"A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong" (2017) - Part Two

If you got the chance to watch the BBC presentation of "A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong," I hope you found it as amusing as I did.

Derek Jacobi before things go wrong!

I thought it was clever how it started off like a legitimate production with Sir Derek Jacobi as Scrooge, then went off the rails, sort of like a Spike Jones record. You could probably trick someone if they didn't know!

You may recall that we heard Derek Jacobi in an audio adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" a while back, but he was narrating as Charles Dickens rather than playing Scrooge.

The Dame tells the Sir how it is!

The narrator here is Dame Diana Rigg (still lovely at 80-ish), who within the context of the show is the aunt of one the cast members, Sandra (I think!), played by Charlie Russell.

It's a little confusing to me, as the actors are playing fictional actors in the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society and there's a series of these takeoffs. There's some backstage "drama" dealing with the actors' personal lives mixed in, but I was able to follow along pretty well!

The cast does a good job of playing the comedy straight, if you will. They act like they're sincere about trying to put on a good show and never seem like they're intentionally sabotaging it.

I was especially amused by Jonathan Sayer as Dennis who can't remember his lines as Bob Cratchit and has them written all over the set.

Good fun and a surprisingly faithful adaptation.

As I said before, worth a watch!

"A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong" (2017) - Part One

"A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong" (2017) 

Director: Richard Boden

Scrooge: Derek Jacobi

I've been aware of this BBC show for a while, but didn't get the chance to watch it until I saw it was available (with ads) on YouTube.

Here's the link if you wish to indulge:

Or if you're not sure, here's a snippet to give you a bit of an idea about the show:

I'll give you a chance to check it out, then discuss a bit. (SPOILER: I think it's worth a watch!)

"Duffy's Tavern" (December 21, 1945)

"Duffy's Tavern" (December 21, 1945)

NBC
Scrooge: "Archie" (Ed Gardner)

It seems like a while since we've listened to an old radio show, so let's pay a visit to "Duffy's Tavern" for this 1945 broadcast, which features a takeoff of "A Christmas Carol" as part of the gang's holiday entertainment:

I'd say that the gang's version of "A Christmas Carol" most reminds me of the one from 1977's "The Honeymooners Christmas Carol" special in the way that both "Archie" and "Ralph" extensively reworked the story, each in his unique way.

As for oddball Tiny Tim interpretations, "Finnegan" might even be wackier than "Norton!"

I like the "Duffy's Tavern" series a lot and this episode gives the cast a real chance to shine!

I also enjoyed the harp playing of the great Robert Maxwell, who was only 24 years old at that time.

As a bonus, here's a video of Mr. Maxwell from a dozen years later, once more playing "White Christmas," this time on the Ed Sullivan show:

Good fun all around!

"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" (December 19, 1956)

"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet"

"The Busy Christmas" (December 19, 1956)

Director: Ozzie Nelson

Scrooge: Ozzie Nelson

The long-running TV series "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" had a number of Christmas episodes and they've been gathered into the nifty collection at the top of the page!

It's nice to see the series get a makeover, as there have been rough looking copies of episodes popping up for years.

Of particular interest to us is the 1956 episode "The Busy Christmas," in which one of the activities that keeps Ozzie busy is portraying Ebenezer Scrooge in a local production of "A Christmas Carol!"

We get to see a bit of the play, as seen here in this very unrestored clip:

Grab a copy of the DVD set and have some holiday fun with the Nelsons!

Emily Cratchit Minnie Update!

Double update, in fact!

I did manage to win the Emily Cratchit Minnie emoji, which is awesome!

Also, upon re-watching "Mickey's Christmas Carol," there's not the slightest indication that Mrs. Cratchit's first name is Emily.

Not that I thought there was, but nice to confirm and enjoyable to watch the cartoon again - even though it had only been about a week!

I say her name was retconned, but I don't mind!

Happy Boxing Day!

Happy Boxing Day!

Merry Christmas!

 

Emoji Blitz Update - "Mickey's Christmas Carol"

Hot on the heels of "The Muppet Christmas Carol" event, Disney Emoji Blitz now has a "Mickey's Christmas Carol" event, featuring two new emojis!

The new emojis are Emily Cratchit Minnie (seen at top) and Ghost of Christmas Future Pete (below).

Pretty fun, but this raises the question of whether Mrs. Cratchit is actually called "Emily" in "Mickey's Christmas Carol" or was that a name that was assigned later, possibly based on Miss Piggy's Emily Cratchit from "The Muppet Christmas Carol."

This bears further investigation! Not that I mind watching "Mickey's Christmas Carol" again!

