Call Me Claus
| Call Me Claus | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Peter Werner |
| Written by |
Paul Mooney Sara Bernstein |
| Starring |
Whoopi Goldberg Nigel Hawthorne |
|
Production
company |
|
| Distributed by | Columbia TriStar Television |
|
Release date
|
December 2, 2001 |
|
Running time
|
90 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Call Me Claus is a television movie starring Whoopi Goldberg. The movie involves Santa Claus (Nigel Hawthorne) who needs a replacement Santa after serving his 200-year reign. He decides on Lucy Cullins (Whoopi Goldberg), an eccentric, grouchy shopping network executive, who hires him to promote Christmas decorations and presents on the network. The movie made its premiere on Turner Network Television on December 2, 2001, and has also been aired on Lifetime and The Hallmark Channel.
In 1965 Los Angeles, Lucy Cullins and her mother go to see a Santa Claus at a shopping mall, who happens to be the real one. Santa is nearing the end of his 200-year reign as St. Nick, and needs to find a replacement.
His search involves his hat and an elf assistant named Ralph (Taylor Negron). Nick puts the hat on every kid. If the hat glows, it means that person has the real Christmas spirit. When Lucy sits on his lap, he puts the hat on her and it glows brightly, proving she would make a perfect Santa Claus replacement. Unfortunately, after leaving the mall, Lucy receives news that her father had been killed, devastating her.
In 2001, Lucy seems to have forgotten about the Christmas spirit due to losing her father, and focuses more on her job than her family. Meanwhile, it is Nick's last Christmas as Santa, and he must find Lucy again. He locates her where she works as a network executive for the "Shop-A-Lot" Channel.
Lucy's boss (Brian Stokes Mitchell) wants a big sales boost for the holiday. He comes up with the idea of hiring someone dressed as Santa Claus to advertise Christmas memorabilia. Lucy holds many auditions with no luck. After nearly giving up hope, she sees Nick, who is jolly and obviously loves the season. Lucy hires him.
In Nick's first few days at work, calls come in big numbers and the network sells more Christmas stuff than any other shopping network. After congratulations and a salary raise, Nick couldn't be happier. He walks around the once-unpleasant community and begins to see the Christmas spirit for which he long hoped.
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