The Stingiest Man in Town (1978) - Part 3

The voice cast supporting Walter Matthau in the 1978 animated version of "The Stingiest Man in Town" is an interesting group.

The narrator of the show is B.A.H. Humbug (get it?) who's sort of a road company Jiminy Cricket. He's voiced by Tom Bosley, well-known at the time for his role as Mr. Cunningham on the "Happy Days" TV show.

He seems like an odd choice, as his voice doesn't seem bug-like. He also sings, and I'll say he's better than you might think, but not exactly good.

Tom Bosley just doesn't have the cache of such other Rankin/Bass narrators such as Burl Ives, Fred Astaire or Jimmy Durante, but he was recognizable to 70s TV viewers.

You say "Robert Morse" to me, I say "Boatniks!"

Some more wacky casting is Robert Morse as young Scrooge. I'm not sure why they didn't just have Walter Matthau use a younger sounding voice, as Morse doesn't sound like a younger Matthau or all that young for that matter. Morse is a better singer (who wouldn't be?), but I think he's more of a stylist than a vocalist. I think they should have gone with a younger actual singer, a la Vic Damone in 1956.

Rankin and Bass must have liked Robert Morse, though, as he played the title role in their "Jack Frost" special the following year.

Theodore Bikel plays Marley's Ghost and he's good. His singing style fits pretty well, adding a much needed gravitas. He was in a ton of movies and TV shows in addition to his folk singing and a big credit on his resume was originating the role of Captain Von Trapp in the Broadway musical "The Sound of Music" opposite Mary Martin.

Dennis Day is cast as Scrooge's nephew Fred. I'm a fan of his, especially from his work on Jack Benny's radio show, where he displayed sneaky comic chops in addition to his excellent Irish tenor singing.

Here, though, he seems miscast. He was 62 at the time, but sounds relatively youthful. The character design looks nothing like him, however, so it's strange to hear his voice coming from that character. And he barely gets to sing!

I think Dennis was used to better advantage in "Frosty's Winter Wonderland" (1976), another Rankin/Bass special, in which he played Parson Brown/Snow Parson, officiating Frosty and Crystal's wedding.

I had this album as a kid and loved it!

As for a cartoon that really gives you the whole Dennis Day experience, check out the Johnny Appleseed segment of Disney's "Melody Time" from 1948!

Going back to the special at hand, Belle is played by Shelby Flint, who had/has a good voice and is used well. She's best known for her hit record of "Angel on My Shoulder," her own composition from 1961.

Bob Cratchit is played by Sonny Melendrez. I'm not familiar with him, but he's apparently a very successful radio personality and motivational speaker.

I am familar with Debra (Debbie) Clinger, who voices Martha Cratchit and sings that "Santa Claus" song. She's very 70s to me, having portrayed Superchick in the Kaptain Kool and the Kongs musical group on "The Krofft Super Show," one of many wacky productions from Sid and Marty Krofft. She also co-starred with Priscilla Barnes in the short-lived TV series "The American Girls" (1978), which was a "Charlie's Angels" knockoff.

She even sang with Shaun Cassidy on a "Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" episode! So, yeah, she's totally 70s!

Clinger vs. Winger

Debra Clinger was doing this stuff about the time that Debra Winger came on the scene as Wonder Woman's younger sister on that TV show, and I thought that they were pretty similar, mainly because of their names, I suppose, but they also fit the same general description.

Prolific voice artist Paul Frees is on hand to voice both the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, as well as Old Joe. I think Frees is talented, but I also can recognize a few of his stock voices. He uses one of those for each character, so it seems especially weird for him to voice the two spirits that talk. He had also worked on "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" back in the day.

Oddest billing for this show is the absolutely enormous size of the credit for Charles Matthau, Walter's son. This must be some concession to Walter, as Charles's role as "the boy" is not that big and he doesn't really sell it.

By and large, this is a talented group of performers, but I don't know that this production makes the best use of their particular talents.

And they all seem so American!

Next we look at the story elements...