Full Length Muppets!

Exciting news (well, exciting to me and news to me) on "The Muppet Christmas Carol" front!

The Disney+ streaming service now offers the "Full Length Version" as an extra!

So, now you can watch (in hi-def) the old VHS version that includes Meredith Braun as Belle's wonderful "When Love Is Gone" number without having to stop the movie, watch the deleted scene, then go back to the movie!

I think this solves the issue nicely, as the original theatrical cut is still available and not replaced by a different version. I don't like the original of something to be suppressed, even if the alternate version is better!

I still say that "The Muppet Christmas Carol" breakup scene with Belle's song included is the best of any version, with the possible exception of the one in "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" with the "Winter Was Warm" song.

Funny that the Muppets and Mister Magoo can pack such an emotional wallop as is not always found in more "traditional" adaptations!

Victorian Kermit?

If Kermit the Frog had actually been around in Scrooge's time, would he look like this?

Hmmm...

Faithful?

Speaking of "The Muppet Christmas Carol," cartoonist R.E. Parrish offers this humorous panel:

Could be!

Disney Emoji Blitz Update - "The Muppet Christmas Carol"

You may remember last year when the Disney Emoji Blitz game featured special emojis of Bob Cratchit Kermit and Miss Piggy Emily Cratchit from "The Muppet Christmas Carol."

Well, they're back this year and they have their own little trailer:

Pretty fun!

But did the movie really come out 30 years ago?

"Spirited" (2022)

"Spirited" (2022)

Director: Sean Anders

Surrogate Scrooge: "Clint Briggs" (Ryan Reynolds)

Seems like there's a bumper crop of "A Christmas Carol"-related stuff this year, including this new musical from Apple TV!

I signed up for a free trial just to watch it and I thought it was a blast!

I won't say anything more in order to avoid spoilers, but if you're curious, here's the teaser:

And here's the official trailer:

Fun!

"What Is the Story of Ebenezer Scrooge?" (2022) - Penguin Random House

"What Is the Story of Ebenezer Scrooge?" (2022)

Penguin Random House

Author: Sheila Keenan

Illustrator: Andrew Thomson

New for the 2022 holiday season is this entry in the WhoHQ series aimed at middle school readers.

It seemed interesting, so I grabbed a copy and gave it a read.

It does a very good job of proving context for "A Christmas Carol" by exploring the life of Charles Dickens himself and the conditions of England at the time.

It also runs through the story of the book, basically translating it into modern English, if you will.

I guess this functions as something of a replacement of the original book for kids as it wouldn't really work in conjunction with reading "A Christmas Carol" at the same time as a regular study guide would.

You can find out more and read an excerpt at the Penguin Random House website.

I do have to say, however, that the cover design of the series with the enormous heads on little bodies really creeps me out!

A Short Subject!

Here's a fun sketch from the most recent (December 10, 2022) episode of NBC's long-running "Saturday Night Live":

OK, so when is someone going to produce a full-length adaptation starring Martin Short?

How Did I Miss That?

OK, so with the amount of yammering I do about 1951's "Scrooge," you'd think I know everything about it!

Not quite!

The girls really want to hear that pudding!

While watching it again for the umpteenth time last night I noticed that when Peter Cratchit brings Tiny Tim to listen to the pudding "singing in the copper," he says, "You come too, Mary and Belinda!"

Mary is ready to chow down!

I knew the "small assorted Cratchits" did not include the non-Peter, non-Tim son, but how did I not notice that this version gives a name to the non-Martha, non-Belinda daughter?

Now I know!

Jane Kean Appreciation!

I had mentioned that Jane Kean appeared as Trixie Norton in 1977's "The Honeymooners Christmas Carol." 

She does a good job, but in typical Trixie fashion, she doesn't really get a lot to do. She does do a wacky kid voice as Bob Cratchit's daughter, though!

Jane was a versatile performer, having honed her performing skills as one-half of popular nightclub act with her sister Betty in the 1940s and 1950s.

She had an excellent singing voice, which was shown to advantage in her more famous "A Christmas Carol"-related role: that of Belle in 1962's "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol!"

She does a great job with the song "Winter Was Warm" in the Christmas Past sequence.

For fun, here's the extended version of the song before it was trimmed for time:

Pretty cool!

Intriguingly, as I had mentioned way back when, Jane's sister Betty had been married to "Mister Magoo" himself, Jim Backus, years before this special.

That's show biz!

"The Honeymooners Christmas Carol" (1977)

"The Honeymooners Christmas Carol" 

November 28, 1977

Director: Jackie Gleason

Scrooge: "Ed Norton"

From 1977 comes one of a number of specials featuring Jackie Gleason's "The Honeymooners," this time featuring a version of "A Christmas Carol" as staged by Ralph Kramden!

