rediscover the meaning of the holidays. |

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Based On Cartoon | Live Action Remake | Remake | Santa Claus

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

John Goodman	...	Santa Claus
Chris Kattan	...	Sparky
Ethan Suplee	...	Jangle
Dylan Minnette	...	Iggy Thistlewhite
Eddie Griffin	...	Jingle
Delta Burke	...	Mrs. Claus
Harvey Fierstein	...	Heat Miser
Marcus Lyle Brown	...	Officer Jefferson
Michael McKean	...	Snow Miser
Aaron Beelner	...	Ring Announcer
Jody Thompson	...	Clop
Andrea Powell	...	Julie Kadlubowski-Sanchez
Matthew Carroll	...	Dog catcher
Carol Kane	...	Mother Nature
Jack Watkins	...	Boothe
Todd Terry	...	Wilkes
Jack LaLanne	...	Hercules
Eric Gipson	...	Power Elf #1
Carson Kressley	...	Elf Costumer
Tina Parker	...	Artemis
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mitchel Baker
Hunter Ballard	...	School Boy
David Blackwell	...	Dr. Broadbeam
Dodie Brown	...	Festival booth owner
Mellinda Craig	...	Wife of Officer Varmit
Namaiya Cunningham	...	Toddler at festival
John F. Daniel	...	Christmas Festival Worker
Brooke Devenney	...	Craft booth worker in festival
Laine Dubroc	...	Festival Goer
Fred Ellis	...	Drunk santa (as Fred E. Ellis)
Dustin Estis	...	North Pole Elf
Dorcas Everette
Travis Fontenot	...	Festival Goer
Chris Freihofer	...	Sparky's Attorney
Lara Grice	...	Rachel Thistlewhite
Holli Hicks	...	Elf
Mya Holloway	...	Toddler girl in snow at festival
Parker Holloway	...	Boy with clown at festival
Rebecca Holloway	...	Mom at arcade - Token Town
Denver Houghton	...	Child in Gift Wrapping Booth
Pamela Houghton	...	Gift wrap booth owner
Deborah R. Jones	...	Journalist
Lori Knighton	...	Festival visitor
Daniel Lachman	...	Southtown Citizen
Amber Dawn Landrum	...	Blonde Jingle Jangle Girl
Chelsea Lewis	...	Girl at festival
Daniel Magill	...	Elf
Jay Martin	...	Christmas Festival Kid
Mike Martindale	...	Festival / Restaurant Patron
John McConnell	...	Dog catcher
Yolanda Mercadel	...	John Goodmen / Eddie Grifin
Steven Miramontz	...	Pinstripe Elf
Noelle Monteleone	...	Gleam
Rebecca Newman	...	Festival shopper
Desi Page	...	Student
Ashley-Anne Parker	...	Token Town Employee / Festival Patron
Laura Schlessinger
Raleigh L. Shelton II	...	Teddy Bear Buyer
Kayla Shoemaker	...	Girl at festival
Billy Slaughter	...	Nerd Elf
Alexis Smith	...	Festival Goer
Nicholas Smith	...	Gift wrapper
Odessa Sykes	...	Reporter
Robert C. Treveiler	...	Mayor Thistlewhite
Lana Underwood	...	Female tv reporter
Taylor Vosbury	...	Girl Student
Tracey Walter	...	Abominable Snowman
Maya Waterman	...	Medusa
Amanda Smoak Weisner	...	Heat Miser Boxing Fan (as Amanda Weisner)
Brent Weisner	...	Snow Miser Boxing Fan
Cheryl Ariaz Wicker	...	Elf
Lesley Wright	...	Girl in Stocking Booth
Austin Barton	...	Boy in Gift Wrap Booth (uncredited)
Barry Barton	...	Gift Wrap Booth Owner (uncredited)
Andrei Constantinescu	...	Snow Miser Fan (uncredited)
Ren Heeralal	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Tyler Krieg	...	Extra (uncredited)
Cynthia Riser	...	Reporter (uncredited)