The Stingiest Man in Town (1978) - Part 2

The 1978 animated version of "The Stingiest Man in Town" from Rankin-Bass is an interesting relic, but I don't think it holds up that well.

What's most interesting is the voice cast.

It's surprising to me that an actual movie star (at the time) such as Walter Matthau would star in an animated Christmas special. Back in 1978, he was a box office name, with "The Sunshine Boys" (1975) and "The Bad News Bears" (1976) among his hits. He was even playing romantic leads, as in "House Calls," also from 1978.

He seems like an odd choice to play Ebenezer Scrooge and I don't think he really pulls it off. He was 57 at the time, but doing his stock "grumpy old man" voice, making Scrooge seem more like a curmudgeon rather than a miser. Of course, he soon aged into actual grumpy old man-ness!

I don't think he's all that effective in the role. I don't think just any "regular" actor can do voice acting. I wouldn't say he's phoning in his performance, but I don't detect much enthusiasm. I can't help but wonder if Rankin and Bass were afraid of offending him by offering criticism of his acting.

The Scrooge character design is a caricature of Matthau as well, so he doesn't really look Scroogey either.

He also does not seem British in the least and the supporting cast is also decidedly American sounding, although the story is ostensibly still set in Victorian London.

The 1956 live-action version of "The Stingiest Man in Town" also had a largely American supporting cast, but the British Basil Rathbone as Scrooge gave it at least a semblance of possibly taking place in London.

So, what about that supporting cast?

The Stingiest Man in Town (1978) - Part 1

The Stingiest Man in Town (1978)
Directors: Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
Scrooge: Walter Matthau

We go back to the video world for the 1978 animated version of "The Stingiest Man in Town" from the Rankin/Bass studio.

This, of course, is based on the 1956 television production of the same name. In 1978, the kinescope of that 1956 show had not yet been discovered, so it was just a memory with a soundtrack at that point!

The 1978 cartoon is not particularly well-remembered. I think most people have never heard of it, despite it coming from the producers of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman" and other holiday classics.

In fact, I do not remember this from the 1970s at all and I don't think I've ever seen it in a TV listing since.

I'm not sure why this was not on my radar back then, as a new Rankin/Bass special based on "A Christmas Carol" would totally have been in my wheelhouse.

Whatever the case, this showed up as an "extra" on a DVD box set of Christmas specials. Not sure why it was on the "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" DVD, but, hey, it's good to have.

So, is this something of a lost gem? Alas, not so much.

Why is that?

Partially I think it's because this special is traditional animation rather than the stop-motion "Animagic" process that makes a lot of the Rankin-Bass specials so great.

This Santa always kind of creeped me out!

The character designs by Paul Coker, Jr. are most reminiscent to me of his work on "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," which I think is generally considered a second-tier R/B special. Here the designs are just idiosyncratic, with the dots on the noses and cheeks and such. I'm not a huge fan of that look.

These are funny, though!

I remember Coker's work in MAD Magazine around this same time and he was never one of my favorites. Where was Jack Davis when they needed him?

Also, I have some issues with the voice cast, starting with the star!

Saturday Evening Post - December 15, 1934

This is a really cool depiction of Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim as painted by Norman Rockwell for the "Saturday Evening Post" issue dated December, 15, 1934.

That is all. Carry on!

"A Christmas Carol" - Animated Coloring Book (1944) - Part 2

Here are a few images from the promotional kit for the 1944 Sears giveaway comic/coloring book adaptation of "A Christmas Carol."

Fun stuff!

"A Christmas Carol" - Animated Coloring Book (1944) - Part 1

We move from a graphic novel adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" from the 2010s to a hybrid comic/coloring book from the 1940s!

This is a 1944 promotional giveaway from Sears and it's a blast!

It's a comic book first and foremost, but it has pages for coloring and, most importantly, little cut-outs that you use to "animate" those pictures you just colored!

The comic book part is a fun retelling of the basic story with typical looking 40s artwork. That alone is good enough for me!

