In this Rankin/Bass production from 1970, a postman named S.D. (“Special Delivery”) Kluger (Fred Astaire) fills us in on the origins of one Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney), starting when he was just a baby (“Everyone’s got to be a baby at least once in their lives”). For example, did you know that Santa’s signature laugh originated when he imitated the barking of seals as a child? Even more intriguing, it turns out many of the things most commonly associated with Santa Claus—his beard, climbing down the chimney, leaving presents in stockings hung by the fireplace—all began as evasive tactics to avoid being persecuted by Nazis.
The delightfully named Herr Burgermeister Meisterburger (Paul Frees) is the Hitler figure, ruling over Sombertown with an iron fist and making sure it remains as drab and grim as its name suggests. Given the outrageous burden of caring for the abandoned baby Claus, he refuses, his henchman ultimately leaving the infant stranded in a snowstorm. Baby Claus is rescued by woodland animals and adopted by the Kringle family, a bunch of red-suited elves who are mostly named in the rhyming manner of one Thurman Merman. Incidentally, “I like babies” is not at all a creepy thing to say, especially in a helium-enhanced cartoon elf voice.
After Burgermeister Meisterburger trips on a toy and breaks his funny-bone (which is apparently located in the foot), he outlaws all toys in Sombertown. With his Germanic accent and the uniforms and pointy helmets worn by his goons, it is no stretch to imagine Meisterburger as the Fuhrer. The Dickensian youth of Sombertown are devastated until Kris Kringle, as the elves have named him, arrives to provide them with the “illegal, unlawful and immoral” playthings they desire. There is a cost, though. As Kris himself sings, “If you sit on my lap today, a kiss a toy is the price you’ll pay.” Hard to believe there was a time when a grown man extorting kisses from children on his lap was ever seen as entirely innocent.
In the grim stop-motion world of Sombertown, even the good guy is kind of a fascist, promising toys to the children only if they behave in the ways he demands (“You better not cry, you better not pout”), and establishing a surveillance state with the help of the Winter Warlock (Keenan Wynn) and the magical snow he uses to see them when they’re sleeping, to know when they’re awake. “Be good for goodness’ sake,” he says, but it’s clear the children are motivated only by their greed for toys. Winter, as the Warlock prefers to be called after turning good, is a bit of a red herring villain, quickly transformed when his icy heart is melted by a “choo-choo train.” I guess he must have Asperger’s or something.
“What sort of criminal is this Kringle,” Burgermeister Meisterburger asks, “sneaking into houses by night?” It’s a fair point, even if he is Hitler. He orders all doors and windows locked at night, which leads Kris to adopt the practice of climbing down chimneys. When toys continue to plague the town, Meisterburger orders all houses searched, which leads Kris to hiding toys in the stockings hung by the fireplace to dry. Yes, even the signature Santa beard is originally grown to avoid resembling the WANTED posters that begin showing up around town. The military-style drumming during the forced home searches and the public toy-burning that follows make the Third Reich parallels even more explicit.
In the conclusion of the film, Kluger’s narration informs us that the Meisterburgers eventually “just kind of died off and lost power,” an unfortunately too easy solution to the ongoing problem of fascism, but at least there is the message that resistance is heroic. “Maybe if we could all learn Santa’s beautiful lesson,” Kluger says, “there would be peace on earth and goodwill toward men.” However, he also reminds us to “behave yourselves, because Santa can still look into his magic snowball and see just what you’re up to.”
Meet the new boss; same as the old boss. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
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