See
Mormon Film: Key Films of the Fourth Wave
Mr. Krueger's Christmas was the result of several years of evolution in the Church's new broadcasting arm Bonneville Communications. The company's first attempt at a program for outreach (beyond its popular
Homefront spots) was
A Christmas Child in 1974. Possibly because subsequent programs were less successful, Bonneville consciously attempted to make
Krueger succeed through three means: First, it returned to Christmas-centered content, thus maximizing the leverage available from the Tabernacle Choir and ensuring annual repeat broadcasts. Second, it pushed
Krueger with the Church's largest advertising campaign to that time, with ads, notices, and announcements to Church members and general audiences alike. Third, it sought to enlist the best talent possible, including director Kieth Merrill, who had associated with BYU screenwriter Scott Whitaker but had never previously worked for the Church. The crowning jewel came when Merrill succeeded in casting James Stewart in the title role; to this day he remains the biggest Hollywood star to ever work on a Church production.
Merrill, a vocal fan of Frank Capra, probably had
It's a Wonderful Life (which became a perennial television favorite after entering the public domain) in mind in casting Stewart, but in any case the timing and the choice were perfect. Stewart not only gave an incredible performance, but his star charisma amplified--or perhaps catalyzed--the Church's publicity efforts. By all counts, the initial broadcast in December 1980 was a success, both in terms of viewership and spiritual impact, with several reports of conversions coming into Bonneville's offices.
The film was rebroadcast for years, although in 1981 it was reedited to remove some LDS-specific content of a young boy growing up to be a missionary. This second version has been available on video in various releases since the mid-80s, including a 25th Anniversary DVD included in English-language Church magazines in 2005 (with rerecorded audio for the Choir's portions).
Krueger also begat a healthy progeny of holiday-centered films by Bonneville, including
The Last Leaf (1984) and
Easter Dream (1990) for Easter and
Nora's Christmas Gift (1989)--again with a minor Hollywood star and the Tabernacle Choir--for Christmas. Despite these and many other productions,
Mr. Krueger's Christmas could arguably be said to be Bonneville's best-known and most popular film of all time.
The little girl who plays Clarissa is Kieth Merrill's daughter and may also be seen in the documentary
The Mouths of Babes from the same year.