The "animated action pages" are the star, though. In the one above, it's very clever how you spin the wheel around to see the scenes that the Spirit of Christmas Past shows Scrooge. Each scene has a little description too. Kind of like a ViewMaster, hold the stereo!

My favorite action page is the one with Topper singing while "his sweetheart" plays the harp. It's actually Scrooge's niece (Fred's wife) who plays the harp in the book. Topper's would-be sweetheart is the plump sister. But I can overlook that because I think Topper is totally underrated and I'm glad to see him with a big part here!

You can download all the pages at this website:

comicbookplus.com

Someday I'm going to print those pages and make Topper sing!

Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" - A Graphic Novel by Benjamin Harper & Dono Sanchez-Almara (2016)

Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" (2016)
A Graphic Novel by Benjamin Harper & Dono Sanchez-Almara

Here's a snappy little retelling of "A Christmas Carol" geared, I believe, towards 'tweens/young teens. It's billed as a "graphic novel" which sounds more impressive than "comic book," as we used to say in my day!

This is part of the Capstone series from Stone Arch Books, which I guess is sort of a modern version of the old "Classics Illustrated" comic boo-, um, graphic novels in that they present accessible versions of classic stories to younger readers.

These are the sort of things that kids used to use for book reports instead of reading the actual books. But remember, kids: Stay in school and do your homework!

Like most such series, "A Christmas Carol" found its way into the mix and we're all the better for it!

This whole book is about 70 pages, but it gets just about every story element in there, so a kid can definitely learn the story here and be ready to watch any adaptation and know what's going on. They might still think Gonzo is Charles Dickens, but what're you gonna do?

The language isn't really dumbed down, but it's a bit less Dickensian in spots, still using some of the original text.

I'm not sure what the art style is known as, but it's a fresh, modern look that I think is inspired by manga, but not as far out as that can be. Again, something the modern kid would like.

If, like me, you're curious how the story is currently being presented to kids, it's definitely worth a look. And if you know any 'tweens, this would be  great gift.

Hey, it's a great gift for anybody, which I can attest to, as this was given to me as a gift from my awesome wife!

I don't want to say too much else, as I think everyone should by this , but of course, I have to point out a couple of things that give this a bit of a twist!

We see the tombstones of Jacob Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge in this book and they both have the years of birth and death. Marley's are listed as 1767-1833, which means that he was 66 when he died and that since he was dead for seven years when the story starts, the present year is 1840.

Scrooge's dates are shown as 1789-1849, which means he would have died at the age of 60, nine years after the events of the story, except maybe he didn't because he changed.

This also would mean that Marley was 22 years older then Scrooge. In the book, Marley's pigtail and manner of dress implies that he was a generation older than Scrooge, so this graphic novel goes with that. Good work there!

And whoever is responsible for showing the possessive as Dickens's rather than Dickens' gets my thanks! That's how I learned it. Dickens is one guy, not more than one Dicken!

I Dreamed a Dream?

I noticed that Alec Guinness's Scrooge mentions several times that he thinks his ghostly encounters were a dream. He says it to himself on Christmas morning and also references "a dream" when asking Bob Cratchit about Tiny Tim.

It got me to thinking about various references I've heard/read over the years where Scrooge was said to have a dream or series of dreams.

It's possible that some versions do present the events as a dream, but it is not a dream in the book and I don't even think it's subject to interpretation.

First of all, the full title of the book is "A Christmas Carol in Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas." If it's a ghost story, the ghosts are real and not just dreamed up, right?

Perhaps that's just semantics, but what it really comes down to is that Scrooge sees things in the Christmas present that he had no previous knowledge of, so he wouldn't have dreamed them to begin with and they certainly wouldn't be accurate.

For example, he did know that Bob Cratchit has a wife and family, but it seems he did not know much about them. I don't think he knew about Tiny Tim and Tiny Tim does exist in the "real" world. He didn't dream up Bob Cratchit having a sick son, Bob really does have a sick son.

He also wouldn't know Martha's name, let alone that she was a milliner's apprentice, nor the names of Peter or Belinda.

Even more to the point, Scrooge couldn't possibly have known the guests at Fred's party or the activities they would participate in. It's implied that he had never even met Fred's wife.

