We hang around 1938 for a little while longer and move about a week ahead from that "Good News of 1939" broadcast. We land on the night of December 23 to listen to "The Campbell Playhouse" and its annual presentation of "A Christmas Carol."
So, wait, do we have Lionel Barrymopre playing Scrooge about a week after he had served as the narrator on the "Good News" show promting MGM's movie adaptation of "A Christmas Carol?"
No, we do not! Lionel Barrymore is not on the Campbell Playhouse for 1938, although he's referenced by star Orson Welles at the end. He doesn't say why Mr. Barrymore was unavailable, but that they expect him back the next year. (SPOILER: He did play Scrooge in 1939, as we have previously discussed!)
I've heard different theories about why Lionel Barrymore was unavailable, mostly that he was suddenly ill. More plausible perhaps was that he agreed not to play Scrooge on the radio so as not to conflict with the movie version. And he was a good MGM solider, so who knows?
The Shadow knows, but Orson Welles used to play the Shadow and he's not talking!
Actually, Orson Welles does talk a lot, as he narrates the story and stars as Scrooge!
Give it a listen and we'll break it down...
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