Scene Mat TCAW #7
Mrs. Santa (Lydia Brazzi), Santa Claus (Albert Rablagiati), Mr.
Whipple (Paul Tripp), visit mean Mr. Prune (Rossano Brazzi),
on Christmas Eve in a scene from Childhood Productions East-
man Color classic "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't."

"The Christmas That Almost Wasn't"
A Colorful Package of Entertainment

The delightful, new musical fantasy, "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't," opening .......at the .......... Theatre, is an entertainment treat that is as colorful and cheerful and as full of surprises as the most spirited of holiday seasons.

The humorous and touching Christmas story, produced by Barry B. Yellen in Eastman Color, is the first full-length feature to be made under the auspices of Childhood Productions, a leading distributor of family films through which the new attraction is released. It also marks the directorial debut of the romantic screen idol, Rossano Brazzi.

Filmed in English in Rome, Italy, a reflection of its interna­tional appeal, the production stars Brazzi, Paul Tripp, Lydia Brazzi, Alberto Rabagliati, Mischa Auer and Sonny Fox.

Tripp, who wrote the original story and screenplay and the lyrics for the picture's sparkling songs with music by Ray Carter, has for many years been known for his celebrated, special touch in the field of children's TV entertain­ment. He has created, written and starred in the innovating, award-winning trio of television succes­ses, "Mr. I. Magination," "On The Carousel" and the current "Birth­day House."

All of those shows also have benefited from the melodies and expert musicianship of Ray Carter. Lyricist Tripp and composer Car­ter have collaborated happily for more than twenty-five years, and their latest songfest for "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't" is indeed a highlight in the pro­lific team's career.

In the story which so bounti­fully combines fantasy, music, laughter and suspense, Santa Claus, portrayed with robust ener­gy by Rabagliati, is threatened with eviction from his home and toy factory in the North Pole. His antagonist is Phineas T. Prune, an ill-tempered zillionaire who hates Christmas, a characteriza­tion by Brazzi in a daring de­parture from his memorable, ro­mantic heroes.

Charming scenes in Santa's work­shop involve the actor's wife, Ly­dia Brazzi, in her screen debut as Mrs. Santa, and Santa's helpers, the elves, whose yuletide prepara­tions are interrupted by fits of de­pression over the possibility that there may not be any Christmas gifts for children that year.

Tripp is seen as a devoted friend of Santa's who tries to help him out of his difficulties. Another television star, Sonny Fox, is a department store owner who is persuaded by Tripp to begin the tradition of personal appearances by Santa in store toy departments. Auer returns to the screen in an inimitable comic portrayal, that of Jonathan, Santa's chief clerk and foreman of the elves.

Everyone's efforts to save Santa from eviction, however, seem doomed to failure, until the child­ren of a small town decide to take matters into their own, little hands. The children's spirit and generos­ity, in the end, even serve to re­form the villain and Santa is able to deliver his gifts and good cheer throughout the world, as always. "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't," in which producer Yellen appears in a cameo role, has a background score by one of Italy's top composer-conductors, Bruno Nicolai.

Scene Mat TCAW #1
Sabta Claus (Albert Rabagliati) and Mr. Whipple (Paul Tripp) share a moment playing with
some Christmas toys in a scene from Childhood Productions Eastman Color classic "The Christ-
mas That Almost Wasn't."

"Christmas That Almost
Wasn't" Has Mr. and
Mrs. Santa Claus

It is a tale in the traditional sense, except that Santa Claus gets somewhat modernized. He still has a beautiful white beard that frames here the bright shiny hap­py face of Alberto Rabagliati; but he also has a wife (in real life she is actually Rossano Brazzi's wife) and he has hired an accountant, the incomparable Mischa Auer.

Brazzi had nothing to do with the fact that Mrs. Brazzi is one of the main characters in the film, it was the producer's choice. In fact, the first few days the director was really bullying her around, although this is almost her first part. "She is so intelligent that she gets upset if she cannot almost guess what is expected of her" explains Brazzi, "and I didn't realize that if you're not a professional, everything is so much harder, this is my hun­dred and ninth film, while she has only acted a couple of times. When we were students at the Venice University, we used to organize some plays to make a little money. We had with us Zefferelli who was like us, a law student and Arnoldo Foa who was studying architec­ture."

