The Stars of Stage and Screen: Song #48/250: Santa Claus is Back in Town by Elvis Presley as sung by Kurt Russell from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to the Film The Christmas Chronicles

Before a Hollywood movie ever hits the screen in a theatre near you, there is a long production process that has to take place. The very first part of this process concerns something known in the business as a pitch. This term is short for sales pitch. A movie pitch is a one- or two-line concise summary of an idea that someone wants to have made into a film. The pitch is often delivered by a screenwriter to the heads of movie studios or other important people who could finance the making of the film. In 2012, a man named Matt Lieberman pitched an idea for a Christmas movie in which two siblings catch on video Santa delivering presents. They end up stowing away in his sled, causing Santa to eventually crash. Christmas is suddenly in jeopardy. The kids, whose own family life was under great stress, have to help Santa save Christmas all while Santa works to save their family. 

That pitch was made for a movie Lieberman wanted to call The Christmas Chronicles.  One of the people Lieberman pitched his story to was director Chris Columbus *(who you will know from his role in directing the Home Alone movies. You can read about that in a previously written post here). Columbus thought that the idea had potential but that there was just something missing to tie it all together. For financing, Lieberman approached Netflix. At the time, Netflix was just starting to get into the business of producing their own content for the streaming service they were providing for customers. They were interested in the movie pitch but also felt that the plotline had been done before and that the idea lacked that certain something to push it over the top. Then, in a last-minute desperation Hail Mary-type maneuver, Matt Lieberman amended his pitch to include the following idea: Santa was played by Elvis Presley. That sealed the deal for the pitch. Columbus and Netflix climbed on board. Casting began and ended with the hiring of Kurt Russell to play Santa. Russell was the obvious and inspired choice for Santa because as you may know, especially if you are an Elvis fan, long before young Austin Butler smoldered on screen as Elvis, Kurt Russell was that same next hot young thing back in 1979 when he starred in John Carpenter’s Elvis biopic. Kurt Russell’s star turn as Elvis helped that film to win numerous awards back in the day. With Russell bringing his hip-swiveling swagger to The Christmas Chronicles, it guaranteed that this movie would be a holiday film like no other.

The Christmas Chronicles is a Christmas movie, make no mistake about that. But it is a movie with an underlying message about the business of music as it relates to how we all give meaning to our lives. To be more exact, the message is about the importance of rock n’ roll as a life-changing force. That is precisely why channeling the spirit of Elvis was so integral to the overall feel of this film. One of the things that made Elvis Presley such a dynamic presence when he first appeared on the scene in the late 1950s was the primal force of the sexual energy he exuded on stage. Prior to him, no other entertainer’s hips were ever banned from being broadcast over the airwaves. There was always something subversive and dangerous about that young man that made the authorities nervous. Elvis’ life energy was powerful and caused a generation of women as well as men to view their own lives in a different way, one that was filled with noisy possibilities. Thanks to the example that Elvis set, no one who watched him perform ever felt that settling for the status quo in life was their only choice. If Elvis could blow the lid completely off of the world of music then anything was possible.

In many ways, there was something magical about the persona developed by Elvis. Elvis loved his momma, he served his country by enlisting in the armed forces, he was handsome, too. For teens and twenty-somethings, Elvis seemed almost perfect. This is the same way that small children feel about Santa Claus. There certainly isn’t the sexual connotation involved, but just the same, children believe that he is perfect, too. His laughter makes them smile. They feel safe in his presence. And like it was with Elvis and music, small children believe that Santa can make anything happen. The Santa story places him at odds with the business world because he produces toys and gifts for free. That act is as subversive as anything Elvis ever did on stage. Thus, the pairing of Elvis and Santa is not as far-fetched as it may first have seemed. But what the story of Elvis can bring to the story of Santa and Christmas when paired together is the idea that life is meant to be experienced for real, in person, to be fully enjoyed. The joy of Christmas and the rush of rock n’ roll are both better felt by those who are actively participating in the experience. Thus, it is not by fluke that The Christmas Chronicles begins with the children using a video recorder to capture Santa’s image, but then the movie really takes off when they climb into his sleigh and actually interact with the real character. To connect this with the music analogy, there are many old school rockers and fans who believe that the use of modern technology at concerts is ruining that live music experience for younger fans and that they would be better served by just watching the show and rocking out to the band on stage instead of worrying about being film makers with their phones. This brings us to the main music number in this movie.

The movie pitch for The Christmas Chronicles touched upon the idea of Santa’s sled crashing on Christmas Eve, thus jeopardizing the delivery of presents. In practical cinematic terms, that leaves a lot of creative space for the movie director to develop the action scenes that go into the crash and the subsequent efforts to save Christmas. So it was not surprising that one of the plot devices employed was having Santa attempt to use alternate modes of transportation. With Santa being Elvis, he ended up “borrowing” a souped up Dodge Charger, because that is the prototypical rock n’ roll vehicle. Because the car wasn’t his, Santa gets thrown into jail. While in jail, in a direct nod to Elvis and his hit song “Jailhouse Rock”, Santa gets the other inmates to join him in reviving the spirit of Christmas through song. It doesn’t hurt that the other inmates turn out to be Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. In real life, Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul is a band fronted by Steve Van Zandt of E Street Band fame, which also includes former members of the Young Rascals, The Plasmatics and so on. Van Zandt is one of America’s preeminent proponents of the belief that everyone should know about the roots of rock n’ roll. If Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul are involved in Santa’s song, then you know that the song they play would have to have some connection to rock n’ roll’s past. In this case, the song that Kurt Russell so coolly sings is called “Santa Claus is Back in Town”. This song was originally recorded and released by The King himself, Elvis Presley. “Santa Claus is Back in Town” first appeared on the Elvis Presley Christmas album called, originally enough, Elvis’ Christmas Album. This was the third studio album Elvis ever released. It went all the way to #1 on the charts and also featured the classic holiday tracks “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and “Blue Christmas”. Honestly, if you love Elvis or simply love good rock n’ roll at all, then you will enjoy this scene (which I will link to below).

I have never made a movie pitch before. But if I were to make a pitch about living a good life, it would align itself with the message of The Christmas Chronicles. My pitch would be to enjoy the moment by being present in the lives of others and in the experiences that abound all around us. I am as guilty as anyone of filling the blank spaces in my life by staring at a screen as I watch other people enjoying their moments and being present in the lives of those around them. Life is meant to be lived, not simply observed. That is the lesson that Elvis provided through the power of rock n’ roll. It is the lesson that Kurt Russell provided with his Elvis-inspired performance in The Christmas Chronicles. It is the lesson I impart to you through this blog. Go live a rock n’ roll life. That is what Elvis and Santa would want you to do. It is what I want you to do, too. Now, off you go. Ho! Ho! Ho! And, of course, thank you very much.

The link to the video for the song “Santa Claus is Back in Town” by Elvis Presely as sung by Kurt Russell from the Original Soundtrack to the film The Christmas Chronicles can be found here. ***The lyrics video is here.

The link to the video for the trailer for the movie The Christmas Chronicles can be found here.

The link to the official website for Elvis Presley can be found here.

The link to the official website for Santa Claus can be found here.

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