Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) - Part 1

Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)
Director: Burny Mattinson
Scrooge: Scrooge McDuck

This animated Disney adaptation from 1983 was a big deal at the time and is now regarded as a classic.

This was the first high-profile version of "A Christmas Carol" since "Scrooge" in 1970 (preceding George C. Scott's TV-movie by a year), and marked Mickey Mouse's return to the big screen for the first time in 30 years!

Not that Mickey had ever been out of the public eye, far from it, but it happened that his last theatrical cartoon was "The Simple Things," released in 1953.

Now Mickey was back with a host of his classic cartoon friends to present a version of "A Christmas Carol" starring Scrooge McDuck himself! How awesome is that? Very!

Always being about full disclosure, I admit that I'm something of a Disneyphile and Mickey Mouse has always been my favorite and I love the Carl Barks Uncle Scrooge comic books and I have OSD, so this was like a perfect storm.

I was really hoping back in the day that this would be good! So, was it...?

You bet, it's a blast!

Here's a trailer...

Next: who's who...

A Christmas Carol (1953) - Laurence Olivier - Part 4

OK, some final(?) thoughts on Laurence Olivier's 1953 broadcast...

When doing the recap, I realized that this adaptation actually works as a cohesive whole. Like any version that needs to be condensed so drastically, certain events need to be omitted. But what this version keeps all makes sense and works together without any loose ends.

This is not one of those that depends on you being familiar with the story, so they hit some highlights and have you fill in the rest.

At the beginning, Scrooge is mean to Bob Cratchit, Fred and the two portly gentlemen and just plain miserable himself.

In the Christmas Past sequence, his memory of his sister reminds him that he should be nicer to his nephew. And Fezziwig treating him so well makes him realize that he should treat his own employee better.

Christmas Present makes him realize that Tiny Tim (and Ignorance and Want) is part of the "surplus population" so he should be more generous. He also realizes that he could be happy if he would let himself.

In the Christmas Future scenes, the contrast between Tiny Tim being mourned and nobody caring about him drives it all home.

That all seems obvious, yes, but to get all of that in a snappy twenty-odd minutes is awesome!

And I also really like Sir Laurence's little intro and outro.

OK, enough about all this, I'm going to go listen to it again!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Christmas Carol (1953) - Laurence Olivier - Part 3

So, what does the 1953 radio broadcast of "A Christmas Carol" include and what does it omit?

We start off with the narration telling us that Marley was dead as a door-nail and Scrooge is a wrenching, grasping, covetous old sinner, etc.

Laurence Olivier does the narration in his natural voice and plays Scrooge in a voice that sounds Scroogesque, but is not too wacky. Solid job!

Scrooge's nephew comes in and Scrooge dismisses him pretty quickly, but we get the idea that the nephew (whom Scrooge later refers to as Fred) is very cheerful in contrast to Scrooge himself.

The two portly gentlemen come in to collect for charity and only one talks, just like in the book.

Scrooge says "Good afternoon!" a lot to get rid of everyone!

Bob Cratchit also gets the usual talking to.

Scrooge has his usual melancholy dinner in his usual melancholy tavern and sees Marley's face in the knocker when he gets home. He hears all the bells ring and Marley's ghost appears through the door.

Marley's ghost has a cool, echoey  voice. As per the book, he says the other three spirits will come on three successive nights.

The Ghost of Christmas Past is described as like an old man shrunk to the size of a child and has an appropriate old man voice.

They go back to see lonely, young Ebenezer at school. His sister comes in, but Scrooge only refers to her as "little sister" and does not call her Fan. The spirit reminds him that Fred is her son.

Next is Fezziwig's party, which reminds Scrooge that he could treat his own employee better.

We gotta keep things moving, so no time for Belle.

The Ghost of Christmas Present comes and brings Scrooge to Bob Cratchit's house. It seems all the kids are there, but the only ones named beside Tiny Tim are Martha and Belinda. Tiny Tim gets just his one line, which is fine, as it's hard to cast a good Tiny Tim voice. Scrooge is appropriately worried about Tiny Tim. He also says he didn't know that people could be so happy.

I think Mrs. Cratchit steals the show in this scene. She might be my favorite Mrs. Cratchit ever! I think it's the way she says, "I'll be bound."

Scrooge notices that the spirit is growing older and he sees Ignorance and Want. We don't get the chance to go to Fred's party.

True to the book, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come does not speak, but the narration and Scrooge's dialogue let us know what's going on.

They see Scrooge's body, "plundered and bereft" and covered with the requiste sheet.

