In 1990, years after Grease, “Physical,” and Xanadu, Olivia Newton-John made her TV movie debut as a department store mannequin brought to life — and no, this probably wasn’t the living-mannequin story you’re thinking of right now. Unpacking the masterpiece that is A Mom for Christmas might take some time, so you might want to sit down.
Live mannequins had appeared in TV and film long before 1990. Some were utterly confused and looking for a thimble (Anne Francis in a 1960 episode of The Twilight Zone), some were inhabited by ancient Egyptian spirits traveling centuries to find true love (Kim Cattrall in 1987’s Mannequin). Or you can skip all the way to 2000’s Life Size, when a tomboy Lindsay Lohan gets a doll for her birthday and it transforms into Tyra Banks. All of these women knew how to shine bright and shine far, but nobody did it better than Newton-John, who Read more…
