Santa Who? 

Santa suffers a case of amnesia on the eve of his busiest season.

Director:

William Dear

Writers:

Debra Frank (teleplay), Steve L. Hayes (teleplay)

Stars:

Leslie Nielsen, Steven Eckholdt, Robyn Lively

3 nominations.

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Leslie Nielsen	...	Santa Claus
Steven Eckholdt	...	Peter Albright
Robyn Lively	...	Claire Dreyer
Max Morrow	...	Zack Dreyer
Tommy Davidson	...	Max
Darren Frost	...	Rupert the Elf
Karen LeBlanc	...	Lenny (as Karen Leblanc)
R.D. Reid	...	Grady
Ted Atherton	...	George
Stewart Arnott	...	Lusby
Carol Lempert	...	Ellen
Roger Clown	...	Ray
Elizabeth Saunders	...	Nancy (as Elizabeth Brown)
Laura de Carteret	...	Sister Greta
Richard Fitzpatrick	...	Detective Lohenry

Storyline

Santa Claus develops amnesia after accidentally falling out of his sleigh and only the innocence of a small child can save him. Meanwhile, Santa has to battle the disbelief of a newsman.

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Plot Keywords:

close up of eyes | dream | dream sequence | nightmare | amnesia | 

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Taglines:

Will the real Santa Claus please step forward?

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 November 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le père Noël a disparu

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Gleneagle Productions, Hearst Entertainment Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the police call the news reporter to tell them about the people who have been missing their grandfather for ten years, in the reporters close up when he starts to wonder if he is with the real Santa Claus, a Canada Post truck can be seen in the background, which should not be there, since the movie's set in the United States. However, this does make sense at the same time, because the movie was filmed in Toronto, Canada.

User Reviews

Big guy, red suit and a beard...what's his name again...?

The afternoon TV schedules seem to clog up from mid-November on with usually made- for-TV Christmas movies. This one I found a pleasant enough watch, even if Leslie Nielsen in switching from an airplane to a sleigh, isn't the first person I'd think of to play Santa Clause. The story's formulaic enough, with an orphan kid growing up to be a festive curmudgeon, even in his day job as a roving TV reporter on the look out for happy, "and we end tonight with..." stories. Because Santa apparently ignored his childhood letter asking him for a family, he won't commit to his pretty co-worker single-parent girl-friend and her young son.

However when old Santa falls out of his sleigh right on top of his car, gaining amnesia in the process, from there you can pretty much predict the minor twists and turns in the plot before the expected happy ending shows up. There's a sub-plot of a fairly eccentric bunch of elves trying to track down their boss in time for the Christmas deliveries, but the main fun is how humbug Peter re-connects with his inner child and in so doing makes things right in his private life.

The lead boy and girl are nice enough in their lovey-dovey parts and even the kid playing the young son holds back the sentimental-come-smart-aleck routine so commonplace with child actors in films like this. Neilson tries reasonably hard but with little in the way of comedic lines to deliver, comes across almost anonymously, especially hidden under a bulked up Santa costume and of course snow-white beard. You almost think it's a contract stipulation when he loses his beard for a time late on just so you can see it's really him.

The effects are okay and there are lots of nice Christmas decorations in the background to push home the festive feel-good factor.

Like I said, the film was pleasant, undemanding seasonal entertainment. Half way through there's a mini roll-call of Christmas classics like "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street". "Santa Who" is well below the quality of those two evergreens, but its heart is in the right place and from where I was sitting filled up this particular spot in the schedule well enough.