We go to the Cratchits' house and learn that Tiny Tim has died. Then Scrooge learns that it was his body when he sees his name on the gravestone.

Scrooge wakes up and finds it's Christmas morning from the kid outside his window. He sends the kid to get the prize turkey and says he'll send it to Bob Cratchit.

Scrooge continues to think out loud and wraps up the story by telling us that he's going to make a donation to the poor, go to dinner at nephew Fred's and surprise Bob at the office by raising his salary.

Sir Laurence finishes the narration and we hear Tiny Tim say his line one more time!

So, we get a lot of content from the book with lots of description. I love hearing things such as the Ghost of Christmas Present's torch being "in shape not unlike plenty's horn" that are straight out of the text but seldom heard.

Awesome job all around!

A Christmas Carol (1953) - Laurence Olivier - Part 2

I think this is the first issue of the recording.

I really like this audio adaptation featuring Sir Laurence Olivier as narrator and Scrooge.

As I mentioned, I listened to it a lot when I was a kid and I still like to hear it today. I think it holds up well, and not just for nostalgia's sake. I guess it helps to have an affinity for old-time radio, but this is a fun thing to listen to while in the car or walking around or whatever.

The whole thing clocks in at under half an hour, due to it originating as a radio broadcast in a half-hour time-slot. So, some incidents need to be shortened or omitted, but the scriptwriter (Derek Patmore) does a good job of capturing the flavor of the original novella.

There's probably as much narration as anything, but that's a good thing, as it's Laurence Olivier reading big chunks of the original text. There's so many great descriptive lines that we don't usually get to hear in most adaptations that are acted out. I feel that Olivier presents it in a manner as if he's speaking to us rather than reading to us.

I also love the music, it's scored all the way through and fits really well. A good job by music director Sidney Torch, who had a long list of credentials in England.

The sinister strains of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" that keep popping up are awesome and take me right back to the days of listening to the record!

Next up: what did and didn't make the cut!

A Christmas Carol (1953) - Laurence Olivier - Part 1

A Christmas Carol (1953)
Director: Harry Alan Towers
Scrooge: Laurence Olivier

Back on December 24, 1953, NBC Radio broadcast an adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" starring Laurence Olivier.

The production was recorded in London and was apparently licensed at various times in the subsequent years for use on records, which showed up in various forms starting in 1960. They were those cheapo records that seemed to be sold in odd locations like grocery stores and gas stations, which usually had anonymous artists trying to sound like name acts. But every now and again, something special like this one would surface.

When I was a kid, we had the version pictured at the top (with foil cover and random sort-of-Dickensian characters) and I could not tell you how many times I listened to it! This was way before home video and such, so this was my go to for scratching my Scrooge itch, along with the "Scrooge" (1970) soundtrack.

I had heard this recording a zillion times before I actually ever read the book and since the recording uses ample amounts of the original text, I could hear Laurence Olivier in my head while reading it. Still do, in fact, but that's an awesome internal narrator!

Even as a kid, I was awestruck that this record featured Sir Laurence Olivier. Everyone knew he was the greatest actor in the world. What he was doing on what I could recognize as a budget record that seemed to be aimed at the kiddie market was a mystery at the time, but I later found out that the recording had originated as that radio show.

So, what was the show like? There are various versions in various quality all over the internet, but this one is good quality (with a new intro and outro):

Sim and Finney and Scott! Oh, my!

When discussing that 1984 TV-movie from 1984 starring George C. Scott, I mentioned that I had put him in a "Big Three" of Scrooges along with Alastair Sim and Albert Finney back in the day. They didn't really have an awful lot of competition at the time, but newer adaptations have come along and older ones have resurfaced, so it's a more crowded field. But, I still say those three are the best!

It's intersting to compare and contrast their interpretations, as they each give the role a different spin.

I think that Albert Finney and George C. Scott are at the extreme ends of the Scrooge spectrum. Finney plays the role very broadly and really emphasizes the eccentric aspect of being a miser. He's a bit crazy on the whole and really does a 180 when he reforms. He embraces his new philanthropy with the same vigor that he had when trying to collect debts! It's a borderline comic performance.

George C. Scott, on the other hand, emphasizes the businessman aspect of Scrooge. He's obsessed with money, to be sure, and wants to have as much of it as possible. But he doesn't seem the least bit crazy or even eccentric. Just a really tough businessman. When he reforms, he's still somewhat reserved, which is in keeping with the performance, which is not comic at all.

