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* HypercompetentSidekick: Blossom views himself as one to Prune.
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* SycophanticServant: Blossom again, who's way into Prune's plans to stop Christmas.
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* EdwardianEra: The fashion and sets give off an early 1900's vibe.

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* EdwardianEra: TheEdwardianEra: The fashion and sets give off an early 1900's vibe.

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''Il natale che quasi non fu'' (aka ''The Christmas That Almost Wasn't'') (1966) is a fairly low-budget Italian-made Christmas special, directed by Creator/RossanoBrazzi. It is a slight twist on the old Literature/AChristmasCarol formula, casting TheScrooge as Santa Claus' landlord! The special apparently takes place in a large city though still possesses that small-town appeal, possibly due to its limited budget.

[[MeaningfulName Phineas T. Prune]] charges an exorbitant amount of rent to Santa, his mother and their elf workers up at the North Pole; Prune locks down the sleigh and Santa's gift-giving operations unless he pays through the nose. What can be done?

Enter Sam Whipple, a lawyer who, as a child, offered his help to Santa in his letter, and one night just before Christmas, Santa shows up to see the offer fulfilled...

to:

''Il natale che quasi non fu'' (aka ''The Christmas That Almost Wasn't'') (1966) is a fairly low-budget Italian-made Christmas special, directed by Creator/RossanoBrazzi. It is a slight twist on the old Literature/AChristmasCarol formula, casting TheScrooge as Santa Claus' landlord! The special apparently takes place in a large city though still possesses that small-town appeal, possibly due to its limited budget.

Creator/RossanoBrazzi.

[[MeaningfulName Phineas T. Prune]] charges an exorbitant amount of rent to Santa, his mother wife and their elf workers up at the North Pole; Prune locks down the sleigh and Santa's gift-giving operations unless he pays through the nose. What can be done?

Enter Sam Whipple, a lawyer who, as a child, offered his help to Santa in his letter, and one night just before Christmas, Santa shows up to see the offer fulfilled...


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* EdwardianEra: The fashion and sets give off an early 1900's vibe.
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* LargeHam: Prune, who embraces every evil villain stereotype with gusto.
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* DastardlyWhiplash: Prune, to a T. EvilBanker holding the mortgage on Santa's home? Curling black mustache? Dramatic dark coat and top hat with cane? Over the top villainy? The man ticks every box.


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* MakingASpectacleOfYourself: Prune sports a rather steampunkish pair of goggles when he visits Santa at the department store.

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* ForTheEvulz: He also seems to have no concrete explanation for why he does what he does, until the end, when he gets better.
* FreudianExcuse: Prune never got the sailboat he asked for as a kid[[note]]Because his letter to Santa was accidentally misplaced and never processed[[/note]], and so decided to forget he ever was one.


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* ForTheEvulz: Prune also seems to have no concrete explanation for why he does what he does, until the end, when he gets better.
* FreudianExcuse: Prune never got the sailboat he asked for as a kid[[note]]Because his letter to Santa was accidentally misplaced and never processed[[/note]], and so decided to forget he ever was one.


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** Generally, owning a piece of property does not grant a person any rights over the possessions that a tenant living in that property might bring there. A landlord evicting a renter who fails to pay the rent can lay claim to any items left behind after the leave-by date, or possibly make an arrangement to claim some of the renter's possessions in lieu of cash, but cannot arbitrarily seize the personal possessions of the people being evicted. As such, Mr. Prune might have a claim to evict Santa if he can get through the other legal points, he would not have the right to take away the reindeer, sleigh, and whatever items Santa could load into it when moving out. On top of that, Prune exerts his questionable authority on what Santa can do with his own belongings BEFORE the rent is due.
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* HollywoodLaw: Under international law, no nation owns the North Pole, So Mr Whipple could have made a valid case that whoever Mr Prune bought the North Pole from didn't have it to sell in the first place, making his status as Santa's landlord legally void.

