NBC Announces Star Studded Holiday Movie "The Year Without Santa Claus"  11/8/06

NBC’S STAR-STUDDED HOLIDAY MOVIE “THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS,” STARRING JOHN GOODMAN, CHRIS KATTAN, ETHAN SUPLEE, EDDIE GRIFFIN, DELTA BURKE, HARVEY FIERSTEIN, MICHAEL MCKEAN AND CAROL KANE, PREMIERES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 (9-11 P.M. ET)

BURBANK – November 8, 2006 – On Monday, December 11 (9-11 p.m. ET), NBC will present "The Year Without a Santa Claus," a funny, heartwarming story about Santa Claus and a young boy who help each other believe in Christmas again. The movie is based on the book "The Year Without a Santa Claus" by Phyllis McGinley, which was also the basis for the popular 1974 animated holiday classic of the same name.

The family Christmas comedy stars John Goodman (NBC's "The West Wing," "Roseanne"), Chris Kattan (NBC's "Saturday Night Live," "Undercover Brother"), Ethan Suplee (NBC's "My Name is Earl," "Cold Mountain"), Eddie Griffin ("Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo," "Scary Movie 3"), Delta Burke ("What Women Want," "Designing Women"), Harvey Fierstein ("Hairspray," "Mrs. Doubtfire"), Michael McKean ("The Producers," "A Mighty Wind") and Carol Kane ("Taxi," Broadway's "Wicked").

When Santa's (Goodman) devious head elf, Sparky (Kattan), tells him that he must "keep up with the times" – no matter how materialistic – Santa Claus resists, fearing that the holiday has become far too commercial. Convinced that no one believes in him anymore and that people have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas, Santa decides to take the year off and not deliver any gifts, much to the dismay of Mrs. Claus (Burke), and his two closest elves, Jingle (Suplee) and Jangle (Griffin). When Santa tells them that he doesn't think there are any children left who still care about the true spirit of Christmas, the two elves decide to prove him wrong.

While Sparky schemes to take over Santa's job, Jingle and Jangle travel to South Town, U.S.A. to find a young boy (Dylan Minnette) trying to recapture the holiday magic by reviving a once-popular Yuletide festival. But their efforts are complicated by Heatmiser (Fierstein) and Snowmiser (McKean), the two feuding sons of Mother Nature (Kane), whose help Jingle and Jangle will need if they want to save Christmas.

Mark Wolper ("Salem's Lot," "Helter Skelter") is the executive producer, and Ron Underwood ("City Slickers," "Mighty Joe Young") directs the two-hour movie from the Wolper Organization in association with Warner Bros. Television. "The Year Without a Santa Claus" was filmed in Shreveport and Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Source: NBC Press Release