The Night They Saved Christmas
| The Night They Saved Christmas | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Written by | Jim Moloney David Niven, Jr. |
| Directed by | Jackie Cooper |
| Starring |
Jaclyn Smith Paul Le Mat Art Carney Paul Williams |
| Theme music composer |
Charles Gross Folliott S. Pierpont |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Jack Haley, Jr. Robert Halmi, Jr. |
| Producer(s) |
Robert Halmi, Sr. David Kappes |
| Cinematography | David Worth |
| Editor(s) | Eric Albertson |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Production company(s) | RHI Entertainment |
| Distributor | ABC |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | December 13, 1984 |
The Night They Saved Christmas is a 1984 American made-for-television fantasy drama film directed by Jackie Cooper and executive produced by Jack Haley, Jr. and Robert Halmi, Jr. The film, about an oil company dynamiting in the North Pole in search of an oil field unaware that they are endangering Santa Claus, starred Jaclyn Smith and Art Carney and premiered on ABC on December 13, 1984.
A billion-dollar oil company, headed by Sumner Murdock (Mason Adams), sets forth on an exploration project in the North Pole that is recommended and managed by Michael Baldwin (Paul Le Mat).
The film opens with several dynamite blasts to break up the ice that's clogging up the deep-sea drilling rigs. Disappointingly to the company, the drilling rig produces no oil. Baldwin is then picked up from work by an airplane flown by his wife Claudia (Jaclyn Smith). On the way home, Claudia tells Michael that she wants to move the kids back to Los Angeles where they can live in a more civilized environment. Michael argues that he cannot just walk away from the exploration since it was his idea. Upon arriving home, Michael and Claudia must deal with their three children arguing with each other about the existence of Santa Claus. To make matters worse for Michael, Murdock, portrayed as the stereotyped insensitive corporate boss, threatens to terminate his employment if the exploration does not produce results.
The next day, Michael returns to his office, where he is met by Santa Claus’s chief elf Ed (Paul Williams). Ed informs Baldwin that their dynamiting is causing damage to North Pole City, the home of Santa Claus and his elves. He explains that while their activities at "Site A", their primary drilling area, are causing extensive damage, any blasts at their secondary site, known as "Site B", would destroy North Pole City due to the greater proximity of the dynamite blasts. Assuming that Ed was just hired to pull off a practical joke, Baldwin bursts into uncontrollable laughter. The next day, Ed arrives at the Baldwins’ house in a modified World War II-era snowcat, explaining that he intends to take Michael and his family to North Pole City to prove that Santa Claus is real and reveal the damage that is being done. Michael cannot go since he has a meeting at work, but Claudia and the kids agree to go along, continuing to assume that its just a practical joke.
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