But when he enters the room in "real time," he startles her because he forgot that she was sitting on a stool in the corner as he had seen when he was there with the spirit. That's kind of your "Twilight Zone" it-really-did-happen moment!

And from the text: "His niece looked just the same. So did Topper when he came. So did the plump sister when she came. So did every one when they came."

So, Scrooge saw things happen before they actually happened, but they did happen the way he had seen them. That's supernatural ghost stuff, not a dream.

I'm not sure how far back the idea of crazy events being a dream goes, but I think it was cemented in pop culture with the 1939 movie adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz," where Dorothy's trip to Oz was revealed to be SPOILER a dream! I think people look through that lens at times.

In any event, Scrooge was not dreaming!

Next!

A Christmas Carol - Alec Guinness (1950) - Part 3

With only a quick half-hour to tell the tale, the BBC radio adaptation of a "A Christmas Carol" starring Alec Guinness can't include everything. But what it does include is fascinating.

The story starts with the narrator reading some lines directly from the text to set the scene. We then hear people bustling about with their Christmas activities.

The action in Scrooge's office gets going when (I think) just one charity solicitor comes in. Scrooge dismisses him in the usual manner.

Then Scrooge argues with Bob Cratchit about the coal. As he's berating Bob by saying how he can afford to waste coal because he doesn't pay for it, I'm thinking, "Where have I heard that before?" I know it's not in the original text, but it's very familiar. Then it struck me that it's what Seymour Hicks said to Donald Calthrop in "Scrooge" from 1935!

In fact, the whole beginning part is straight out of that movie, including the order of things. In the book, Fred comes in before the charity solicitors, but in this radio show, as in the movie, the order is reversed.

So, you wonder if this whole thing will be a shortened version of the Seymour Hicks film.

Nope, not at all!

Scrooge goes right home, doesn't see Marley's face in the knocker, but he does see it repeatedly in his fireplace, a seldom used detail from the book.

Marley makes a quick visit and interestingly tells Scrooge that the other three spirits will be the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come!

After Marley leaves, Scrooge tosses and turns for a bit before the first spirit arrives. It's funny that they would use precious time for this.

In any event, we only get the chance for one scene from Christmas Past and it's different from any other I've heard or seen. Quite a bit, in fact!

It's Fezziwig's Christmas party, but the details are so different. Fezziwig himself is cracking some jokes before he has Dick Wilkins and Ebenezer clear away for the party and the fiddler comes in. Fine, but then Mrs. Fezziwig comes in with two daughters and Fezziwig pairs them up with the apprentices. Ebenezer gets Charlotte and Dick gets Sophia (Sofia? Pronounced "So-FIE-ya")! Scrooge used to be an operator!

Even wackier, they play musical chairs and Ebenezer is the life of the party! Fezziwig says, "Ebenezer knows how to enjoy himself." What happened to him? We don't know, because right after this, he's back in his bed!

It's different, but it's fun!

While waiting for the next ghost, Scrooge is doubting whether there'll even be one. He says, "Jacob Marley said three spirits. Bah! Three fiddlesticks!"

Scrooge sees the light under the door and meets the Ghost of Christmas Present. The spirit talks about Bob Cratchit and says because Bob keeps Christmas better than Scrooge, he's the better man for it.

We then visit Bob's house and it's a lot of fun as the family enjoys their Christmas. Martha hides when Bob comes in making horse sounds because he's carrying Tiny Tim (a nod to the book calling Bob Tim's blood horse) and the boys chant when they bring in the goose. The narrator talks a bit about the goose and the pudding.

Scrooge notices Tiny Tim and asks the spirit about his future. He is extremely remorseful when the spirit throws the "surplus population" remark back at him. Perhaps the most powerful moment of this production.

We do have time to visit Fred's party as well, and that's also fun. When they play Yes and No, Fred's sister-in-law guesses the answer, and says, "It's your Uncle Scro-o-o-o-oge!" just like in the book!

Marley said he'd be coming so no surprise to us or Scrooge that the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is up next.