While Mrs. Brazzi is building up her name as an actress, Rossano seems to have settled behind the camera. In his next film too, he will be the director.

Scene Mat TCAW #10
Rossano Brazzi, co-star and di-
rector of Childhood Produc-
tions Eastman Color Film,
"The Christmas That Almost
Wasn't." This is Rossano Braz-
zi's directorial debut.

Rossano Brazzi
Biography
(Director and Star of "The Christmas
That Almost Wasn't")

Rossano Brazzi, symbol of the romantic screen lover to women throughout the world, has taken two adventurous giant steps down new paths as a star and director of "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't."

DIRECTORIAL DEBUT The feature production with which Brazzi has chosen to make his directorial debut and in which he plays his first comic-character role is a delightful musical fan­tasy. It was produced by Barry B. Yellen in Eastman Color for re­lease by Childhood Productions, a leading distributor of family films.

The handsome Italian leading man departs completely from his past portrayals to create the char­acter of Phineas T. Prune, an ill-tempered villain who wants to put an end to Santa Claus and to Christmas giving, but who finally reforms and proves to be human after all. The original story and screenplay which coaxed Brazzi to perform behind the cameras, too, was written by Paul Tripp, creator of the award-winning tele­vision shows for children, "Mr. I. Magination," "On The Carousel" and the current "Birthday House."

TRAINED IN THEATRE The two new turns in Brazzi's life are additional highlights in a successful and fulfilling career. Trained in the theatre in his native Italy, he became a popular screen figure almost as soon as he began making motion pictures. His im­pact on the female population of Europe was immediate, and sigh­ing girls soon began wearing small medals bearing his profile around their necks.

He was called to Hollywood to star in the remake of "Little Wo­men," but the role was not par­ticularly right for him and that first trip to America was less than auspicious. Then, at the end of World War II he starred opposite Katherine Hepburn as the roman­tic and aristocratic Venetian in "Summertime." This time the com­bination of Brazzi charm and the right role clicked loudly and bril­liantly with American audiences. The movie was a tremendous crit­ical and popular success, and his performance drew applause and more and deeper feminine sighs in all parts of the globe.

REPUTATION AS 'LATIN LOVER' Brazzi became the new, cele­brated "Latin Lover"--the mature, tender but virile, handsome man with the slightly greying temples with whom women of all ages could fall in love. He followed his success in "Summertime" with a rapid succession of hits, including "Three Coins in the Fountain," "The Barefoot Contessa," "South Pacific," "That Certain Smile," and "The Story of Esther Costello."

He has always considered Rome to be his home, despite frequent trips to Hollywood, and has con­tinued to make pictures and ap­pear on major television shows in Italy. Altogether, the star has made one hundred and eight films, and after his years as one of the screen's leading romantic figures, he was anxious for a change and a move forward, into direction and into a new direction in acting.

In his first film as a director, the former "latin lover" is in op­position with his traditional char­acter.

A moustache drooping down the sides of his mouth, shaggy yellow­ish rising eyebrows, a night bonnet and a baggy short nightgown revealing bony, hairy knees when he sits down. This is Rossano Brazzi as he pictures himself: Ug­ly, at last!

"To be handsome, always too handsome…at the end it is un­bearable" says Brazzi. "In America, it's worse, it's disastrous when you're very popular," The last time he went there, he had three "in­cidents" in a few days. One after­noon, as he went to a TV recording, some secretaries assistants and hostesses ran after him, wildly screaming for autographs, break­ing a glass door in the process. Another evening, in a restaurant he had to escape through the back door. He says that even for Tony Curtis who had been there three days earlier the "fans" didn't get that wild.

Whatever the ingredients for his success are, Rossano Brazzi as a director is in complete opposition with Brazzi as a "latin lover." The first chance he had to choose a part for himself, he dismissed the character of the overly smooth, handsome and strong "still young" man he used to play and chose to be a villain in a tender comedy.

"The Christmas That Almost Wasn't" also boasts the film acting debut of Brazzi's wife, Lydia Braz­zi, and also stars Paul Tripp, Al­berto Rabagliati, Mischa Auer and Sonny Fox. Featuring original songs by Ray Carter with lyrics by Tripp, the background score, orchestration and musical direction are by Bruno Nicolai.