The Christmas That Almost Wasn't



The Christmas That Almost Wasn't is a 1966 American-Italian film that stars Rossano Brazzi and Paul Tripp, and was originally released by Childhood Productions Inc.

On television, the movie had traditional December airings on Home Box Office (HBO) during the 1970s and early 1980s. The title in Italian is Natale che quasi non fu.

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 canceled?

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 was based on the book written by Paul Tripp, who also adapted it for the screen and 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
The film was released on DVD on October 7, 2003 to Region 1.

Streaming
The Christmas That Almost Wasn't was made available for streaming through Netflix and Amazon Video.

References in other media
In The Simpsons episode "Skinner's Sense of Snow", Seymour Skinner shows a film called The Christmas That Almost Wasn't, But Then Was.