A song a day keeps the coronavirus blues away:
In 1964 Saturday and Sunday morning matinees became littered with a bizarre little film called “Santa Claus Conquers The Martians”. One of the most notorious bad films ever made, it is a strange movie, but one thing it never is is boring.
Martians kidnap Santa Claus so that he can give presents to the children of mars. It’s a dopey idea, but it could work in a fanciful way. Unfortunately the filmmakers spent about $5 on the film, and in the long run it all comes off like a local theater or grammar school play, acted with that kind of unbelievably amateurish performances.
I’d heard of the film for decades and never cared to even see anything of it, knowing its quality was none existent. Around 2002 I saw they were playing it on American Movie Classics late on one Friday night, and happened to catch it. Right from the opening I was shocked that the opening song was REALLY melodic, and quite enjoyable.
Watching the actual film was watching a local amateur production for children, but the performers and the whole movie has a cheerfulness from the actors that makes you find it difficult to not sympathize with them giving it their all, and that they are really pleasant. Bill McCutcheon as Dropo, the not too bright Martian who tries to help Santa, is really quite appealing, even though everything happening is unbelievably stupid. John Call plays Santa, and he reminds one of a Christmas tradition: Christmas ham. He is WAY over the top, but he is very sweet and it’s tough to not appreciate the enthusiasm that he gives the role.
Years later in 1981 Pia Zadora was being promoted by her husband for the movie “Butterfly”, and her only other film till that time was as one of the Martian children in “Santa Claus Conquers The Martians”. The film didn’t need any more controversy.
In the long run it’s a harmless film. I’ve never understood the idea of a “kiddie” movie. Why make a film for children instead of doing a family film, like Disney would, but there was an audience for it then and apparently now. I’ve seen few, never liking the idea of films that go for a smaller audience needlessly, but they can have their charms. Even a film as “bad cinema” as “Santa” has something enjoyable about it, the cheerfulness that makes it’s monumental shortcomings much more tolerable. Ed Wood would be proud.
Still the one thing that is amazing is that the film has a wonderful, even fantastic song for the opening and ending. WHY? Who knows how they were able to manage this, but the simple reason is probably Milton DeLugg. He was a composer, conductor and lyricist who co-wrote “Hooray For Santa Claus” with Roy Alfred, and he had a tendency to get good melodies. The song has no reason to work, the lyrics being foolish, ridiculous, but somehow they work. It’s hard to understand, but it really does work, and it works BEAUTIFULLY.
Like everything else about the film it is bizarre right from the start. The lyrics are very simple, cheering on Santa and the joys of him, the North Pole, and the toys for Christmas day. It’s very joyous, and the children’s chorus sings it perfectly, totally a professional job, despite all the other lack of professional results in the film.
The strangest idea is to make the lyrics become “Hooray for Santy Claus”. That’s right SANTY, not Santa. They do initially spell it Santa, and the title of the song officially is “Hooray For Santa Claus”, but they repeat “Hooray For Santy Claus” throughout it. At the end of the film they repeat the song, and there is a visual sing-a-long accentuating the different spelling in case you doubted it.
They obviously chose to do it intentionally, and possibly just to be different since if you try to sing it as “Hooray For SANTA Claus” it doesn’t rhyme less or more than as “Hooray For Santy Claus”. There really is no notable reason for them to have chosen the different spelling and pronunciation except they liked the idea, and considering the results it’s tough to disagree.
In Walt Disney Productions’ “Herbie Goes Bananas” the film has a song “A Friend I Found” that shouldn’t work, and seems like it couldn’t, but it does, with a wonderful melody and lyrics that also endear. It even does the misspelling of a word, spelling “friend” “F R E N D” by a children’s choir, just as they do in “Hooray For Santa Claus”. It’s illogical, but both songs work beautifully.
“Hooray For Santa Claus” is an unbelievably catchy song, and it being so wonderful makes it logical as to why they went for the sing-a-long at the end. The producers may not have had much money, but they seem to have known at least a little bit of what they were doing.
Here is the classic “Hooray For Santa Claus”, and considering its source it is nothing short of a miracle. I never thought there would be ANYTHING I’d love about this film! Go figure.
S A N T A C L A U S
Hooray For Santy Claus
You spell it S A N T A C L A U S
Hooray For Santy Claus
Hooray for Santy Claus
Yay Yay for Santy Claus
He’s fat and round but jumping jiminy
He can climb down any chimney.
When we hear sleigh bells ring
Our hearts go ting-a-ling.
Of course there’ll be presents under the tree
Hooray For Santy Claus
Now all year long at the North Pole,
He’s busy making toys
But he knows just what you’re doing
So you’d better be good girls and boys.
Hang up that mistletoe
Soon you’ll hear ho ho ho
On Christmas day you’ll wake up and you’ll say
Hooray for Santy Claus!
S A N T A C L A U S
Hooray For Santy Claus
You spell it S A N T A C L A U S
Hooray For Santy Claus
Hooray For Santy Claus
Hooray For Santy Claus
