20. The night they saved christmas (TV) 1984 USA colour U
Festive Drama
WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
From this enchanted Christmas story made for TV- comes an exploding heartache drama about a family who's forgotten how to believe. The beginning of our heartwarming tale is very explosive and is going to have many more, because an oil company headed by Sumner Murdock (Mason Adams) is exploring two Arctic sites for oil and one is the home of Santa Claus.
Murdock's project manager in charge of this exploration is a family man Michael Baldwin (Paul le mat). For the last five years Michael has up rooted his family to various locations deserts, jungles, & other uncivilized places and this time Claudia (Jaclyn Smith) his wife has had enough, she tells her husband that she wants to go back to Los Angeles, Michael argues that he just cannot walk away from this exploration as it was his idea.
Back home Michael and Claudia have to deal with their 3 children, David (Scott Grimes) Marianne (Laura Jacoby) and CB (R.J. Williams) the youngest, who still believes in Santa Claus. Mr Murdock threatens Mr Baldwin about terminating his employment if the exploration does not produce results. Mr Baldwin had to explain that there were some minor set backs due to alot of dynamiting which broke up the ice, which began to clog up the deep-sea drilling rig, and still found no oil.
Michael felt really positive about the oil being at site A, but after a few set backs Michael stopped believing and trusting his instincts and just assumed that the oil was at site B. Michael returns to his office where he was met by Santa Claus's chief elf Ed, (Paul Williams) Ed explains that his dynamiting is causing damage to the North Pole city. Michael just thinks that Ed is a practical joke hired by someone.
Next morning Ed arrives at the Baldwins house driving a world war 2 era snowcat that would take the family to the North Pole, but Mr Baldwin has to go to work and leaves Claudia in charge. Mrs Baldwin and the children go just to humour poor Ed as they all think he is some form of a practical joke. Ed takes the family to the North Pole to prove that Santa Claus is real and to reveal the damage that is being done.
Meanwhile Michael is worried about his family that his heart is not on his job, however he goes against Murdock's wishes about not moving all their equipment to site B, and keeps some back on site A. Back at the North Pole David, Marianne, and Cb got to meet Santa Claus (Art Carney) and Mrs Claus, (June Lock hart) Santa Claus shows the children his secrets including a device that slows time down so he can make his deliveries.
Mrs Claus got to look after the children, whilst Santa Claus had a heart-to-heart talk with Mrs Baldwin about her husband's actions, & if he could stop dynamiting on site B or it could be the end of North Pole city and Christmas as we known it. Santa explained that Mr Baldwin needs to keep dynamiting on site A because that's where the main oil field sight is.
Back home Mrs Baldwin explains everything to her husband and Mr Murdock but unfortunately they do not believe her and speak to her like she's a child, and tell her that she was kidnapped then given a hallucination drug. Mrs Baldwin can understand Murdock not believing her but her own husband she felt so betrayed. Both Mr Baldwin and Murdock think that someone from an arrival company is trying to muscle in on their project and take all the credit by creating a diversion,Murdock gives Mr Baldwin a new order that they are to start dynamiting site B on Christmas Eve.
David, Marianne, & Cb over hear everything and decided to take matters into their own hands by hatching a plan to prove that Santa is real and to try and persuade their father not to dig upon site B. Due to bad weather conditions David & Marianne get lost in the fog but are rescued by their mother, Santa comes to their aid and rescues them and takes them back to North Pole city.
meanwhile back home Cb tries to convince his father that Santa is really real,and cannot understand why his father does not want to listen nor believe him. The search and rescue team could not find Mrs Baldwin nor the children.
Christmas Eve was not a happy occasion for the family Murdock was furious with Michael for not obeying his orders and thinks about firing him,Mr Baldwin was so upset about his wife and missing children that concentrating on work was impossible his heart was not into it and trying to believe CB his son and the sons vivid imagination about Santa rescuing his wife and children, and now they could be in terrible danger because they were living somewhere under site B which was going to go kaboom.
Can Mr Baldwin found his wife and children, in time and find some oil on site A before destroying site B and north pole city? Will Christmas be ruined forever, found out when you watch this exploding movie.
The night they saved Christmas is a weepy sentimental movie suitable for the family and for people who enjoy having soppy and emotional moments. This heart-breaking festive drama contains some action sceens, some scary, heart-filed moments, the power of the innocent and their believes, understanding what's real and what's nice to believe, most importantly leaning how to trust and believe in one another.
Directed by: Jackie Cooper
written teleplay & story by: Rudy Dochtermann Jim Moloney David Niven JR
Adams Mason Sumner Murdock Carney Art Santa Claus Crosby Randy pilot Curtis Billy Jack Douglass Buddy DR Fernando Grimes Scott David Baldwin Hall Albert Loomis Hall Keys Michael Faulkner Haney Anne Hedda Jacoby Laura Marianne Bladwin Lemat Paulle Michael Baldwin Lockhart June Mrs Claus Smith Jaclyn Claudia Baldwin Staley James Marin Williams Paul ED Williams R.J C.B Baldwin