The Man Who Saved Christmas (2002)

This true biographical drama casts a short stocky Seinfeld (tv) comedic actor in the lead male role with a tall wife, Kelly Rowan. This rather odd casting makes for some awkward moments (like when they kiss) and I would assume most women would find this very annoying to watch. But this is really the only negative comment about this sentimental tale of a toymaker turned inside out by world current events. It turns his world upside down. Depicts a rather honest account of the business man AC Gilbert, not his entire life, but his formative years as an early toymaker in the U.S. (inventor of Erector sets) He is not so dumb or naive so as to pass up WWI and the windfall profits making ammunition and gas masks, among other things. His home goes to boarding with his parents to a mansion like residence. The film goes from the shakey start up of he and his brother's toy business to his phenomenal rise to toy industry spokesman. But profits bring misery to he and his workers as they start to grumble about the overtime. His brother ran a fine toy factory, but had to go to war. A replacement is found who runs a slave shop and is most unwelcome. This little film is perfect for the Christmas holidays. It is well done, well paced, and set in the early 1900's with nice costuming. It comes off a little too television like, even though shot in widescreen. No subtitles. The tension between his newborn son and himself is very realisticly portrayed. The boy comes off as a late 20th century person however, not as a person of the era. Ed Asner, the television actor of Mary Tyler Moore fame, does a reasonably fine job of portraying his role. Here is a toy genius who has a son who doesn't like toys, prefers reading the newspapers and conducting science projects in his room. This is very credible as many fathers probably could relate to the disappointment AC Gilbert experiences. When the Congress wants to suspend Christmas, AC sets out to end that and makes a rather passionate appeal. This is a true story by the way! , which otherwise would have come off as a lame and predictable good feeling plot. This film is worthy of being one of those perennial holiday favorites suitable for the family or anyone of any age that can understand the plot, since it does have a business angle to it. In this truth stranger than fiction story, AC Gilbert does, in fact, save Christmas celebrations for a WWI weary America. Only 88 minutes long too!!