Directed by
Ron Underwood

Writing credits (WGA)
Larry Wilson		(teleplay) and
Tom Martin		(teleplay)
Larry Wilson		(television story) and
Tom Martin		(television story)
Phyllis McGinley		(book "The Year Without a Santa Claus")

Produced by
Gideon Amir	....	producer
Robert J. Wilson	....	producer
Mark Wolper	....	executive producer
Mark Wolper	....	producer

Original Music by
Deborah Lurie

Cinematography by
Don E. FauntLeRoy

Film Editing by
Tina Hirsch

Casting by
Eric Dawson
Robert J. Ulrich

Production Design by
Craig Stearns

Art Direction by
Eva Anna Andry

Set Decoration by
Vera Mills

Costume Design by
Sara Markowitz

Makeup Department
E. Larry Day	....	makeup department head
Stacey Herbert	....	makeup artist (as Stacey L. Taniguchi)
Kimberley Kirkpatrick	....	key makeup artist
Marie-Ange Ripka	....	hair department head
Sue Sittko Schaefer	....	wig designer
Susan Sittko Schaefer	....	wig designer
Patrick Tantalo	....	prosthetic designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jason Altieri	....	key second assistant director
Scott August	....	second second assistant director
Frank Capra III	....	first assistant director

Art Department
A. Russell Amdal	....	propmaker
Hannah Beachler	....	on-set dresser
Gene Bowen	....	construction foreman
Mary Kay Campbell	....	lead scenic
Roberta Chapman	....	paint gang boss
Gus Coto	....	leadman
Ryan Martin Dwyer	....	set dresser
Star Fields	....	construction coordinator
Leonard Lavigueur	....	assistant property master
Michelle Marchand II	....	buyer
Pat A. O'Connor	....	set dresser
Dan Schaefer	....	illustrator: pre-visualization for hair and makeup
Stephen Turner	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Jimmy 'Coach' Armstrong	....	boom operator
Timothy A. Cleveland	....	sound effects editor
Paul J. Diller	....	sound effects editor
Jamey Osborne	....	sound utility
Richard Schexnayder	....	sound mixer
Louis Williams	....	sound recording engineer
Ross Wissbaum	....	adr recordist

Special Effects by
Joey Gbur	....	special effects assistant
Bernadette Gonzales	....	special effects assistant
Michael J. Hudson	....	special effects technician
Jack Lynch	....	special effects technician
Matt Mehring	....	special effects assistant
Doug Scaramuzzo	....	special effects assistant
Patrick Tantalo	....	special effects technician
Kathleen Tonkin	....	special effects foreman
Robert Vazquez	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Patrik Bergman	....	digital effects artist
Jan Bubenícek	....	lead animator
Ales Dlabac	....	3D artist
Jiri Forejt	....	digital compositor
Miro Gal	....	Flame artist
Lukas Herrmann	....	digital matte paint artist
Jan Heusler	....	digital compositor
Tomas Kalhous	....	digital compositor: UPP
Maros Kesjar	....	digital effects artist
Vít Komrzý	....	visual effects producer
Jirí Linhart	....	digital effects artist
Petr Masek	....	digital compositor
Tomas Munzar	....	digital compositor
Peter Nemec	....	Flame artist
Viktor Plch	....	special visual effects
Jiri Stamfest	....	digital matte artist
Frantisek Stepanek	....	visual effects
Petr Vcelicka	....	digital compositor
Jan Vseticek	....	visual effects coordinator
David Vána	....	visual effects supervisor
Kim Wiseman	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Allison Caetano	....	stunts
Trace Cheramie	....	stunts
Hiro Koda	....	stunt coordinator
Steve Upton	....	utility stunts
David Wald	....	stunts
Thom Williams	....	stunt double: Ethan Suplee