So, how does Alslatair Sim fit in? Quite well, I think. He's kind of splits the difference between the other two. He seems a bit odd, but not totally off the wall like Finney. And he's a tough businessman, but not quite as ruthless as Scott. I think is what serves to help make him the ideal Scrooge.

I do think that these guys all had good scripts to work with and solid supporting casts to play off of, but they run the show.

They are all very convincing as Scrooge, but I think that George C. Scott may have had more of a handicap in making audiences think of him as Scrooge in that I believe he was the most recognizable at the time.

Alastair Sim was never a star in America and is really only known now because his Scrooge was so good. In 1951 (or since) American audiences can easily believe he's Scrooge because you don't know him anyway.

Albert Finney was well-known in 1970, but he had the advantage of old-age makeup and a wacky voice to make him seem like Scrooge.

George C. Scott was very well known in 1984 and most of the people tuning in knew him from other roles, especially General Patton. He has the mutton chops, but otherwise looks and talks the same as usual. So, he needed to act like Scrooge to convince us he was Scrooge.

By the same token, his generally perceived persona and "difficult" reputation made this seem like ideal casting, so I guess he had that going for him!

In any event, those are my top three, with Quincy Magoo in his own category.

What do you think?

A Christmas Carol (1984) - Part 4

As you may have guessed, now it's time to run down some of the particulars of the 1984 TV adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" and see what they do and don't do...

We start of with a bit of narration to establish that Marley is dead. We don't know it yet, but (spoiler) the narrator turns out to be Fred!

Cratchit causes Scrooge to the hands to forehead bit!

At the office, Bob Cratchit is the one who mentions that Marley died seven years ago. Scrooge gives Bob a big speech about how coal burns, but clothing lasts, so shut about about being cold and put on more layers!

Scrooge's nephew comes in and they go through the usual banter about Christmas. Scrooge specifically mentions that Fred's wife is poor and had now dowry to bring to the marriage.

Scrooge sure talks about money a lot!

As in most adaptations, Fred and Bob seem pretty well-acquainted. This is so prevalent that you'd really think it was the case in the original text.

When Scrooge leaves his office, we get a couple of scenes that I think are unique to this version. He meets Tiny Tim out in the street. As in the book and probably every other version, Scrooge is completely unaware that Bob has a sick child until the Ghost of Christmas Present beings him to Bob's house. Here he becomes aware of Tiny Tim, but is unimpressed. He even makes a smart alecky remark that Tim will have a long wait for his father to be finished with work!

In the next scene, we see Scrooge at the Exchange, where he drives a really hard bargain over the price of corn. This seems to indicate that Scrooge is some sort of trader, rather than strictly a money lender. Interesting to see him in action. He's ruthless!

When leaving, he encounters the two gentlemen collecting for charity, to whom he gives a less than warm greeting. They're given names here, Poole and Hacking, for whatever reason. They know he's Scrooge, not Marley, which is why Bob had to mention that Marley had been dead for seven years.

On his way home, he sees a ghostly hearse in the street, rather than on his staircase. We hear Marley call him, but I'm not sure if he's in the hearse. Whatever the case, it's different in that Scrooge gets a taste of Marley's Ghost before seeing him in the door knocker. Which he does when he gets home.

When in his chambers, he also sees multiple little Marley faces in his fireplace tiles, a detail from the book which we almost never see. Interestingly, when Marley enters the room, he unlocks all the locks on the door and walks in, rather than passing through, as most ghosts like to do.

He tells Scrooge that the ghosts will all be coming that night. The first at 1:00 am, the second at 2:00, then with an awesome made-up line not in the book, "The third, more mercurial, shall come in his own time." Marley leaves out the window, but we don't see any other phantoms.

Next up, what do these spirits have to show Scrooge?

A Christmas Carol (1984) - Part 5

Now Scrooge is ready for his first spirit - the Ghost of Christmas Past.

It's a woman who emits a lot of light and carries around the requisite extinguisher cap.

First stop, as usual, is to see lonely, young Ebenezer at school. As mentioned before, Scrooge does not weep for his past self, even though the ghost says he can. He's defiantly proud of himself.

Scrooge specifically says that his father held a grudge against him because his mother died in childbirth. This is  a throwback to the 1951 version. And to make this work, Fan is apparently older than Ebenezer, although he still calls her "Little Fan." When the ghost reminds Scrooge that Fan's son is his nephew, Scrooge refers to him as "Fred Holywell," so Fred finally has a last name!

