Because she had true Christmas spirit as a young lass, "Shop-A-Lot" TV producer/pitch-woman Whoopi Goldberg (as Lucy Cullins) is chosen to be the world's new Santa Claus. This decision was made (in a 1965 flashback) by traditional roly-poly red-suited Nigel Hawthorne (as Nick). Being "Santa Claus" is revealed to be a 200-year job. If the presently grow-up and grumpy Ms. Goldberg can't get her girlish Christmas groove back, Earth will suffer a massive flood. Call her Scrooge. For Goldberg's Los Angeles-based home-shopping channel, she hires Mr. Hawthorne as a seasonal sales-marketing Santa and he tries to win her over. For a TV movie, "Call Me Claus" is nicely produced. This was the last role for Hawthorne, who performs memorably. The soundtrack music (by Van Dyke Parks) pleasantly moves it along. Having a woman take over the role of Santa Claus is an interesting and welcome premise, but the story really doesn't work. As it's destined to get lost in future years, we won't have to explain to millions of confused young children how Whoopi lost the job.
***** Call Me Claus (12/2/01) Peter Werner ~ Whoopi Goldberg, Nigel Hawthorne, Taylor Negron, Brian Stokes Mitchell
***** Call Me Claus (12/2/01) Peter Werner ~ Whoopi Goldberg, Nigel Hawthorne, Taylor Negron, Brian Stokes Mitchell