Santa Claus: The Movie at 40 – how a box office flop became a ‘pure panto’ British Christmas staple

By Thomas Ruys Smith, Professor of American Literature and Culture, University of East Anglia

It’s December 1985, I’m six years old and I’m sat next to my dad in a small-town cinema in Norfolk. Some might unkindly describe the venue as a fleapit permanently on the brink of closure. Today, though, there’s snow on the ground and magic in the air.

Instead of the usual sparse attendance, the place is packed. It’s already been a legendary festive season for the young cinemagoer: The Goonies and Back to the Future have just been released. But even those Hollywood behemoths have nothing on the excitement…

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