When Fan comes to bring Ebenezer home, things get really interesting, as their father came along! I think this might be the only adaptation where we see him, and it's awesome! This guy totally looks like he'd be Scrooge's father and the Ebenezer apple did not fall far from the tree. The credits say the father's name is Silas Scrooge (what else would it be?), but I don't think there's any reference to that in the show itself.

The look on current Scrooge's face as he stares at his father is worth the price of admission alone. Did I mention that George C. Scott is good?

Scrooge Senior sends Ebenezer off to apprentice with Fezziwig in pretty short order, and we visit the big Christmas party next. It looks like young Scrooge and Dick Wilkins are moving bolts of fabric to make room. It's not always clear what Fezziwig has going on in that warehouse!

As is so often the case, Belle is at the party, although this time it's implied that she's not Fezziwig's daughter, as Scrooge identifies three young girls as Fezziwig's daughters - with really young suitors.

Young Scrooge and Belle are good together.

After the party, Ebenezer is talking to Dick Wilkins and Dick says that Ebenezer's not good enough for Belle, which makes Ebenezer resolve to get rich so he'll be worthy. So, was all this Dick Wilkins's fault? If he had shown encouragement to Ebenezer, would he have married Belle and been happy? Thanks a lot, Dick Wilkins!

Current Scrooge says that to start making money, he lent out the sum that he had inherited from his father. Belle was none too pleased, and, as expected, breaks up with him.

Flash forward to married Belle with her ton of kids and Scrooge wonders what he missed out on. He quickly snaps back to his regular self when Belle says she feels sorry for him, so he's mad again and dispatches the ghost!

She doesn't go quietly, however, as she shouts "Truth lives" over and over as she fades away. OK, got it, truth lives.

Now, the Ghost of Christmas Present appears, but curiously, he doesn't identify himself, nor does Scrooge ask who he is. He does refer to the previous ghost as "Christmas Past," however, like it's her name!

The ghost brings Scrooge to the market place, which Scrooge enjoys, as there's lots of buying going on. Oops! Wrong lesson!

Let's go to Bob Cratchit's house. Martha's already there but doesn't talk about her work or hide when Bob comes in. They have all six kids here. Bob calls the youngest girl "Alice" when serving the food, so with Martha and Belinda accounted for, all the girls have names. We also have Peter and Tiny Tim, but the middle boy doesn't get a name. He shouldn't feel too bad, though, as Mrs, Cratchit doesn't get a first name either. I thought that was interesting, as they're pretty free with handing out names in this one!

An extra bit thrown in is that when Peter is to start working, his boss will be Fred Holywell!

Scrooge is more interested in Tiny Tim this time around, but, oh, is he annoyed when the ghost throws that "surplus population" remark back at him! He also gloats when Bob raises the toast to him.

On the whole, Scrooge thinks it's nice that the Cratchits are having a good time, but he's pretty antsy and keeps wanting to leave.

He has a somewhat better time at Fred's house. Fred's wife was in line when they were handing out names, and she came away with Janet. Scrooge talks back to Fred and Janet a lot and is unamused when he's the  comic answer to the simile "tight as..."

After the party, they see a poor homeless family with a very meager Christmas meal. This scene may be unique to this version as well. It illustrates whom Scrooge so offhandedly would send to the prisons and/or workhouses he so glibly speaks of. The couple scored the names Ben and Meg, by the way.

We do also get Ignorance and Want to further make the point.

The ghost leaves Scrooge alone for a bit before the next spirit shows up. He gets some time to think about things, but he's a hard sell and still not too repentant. He admits to a few mistakes here and there, but is still not sure what he's done to be treated in such a manner.

Well, if you won't repent easily, the next spirit will see to it that you're scared into repenting!

And scare Scrooge it does with some unpleasant future visions.

We go the Exchange for the usual offhand talk about somebody having died. Scrooge still can't quite get the message.

In a little switch of the usual order, he sees his body covered with a sheet. He asks to see some emotion connected to "this man's" death, but he doesn't like what he sees, as the trip to Old Joe's gets him a bit when he recognizes his own things. He quickly changes that to the items only looking like his!

The only plunderer in this case is identified by Old Joe as Mrs Dilber, but again, this would appear to be the charwoman, not the laundress, and well, you get the idea!

Scrooge wants a better depth of feeling, which, of course, brings him to the Cratchits' house where he learns that Tiny Tim has died. He's touched, but ready to go home. He can't, though, until he sees his own grave. This does the trick and he promises to live a changed life.

