Retroist Santa Claus the Movie Podcast

The hype around Santa Claus the Movie put it at the top of my must-see list in 1985. My family were big Dudley Moore fans and McDonald’s was pushing it with a Happy Meal tie-in. So we drove a few towns over to see it the weekend it opened. It was a great movie-going experience with a very well-decorated theater and an appearance by Santa Claus. I was convinced this was going to be a huge hit, but unfortunately it wasn’t in the United States (the people in the UK were more impressed).

I start the episode talking about when my family went to see the movie and how disruptive Santa’s appearance was there. How could you expect a kid to concentrate on on anything when Santa was around? Then I move on the film itself. I discuss the plot, its production, the stars of the film, its reception and much more.

There is a lot of Christmas movies and specials you can watch, but I wanted to talk about Santa Claus the Movie because it is often overlooked. In the United States it doesn’t get a lot of replays. No 24 hour marathon. Nothing. It might not be, A Christmas Store, but I think as a holiday film its charming and deserves to be remembered.

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• This is the 332nd episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 7 of the new season. This is my holiday offering this year on the main feed, but you can get another Christmas-centric show on the Patreon feed.

• At the video store, I always wanted to play this movie, convinced it would help move copies. It didn’t cause much of a stir, but hardcore fans would always speak up.

• The Happy Meals from McDonald’s were great. I like a holiday themed Happy Meal and Happy Meal tie-in.

• While this film is available to stream, I recommend picking up a physical copy. This is the type of film that could easily disappear from streaming services.

• I was recently reading that John Lithgow was up the role of Frasier on Cheers. I imagine he would have done a great job in that role.

• I like that they tried to tackle the idea of a growing population for Santa to service. It was something I thought about a lot as a kid.

• I am not sure about Brian Dennehy as Santa Claus, but I was really happy with Ed Asner as Santa in Elf. Good actors can just make things work.

• I can’t remember the last time I just stumbled across this film on TV. Maybe the 90s?

• On of my favorite parts of the film is the idea of Christmas II. If people like Christmas, why not add another just a few months later?

• Feel like I need to rewatch Starchaser.

• After seeing movies do you sit up at night thinking about it? I did this a lot as a kid and still do it nowadays. Usually that is how I can tell how much if I like it. If it is really stuck in my head, its a better or at least more interesting movie.

• I’ll see you at the Clam Casino!

• Ricky Schroder and Santa!?

• Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

• Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.