OK, now that we've raked the 1938 MGM version over the coals for what it's not, what do we really have here?
Well, it's a pleasant diversion to be sure, but it doesn't have a lot of gravitas.
It seems like MGM wanted a family friendly movie, so while they hit most of the key plot points, they take out most of the unpleasant sequences.
In the past, we only get one young Scrooge. The actor who plays him, Ronald Sinclair, was about 15 during filming and maybe looks a little younger. We see him stuck alone at school until his sister comes in and then as an apprentice with Fezziwig. We don't get Belle or any other lost love.
The little sister here is called "Fran" instead of Fan and that is like nails on a chalkboard to me!
In the present, we have Scrooge and the ghost stopping people from arguing, Fred and his fiancee and Bob and Tiny Tim in church, then the Cratchits' dinner and Fred's party. We don't have Ignorance and Want. Scrooge was already in a good mood by this point, so who needs them around?
In the future, Tiny Tim does die and we see Scrooge's grave. But we don't get the scene at Old Joe's where his belongings are being sold off.
So, if they took out all that, did they add anything? And did it help lighten the mood?
Yes, for the most part, the additions actually are interesting and fun!
We get a lot more of Fred and Bob Cratchit here and the portrayals are really good. Barry Mackay as Fred and Gene Lockhart as Bob have so much Christmas spirit that it's contagious.
We see Bob buy all the fixin's for Christmas dinner on his way home from work and the scene is a lot of fun!
MGM used to like to add a romantic subplot when they could (witness the Marx Brothers movies there), so here Fred is not married. He has a fiancee, who gets a name - Bess, but they don't have enough money to get married. Scrooge sees that they do at the end of the movie, so that adds an extra little happy ending.
Another interesting addition is that Scrooge actually "sacks" Bob on Christmas Eve. (You could have a drinking game of how often Bob says he was sacked. Just make sure it's some of his famous gin punch!) I suppose that's to add another happy ending in that Bob gets rehired.
Fred and Bess go with Scrooge to Bob Cratchit's house on Christmas Day so everyone is there for the big, happy ending. They had to do it this way because Bob would not have gone to the office the next morning, as he was... you know!
An added scene in the present shows Fred and Bess and Bob and Tiny Tim in church on Christmas Day. We always hear how Tiny Tim had gone to church with Bob and it's nice to see it.
Perhaps the oddest addition of all is the scene where Scrooge calls in the neighborhood watch after Marley's ghost first appears. It's sort of funny, I suppose, but it kills the mood. Not sure what was up with that!
In any event, there's Christmas spirit to spare, so no wonder Scrooge is pretty much reformed before the Ghost of Christmas Present even has a chance to get going!
That's the thing, though, Scrooge doesn't really seem all that bad. He's crabby and a mean boss, but he doesn't exactly come off as a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Sure, he fires Bob, but Bob did throw a snowball at him and ruin his hat!
He's already having a good time helping the Ghost of Christmas Present stop arguments, he says Fred and Bess should be married and ends the segment by exclaiming that he loves Christmas!
I do agree with the common criticism that the Cratchits don't seem all that poor. The Christmas goose looks fairly big and they set a nice looking table. But seemingly destitute Cratchits would be out of place here!
So, on the whole, when compared to the 1951 version, this one here certainly comes off as much lighter and superficial. Not bad, but...
It's funny that this version had the field to itself for so long. In fact, I think it remains the only talking, live action, full-length American theatrical adaptation! And its stiffest competition didn't even come along for another 15 years.
So, it casts a long shadow...
Next up, we'll take a look at the cast!
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