As we continue to assemble our "A Christmas Carol" All-Star Team, we move from the supernatural figures to what I consider to be the major human characters.
Up to the plate steps Scrooge's nephew Fred!
He's an important character as his holiday cheerfulness contracts sharply with Scrooge's lack of said cheerfulness. Fred actually gets the first line, wishing his uncle a "Merry Christmas" and getting a "Bah! Humbug!" for his efforts!
And as the son of Scrooge's deceased younger sister, Fred provides a link to some relatively happy moments from Scrooge's childhood.
There are naturally lots of Freds out there, but my favorite is Barry MacKay from MGM's 1938 version with Reginald Owen:
That production certainly has its issues, but Barry MacKay's Fred is not one of them. His role is expanded quite a bit from the original book, but he's up to the task.
I really like the way he interacts with the other characters, including Bob, Peter and Tiny Tim Cratchit, as well as his fiancée Bess and Scrooge himself. He's extremely cheerful, but it never seems forced.
I only know Barry MacKay from this one role and I don't know his story, but he's terrific here! He's in a few British movies, mostly in the 1930s and his last move credit is from 1955, although he was around for another 30 years after that!
I believe the only other movie I've seen in which he's involved is "Knights of the Round Table" (1953), the big MGM picture with Robert Taylor and Ava Gardner. Barry has an uncredited part as "Green Knight's Squire," so I'll have to see if I can spot him the next time that flick shows up on TCM.
This American one for Republic Pictures in 1939 looks cool, though:
I'll have to see if I can track it down!
Interesting that Barry MacKay plays Fred here and Fred MacKaye plays Fred on Ronald Colman's 1941 Decca recording. Coincidence, no doubt, but fun!
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