He makes good on his promise on Christmas morning, including sending the prize turkey to the Cratchit family. We do see it get delivered and Tiny Tim blurts out, "God bless us all everyone" again for some reason when they decide to cook the turkey. The family repeats it. I guess they didn't notice that he added that extra "all" in there, but hey, the kid's still sick!

Scrooge also meets both of the gentlemen who had been collecting for charity and he makes his generous donation.

We see a little of Fred and Janet before Scrooge arrives for dinner and they are a nice couple. Scrooge is quite humble and apologetic when he gets there, but he can't resist getting a dig about the "tight as..." simile, even though Janet doesn't get it because it was sort-of-future Janet who made the joke and actual Janet now won't say it!

Scrooge is still thoughtful and cautious and certainly not over-the-top in his reformation. As mentioned before, this is in line with George C. Scott's very realistic take on the role.

The next morning sees Scrooge surprise Bob at the office by doubling his salary!

The narrator comes back to wrap things up. We now recognize the voice as being Fred's. He even gets Tiny Tim's line correct!

This is a totally solid adaptation with lots to recommend it. Even though it's 35 years old now, I think it's very accessible to modern audiences and worth at least one watch every year!

A Christmas Carol (1984) - Part 3

So, George C. Scott rules the roost as Scrooge in this 1984 TV adaptation of "A Christmas Carol."

What did he get for a supporting cast? A solid bunch of British actors. This gives the whole production a very British flavor, despite having an American in the lead.

David Warner plays Bob Cratchit. At the time, this was seen as a departure for him, as he had usually played villains. He gives a sensitive portrayal here. The one thing I would say is that he seems a bit argumentative with Scrooge in the office. He's the one that says "Mr. Marley" died seven years ago, so he's worked for Scrooge for a long time and should know better. I can't imagine this Scrooge would appreciate seven-plus years of arguing about coal!

Bob's wife is played by Susannah York, who gives a somewhat stern interpretation to the role. She bosses the kids around a lot and makes sure they butter the bread thinly. You know she's going to squawk when Bob raises the inevitable toast to the founder of the feast!

The Tiny Tim here is an interesting case. More than any other TT, this one really looks like he won't be around next Christmas! So good for that. The actor, Anthony Walters, however, is very amateurish. He just says his lines without any particular emotion and you can often see him side-eye to see what he' supposed to do. I'm not sure what I think of the whole thing! He gets the special "and introducing" billing in the credits. Did the producers think he was some sort of "find?"

Is it me or did I hear him yell, "Line?" right before he remembers to say, "God bless us everyone...?"

Scrooge's nephew Fred is played by Roger Rees. I didn't know him at the time, but he popped up later in several episodes of the TV series "Cheers." He didn't make enough of an impression on me as Fred that I recognized him in "Cheers," but while rewatching this after, I was like, "Hey, that's that British guy from 'Cheers'" He's a pretty good Fred, very good-natured, but not particularly boisterous. Crazy, puffy hair. Oh, right, this was filmed in the 80s! He doesn't seem all that young either.

Caroline Langrishe does well as Fred's wife, named Janet in this version, and seems the right age.

So, how do the ghosts stack up? First is Frank Finlay as Marley's ghost. He's suitable but not overly scary and really doesn't match up to Scrooge. It's not a fair fight. One thing that bugs me is that although his Alec Guinness-like makeup is good, when he opens his mouth, which he does a lot, the inside is still red!

The Ghost of Christmas Past is presented as a woman, not too young, not too old. Angela Pleasence gives a light, airy performance, but is still tough with Scrooge when needed.

The Ghost of Christmas Present (at least we think that's who it is, as it never identifies itself) is given a good portrayal by Edward Woodward. He's tall (thank you, stilts!), but thin, which is fine.  When Scrooge gets flip with it (him?), it gives it right back. Shortly after this, Edward Woodward started his TV series "The Equalizer," which gave his casting here a bit of retro cred.

It has a typical Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, played by Michael Carter, but this ghost, as usual, could be just about anybody.

Mark Strickson does a good job as Young Scrooge. He plays him from the youth at school through the breakup with Belle and shows Ebenezer's change quite well. The only knock is a common one: he just doesn't look like he'll grow up to be George C. Scott!

Belle is played by Lucy Gutteridge, who's fine. What was wacky at the time was that I had just seen her earlier in 1984 as the romantic lead in the movie "Top Secret!" opposite Val Kilmer.

Which brings us to Joanne Whalley, who appears as Belle. She later starred in the movie "Willow" and married her costar - Val Kilmer! Wow, Val Kilmer casts a long shadow!