They visit the Cratchit house where they learn of Tiny Tim's death and then go the graveyard where Scrooge sees his own neglected tombstone. Oddly, Scrooge reads out the letters to spell his name. I dig it though, because he calls the Z "zed" in a moment of British awesomeness!

Scrooge begs for a chance to make things right and finds himself back in his room on Christmas morning. One thing of note is that Scrooge still thinks it was all a dream.

Things get extremely wacky now!

He calls out the window to a boy, as usual. The "boy" sounds kind of old, though. I looked up the actor, Leslie Crowther, and he was 17 at the time. He apparently had a long career in England after this, so fans of his would probably enjoy hearing him at the beginning of his career.

Anyway, the wacky part is that the kid knows Bob Cratchit, so he'll have no problem delivering the turkey.

Even wackier is when Scrooge hears a knock at his door. Who is it? Bob Cratchit! What? And he says he was sent by Fred to ask Scrooge to reconsider his dinner invitation! Huh?

It's unclear whether Scrooge had given Bob the day off to celebrate Christmas, so maybe Bob was on his way to the office?

Whatever the case, we get the chance for Scrooge to raise Bob's salary and indicate that he is going to Fred's for dinner without having to leave home.

Another wacky thing is that when Scrooge is telling Bob how he'll help him and his family, when he mentions Tiny Tim, he says, "He's not dead, is he?" Hey, he just reformed, so he needs to work on his tact!

All in all, I enjoyed this show. It's got enough different little things to keep it interesting. I wouldn't want the same thing over and over.

I like the voice that Alec Guinness uses for Scrooge. He's not over the top at the beginning or the end. I think it's a well modulated performance.

I'm not familiar with any of the other actors, but they seem like solid professionals, which I'm sure they were.

And I think the music "composed by Hal Evans and condicted by Trevor Harvey" is really good and adds a lot.

Solid job and worth a listen!

A Christmas Carol - Alec Guinness (1950) - Part 2

The BBC radio broadcast of "A Christmas Carol" from 1950 starring Alec Guinness as Scrooge is an interesting little thing.

This is another one of those half-hourish adaptations, so there's not time for everything. I usually look at these as presenting highlights of the story, with the audience's knowledge of the complete story filling on the gaps.

If you never heard/read/saw any other version of "A Christmas Carol," this would leave you scratching your head. But if you do know the story, it's fun!

One thing you may have noticed from those links to the show is that the year(s) listed is all over the place.

But, the "Radio Times" listing definitely puts the year as 1950. I understand it was rebroadcast in subsequent years, but 1950 was the first time.

One thing I like about this version is that it seems so British, which, naturally, fits the source material. So many versions are American with a bit of a British twist. Since this is from the BBC, I feel like we Americans are getting a sneak peek at a real British production!

An interesting contrast is that the narrator, Keith Pyott, uses the original text to set the scene in a very stiff upper lip voice, whereas, say, on Basil Rathbone's version, narrator Harlow Wilcox uses his very American voice with original material. And this narrator is a million times drier than Richard Hale on Lionel Barrymore's studio recording.

Even at the very beginning, the announcer says, "The BBC presents a famous actor in a radio adaptation of a famous story." Wow, those British announcers sure are tight-lipped!

So, what did they include in this version anyway? Let's see...

A Christmas Carol - Alec Guinness (1950) - Part 1

A Christmas Carol (1950)
Producer: Cleland Finn
Scrooge: Alec Guinness

We stay in the department of famous British actors taking a swing at playing Ebenezer Scrooge with Alec Guinness in a BBC radio broadcast of "A Christmas Carol" from 1950.

Alec Guinness seems to me to be the one actor who should have played Scrooge in a movie but didn't get the chance.

He established his reputation as a screen actor with his first two movies, which were David Lean's adaptations of "Great Expectations" and "Oliver Twist," so that's a good Dickens pedigree. I figure David Lean must have thought about keeping the Dickens thing going with a big screen adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" and he subsequently worked with Alec Guinness on four more movies, so he would have been considered for the lead role of Scrooge. And based on his penchant for makeup and different voices, he could easily have slipped into the role.

