We probably don't need a spoiler alert for the ending of the "A Modern Scrooge" episode of "Treasury Star Parade," as you know that Lionel Barrymore's Scroogesque character will see the error of his ways and start buying war bonds!
I think it was a clever idea to adapt Barrymore's Scrooge persona for this purpose. Fredric March's introduction makes it clear that everybody knew "A Christmas Carol" and by this point in time we know that everybody associated Lionel Barrymore with the role.
Looking back, it's fun that Fredric March is the narrator, as we know he played Scrooge in the 1954 "A Christmas Carol" presentation on the "Shower of Stars" TV series.
I think both March and Barrymore do a great job here, but that's no surprise, as they each had won an Oscar for Best Actor by 1942 and Fredric March had another one coming for "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946)!
When this episode first started, I immediately recognized Paul Douglas as the announcer. He did a lot of sports announcing and radio work mixed in with stage acting before crashing Hollywood in "A Letter to Three Wives" in 1949. Next thing you know, he's a movie star! My favorite movie of his was his next, "It Happens Every Spring," from later in 1949.
The other actor who gets credited is J. Donald Wilson, who was an actor, writer and producer of various radio shows, including the popular west coast mystery show "The Whistler."
The whole thing is well done and I'm sure helped sell plenty of war bonds!