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* HollywoodLaw: Under international law, no nation owns the North Pole, So so Mr Whipple could have made a valid case that whoever Mr Prune bought the North Pole from didn't have it to sell in the first place, making his status as Santa's landlord legally void.
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* InformedAbility: Mr Whipple claims to be a good lawyer, but the resolution of the story has nothing to do with his alleged legal skills, despite the fact that the HollywoodLaw examples above would at least buy Santa enough time to have one more Christmas before he needs to find a new workshop.
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** Also, because Santa has lived continuously on the property for centuries, he may have a right of adverse possession ("squatters rights") that would limit the right to evict him. Really, Mr. Whipple should have at least filed for a preliminary injunction until these questions were settled.

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** Also, because Santa has lived continuously on the property for centuries, he may have a right of adverse possession ("squatters rights") that would limit the right to evict him. Really, Mr. Whipple should have at least filed for a preliminary injunction against eviction until these questions were settled.
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** Also, because Santa has lived continuously on the property for centuries, he may have a right of adverse possession ("squatters rights") that would limit the right to evict him. Really, Mr. Whipple should have at least filed for a preliminary injunction until these questions were settled.

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* FreudianExcuse: Prune never got the sailboat he asked for as a kid, and so decided to forget he ever was one.

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* FreudianExcuse: Prune never got the sailboat he asked for as a kid, kid[[note]]Because his letter to Santa was accidentally misplaced and never processed[[/note]], and so decided to forget he ever was one.



* HardWorkMontage: Whipple, Santa and his Mother help to clean and decorate Prune's dusty old house at the end, with "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" accompanying.



* HardWorkMontage: Whipple, Santa and his Mother help to clean and decorate Prune's dusty old house at the end, with "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" accompanying.

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* HardWorkMontage: Whipple, Santa and HollywoodLaw: Under international law, no nation owns the North Pole, So Mr Whipple could have made a valid case that whoever Mr Prune bought the North Pole from didn't have it to sell in the first place, making his Mother help to clean and decorate Prune's dusty old house at the end, with "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" accompanying.status as Santa's landlord legally void.



* VillainousBreakdown: Near the end when Santa finally turns in the rent money, Prune is so beside himself, he can't even bring himself to stop Santa, Mrs. Santa and the elves from loading the sleigh up!

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* VillainousBreakdown: Near the end when Santa finally turns in the rent money, Prune is so beside himself, he can't even bring himself to stop Santa, Mrs. Santa and the elves from loading the sleigh up!up (or to take the money with him, for that matter)!
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Though initially released to theaters in 1966, it enjoyed a run on HBO in the 70s and early 80s.

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Though initially released to theaters in 1966, it enjoyed a run on HBO in the 70s and early 80s.
80s. It made a return as one of the films riffed on in the Netflix revival of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''.
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Fail O Suckyname is no longer a trope. Wicks are being disambiguated.


[[FailOSuckyName Phineas]] T. [[MeaningfulName Prune]] charges an exorbitant amount of rent to Santa, his mother and their elf workers up at the North Pole; Prune locks down the sleigh and Santa's gift-giving operations unless he pays through the nose. What can be done?

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[[FailOSuckyName Phineas]] T. [[MeaningfulName Phineas T. Prune]] charges an exorbitant amount of rent to Santa, his mother and their elf workers up at the North Pole; Prune locks down the sleigh and Santa's gift-giving operations unless he pays through the nose. What can be done?
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* AnimatedCreditsOpening: Complete with a [[EarWorm very catchy theme tune]].
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Moving item to trivia tab


* DescendedCreator: Creator/RossanoBrazzi himself plays Prune!
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''Il natale che quasi non fu'' (aka ''The Christmas That Almost Wasn't'') (1966) is a fairly low-budget Italian-made Christmas special, directed by Creator/RossanoBrazzi. It is a slight twist on the old AChristmasCarol formula, casting TheScrooge as Santa Claus' landlord! The special apparently takes place in a large city though still possesses that small-town appeal, possibly due to its limited budget.

