John Call gives an abducted Santa an easy kindness, even towards his captors. We value the warmth, though Santa Claus Conquers the Martians gives this experienced stage comedian too few jokes to justify an evening.
Fi1m perspective
John Call's Santa Claus treats his Martian captors as people who might benefit from a little kindness. In Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), he makes that response feel natural enough to give the abduction some promise as children's comedy. We were touched by his friendliness towards these strange hosts, because he makes the generosity seem easy rather than something requiring congratulations. That is enough to make us interested in Call, though not enough to rescue the film.
There was a substantial stage comedian behind the beard. Call's Broadway work began in the 1930s and included Barnaby Tucker in The Merchant of Yonkers (1938), while he appeared regularly with Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival from 1960. His Shakespearean work drew on vaudeville, burlesque and musical-theatre styles. That background makes the straightforward friendliness of his Santa worth noticing: an actor experienced in clown roles takes this peculiar children's story seriously enough to give its central encounter a chance.
His film career offers a narrower view of his work. He entered films in the early 1950s in mostly uncredited supporting parts; Santa was his only credited leading film role. O'Leary in The Anderson Tapes (1971) was among his few credited later appearances. We would not turn those limited opportunities into a claim for neglected greatness, but nor would we let one poor children's comedy settle what he could do: the warmth we found in it belongs to his performance.
The difficulty is Nicholas Webster's handling of the comedy, which keeps requiring Call's good humour to do the work of a joke. The colourful sets help, and Call provides a useful centre, but neither can make 81 minutes feel well spent. We can appreciate his willingness to keep the encounter friendly while wishing the film would give him something funny to do. For a Christmas evening, we would still look elsewhere.
Biography
John Call (3 November 1908 – 3 April 1973) was an American actor. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he began his career on Broadway in the 1930s and appeared in numerous stage productions over nearly four decades, including original roles in musicals such as Bloomer Girl (1944), Pipe Dream (1955) and Oliver! (1963), where he played Dr Grimwig.
Call also worked in film and television, with uncredited parts in The Tall Target (1951), Don't Bother to Knock (1952) and Julius Caesar (1953). He is best known for playing Santa Claus in the science-fiction comedy Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964). His later screen credits include The Anderson Tapes (1971). He died in New York City.
