PUBLICITY: Sad Santa

Never before had Santa Claus worked so hard to give U.S. retailers a merry Christmas. Across the land merchants brought him into their towns, "straight from the North Pole," in sleds, cars and by parachute. By last week, it looked as if Santa had been almost done to death.

ΒΆ In Fort Lauderdale, Fla., several thousand children gathered at Stranahan Field to see Santa parachute from a plane hired by the Chamber of Commerce. As he floated down, the children screamed in terror; a gust of wind wafted Santa onto some power lines nearby (see cut). Unhurt, Santa was...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!