The Christmas That Almost Wasn't

The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rossano Brazzi
Produced by	Barry B. Yellen A.J. Piccolo
Written by	Paul Tripp
Starring	Rossano Brazzi Paul Tripp
Music by	Bruno Nicolai
Cinematography	Alvaro Mancori
Editing by	Maurizio Lucidi
Distributed by	Childhood Productions Inc.
Release date(s)	November 23, 1966
Running time	94 min. (89 min. in the USA)
Country	U.S.A./Italy
Language	English

The Christmas That Almost Wasn't is a 1966 film that stars Rossano Brazzi and Paul Tripp. The movie had traditional December airings on Home Box Office (HBO) during the 1970s and early 1980s. The title in Italian is known as 'Natale che quasi non fu'.

Alberto Rabagliati, Paul Tripp & Sonny Fox in "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't"

Plot

Phineas T. Prune is an old miser who holds the deed to the North Pole. It seems that Santa Claus is behind in paying his rent. Prune plans to have Santa, Mrs. Claus and the elves evicted and keep the Christmas toys. Santa asks Sam Whipple for help. Can Whipple and the children around the world help Santa and prevent Christmas from being cancelled?

Main cast

• Rossano Brazzi as Phineas T. Prune
• Paul Tripp as Sam Whipple
• Lydia Brazzi as Mrs. Santa
• Alberto Rabagliati as Santa Claus
• Mischa Auer as Jonathan, the elf foreman
• Sonny Fox as Mr. Prim
• John Karlsen as Blossom

Production

The film was directed by and stars Rossano Brazzi. The actual story, based on his book, was written by Paul Tripp, who also stars in the film. The musical score was written by Bruno Nicolai which includes the title song sung by Glenn Yarbrough. In the USA, the film is rated G and has a running time of 89 minutes.

DVD details

• Release date: October 7, 2003
• Full Screen
• Region: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Audio tracks: English
• Subtitles: None
• Running time: 93 minutes

External links

• The Christmas That Almost Wasn't at the Internet Movie Database
• The Christmas That Almost Wasn't at the TCM Movie Database
• The Christmas That Almost Wasn't at AllRovi
• "The Website That Almost Wasn't" Fansite