That was an excellent one.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

"Mrs. Santa Claus" is an enjoyable Christmas film that actually centers on Christmas. As a musical, it provides some entertaining songs by Jerry Herman. And it has a couple of good dance scenes. Especially good is the song, "We Don't Go Together." Of course, any musical to be great has to have very good or great singers - if not in the cast, then dubbed. While Angela Lansbury (as Mrs. Santa Claus) is a very good actress who can sing, she is far from a great singer. Several others in this film are just passable as vocalists. Only one person has a great voice - Debra Wiseman, who plays Sadie Lowenstein. The staging, costumes, and all technical aspects of this TV movie are superb. The plot is a good one, but it goes overboard in trying to cover all the big social issues in the U.S. of 1910. Women's suffrage, child labor laws, the great American melting pot and others have long histories. So, this plot plays with history and puts a sugar coating on the culture and mores of the time and place. For instance, women's suffrage began long before 1910. It's official birth was the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. And, it was ratified as the 19th amendment to the U.S. constitution in 1920. By 1910 it would not have been so strange or out of place to see Sadie Lowenstein on a soap box for women's rights - even (or especially) in Manhattan's East Village. One glaring error that caught my attention right away was in the suffrage parade. Several marchers held an unfurled U.S. flag above their heads. It had clear rows of six by eight stars, for a total of 48. But, the U.S. had just 46 states in 1910. The 47th and 48th states (New Mexico and Arizona) would become part of the Union in 2012. In its portrayal of the great melting pot of the U.S. and New York, especially, the film transposes 21st century American idealism on the 1910 culture. Yes, people in many neighborhoods of mixed backgrounds - ethnic and religious especially, lived together and got along. But many more of the time were segregated by neighborhoods and distinct ethnic communities. The song, "Avenue A," narrowed the location in Manhattan to the 13-block street in Manhattan's East Village.Without great singers and superb music, I won't rate any musical higher than eight stars. This is not a "West Side Story," or "The Sound of Music," or "Funny Girl," or "Show Boat, " or "Porgy and Bess," or "Easter Parade." But for the overcrowding of social issues and juggling of history in the screenplay, it would have earned those eight stars. It is an enjoyable Christmas musical.Here are a couple favorite lines from the film. Mrs. Santa Claus in the opening scenes says, "Oh, team, we've done it - 1910 is a record year."Santa Claus (Charles Durning), as he places a letter in an outbox marked "Naughty," says, "There's always the naughty ones with the bad handwriting."

This is a feel-good Christmas TV movie starring Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Santa Claus, who, feeling neglected, leaves the North Pole with her husband's reindeer and sleigh to go out for a drive, but gets stranded in Manhattan during the Christmas season.This is a movie full of colorful costumes and bright cinematography to highlight the Christmas seasons. The dance choreography was great and the story was uplifting, if not a bit juvenile.There are plenty of spirited songs in the movie, which is perfect for those who enjoy musicals. I'm not a big fan of musicals and almost got driven up the wall with all those unending songs and thought the plot was a bit slow. But, it is still nice seeing Lansbury back on the screen, showcasing her many talents, and nice to have a meaningful movie on TV to bring the family together.

Mrs. Santa Claus is absolutely delightful. It's styled like an old time Broadway Musical and perfect for all ages. My 90 year old mother-in-law and my 2.5 year old granddaughter adored it. It was actually written by a Jewish guy and the words & music were written by another Jewish guy (Jerry Herman who wrote the scores to Mame, Hello Dolly and La Cage aux folles). In addition to the wonderful score, it has Rob Marshall's choreography. The guy who plays the stable keeper is now playing Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys. It also features a young version of the daughter from Grounded For Life who has a fantastic voice. If you have kids, you may recognize Michael Jeter (Arvo) who plays Mr. Noodle on Elmo's World. Angela Lansbury plays Mrs. Santa Claus. There's a lot of talent and good entertainment there. It's now on my list of Christmas movies to watch each year. However, my granddaughter won't let me put it away just yet.

Lansbury is charming as always in this musical from Jerry Herman about Old St. Nicks' Mrs. It's nice to see Lansbury singing again and having a good time.