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?