But the 1951 movie "Scrooge" starring Alastair Sim would've ended such plans if they had ever existed. That 1951 movie is great, so no squawks here!

Of course, 20 years later, Alec Guinness did famously play Marley's Ghost opposite Albert Finney's Scrooge.

Whatever the case, this half-hour radio drama gives us the chance to hear Alec Guinness play Scrooge and he does have his own take.

You can listen to it with this video:

Or here with better quality sound:

Alec Guinness - A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol - Patrick Stewart (1991) - Part 2

Patrick Stewart's 1991 recording of his one-man version of "A Christmas Carol" is extremely faithful to its source, but it's not just him reading the whole book.

The CD version is two discs, with Disc One clocking in at 48 minutes and Disc Two at 59. So, that's an hour and 47 minutes, which certainly gives plenty of time to tell the story.

I'm not sure how long it would take to read the entire book out loud, but longer than the allotted time. There's a lot of descriptive narrative than can easily be cut, however, and some extraneous dialogue.

It's interesting what Patrick Stewart left out and one very interesting thing that he added!

For our purposes right now, we'll just talk about some of the things that are omitted, without really going over what's left in, as most everything is left in.

The lone sound effect not made by Stewart himself is at the very beginning, when we hear what seems to be a cold wind blowing. This stops at the point when we hear that "Old Marley was as dead as a doornail," then does not reappear.

What's clear right away is that Mr. Stewart is using the original text, but with a bit of judicious editing. He doesn't really change any of the wording, but rearranges some just a bit and leaves out some chunks that don't really advance the story.

For example, when Fred comes into Scrooge's office at the beginning, every word he and Scrooge say is in the book, but the order in which they say some of it is changed and Scrooge does not ask Fred why he got married. Not sure why and you have to think about it to notice.

When Scrooge is back home and the bells ring before Marley's Ghost appears, you get the idea that Patrick Stewart really likes to make bell sounds. He does it a lot!

No gravy joke directed at Marley, by the way. Scrooge doesn't try to pass any of that visit off as indigestion.

When the first ghost is about to appear, we get more bells. These are overdubbed with Scrooge's snoring and muttering. This is the only time something like this is done. Otherwise, you can easily imagine the whole thing being done live.

I hadn't heard this recording in a while, and in the meantime, Stewart's made for TV version of "A Christmas Carol" came out. One of the things that drove me crazy in that TV-movie was that Scrooge's sister was named "Fran." Certainly Patrick Stewart must have known her name is "Fan" if he performed his one-man show so many times, right?

So, I was wondering what name he would use when Scrooge goes back into the past with the first spirit. You know what, though? Young Ebenezer does not talk at all, so his sister is not named! What's up with that? Isn't that strange? We may never know if Patrick Stewart knows the right name!

Anyway, I think the biggest thing in the whole piece that's omitted is the scene of Belle being happily married. I don't know why, as I think it's a powerful scene. Charles Dickens himself took that out of his public reading version, so is that why it's not here either?

I've heard some criticism of that scene based on the premise that Scrooge would not have dreamt something he didn't actually experience. But it's not a dream!

Anyway, in the present at the Cratchits' house, there's no talk of Peter starting a job or Martha being a milliner's apprentice, but most everything else is there. Including Tiny Tim's song in what is perhaps the wackiest moment of all!

The visit to Fred's party is very short. No games, no mention of Topper or the sisters.

When the future segment comes around, Scrooge does not say, "Ghost of the future! I fear you more than any spectre I have seen." Some other lines I like here and there are not used, but I wasn't consulted about this project!

In the scene at Old Joe's when the charwoman (not Mrs. Dilber) produces the bedcurtains, Joe does not mention how she took them rings and all. On Christmas morning, however, when Scrooge finds himself in his own bed, he says they were not torn down, rings and all. That's the one thing that perhaps slipped by in the editing. But that's nitpicking.