to:

''Il natale che quasi non fu'' (aka ''The Christmas That Almost Wasn't'') (1966) is a fairly low-budget Italian-made Christmas special, directed by Creator/RossanoBrazzi. It is a slight twist on the old AChristmasCarol Literature/AChristmasCarol formula, casting TheScrooge as Santa Claus' landlord! The special apparently takes place in a large city though still possesses that small-town appeal, possibly due to its limited budget.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


''Il natale che quasi non fu'' (aka ''The Christmas That Almost Wasn't'') (1966) is a fairly low-budget Italian-made Christmas special, directed by RossanoBrazzi. It is a slight twist on the old AChristmasCarol formula, casting TheScrooge as Santa Claus' landlord! The special apparently takes place in a large city though still possesses that small-town appeal, possibly due to its limited budget.

to:

''Il natale che quasi non fu'' (aka ''The Christmas That Almost Wasn't'') (1966) is a fairly low-budget Italian-made Christmas special, directed by RossanoBrazzi.Creator/RossanoBrazzi. It is a slight twist on the old AChristmasCarol formula, casting TheScrooge as Santa Claus' landlord! The special apparently takes place in a large city though still possesses that small-town appeal, possibly due to its limited budget.



* DescendedCreator: RossanoBrazzi himself plays Prune!

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* DescendedCreator: RossanoBrazzi Creator/RossanoBrazzi himself plays Prune!
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Though initially released to theaters in 1966, it enjoyed a run on HBO in the 70s and early 80s.
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De-spoilered! It\'s a very old movie, anyway. :)


* ChildHater: Phineas T. Prune. He hates everything about them, hates to see them happy, and especially hates Christmas. [[spoiler: He's forgotten that he ever was a child, a fact he's reminded of at the end when his FreudianExcuse is rectified.]]

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* ChildHater: Phineas T. Prune. He hates everything about them, hates to see them happy, and especially hates Christmas. [[spoiler: He's forgotten that he ever was a child, a fact he's reminded of at the end when his FreudianExcuse is rectified.]]



* ForTheEvulz: He also seems to have no concrete explanation for why he does what he does, [[spoiler: until the end, when he gets better.]]
* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler: Prune never got the sailboat he asked for as a kid, and so decided to forget he ever was one.]]
* [[spoiler: DespairEventHorizon: After Prune buys Prim's Department Store and basically steals the rent money to pay for toys he damaged, Santa and Whipple stroll listlessly down the street, hoping desperately for a miracle...]]
* [[spoiler: DeusExMachina: ... until Charlie, improbably dragging his last-minute Christmas tree down the same street Santa and Whipple are sitting, learns of their predicament and summons all the children on the street to contribute, lifting Santa and Whipple's spirits.]]
* [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn: As we see Prune [[TearJerker gripping his sailboat which he finally got]] at the end.]]
* HardWorkMontage: [[spoiler: Whipple, Santa and his Mother help to clean and decorate Prune's dusty old house at the end, with "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" accompanying.]]
* IronicEcho: Prune, after his HeelFaceTurn, [[spoiler: reprises "Why Can't Every Day Be Christmas?"]] originally sung by the kids in the department store.
* ManChild: Prune exhibits this, even before [[spoiler: rediscovering his forgotten childhood.]] He's extremely petty in his actions and outlook, even [[spoiler: breaking toys and blaming it on Santa so the rent money all goes to repairs]].

