Entertainment
 

Santa Claus (episode)

From MST3K

521 - Santa Claus
Air Date December 24, 1993
Movie Director Rene Cardona
Year 1959
Cast José Elías Moreno, Cesáreo Quezadas 'Pulgarcito', José Luis Aguirre 'Trotsky'
Preceded by 520 - Radar Secret Service
Followed by 522 - Teen-Age Crime Wave

Contents

The Movie

Synopsis

Santa Claus, high above the North Pole in his cloud-borne castle equipped with surveillance devices, prepares to deliver presents on Christmas Eve. Santa is especially interested in helping Lupita (Lupita Quezadas), the daughter of a poor family who wants nothing more than a doll, and a young boy whose parents are so wealthy they never spend any time with him. However, the Devil will have none of this and sends his minion, Pitch, to foil Santa's plans. Pitch, in turn, recruits three naughty boys to help him set traps for Santa.[1] Merlin the magician provides Santa Claus with supernatural assistance: powders to keep children asleep, a golden key that opens everything, and a flower that makes him invisible. Wacky hi-jinks ensue.

Information

This movie is public domain, so it’s played frequently in the original Spanish during the holiday season. As a result (as strange as it may seem), it has become a cherished holiday tradition for many Spanish-speaking TV viewers worldwide.

The Episode

Host Segments

Prologue: Mike and the Bots' attempt to sing carols ends in disaster when Mike knocks over the thermos full of nice, very hot chocolate.

Segment One: As the SOL crew recovers from their carolling injuries, Frank reveals has shaved his head to buy Dr. F a watch fob. Dr. F signs over an old savings bond since he forgot to get a present for Frank. On the SOL, Crow gets a Steve Alaimo album, Tom Servo gets a drug and IV handbook, Mike gets a sweater with "Joike" knitted on it (Gypsy started it for "the old guy"), and Gypsy recieves underwear-in-a-candy-cane.

Segment Two: Rock band Santa Kläws performs "Whispering Christmas Warrior". The Mads respond in true rock fan fashion.

Segment Three: The Bots have arranged a Nelson family reunion via the Hexfield Viewscreen - except they got the wrong Nelson family. Turns out there are not only thousands of Nelsons on Earth, but Mike isn't from Green Bay.

Segment Four: Mike and the Bots sing an all-inclusive politically correct holiday song: "Merry Christmas...If That’s Okay".

Segment Five: Mike is clearing up the wrapping paper from opening Christmas presents, but is feeling a little sad. However, Gypsy points out the window of the SOL that it's snowing, giving the crew on the SOL a snow day! Meanwhile, back in Deep 13, the devil Pitch is having a snack with the Mad Scientists. As Pitch outlines his plans for the New Year, bells can be heard and Santa Claus himself bursts onto the scene and begins to spar with Pitch. Dr Forrester and TV's Frank happily watch the scuffle unfold.

Stinger: A maniacal mechanical reindeer laughs

Other Notes

Guest Stars

Miscellanea

  • Unusual credits: An instrumental version of "Merry Christmas...If That's Okay" is played instead of "Mighty Science Theater".

Obscure References

Steve Alaimo was a pop singer and teen idol during the early 1960s. He starred in episode 207 - Wild Rebels.

  • "Children on the verge of a nervous breakdown!"

A reference to the 1988 Spanish film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

  • "Bertolucci is brought in to direct this scene."

A reference to Bernardo Bertolucci, and The Last Emperor (as the comment is made during the Chinese children's singing.)

  • "Okay, back to cram school!"

Cram schools, a common phenomenon in Japan, are a type of private school that offers intensive tutoring for standardized tests and examinations.

  • "Don't say anything to upset them!"

Servo is quoting John Cleese's observation about German tourists from his mid-1970s sitcom Fawlty Towers.

  • "Get up, stand up...stand up for your rights!"

Mike is quoting the Bob Marley song "Get Up, Stand Up".

  • "Puppet Master III!"

Puppet Master III was a 1991 direct-to-video horror movie about evil living puppets.

  • "It's the 'Trilogy of Terror' dolls!"

Trilogy of Terror was a made-for-TV anthology horror movie from 1975, with one memorable segment about Zuni fetish dolls.

  • "The J. Paul Getty, Jr.-scope!"

A reference to oil heir John Paul Getty III, who was kidnapped in 1973 by captors who eventually cut off one of his ears.

  • "The minute Yossarian..."

The opening line from Catch-22.

  • "Did he say 'Blessed are the cheesemakers'?"

Crow is quoting a line from the Monty Python movie Life of Brian.

  • "I'm more popular than Jesus!"

A reference to the infamous statement attributed to John Lennon of The Beatles, and the contradictory celebration of the two Christmas icons.

  • "Jim J. Bullock is more frightening than that devil!"

Actor Jim J. Bullock is best known for playing Monroe Ficus on the 1980s sitcom Too Close for Comfort.

  • "All he has to do is use the magic dreaming powder made by Mr. Merlin!" "And Mr. Owsley!"

Chemist Owsley Stanley was San Francisco's largest producer of LSD during the late 1960s.

  • "Red Adair is brought in to extinguish the fire!"

Red Adair was a famous oil-field firefighter.

  • "Summer of My German Stormtrooper!"

The Summer of My German Soldier is a novel about an American girl who befriends an escaped German POW during World War II.

  • "A young Barton Fink!"

Barton Fink was a 1991 film directed by the Coen Brothers.

  • "Flaming Moe's!"

Flaming Moe's was a Simpsons episode in which Moe the bartender takes credit for a flaming cocktail invented by Homer.

  • "Moms Mabley!"

Moms Mabley was an African-American comedian who began her career on the so-called "chitlin circuit", then became popular among white audiences during the 1960s.

  • "Hosni Mubarak!"

Hosni Mubarak has been president of Egypt since 1981.

  • "It's the last episode of 'A.K.A. Pablo'."

A.K.A. Pablo was a short-lived sitcom from the mid-1980s.

  • "I'm here to eat candy canes and kick ass, and I'm all out of candy canes!"

A parody of a line from the 1988 movie They Live.

  • "I've written a letter to Daddy..."

The signature song of former child star "Baby" Jane Hudson from the film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

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