Then Scrooge does the crazy weird laugh that sounds more like he's choking, which is repeated in that TV-movie. It's odd in both.

Then we get a whole bit that was added in:

"Scrooge found himself near the open door of a church. He went inside and for the first time as a man, joined his voice with those of his fellow creatures in a Christmas hymn."

He then croaks out "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" as if he's rusty at singing, then gets stronger as a he goes along. Is this purely an excuse for Patrick Stewart to show off a little? Probably, but it's fun and is pretty good faux-Dickensian!

The corresponding passage from the book? "He went to church." Boom!

While we're changing some things, about the only other noticeable deviation from the book is when  Scrooge goes to Fred's house. Here we told that, "A young housemaid answered," rather than, "Nice girl! Very," which is a bit creepy anyway, so good change!

So, on the whole, an extremely faithful adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" told in a most entertaining manner.

I think Mr. Stewart's TV-movie is OK, but this audio recording is a blast, and, to me, by far the better of his two adapataions available for home entertainment!

A Christmas Carol - Patrick Stewart (1991) - Part 1

While listening to Irene Wicker's quick run-through of "A Christmas Carol," I was trying to think of what it reminded me of. Then it hit me - Patrick Stewart's one-man version of the story!

That may seem like an odd connection, but both of these performers narrate the story as if they're reading it to you, while using different voices for the various characters. Once the voice for each character is established, they don't need to say "...said Scrooge" or something similar, since we now who did the speaking based on the voice.

I wouldn't imagine that Patrick Stewart used Ireene Wicker's record as a point of reference (if he ever heard it at all) but it's an interesting comp and 40-odd years apart!

The biggest difference, of course, is that Ms. Wicker was telling the story for 1949 children and had just over three minutes in which to do so. Just two sides of a seven-inch record spinning around at a very fast 78 rpm.

Patrick Stewart recorded his version (presumably for all ages) in 1991, well into the CD era, and got over 100 minutes, so not a fair fight!

Be that as it may, Patrick Stewart does an awesome job here. As the cover of the CD notes, he "performs" the story. His reading of the text itself with his "real" voice is very engaging and he gives entertaining voices to the various characters. He seems like he's having a good time and it's contagious.

He had apparently been performing this show for a while before making this recording and his performance here is certainly well-honed. He performed the show on Broadway the same year as this recording and wound up with a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person show!

Ireene Wicker aside, the original comparison for Patrick Stewart's show would be Charles Dickens's own public readings of "A Christmas Carol" back in the day. Dickens apparently would use different voices for the various characters too. Seeing one of those readings will be a must when time travel is invented!

I had wondered if Stewart was using that public reading adaptation for his show, but checking that text quickly shows that's not the case. It seems the original book itself is the source.

This recorded version is extremely faithful, but was anything added or omitted?

We shall see...

"Dicken's Christmas Carol" - Ireene Wicker - (The Singing Lady) (1949) - Part 3

A few more thoughts on The Singing Lady, Ireene Wicker, and her little record of "Dicken's Christmas Carol" - no points for grammar, though!

This record is definitely an artifact of its time. It's certainly not what passes for entertainment these days, children's or otherwise, but I think it's quite charming.

If you can put yourself back into the 1940s before television took hold, it's easy to see kids being entertained by a nice lady who's telling you stories, whether it's on the radio or your phonograph.

I do think it's a stretch for the record label to say it's for "Tots 'n' Teens," though.  Tots definitely, but I can't imagine a 1949 teenage bobby soxer preferring this over the latest platter from Vic Damone or Frankie Laine!

I do like Ireene Wicker's style. She seems like she's talking to you, not at you, which I know I appreciated when I was a kid.

She was born in Illinois, which I guess explains her accent. Henry Higgins could easily figure that out.

I like how she establishes a separate voice for each character, which helps keep the story moving along.

Something not to sleep on is the unusual spelling of her first name. She apparently added the extra "e" on the advice of an astrologist, and had been using that spelling since at least the early 1930s. Interesting that such things were going on well before Dionne Warwick(e)!