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* ForTheEvulz: He also seems to have no concrete explanation for why he does what he does, [[spoiler: until the end, when he gets better.]]
better.
* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler: Prune never got the sailboat he asked for as a kid, and so decided to forget he ever was one.]]
one.
* [[spoiler: DespairEventHorizon: After Prune buys Prim's Department Store and basically steals the rent money to pay for toys he damaged, Santa and Whipple stroll listlessly down the street, hoping desperately for a miracle...]]
miracle...
* [[spoiler: DeusExMachina: ... until Charlie, improbably dragging his last-minute Christmas tree down the same street Santa and Whipple are sitting, learns of their predicament and summons all the children on the street to contribute, lifting Santa and Whipple's spirits.]]
spirits.
* [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn: As we see Prune [[TearJerker gripping his sailboat which he finally got]] at the end.]]
end. And hammered home when he [[TearJerker gives it to a little boy at the VERY end]]!
* HardWorkMontage: [[spoiler: Whipple, Santa and his Mother help to clean and decorate Prune's dusty old house at the end, with "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" accompanying.]]
accompanying.
* IronicEcho: Prune, after his HeelFaceTurn, [[spoiler: reprises "Why Can't Every Day Be Christmas?"]] Christmas?" originally sung by the kids Whipple in the department store.
* ManChild: Prune exhibits this, even before [[spoiler: rediscovering his forgotten childhood.]] childhood. He's extremely petty in his actions and outlook, even [[spoiler: breaking toys and blaming it on Santa so the rent money all goes to repairs]].repairs.



* [[spoiler: VillainousBreakdown: Near the end when Santa finally turns in the rent money, Prune is so beside himself, he can't even bring himself to stop Santa, Mrs. Santa and the elves from loading the sleigh up!]]

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* [[spoiler: VillainousBreakdown: Near the end when Santa finally turns in the rent money, Prune is so beside himself, he can't even bring himself to stop Santa, Mrs. Santa and the elves from loading the sleigh up!]]up!

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''Il natale che quasi non fu'' (aka ''The Christmas That Almost Wasn't'') (1966) is a fairly low-budget Italian-made Christmas special which is a slight twist on the old AChristmasCarol formula, casting TheScrooge as Santa Claus' landlord! The special apparently takes place in a large city though still possesses that small-town appeal, possibly due to its limited budget.

to:

''Il natale che quasi non fu'' (aka ''The Christmas That Almost Wasn't'') (1966) is a fairly low-budget Italian-made Christmas special which special, directed by RossanoBrazzi. It is a slight twist on the old AChristmasCarol formula, casting TheScrooge as Santa Claus' landlord! The special apparently takes place in a large city though still possesses that small-town appeal, possibly due to its limited budget.


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* DescendedCreator: RossanoBrazzi himself plays Prune!
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* ServileSnarker: Blossom, Prune's butler.
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* IronicEcho: Prune, after his HeelFaceTurn, [[spoiler: reprises "Why Can't Every Day Be Christmas?"]] originally sung by the kids in the department store.
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I know this is WAY out of the 5-year spoiler moratorium, and you can remove the spoiler markup if you want, but I feel relatively few people have seen this anyway.

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* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler: Prune never got the sailboat he asked for as a kid, and so decided to forget he ever was one.]]


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* [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn: As we see Prune [[TearJerker gripping his sailboat which he finally got]] at the end.]]

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''Il natale che quasi non fu'' (aka ''The Christmas That Almost Wasn't'') (1966) is a fairly low-budget Italian-made Christmas special which is a slight twist on the old AChristmasCarol formula, casting TheScrooge as Santa Claus' landlord! [[FailOSuckyName Phineas]] T. [[MeaningfulName Prune]] charges an exorbitant amount of rent to Santa, his mother and their elf workers up at the North Pole; Prune locks down the sleigh and Santa's gift-giving operations unless he pays through the nose. What can be done?

Enter Sam Whipple, who as a child offered his help to Santa in his letter, and one night just before Christmas, Santa shows up to see the offer fulfilled...

to:

''Il natale che quasi non fu'' (aka ''The Christmas That Almost Wasn't'') (1966) is a fairly low-budget Italian-made Christmas special which is a slight twist on the old AChristmasCarol formula, casting TheScrooge as Santa Claus' landlord! The special apparently takes place in a large city though still possesses that small-town appeal, possibly due to its limited budget.

