Santa Claus (1959 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Santa Claus
U.S. theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rene Cardona English direction Ken Smith
Produced by	William Calderon
Written by	Adolfo Torres Portillo and Rene Cardona
Narrated by	Ken Smith
Starring	English-language version has no on-screen cast credits
Music by	Antonio Diaz Conde (musical director)
Cinematography	Raul Martinez Solares
Editing by	Jorge Bustos
Studio	Churubusco–Azteca Studios Mexico Cinematográfica Calderón S.A.
Distributed by	K. Gordon Murray Presents
Release date(s)	26 November 1959 (1959-11-26) (Mexico) October 1960 (1960-10) (U.S.)
Running time	97 minutes (Mexico) 94 minutes (U.S.)
Country	Mexico
Language	Spanish

Santa Claus is a 1959 Mexican fantasy film. It was directed by Rene Cardona. The movie is sometimes called Santa Claus vs. the Devil. The story is about Santa Claus, who works in outer space. He battles a demon named Pitch. Pitch is sent by a dark force to ruin Christmas. His goal is to make children do bad things.

An English version was made for the U.S. in 1960. This movie was later made fun of on the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000.

The Movie's Story

On December 24, Santa gets ready for his yearly trip. He is at his Toyland castle in space. He plays the organ while his child helpers sing. Meanwhile, in a dark place, a character named Lucifer tells his main demon, Pitch, to go to Earth. Pitch's job is to make children dislike Santa.

In a busy market, Pitch tries to make five children "make Santa Claus angry." These children are Lupita, a poor girl, and Billy, a rich boy with parents who don't pay much attention to him. There are also three brothers who like to cause trouble.

Pitch tries to make Lupita steal a doll. He fails. But he does get the three brothers to break a shop window. Santa's child workers see these events. They tell Santa what is happening.

Santa cannot travel to Earth before Christmas Eve night. So, he uses special equipment to watch Pitch and the children. One machine lets him see Lupita's dream. Pitch caused this dream. In it, dancing dolls try to make her steal.

Santa also listens as the three brothers plan to break into Billy's home. They want to steal his presents. They try to write a letter to Santa saying they have been good. But Santa's voice tells them he can see everything they do.

Merlin the wizard is Santa's most trusted helper. Merlin gives Santa a special powder that makes people sleepy. He also gives him a flower that lets him disappear. Santa then gets a magic key that can open any door on Earth. He prepares his mechanical reindeer for the journey.

On Earth, the three rude boys plan to catch Santa. They want to make him their servant and steal his toys. Meanwhile, Lupita and her mother say a prayer. Lupita says she wished for two dolls. She wants to give one to the Baby Jesus.

During Santa's trip, Pitch tries many times to stop Santa from delivering toys. He tries to cause trouble in Mexico City. But Santa succeeds. Santa helps Billy reunite with his parents. They had left him alone to go to a restaurant.

On a city rooftop, the three brothers get ready to catch Santa. They want to steal his toys. They see Santa's sleigh in the sky. They hurry inside. But they find they only received coal. Pitch tries to steal the sleigh. He fails. Then he empties Santa's bag of sleep powder. Santa also drops his disappearing flower.

Santa's trip is almost done. He is chased by a mean dog outside a big house in Mexico. He has no powder or flower. He climbs a tree to escape the dog. Pitch appears. He wakes up the people in the house. He also calls the fire department. He tells them there is a fire there. He wants many people to see Santa.

Dawn is coming. Merlin helps Santa escape at the last minute. Pitch is defeated when he gets sprayed with water from a fire hose. Before going back to his castle, Santa makes one last stop. He leaves a doll for Lupita. Santa has finished his work. He steers the sleigh back to his castle. He is happy knowing he brought joy to all children on Earth.

Main Characters

• José Elías Moreno as Santa Claus
• Pulgarcito as Pedro
• José Luis Aguirre as Pitch (Precio)
• Armando Arriola as Merlin
• Lupita Quezadas as Lupita
• Antonio Díaz Conde hijo as Billy
• Ángel Di Stefani as Vulcan
• Ken Smith as the narrator
• Queta Lavat

The English version of Santa Claus does not show who played the characters. It only has a few names for the people who made the movie.

The Movie on Mystery Science Theater 3000

The movie Santa Claus was shown on the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000. This happened in the show's fifth season. The episode first aired on Christmas Eve in 1993. The demon Pitch became a character who appeared often on MST3K. He was played by writer Paul Chaplin.

Chaplin said the movie was "kind of a fun movie." He also said they all enjoyed it. He joked that he made "quite an attractive demon." This episode might be where the phrase "nightmare fuel" came from. During the movie, a robot character calls an animated Santa "some good old-fashioned nightmare fuel." This phrase then became popular among fans of the show.

Fans of MST3K voted on their favorite episodes. Santa Claus was ranked #21 out of 177 episodes. Another writer, Jim Vorel, ranked it lower at #51. He wrote that the movie "just defies any attempt to understand it." He said it was "like something you would see in the depths of a violent fever dream."

The MST3K version of the film was released on DVD on July 20, 2010. It was part of a DVD set called Mystery Science Theater Collection Vol. XVI. This set also included other episodes. The DVD set had extra features. These included a look back at the movie and a photo gallery.

In December 2014, the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 performed a live show. They made fun of the movie in theaters across the country. They are now part of a group called RiffTrax.

Images for kids

• 

  In the film, Lucifer's servant tries to sabotage Santa by giving humans evil ideas such as in this scene where Lupita, portrayed by Lupita Quezadas, steals a rag doll hiding it in her clothes

• 

  A scene in the film in which what it appears to be a model of the Monumento a la Revolución is shown

See also

In Spanish: Santa Claus (película) para niños