So, how does "The Caltex Theater" presentation of "Scrooge the Miser" compare to "A Christmas Carol" itself?
(We'll have to presume that John Crane's adaptation for radio is close to Eric Jones-Evans's play.)
Actually, despite it having a different title, "Scrooge the Miser" is quite faithful to the book, using chunks of the text as dialogue, but there is one huge difference...
That huge difference being that Scrooge is only visited by one spirit: Marley's Ghost!
Marley's Ghost shows Scrooge the past, present and future just like those respective spirits would, so I really wonder why Eric Jones-Evans made that choice unless it was to make a stage production of the play easier to manage.
The script really doesn't take a lot of liberties otherwise, but let's take a closer look at the proceedings.
There's no narrator, so it's left to the characters to have some expository dialogue which works just fine.
The opening scene in the office is pretty typical with one difference being that Scrooge tells Bob to come in on Christmas morning to finish up an invoice. That's similar to the 1958 Vanguard Records recording with Siobhan McKenna, but who knows which came first?
Also reminiscent of that album is that it seems Scrooge's office and living quarters are in the same building, as soon as Bob leaves, Scrooge settles down with his bankbooks and falls asleep. So no door knocker!
Marley's Ghost wakes him up and gives him the usual warning, then explains that he will conduct him to the past, present and future.
Marley's Ghost just has a couple of scenes from the past to show Scrooge. They see young Scrooge at school and they talk about Fan coming in, but we don't hear her. Marley's Ghost says that Fan died shortly after the birth of Scrooge's nephew "Frederick." That echoes the 1951 Alastair Sim movie "Scrooge" but the book itself doesn't specify how or when Fan died, just that she was a woman and had one child.
They also witness Scrooge's breakup with Belle.
That's all for the past, but Scrooge is already regretful and seems well on his way to repentance. I always miss Fezziwig if he's not included, though!
Since they don't have to switch spirits, Scrooge and Marley's Ghost get to Christmas Present and Bob's house pretty quickly. Before they go in, Marley's Ghost needles Scrooge about Bob's low salary and Scrooge is too humbled to disagree.
The Cratchit family Christmas dinner is the only scene from the present, but what's kind of odd is that they fade in and out from it. Scrooge has to ask Marley's Ghost to show him more a couple of times.
No Ignorance and Want, so Scrooge and Marley's Ghost go straight to Christmas Yet to Come, which gets the most scenes.
Since Marley's Ghost is still handling things, he talks about what they're seeing, dropping hints that would be spoilers if Scrooge were quicker on the uptake!
They see a couple of businessmen talking about Scrooge's death, interestingly saying "The Devil got his own" in case we don't know who Old Scratch is!
The scene at Old Joe's place is also similar to the one from that 1958 Vanguard record in that it's only Mrs. Dilber as the charwoman who has all of the items.
Curiously, Old Joe is wary of buying the items as he knows they were stolen. This version of Old Joe has scruples?
They next return to the Cratchit house after Tiny Tim's death. It's always a bit clunky in versions such as this where Bob mentions running into Fred and how it seems as if Fred knew Tiny Tim when the opening scenes show Bob and Fred as being well-acquainted with Fred asking about Tiny Tim's health.
In the book it's clear that Fred had only met Bob the one time in Scrooge's office on Christmas Eve, so Bob's words about Fred in the future make more sense.
Anyway, Scrooge sees his own grave and begs for another chance.
He then awakes in his own room, saying it was a dream. That always bugs me because although in this version they don't see a lot of visions, there are still details about the Cratchit family he wouldn't know and thus wouldn't be able to dream about.
I can understand to an extent as Scrooge was asleep when Marley's Ghost appeared, but still!
Everything is set up for the ending, which is handled much better than on that 1958 record I keep referring to!
Scrooge confirms with a passing boy that it's Christmas and dispatches him to buy the turkey. He also spots the charity guy across the street and has the boy send him over, allowing Scrooge to make a donation.
Since Scrooge is already in the office building, he's waiting with the turkey when Bob shows up late for work. He pretend to be angry but gives Bob the turkey, raises his salary and offers to help Tiny Tim.
Bob invites Scrooge to Christmas dinner, but Scrooge respectfully declines, explaining that he'll join him next year but this year he's going to Fred's house. Scrooge quotes Tiny Tim and we're done!
This ending reminds me quite a bit of the final scene of Basil Rathbone's 1942 recording (which was on Christmas afternoon) and it's equally touching.
All in all, except for just the one ghost, the whole thing is a faithful and entertaining adaptation!
