The Year Without a Santa Claus is the sequel to Santa Claus is Coming to Town, but really, they're two separate stories, so it's not necessary to watch both of them back-to-back at Christmastime. They're both stop-action cartoons by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, and both feature Mickey Rooney as the voice of Santa Claus, but they both shine in different aspects.
In this one, Shirley Booth stars as Mrs. Claus, and she and Mickey are the perfect choices to voice the North Pole couple. Mickey is loving, humorous, jolly, and just tired-sounding enough to sound like he keeps busy throughout the year. Shirley is hilarious and sweet, and while I've always thought it a little weird for Santa Claus to be married, I couldn't have imagined a better, more fitting sounding wife than Shirley Booth. Dick Shawn, George S. Irving, Colin Duffy, Bob McFadden, and Bradley Bolke join the unforgettable cast, providing an endless supply of accents and deliveries to mimic. I can't count how many household phrases my family has acquired because of this delightful animated Christmas classic.
The jokes in William Keenan's script aren't just for kids. Some jokes are very fast-paced and might not be understood by the little ones, some poke fun at politics or issues kids won't yet understand, and some are geared for the kids but are so hilarious even the poutiest grown-up in the audience will burst out laughing. It's just delightful. Every year, my family and I curl up on the couch and look forward to Shirley Booth's adorable lilting, "Do you think you should, with your cold and all?", Mickey Rooney's sad, tired, famous line, "I dreamed unhappy things!", the toe-tapping Heat Miser and Cold Miser scenes, and the "I Believe in Santa Claus" song when everyone, young and old, even though we've watched it every year for thirty years, sheds a tear.
In this one, Shirley Booth stars as Mrs. Claus, and she and Mickey are the perfect choices to voice the North Pole couple. Mickey is loving, humorous, jolly, and just tired-sounding enough to sound like he keeps busy throughout the year. Shirley is hilarious and sweet, and while I've always thought it a little weird for Santa Claus to be married, I couldn't have imagined a better, more fitting sounding wife than Shirley Booth. Dick Shawn, George S. Irving, Colin Duffy, Bob McFadden, and Bradley Bolke join the unforgettable cast, providing an endless supply of accents and deliveries to mimic. I can't count how many household phrases my family has acquired because of this delightful animated Christmas classic.
The jokes in William Keenan's script aren't just for kids. Some jokes are very fast-paced and might not be understood by the little ones, some poke fun at politics or issues kids won't yet understand, and some are geared for the kids but are so hilarious even the poutiest grown-up in the audience will burst out laughing. It's just delightful. Every year, my family and I curl up on the couch and look forward to Shirley Booth's adorable lilting, "Do you think you should, with your cold and all?", Mickey Rooney's sad, tired, famous line, "I dreamed unhappy things!", the toe-tapping Heat Miser and Cold Miser scenes, and the "I Believe in Santa Claus" song when everyone, young and old, even though we've watched it every year for thirty years, sheds a tear.