I think what we have here is a solid supporting cast. I don't see anyone as a standout in particular, except maybe Edward Woodward, but if we even notice you at all when you're onscreen with Mr. Scott, you're doing OK!

A Christmas Carol (1984) - Part 2 - Great Scott!

 A star gets his name above the title in the same same size font!

George C. Scott gives a fascinating performance in the 1984 TV adaptation of "A Christmas Carol."

He was an actor's actor, always bringing a lot to his roles and commanding the screen whenever he was on camera. So, you knew he wasn't going to phone it in!

First of all, he has a great "look" as Scrooge. I don't know if the ginormous mutton chops are period authentic, but when you see him, you know he's Scrooge.

He also uses his normal speaking voice rather than trying to affect a British accent. I think that's a good choice, as it allows you to focus on the performance instead of being distracted by a wacky accent. There's also enough British stuff around him that the production does not seem. Americanized.

The difference with this Scrooge here, is that more than perhaps any other, Scott plays him as a tough businessman instead of just a miser.

Not that other Scrooges aren't tough businessmen, but they usually have at least a touch of eccentric miserliness, and if they can get over it, are relatively easily reformed.

Not this cat, though! Talk about a tough nut to crack! He is cold through and through.

He can deflect anything that's thrown at him by the spirits and think better of himself for it.

In the Christmas Past sequence, for example, instead of weeping over how lonely he was as a boy, he seems proud of how he was able to "make do."

In the Christmas Present sequence, when the ghost repeats Scrooge's "surplus population" remark, he seems more annoyed than ashamed.

And he's always ready with a quick comeback. If MAD magazine had existed back then, he could have handled the "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" feature like a Victorian era Al Jaffee!

As the story moves along, he actually ramps up his rationalizations, but it's clear that this is a defense mechanism.

What I like is that his facial expressions betray what he's really thinking, despite his glib patter. A great actor can let you know what he's thinking without saying anything or perhaps saying something else.

More than almost any other Scrooge, this guy really needs to be scared in order to reform.

But, reform he does. He doesn't go absolutely crazy when he does. He's still a bit reserved and thoughtful. This actually probably makes the whole thing more realistic than some other portrayals.

All in all, it's that realism and believability that earns him a spot on that Scrooge Mount Rushmore!

A Christmas Carol (1984) - Part 1

A Christmas Carol (1984)
Director: Clive Donner
Scrooge: George C. Scott

This 1984 TV-movie starring George C. Scott was a big deal!

We hadn't had a big-scale adaptation since "Scrooge" from 1970, and that was a musical. We would have to go back to Alastair Sim in 1951 for the last straight-up version. We were long overdue. And the casting of George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge seemed inspired. Did it deliver the goods? Of course it did!

Here's a trailer:

It's hard to believe it's been 35 years, but during that time, this production has enjoyed quite a reputation. A lot of people rate this as their favorite version or at least Mr. Scott as their favorite Scrooge. More time has passed now since 1984 than the time in between Alastair Sim and George C. Scott. As more time passes and the 1951 "Scrooge" is further in the past, will this take over at the top? Who knows?

Fun fact: Clive Donner, the director, was the film editor of that 1951 movie! Instant cred!

This version was big for me because I was able to record the original broadcast on our family's Betamax machine! Since I was able to watch it more than once even back then, it's very ingrained in me!

At the time, I figured George C. Scott had joined Alastair Sim and Albert Finney to make a "big three" of Scrooges. I never considered Reginald Owen to be in their league and hadn't seen Seymour Hicks yet.

After all this time, I still look at those three as the best with a lot of honorable mentions.

And Mister Magoo stands alone in his own field. He's like the Teddy Roosevelt on Mount Rushmore!

So, what exactly did George C. Scott bring to the role and how did he make it his own?

Scrooge (1935) - Part 3

Now we're going to take a look at some of the details left in, left out or added to the 1935 British production "Scrooge" starring Sir Seymour Hicks. As previously mentioned, there's a short version and a long version. We're going to deal with long version, as the short version cuts out some scenes toward the end.

The credits from the long version have a hand opening on a book, stopping at the preface. The preface is signed by Charles Dickens with a date of December 1843, and the camera dissolves into a bigger December 1843 to indicate that's when the story takes place.

This brings up an interesting point. I don't think that the story literally takes place in 1843. Once Dickens gets down to business to tell the story, he says, "Once upon a time..." which indicates these events happened in the past. That's also how we know at the end that Tiny Tim did not die.

