Now let's take a look at the cast of the 1938 MGM version of "A Christmas Carol."
First up, Reginald Owen as Scrooge. He's OK, but doesn't seem all that mean and reforms extremely quickly. Granted, that's the script and direction, but I don't think he adds much. He does have an iconic Scrooge look, but sometimes you can really see the heavy makeup!
As mentioned previously, Bob Cratchit gets an expanded role here. That's a good thing as Gene Lockhart does a great job in the role. He has tons of Christmas spirit! I know the knock on him is that he looks like he hasn't missed too many meals, so he doesn't seem poor, but what're you gonna do? He's a total pro and was in a lot of movies over the years. His other Christmas classic movie claim to fame is his part as the judge at Kris Kringle's hearing in "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947). Not too shabby!
A fun thing is that Gene Lockhart's wife, Kathleen Lockhart, was also a performer and she was cast here as Bob's wife. No name given to her in the book or in this adaptation. She does a good job, but her role is much smaller.
Even more fun is that the Lockharts' 13 year old daughter, June, appears here as Belinda Cratchit! June Lockhart of course was later famous for her roles in the TV series "Lassie" and "Lost in Space." She's recognizable here in her film debut. She guesses that Bob brought home sausages for Christmas dinner!
So, what about that other Cratchit kid, Tiny Tim? Well, he's played here by Terry Kilburn, who's not an unappealing performer (I've seen him elsewhere, most notably in "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" from 1939), but he just seems wrong here. Too old, too healthy looking. He's just not, you know, tiny!
This movie has the full complement of six Cratchit kids, including Martha and Peter. They all kind of run around screaming a lot, in the manner that adults think that kids act. They remind me of a Victorian Brady Bunch!
Scrooge's nephew Fred also has a greatly expanded role here too. What about the actor, Barry Mackay? Best. Fred. Ever. I don't know who he is, as I've never seen him in another movie (his filmography is small), but he does a great job here. Fred's supposed to have the most infectious personality of anyone you've ever met, and this Fred does!
Fred's not married yet in this version, but he has a fiancee named Bess. The actress, Lynne Carver is attractive, but she doesn't really get a lot to do.
Marley's ghost is played by Leo G. Carroll, whom I've seen in a zillion things, all they way up through "The Man from U.N.CL.E." TV series and he always seems about the same to me, including here. The idea of your former partner's ghost visiting you is pretty scary, but he doesn't add much more. He kind of groans more than moans, I guess.
The Ghost of Christmas Past might have the most interesting casting in the whole movie. While many versions tend to feature an old man, here the ghost is a beautiful young woman, as played by Ann Rutherford. She's the one actor who seems like she was cast because she was hanging around the MGM lot. This was around the time she started playing "Polly Benedict" in the "Andy Hardy" movies. The Christmas past sequence seems very short, but she does just fine.
Interesting casting for young Scrooge too. As mentioned before, we only get one young (and he is young) Scrooge. The actor, Ronald Sinclair, is a young teenager and it's interesting to see someone so young as Fezziwig's apprentice. Dick Wilkins is young here too. Is that actually more period authentic than the twenty-somethingish apprentices we're used to seeing?
Ronald Sinclair appears in a few movies as a teen actor (including playing young Ronald Colman in "The Light That Failed" (1939) - fun!), but switched to the other side of the camera as an adult. He eventually worked as a sound editor on "Die Hard" (1988)! So, does that also give him two Christmas classics on his resume?
To me, the cast is not peppered with familiar character actors the way a lot of MGM movies of the period are, for whatever reason, but the other parts are adequately played. Except for "Fran!" She's as annoying as her name change!
All in all, I think the cast does a good job with the material they're given, with Scrooge and Marley's ghost particularly watered down, but a superior Bob and Fred in the bargain!
Still worth a watch, and it's a snappy 69 minutes!
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