In 1910, the elves, led by Michael Jeter, have made all the toys. Angela Lansbury is so annoyed at husband Santa Claus (Charles Durning) spending the week before Christmas answering letters from children, that she takes the sleigh out for a ride, and winds up stayying on the Lower East Side of New York, where she helps people find love, leads a strike by children against the mean toy company owner Terrence Mann and sings of the dozen songs by Jerry Hermann in this TV movie.
It seems odd that after winning her first Oscar at age 18 in her first movie, and several Tony awards, it took forty years before she really became a star -- on television, for Murder She Wrote. Once that happened, however, little time was lost, and this surprisingly dull Emmy winner was one of the results. There's little actual conflict in the story that isn't instantly swept away, and Herman's songs are surprisingly dull. The players put a lot of oomph into their roles, and Grace Keagy as a German hausfrau is amusing, but over all, it's just not very good.
It seems odd that after winning her first Oscar at age 18 in her first movie, and several Tony awards, it took forty years before she really became a star -- on television, for Murder She Wrote. Once that happened, however, little time was lost, and this surprisingly dull Emmy winner was one of the results. There's little actual conflict in the story that isn't instantly swept away, and Herman's songs are surprisingly dull. The players put a lot of oomph into their roles, and Grace Keagy as a German hausfrau is amusing, but over all, it's just not very good.