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Executive Producer Elder Stephen Allen revisits Christmas classic, 'Mr. Krueger’s Christmas'

A movie clip from "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" of the actor playing Mr. Krueger standing behind a Christmas tree.
Photo by A film clip from "Mr. Krueger's Christmas"

Nearly 93 years after the release of the television special “Mr. Krueger’s Christmas,” Elder Stephen Allen, the director of the Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors' Center, who was also an executive producer on “Mr. Krueger’s Christmas,” reminisced, along with BYU–Hawaii students, about the film.

Allen said he hoped the film would be a classic, but he never thought nearly forty years later it would still be shown, “It’s a timeless story, it’s one of those must-see Christmas movies.”

The film, which was released in Dec. 1980, was originally planned as a way to incorporate The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square into a story, in an attempt to do something different from the traditional Music and the Spoken Word.

Allen shared how Michael McLean, who would go on to produce the film, proposed the story and said, “Why don't we do this story called ‘Mr. Krueger’s Christmas?’” He and his associates wrote the story of an old man named Willy Krueger, a custodian and caretaker of an apartment building. The goal was to make a Christ-centered film that featured the Tabernacle Choir.

Remembering the themes of the film, Delphia Lloyd, a junior from Idaho majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said, “The message is about the birth of Christ and the spirit of Christmas and giving. No matter how much, it’s not about how much money you have or what you have, it’s about how much you give to other people.”

Allen said they knew if the film was to have high appeal, it would need a top-notch actor to play Mr. Krueger. Jimmy Stewart, who played Mr. Krueger, was one of the biggest actors at the time. “Today, young people don’t even know who he is, but at the time Jimmy Stewart was ... one of the top two or three actors in Hollywood.”

Allen is currently working on a book which goes through the different eras of church media.

In his book, he quoted Stewart saying, “[The script is] something that’s very important, the Christmas story is told as well as I’ve ever seen it. Told better than ever before, such a story could do a lot of good in today's world ... What really made it impossible for me to consider not doing this was that I would have the privilege of directing the Tabernacle Choir ... I’m absolutely serious when I say this is one of the greatest honors I’ve ever had.”

After Stweart accepted the role, Allen, McLean, and Director Keith Merrill visited with Stewart in Beverly Hills to discuss his view of the character. Allen said, “It became really clear very quickly, that he understood Krueger way deeper than we had ever imagined ... I think we gained more from him than he did from us in that first meeting.”

Reflecting on the plot of the film, Kayli Whiting, a sophomore from Utah majoring in psychology, said, “He was so lonely, but random strangers were able to help him find joy, and he was also able to help strangers find joy.”

According to Allen, he considered two high points from the production of the special were the experiences of watching Stewart have direction of the Tabernacle Choir and the scene where Mr. Krueger sees baby Jesus.

“The [Tabernacle] Choir is the whole reason he chose to do this, he was really nervous to ... conduct the choir, he didn’t want to blow it,” explained Allen.

During the scene where he directs the Tabernacle Choir to the song “Sleigh Ride,” Stewart struggled to nail the timing, said Allen. Eventually, they had to send in McLean to help count off and get the timing right for directing the choir.

When filming the scene in which Krueger sees baby Jesus, Stewart approached the director and asked if he could clear everyone who was not essential from the set and said, “I think I only have one of these in me.”

As a result, they filmed it in one take. “You watch that scene and it’s just amazing,” said Allen.

Allen said most classic films are long, one or two-hour films. However, Mr. Krueger’s Christmas is only 26 minutes. He said it is the message of the true meaning of Christmas that makes this film a classic.