[[FailOSuckyName Phineas]] T. [[MeaningfulName Prune]] charges an exorbitant amount of rent to Santa, his mother and their elf workers up at the North Pole; Prune locks down the sleigh and Santa's gift-giving operations unless he pays through the nose. What can be done?

Enter Sam Whipple, who a lawyer who, as a child child, offered his help to Santa in his letter, and one night just before Christmas, Santa shows up to see the offer fulfilled...


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* HardWorkMontage: [[spoiler: Whipple, Santa and his Mother help to clean and decorate Prune's dusty old house at the end, with "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" accompanying.]]


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* TimeCompressionMontage: When Santa finally gets to deliver his gifts, after a reprise of "I've Got A Date With Santa."
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* ManChild: Prune exchibits this, even before [[spoiler: rediscovering his forgotten childhood.]] He's extremely petty in his actions and outlook, even [[spoiler: breaking toys and blaming it on Santa so the rent money all goes to repairs]].

to:

* ManChild: Prune exchibits exhibits this, even before [[spoiler: rediscovering his forgotten childhood.]] He's extremely petty in his actions and outlook, even [[spoiler: breaking toys and blaming it on Santa so the rent money all goes to repairs]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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* ManChild: Prune exchibits this, even before [[spoiler: rediscovering his forgotten childhood.]] He's extremely petty in his actions and outlook, even [[spoiler: breaking toys and blaming it on Santa so the rent money all goes to repairs]].

to:

* ManChild: Prune exchibits this, even before [[spoiler: rediscovering his forgotten childhood.]] He's extremely petty in his actions and outlook, even [[spoiler: breaking toys and blaming it on Santa so the rent money all goes to repairs]].repairs]].
* [[spoiler: VillainousBreakdown: Near the end when Santa finally turns in the rent money, Prune is so beside himself, he can't even bring himself to stop Santa, Mrs. Santa and the elves from loading the sleigh up!]]
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* CardCarryingVillain: Prune hates compliments and kindness, and enjoys being called evil.
* ChildHater: Phineas T. Prune. He hates everything about them, hates to see them happy, and especially hates Christmas. [[spoiler: He's forgotten that he ever was a child, a fact he's reminded of at the end when his FreudianExcuse is rectified.]]
* ForTheEvulz: He also seems to have no concrete explanation for why he does what he does, [[spoiler: until the end, when he gets better.]]
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NeedsWikiMagicLove!

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NeedsWikiMagicLove!NeedsWikiMagicLove!

!!Contains examples of:

* [[spoiler: DespairEventHorizon: After Prune buys Prim's Department Store and basically steals the rent money to pay for toys he damaged, Santa and Whipple stroll listlessly down the street, hoping desperately for a miracle...]]
* [[spoiler: DeusExMachina: ... until Charlie, improbably dragging his last-minute Christmas tree down the same street Santa and Whipple are sitting, learns of their predicament and summons all the children on the street to contribute, lifting Santa and Whipple's spirits.]]
* ManChild: Prune exchibits this, even before [[spoiler: rediscovering his forgotten childhood.]] He's extremely petty in his actions and outlook, even [[spoiler: breaking toys and blaming it on Santa so the rent money all goes to repairs]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Started the article; needs a whole lot of work! Help?

Added DiffLines:

''Il natale che quasi non fu'' (aka ''The Christmas That Almost Wasn't'') (1966) is a fairly low-budget Italian-made Christmas special which is a slight twist on the old AChristmasCarol formula, casting TheScrooge as Santa Claus' landlord! [[FailOSuckyName Phineas]] T. [[MeaningfulName Prune]] charges an exorbitant amount of rent to Santa, his mother and their elf workers up at the North Pole; Prune locks down the sleigh and Santa's gift-giving operations unless he pays through the nose. What can be done?

Enter Sam Whipple, who as a child offered his help to Santa in his letter, and one night just before Christmas, Santa shows up to see the offer fulfilled...

NeedsWikiMagicLove!

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