In any event, we open with a shot of London, which I think is a bunch of miniatures, but kind of cool in a retro way. There's a charm there that you don't find with CGI these days.

Since the book wasn't opened as far as the beginning of the story and there's no narrator, so Scrooge gets some expository dialogue to say that Marley was dead as a doornail.

We get the usual business at the office, with Bob Cratchit and the coal, the nephew and the gentlemen. I like Cratchit muttering about the coal and Scrooge telling him to stop.

We get a pretty fun montage when Scrooge is going home, as he's contrasted with other people with their holiday festivities, including the Lord Mayor's dinner, which we always hear about and rarely get to see. The Lord mayor's secretary gets in a really good quip that I won't spoil!

when Scrooge gets home, he sees Marley's face in the knocker. We see it too, but we don't realize yet that;s as much as we'll see! It looks like Marley's name is scratched out on the nameplate with Scrooge's added in, which makes sense as that had been Marley's house before he died.

Scrooge is sufficiently shaken by that to inspect his chambers for intruders, including the dressing gown, which was "hanging up in a suspicious attitude against the wall." Love the reference to the original text!

When Marley's Ghost shows up, we can hear him but cannot see him. I think he says, "Look well, Ebenezer Scrooge, for only you can see me," more for our benefit. Well, we're not Scrooge and we can't see him, so he's not wrong.

There seems to be an urban legend that Claude Rains provides the voice of Marley's Ghost. I don't think that's the case, as it doesn't sound particularly like him. Did that only get started because Claude Rains played/voiced "The Invisible Man" in that 1933 film? Who knows?

If I were in charge, I would've had Marley's ghost be visible. I don't know what 1935 audiences thought of that, but it seems like they're cheaping out. And it probably makes modern audiences think that special effects weren't sophisticated enough in 1935 to pull it off, which is certainly not the case. They did it pretty convincingly in that 1910 silent film we were looking at earlier!

Anyway, Marley's Ghost lays it out and actually explains who each of the other three spirits will be. When he departs with his customary, "Look to see me know more," he's not kidding.

87777777777777777

(This last comment was from my helper, Slugger the Cat!)

So, we didn't see Marley's Ghost, but will we see the others? Well, not the Ghost of Christmas Past, as that's represented by a glowing outline of a woman, which speaks with a male voice. That gives it that kind of you-don't-really-know-what it-is vibe.

We only get two scenes from the past, both with young Scrooge and Belle. Seymour Hicks doesn't look too young, but, whatever.

I really like the first scene, which changes things up  by having  Belle come into Scrooge's office while he's giving hard time to a poor couple who need more time to repay their debt. Belle gets to see him in action and does not like it! This is the scene with Maurice Evans, by the way, who's more subdued than in his later, better-known roles.

We then see Belle with her husband and family and it seems like she has a zillion kids! 

These scenes from the past are framed in kind of a white glow, which is a nice touch. The Christmas Past segment is short, but I like what's there.

We finally do get to see one of the spirits when the Ghost of Christmas Present appears. He has a different appearance from the usual depiction, as previously mentioned.

We see Bob carrying Tiny Tim home from church and they stop to buy a little toy boat, which is sweet. All the kids are at home, with Martha hiding and the usual antics. Tiny Tim even gets to sing!

A nice interpretation of the Cratchit's Christmas dinner follows. No wonder Scrooge says he envies them!

We then get too see the guys in the lighthouse and on board a ship celebrate the holiday. Another seldom seen detail from the book. A sort of nod to the book is having one of the sailor's laugh merge into Fred laughing at his party.

Fred doles out plenty of punch to his guests while comically talking about his uncle and everyone has a good time playing that "yes or no" game.

This version doesn't shy away from some of the grimmer themes from the book, but we don't get Ignorance and Want here.

We do get plenty of grimness in the future, however!

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come isn't really seen here either. It's a shadow, which is effective now that we've gotten used to the idea of not seeing the ghosts. Scrooge is often scene within the shadow and these scenes have a black border around them.

In the future, we see the other businessmen talking about Scrooge, and then we get a wild scene inside Old Joe's place.

This scene is so creepy! Old Joe, the undertaker, laundress and charwoman are almost as cartoony looking as their counterparts in "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol!" It's effective! Except for Old Joe himself, nobody else is called by name in this scene, so we don't have the Mrs. Dilber issue.

Scrooge sees his body, which he won't admit is his, them we go to the Cratchit's house.

