"I have no idea what my emotions are supposed to be."
Santa Claus, high above the North Pole in his cloud-borne castle equipped with surveillance devices, has his legion of kidnapped child laborers prepare presents to deliver on Christmas Eve. Santa is especially interested in helping Lupita (Lupita Quezadas), the daughter of a poor family who wants nothing more than a doll, and a young boy whose parents are so wealthy they never spend any time with him. However, the Devil will have none of this and sends his minion, Pitch, to foil Santa's plans. Pitch, in turn, recruits three naughty boys to help him set traps for Santa.[1] Merlin the magician provides Santa Claus with supernatural assistance: powders to keep children asleep, a golden key that opens everything, and a flower that makes him invisible. Wacky hi-jinks ensue.
Information
Pitch in Santa Claus
This movie is public domain, so it’s played frequently in the original Spanish during the holiday season. As a result (as strange as it may seem), it has become a cherished holiday tradition for many Spanish-speaking TV viewers worldwide.
The movie is closely examined in an extra track on the Shout! Factory release by Kevin Murphy, cult film archivist Charles Kilgore, and Mexican film historian David Wilt. Some of the more salient points made are that:
Santa watches us
In the late 1950s in Mexico, 'Santa Claus' was a (literally) foreign concept. While not unknown, Santa was very much a gringo construct: children didn't get their presents at Christmas from Santa, but from the three magi of the New Testament. And speaking of...
The idea of Santa Claus as a sort of "holy superhero" is bandied about. Here we have a character with comic book gadgets and superpowers, battling a direct minion of Satan. Does that make Santa an alliterative Christ figure? Maybe... But then why is he shown early in the movie assembling a creche?
The movie was a very ambitious project for the time and place. Just filming in color was an extravagance (Kevin Murphy describes the effect of the garish, oversaturated color as "like being hit in the face with a clown"); the large and fairly complex sets also added to the cost. The Mexican film industry had never really done either fantasy or sci-fi up until this point, so the set designers seem to have been given a surprisingly free rein to do whatever they wanted.
This film did not receive a general release in the United States. The U.S. distributor, K. Gordon Murray, booked the film as a special children's matinée attraction in which the film would only be shown once or twice.
While billed simply as "El Diablo" ("The Devil") in the credits, Pitch's character name in the original version is "Precio" ("Price").
The Episode
Host Segments
TV's Frank gives Dr. F his gift
Prologue:Mike and the Bots' attempt to sing carols ends in disaster when Mike knocks over the thermos full of nice, very hot chocolate.
Gypsy gives Mike a sweater
Segment One: As the SOL crew recovers from their carolling injuries, Frank reveals that he has shaved his head and bought Dr. F a watch fob. Dr. F signs over an old savings bond since he forgot to get a present for Frank. On the SOL, Crow gets a Steve Alaimo album, Tom Servo gets a drug and IV handbook, Mike gets a sweater with "Joike" knitted on it (Gypsy started it for "the other guy"), and Gypsy receives underwear-in-a-candy-cane. Frank laments the loss of his hair for nothing, as Dr. F tells "Mark" this week's movie, telling him "it's a well thought out documentary about the Crimean War", only for Frank to angrily shout "It's a stupid Mexican kids movie!!!"
Segment Three: The Bots have arranged a Nelson family reunion via the Hexfield Viewscreen - except they got the wrong Nelson family. Turns out there are not only thousands of Nelsons on Earth, but Mike isn't from Green Bay.
Segment Four: Mike and the Bots sing an all-inclusive politically correct holiday song: "Merry Christmas... If That’s Okay".
Segment Five: Mike is clearing up the wrapping paper from opening Christmas presents, but is feeling a little sad. However, Gypsy points out the window of the SOL that it's snowing, giving the crew on the SOL a snow day! Meanwhile, back in Deep 13, the devil Pitch is having a snack with the Mad Scientists. As Pitch outlines his plans for the New Year, bells can be heard and Santa Claus himself bursts onto the scene and begins to spar with Pitch. Dr Forrester and TV's Frank happily watch the scuffle unfold.
Frank shaving his head and buying Dr. Forrester a watch fob is a reference to the short story "The Gift of Magi" by O. Henry. In it, a struggling young married couple make great personal sacrifices in order to be able to buy Christmas presents for each other. The wife cuts off her beautiful long hair (in which she took great pride) and sells it to wig maker so that she can buy a watch fob (which is a chain) for her husband (who has sold his antique pocket watch in order to buy her an elaborate set of hair combs). Frank reacts with confusion at the idea of having sold his hair, indicating that he skipped that part of the transaction and has shaven his head for no particular reason.
"Santa Claus on Pipedreams"
Pipedreams is a radio program by American Public Media of Minneapolis that focuses on music of the pipe organ.
"Ted Danson's comedy school."
In a rather bizarre incident, Ted Danson performed a monologue in blackface at a Friar's Club roast of Whoopi Goldberg, who he was dating at the time. She wasn't impressed, and the relationship ended soon afterwards.
"What is this, Sliver?"
Said in reference to Santa's many observation devices. Sliver is a 1993 thriller in which voyeurism was a key plot element.
The young boy brings to mind the final scene from The Babe Ruth Story: where a young cancer patient asks Babe Ruth to hit a home run for him. Babe Ruth not only fulfills this promise, but upon doing so the young cancer patient is seemingly cured. This sappy scene earned the movie a reputation for one of the worst and wholly inaccurate biopics ever made.
The Quickening was the subtitle of the second "Highlander" movie (and in general refers to the power surge that results when one of the immortal warriors beheads another).
"Flaming Moe's!"
Flaming Moe's was a Simpsons episode in which Moe the bartender takes credit for a flaming cocktail invented by Homer.
"Moms Mabley!"
Moms Mabley was an African-American comedian who began her career on the so-called "chitlin circuit", then became popular among white audiences during the 1960s.
"Hosni Mubarak!"
Hosni Mubarak was president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011.
"It's the last episode of 'A.K.A. Pablo'."
A.K.A. Pablo was a short-lived sitcom from the mid-1980s.
"I'm here to eat candy canes and kick ass, and I'm all out of candy canes!"
Stated during the final host segment, this is a parody of a line from the 1988 movie They Live.
Tom makes various Three Stooges noises such as a "Ne-ahh-ah" (once when Santa's unusual gadget device is first shown; a second time during the chaotic finale for the film).
While the three mischievous children are sitting on the sidewalk in their first scene together, Mike mumbles the theme for The Little Rascals series.
When Santa opens his mouth and starts yelping during the ending, Tom lets out his best impression of a Tarzan yodel.
The DVD includes the Ballyhoo Motion Pictures feature Santa Claus Conquers the Devil: A 50-Year Retrospective, a theatrical trailer, a radio spot, a stills gallery, and a trailer for The Wonder World of K. Gordon Murray.