In any event, this record is another fun little item that provides a window into the past.

"Dicken's Christmas Carol" - Ireene Wicker - (The Singing Lady) (1949) - Part 2

If you got a chance to listen to Ireene Wicker's 1949 adaptation of "A Christmas Carol," I'm sure you'll agree that it's an unusual interpretation!

I think her style is very engaging. It's like having a fun relative reading a story to you.  If you had a relative who did such fun voices!

Since the record in question is seven inches and plays at 78 rpm, there's not a lot of room for content, only a little over three minutes, but she gets a surprising amount of details in there.

We start off in Scrooge's office with Fred inviting him to dinner, then Bob Cratchit wanting the next day off.

No time for Marley, however, so we go right to the "Spirit" of Christmas Past. The spirit shows Scrooge all the happy Christmases from his past. An interesting take in that Scrooge used to have happy times, but had forgotten.

Next, the Spirit of Christmas Present brings Scrooge to Fred's house where Fred says nice things about them.

They go next to Bob Cratchit's house to see the family having a good time. All of the Cratchit kids are accounted for: Martha, Peter, Belinda, the two younger ones and Tiny Tim!

Scrooge is  worried about Tiny Tim's fate. The only special effect on the record is the filtered mike through which the spirit's voice comes.

When the spirit tells Scrooge that Tiny Tim will die unless the shadows of the future change, Scrooge reforms!

No need for a Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come, so Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning, goes to Fred's house for dinner and raises Bob's salary!

Happy ending after a very quick but delightful run through the story!

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Dicken's Christmas Carol" - Ireene Wicker (The Singing Lady) (1949) - Part 1

Dicken's Christmas Carol (1949)
Director: Joseph Leib
Scrooge: Ireene Wicker 

The short version of "A Christmas Carol" by Claude Rains aimed at the kiddie market brings to mind this earlier version, which is even shorter!

It's performed by Ireene Wicker, known to young radio listeners back in the day as "The Singing Lady."

One of her specialties was telling stories (often fairy tales) where she narrated and acted out all the parts and added singing as necessary.

She often had just a piano accompaniment with no sound effects.

Her style translated very well to records, so she made a bunch of them starting in the 1930s.

Fortunately for our purposes, when she was laying down some Christmas tracks for Regal Records in 1949, one of the things she recorded was a very condensed version of "A Christmas Carol" in her typical style.

You can listen to both sides below:

Next: Let's discuss!

A Christmas Carol - Claude Rains (1954) - Part 3

Let's take a look at the talent behind the Mercury Records version of "A Christmas Carol" by Claude Rains from 1954.

Claude Rains himself always gave a good performance. I've seen him in a ton of movies and he always adds a lot. He's probably best-known these days for his role in "Casablanca." I think he steals that movie and that's a lot to say with the talent involved. "Round up the usual suspects!"

My favorite movie of his is probably "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" from 1941, where he plays a high ranking official in Heaven. A neat contrast to this is "Angel on My Shoulder" from 1946, in which he plays the Devil himself! There's the two extremes of Scrooge right there!

The adaptation of the story for the record is very creative and the music and choral background are excellent. A look at the label explains why.

Awesome logo!

The adaptation is shown as by Hugo Perreti and Luigi Creatore, cousins who formed a highly creative production team from the 50s through the 70s known as "Hugo & Luigi."

Rockabilly Party? I'm in!

They released some singles under their own name, for their label Roulette Records then later RCA Victor, but they mainly kept busy producing other artists. And quite successfully!

As this is not the most famous version of the story ever, there's not an awful lot of information available about this record, but I do find some inconsistencies with the date it was recorded and issued. I've seen it listed as early as 1946 and as late as 1960. But  checking with a Mercury Records discography, 1954 is the correct year. This also matches up with the time period that Hugo & Luigi were at Mercury.

By 1960, they were at RCA Victor, working with Sam Cooke on such hits as "Chain Gang!"

I'm so glad little gems like this version of "A Christmas Carol" are out there and I'm often impressed with the talent and creativity that went into making "kiddie records" back in the day!