Tiny Tim has died, which is sad enough, but we actually see his body laid out as described in the book!

Adding to the creepiness is the mysterious hand that closes the door behind Bob when he enters that room. Is that the same hand that was turning the pages of the book during the credits? Is it attached to a person?

Back in the present, things are also a little wacky. The charwoman comes in while Scrooge is jumping around and just stares with an odd look on her face. Scrooge calls out the window to have the kid buy the turkey, but the kid can't wake the poulterer, so Scrooge has to go over himself. After all that, the turkey doesn't even look all that big! All in all, this sequence is more odd than anything.

Once Scrooge gets going and makes his donation to those charity guys, we get a really well-played scene of him going to Fred's for dinner. If Scrooge getting teary-eyed while looking at the Christmas tree and thinking of Tiny Tim singing doesn't bring a tear to your eye as well, then...

We cut from here to the next morning where we see Bob and his family at breakfast. That pastry nothing that Mrs. Cratchit is cutting looks interesting, but Bob can't chow down because he's running late.

The scene with Scrooge surprising Bob at the office is faithful to the book, but after Bob leaves, we see Scrooge go to church, where he runs into Bob. The mysterious hand closes the book and it's the end!

I think this is a really solid version. It has tons of atmosphere and lots of dialogue and detail right out of the book.

I'm really glad that this version is around, as it's historically significant as it's the first full-length talking adaptation and it also preserves the performance of a renowned Scrooge.

I do think you need to look at it for what it is, though, with something of a 1930s lens. If you can do that, it's an enjoyable movie and not just a history lesson!

Scrooge (1935) - Part 2

Let's take a look at the cast and characters of the 1935 British movie "Scrooge."

Leading the way, of course, is Sir Seymour Hicks as Scrooge. He had apparently been playing Scrooge on stage since 1901 and had even made a short, silent version in 1913, which we'll dig up soon, So, he certainly knew his way around the role. It shows and he's terrific.

He also plays young Scrooge in the Christmas Past segment, but I would not say he's particularly convincing. I guess he looks younger, but certainly not young. No Albert Finney!

I presume this film was sold to British audiences on the strength of Hicks's fame as Scrooge, but I can't seem to dig up any original British advertising. The original titles have his name above the title in huge letters, but without the Sir appellation.

The ads from 1935 that are kicking around seem to be from the American release, as they credit Adolph Zukor and Paramount, rather than Julius Hagen and Twickenham Studios, the actual British producer. Those American ads don't give Hicks special billing (though they do give him the Sir) and lump him in with Donald Cathrop, who played Bob Cratchit. I'm guessing that's because they couldn't sell the movie to American audience based on Seymour Hicks and not because Donald Calthrop had a big American following!

In any event, Donald Calthrop does make a great Bob Cratchit. He literally looks like he could have walked off the page of an earlier edition of the book. Maybe it's the one that the mysterious hand is flipping through during the credits!

Tiny Tim here is played by Phillip Frost. He's OK, doesn't look all that sick, but not too healthy either. The part's not built up here, so he doesn't wear out his welcome.

Belle has interesting casting here. She's played by Mary Glynne, who was 40 at the time. Not that she looks old, but she's more mature than the usual Belle. I'm guessing that's because young Scrooge, as mentioned, doesn't look too young himself! She does a good job in her two scenes.

 The other assorted characters seem well-cast, with Old Joe and that bunch being extremely creepy!

So, what about the ghosts? Well, that's where things get really interesting! You actually only see one ghost, the Ghost of Christmas Present. The others are presented in other manners, which we'll get into next time.

The Ghost of Christmas Present has a different look from what we're used to seeing, particularly that he has no beard. He does look like some depictions from various editions of the book, however. The actor, Oscar Asche, has kind of a weird delivery, pausing at odd times. Sometimes he's pausing to take another bite of a drumstick, which is wacky fun!

On the whole, I think everybody's pretty well-cast here. This production, however, is another one in which I'm not familiar with the actors from other movies, so I buy them in their roles. I watch a ton of movies from the 1930s, but they're almost always from Hollywood. These guys seemed to be exclusively in British films, some in quite a few.

The lone exception is Maurice Evans, who appears in the Christmas Past sequence as "A Poor Man." Years later, he popped up on American TV as Samantha's father on "Bewitched" and The Puzzler on "Batman" then played perhaps his most remembered role, Dr. Zaius in the first two "Planet of the Apes" movies. Some fun stuff there!

So, we have a good cast. What are they given to work with?