I'm a big fan of "The Honeymooners" and watched reruns of the "Classic 39" all the time back in the day, so I was excited when they had these specials reuniting Jackie Gleason as Ralph and Art Carney as Ed Norton along with classic Alice Kramden played by Audrey Meadows. Also along was Jane Kean, the Trixie Norton of the later musical episodes.

I hadn't thought of these specials in years and probably wouldn't have expected ever to see them again, but the four of them showed up on DVD last year, so I grabbed a set!

Watching the "Christmas Carol" episode again, I thought it was good fun. Dated to be sure, with then-topical references to everyone from Anita Bryant to Billy Carter, but fun.

The framing story has  Ralph volunteering to direct the bus company's charity performance of "A Christmas Carol" to get in good with his boss. Hilarity ensues with Norton playing both Tiny Tim and Ebenezer Scrooge!

Ralph's boss, Mr. Marshall, is played by sitcom vet Gale Gordon and he easily fits in!

I won't spoil anything else, but it's a fun, nostalgic watch!

Whole Lotta Shakin'!

Here's another fun Scrooge cartoon:

No way pre-reformed Scrooge could ever guess!

Laden!

This 1920 ad for Baker's Chocolate is interesting:

It seems like a familiar scene until you think, "Wait! That's not Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim!"

It's the typical Cratchit pose, but the carrier looks like Scrooge and the carrie-ee looks like Little Red Riding Hood?

Maybe it's not really LRRH, but a similar looking character did pop up in a Baker's ad the year before:

And a couple of years earlier saw a grown Red in this 1916 ad:

Yes, please, to the Christmas dainties!

"Scrooge: A Christmas Carol" (2022)

"Scrooge: A Christmas Carol" (2022)

Director: Stephen Donnelly

Scrooge: Luke Evans

So, the new animated "Scrooge: A Christmas Carol" dropped on Netflix yesterday, so naturally I was right on it!

I thought it was a lot of fun!

I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll do my review and breakdown after the holidays!

So, if you already have Netflix, give it a watch. If you don't, sign up for a free trial or something!

"A Christmas Carol" (2021) - Frith Street Films - Part 2

A few words about the 2021 multi-media adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" from Frith Street Films...

I admit that I wasn't really sure what was going on at first, as the characters dance around a lot and their lips don't move although we hear them talking.

Then it dawned on me that we're seeing what the littlest girl is imagining as her grandmother reads "A Christmas Carol" to the family. This accounts for the different look of various sets and old pictures popping up here and there.

I rewatched the beginning and it all made sense! We see the kids setting up a toy theater (theatre?) and cutting out pictures including the John Leech illustrations from the first edition.

I hadn't watched those videos from yesterday's post before watching the movie, so I had to figure it out myself!

In any event, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I didn't know what to expect and I honestly wasn't expecting much, but I thought I'd at least give it a look as I have Amazon Prime anyway, but it held my attention and was well worth my time.

I quite liked the narration of Siân Phillips as the grandmother!

It kind of played like an audio dramatization with illustrations and the audio portion is a very faithful adaptation with only a few changes here and there.

The biggest addition, and a fascinating one at that, is the Cratchit children talking about Martha making hats and needing to ride a train to get home for Christmas dinner. And then we see Martha and some other girls making hats! I like it!

An intriguing aspect of the film is the various vintage (and vintage-looking) pictures that pop up to help illustrate the story.

This one really caught my eye:

Is that really how lighthouse keepers got their provisions? Yikes! I never knew! So, this was educational too!

A nit-picker (and there's some of that in me) would say that not everything we see looks like it would spring from the mind of a little Victorian girl, but I'm willing to go with the flow!

I think this film was a good kick-off to the Scrooge-watching of the season. An appetizer, if you will, before the main course of Sim and Magoo and the other perennials!

"A Christmas Carol" (2020) - Frith Street Films - Part 1

"A Christmas Carol" (2020)

Frith Street Films

Director: Jacqui Morris

Scrooge: Simon Russell Beale

Let's kick off December with a relatively new version of "A Christmas Carol, this one from 2020!

It's kind of a blend of different styles and hard to describe.

The trailer gives some of the flavor:

And here's a featurette with more background:

I don't remember having heard of it previously, but it popped up on Amazon Prime, so I gave it a watch!

Note that the video says it will be in theaters in 2021, but most sources say it's from 2020, so I'm going with 2020. I can say it's streaming in 2022 and that's what really matters!

Next up: The critique!