Beloved Christmas movie classicJingle All the Waycelebrates its 25th birthday this year. Looking back on theArnold Schwarzeneggerstarring festive favorite, director Brian Levant revealed how difficult it was to get the right look for the movie’s popular hero, Turbo-Man. While you’d think that designing a super-suit for Schwarzenegger would be a relatively easy task, it was in fact a certain Marvel hero who made things difficult:
“We came up with a contemporary latex suit that was kind of a cross between a concorde and a 69 Cadillac with rims and lights. We threw all this together and created the ultimate new hero. Then we realised he looks a lot like Iron Man…”
Though Levant had assumed that designing a new superhero suit forJingle All the Way’sTurbo-Man would be nothing but a joyous undertaking, he soon realised how mistaken he was. “We get to design a superhero with a contemporary latex suit? What a joy this is gonna be!” the filmmaker joked when speaking withSci-Fi Now. It was once the design process had begun that Levant saw the inherent difficulties, with each new suit looking like an already-existing superhero, and often like a copy of a certain genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist: Marvel’sIron Man.
After what was no doubt many late nights involving Levant andThe Tickcreator Ben Edlund drawing endless superhero suits, a balance was struck which gave Turbo-Man his own, distinct new look. A look that would haunt Arnold Schwarzenegger’s put-upon father in his hunt for the elusive toy, and much to the delight of audiences, many of whom still sit down to watch Jingle All the Way every year.
Directed by Brian Levant and written by Randy Kornfield,Jingle All the Waystars Arnold Schwarzenegger andSinbadas two rival fathers, mattress salesman Howard Langston (Schwarzenegger) and postal worker Myron Larabee (Sinbad), both of whom desperately try to purchase a Turbo-Man action figure for their respective sons on a last-minute shopping spree on Christmas Eve. The story was inspired by real-life Christmas toy sell-outs for such items as Cabbage Patch Kids, with the movie hurling the burly Austrian Oak into all manner of ridiculous scenarios, including an underground criminal organization of Santa Claus’.
WhileJingle All the Wayreceived generally negative reviews from critics upon release, it has become something of a festive staple for families everywhere, who cannot wait to sit down and watch Arnie and Sinbad battle it out in their search for Turbo-Man. Who admittedly still looks a little like Iron Man. Incidentally,if you do wish you get your hands on your own Turbo-Man doll, then you absolutely can.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is of course known for dominating the action movie genre for decades, but the actor did dip his no doubt muscular toes in more family friendly fare every now and then. In fact, he will soon return to one such project in the long-awaited sequel toTwins,Triplets, starring alongside Danny DeVito and Tracy Morgan, and under the direction of filmmaker Ivan Reitman. While the follow-up does not yet have a release date, it is due to begin filming in mid-February 2022.