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Applebaum	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Jay Mack Arnette II	....	camera operator: second unit
Bob Bates	....	best boy electric
Amanda Bruce Parker	....	additional second assistant camera (as Amanda G. Bruce)
Brown Cooper	....	director of photography: second unit
Ferdinand Duplantier Jr.	....	best boy rigging electric
David C. Edwards	....	second assustant camera: "a" camera
Robert Foster	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Robert Foster	....	director of photography: second unit
Kevin Gazdik	....	electrician
Charles 'Tom' Hinson	....	grip
Joe Iverson	....	electrician
Vic Keatley	....	rigging gaffer
Bill Matlock	....	still photographer
Paul Olinde	....	gaffer
Jonathan E. Robinson	....	film loader
Peter D. Roome	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Wells A. Smith	....	key rigging grip
Eric A. Tuxen	....	set still photographer
Eric A. Tuxen	....	videographer
Tedd Underwood	....	set lighting technician
Jeremy Webre	....	grip

Casting Department
Elizabeth Coulon	....	extras casting coordinator
Ryan Glorioso	....	extras casting associate
Sibby Kirchgessner	....	casting associate
David Zimmerman	....	extras casting: Mythopolis (as David S. Zimmerman)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Linda Gardar	....	costume supervisor
S. Aimee Helms	....	key set costumer
Julia Schklair	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Randy Beveridge	....	final colorist
Shawn Wagoner	....	post-production assistant

Music Department
George Doering	....	musician
Ron Finn	....	music editor
Joe Fischer	....	music manager
Damon Intrabartolo	....	conductor
Jenny Leite	....	assistant music editor
Chris McGeary	....	music editor
Kevin McKeever	....	music mixer
Gregory Sweeney	....	music coordinator

Transportation Department
Dale Combs	....	driver: honeywagon
Connie Herring	....	driver
Aaron D. Moore	....	driver: set dressing
Doug Wilson	....	driver
Terry Woodcock	....	driver

Other crew
Kent Jude Bernard	....	production assistant
Sean M. Blanchard	....	stand-in: Iggy
Lynne Braggs	....	assistant production office coordinator
Hope Gilmore	....	production assistant
Julie Gueydan	....	production assistant
Lindsay Holman Atkins	....	production assistant (as Lindsay Holman)
James Jereza	....	set medic
Matthew Keim	....	production assistant
Charles Landers	....	assistant to the producers
Robert Larriviere	....	production assistant
Diego J. Martinez	....	key office assistant
Jason Pickering	....	assistant location manager
Ian Price	....	stand-in
Kyle Register	....	elf
Jason Reppert	....	key locations assistant
Sam Sullivan III	....	script supervisor
Michelle Tonjes	....	stand-in (as Michelle Lott)
Lauren Underwood	....	set department assistant
Sandy Underwood	....	assistant to director
Lauren Von Huene	....	location assistant
Greg Washington	....	production assistant
John M. White	....	key set production assistant
Van White	....	production assistant
Steven E. Williams	....	stand-in
Hyesu Yang	....	midi programmer

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Television
• Wolper Organization, The

Distributors

• NBC Universal Television Distribution (2006-) (worldwide) (TV)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (2006) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Net5 (2009) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2012) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• East Coast Films
• Universal Production Partners (UPP)

Other Companies

• Big Easy Studio Rentals  transportation equipment (uncredited)
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• Coulon Casting  extras casting
• Filmtools  expendables
• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment

Also Known As:

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

Natchitoches, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Television

Trivia:

One of the Christmas specials that is shown on Jingle's TV is the original The Year Without A Santa Claus.

Movie Connections:

References A Christmas Story (1983)

Soundtrack:

The Snow Miser Song

One of the worst efforts ever

A truly depressing piece of dreck, this live action version of the Christmas classic fails on so many levels it's almost funny. (And those are the only laughs you'll get out of this.) It's a shame the movie studios all closed down their TV movie units in the 80s because TV movies need all the help they can get.

All those modern, "hip" touches are rife with jokes that soar over the kid's heads, but sadly not the adults. The humor is, befitting the times, crude and boorish and the story is lame. Bad acting, contrived sentimental situations and flat photography all contribute to a bad time had by all. The heads at NBC must have been high on cough syrup to even think this looked like it would be any good.

Shove this one in the vault and never let it see the light of day again.