A Christmas Carol Historic Perspective
THIS IS VERY LONG YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
I posted a couple of weeks ago that I would start a thread on " A Christmas Carol". I thought, I've seen almost all of the film adaptations, including several silent version. Yea I know, my DW watches for my sometimes OCD behavior.
I thought this is easy I just do a little research and 20 minutes later I'll have it covered. WRONG!! Two weeks later! I far as I can tell, Dickens classic has been on the stage, radio, film and TV since it was published. There, from what I've read, has been a bunch of early film version just lost or turned to goo. Also when researching this, I found quite a few people have written there dissertations on the subject.
I've haven't gotten into the meat of this post, have your eyes glazed yet?
A Christmas Carol is a story of redemption. Man meets money, man loves money, man is consumed by money, man has a supernatural experience and is redeemed. When Dickens wrote this the poor where kicked to the curb and basically forgotten. Although I've read other works by Dickens, I.E. Oliver, and A tale of Two Cities (humanities classes in college) (A guy in the Navy told that A tale of Two Cities story was about a woman of ill repute in the twin cities), I can't ever remember reading A Christmas Carol. I've watch at least 10 different versions including "The Ref and It's a Wonderful Life", Yes they are the story just presented in a creative way. When I talked to a friend about this, He told too include the "Bells of Saint Mary". It was another "CREATIVE adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
Are you still following me?
There are two different genres of this story. Apparently in the "one known as the original (It's not. I always thought it was and have watched it every Christmas since I could find it and put it on my VCR. ), the 1938 version. Some of the grimmer aspects of the story went completely unmentioned or unseen, in order to make this a "family film" in the style of other MGM literary adaptations. Although Marley's Ghost did appear, the phantoms wailing outside Scrooge's window were not shown. Scrooge's fiancee, who eventually leaves him because of his miserly ways, was completely dropped from the film, as were the two starving children "Want" and "Ignorance", who hid within the folds of the Ghost of Christmas Present's robe. Also gone were the thieves who ransack Scrooge's belongings after he "dies" in the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come segment. This the MGM (Disney reference) ORIGINAL version, you know, the one with the Cratchit kids getting the wonderful toys. Apparently MGM couldn't have a Christmas story that had Ghost, Death, Poor, Homeless, and especially DEATH in a Christmas story. Christmas is about shopping and feeling good (even then).
Are you still with me? I didn't know what I was getting into either!
The other, most referenced version is from 1951. This is an English version that follows Dickens story faithfully (I guess after the BLITZ, death was no longer a problem.
In this adaptation, a flashback during the Ghost of Christmas Past sequence shows that Ebenezer's mother died while giving birth to him which meant that, unlike the book, Ebenezer is younger than his sister Fan. The death of his mother caused his father to resent Ebenezer which he is reminded of by the Ghost of Christmas Past when Scrooge bitterly mentions that Fan died from complications after delivering his nephew, Fred.
In addition, the film has a scene where Ebenezer comes to his nephew's home on Christmas Day with some trepidation that he would be rejected because of his previous behavior. However, Fred and his wife immediately give him a warm welcome, delighted to have his company at last.
There is so much written about this I could write for days. Here are the listed versions of
Scroll down through the list. I've written more.
A Christmas Carol:
Adaptations
The novel was the subject of Dickens' first public reading, given in Birmingham Town Hall to the Industrial and Literary Institute on 27 December 1852. This was repeated three days later to an audience of 'working people', and was a great success by his own account and that of newspapers of the time. Over the years Dickens edited the piece down and adapted it for a listening, rather than reading, audience. Excerpts from 'A Christmas Carol' remained part of Dickens' public readings until his death.
[edit] Theatre
* A Christmas Carol (1974), original musical-comedy stage adaptation written and directed by, and starring (as Scrooge) Ira David Wood III (father of Evan Rachel Wood and Ira David Wood IV), which has been performed for the last 34 years on stage at Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium. In 2008, the show added performances at the brand new Durham Performing Arts Center. Theatre In The Park, in Raleigh, North Carolina, has produced the show since its premiere. Wood's "A Christmas Carol" is the longest running indoor show in North Carolina theatre history.
* A Christmas Carol (1981), a musical adaptation which premiered in 1982 at the Hartman Theater, Stamford, Conn. The show was workshopped as a tour in 1981, with Richard Kiley as Scrooge. Book and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, Music by Michel Legrand.
* A Christmas Carol (1983), a theatrical adaptation by Jeffrey Sanzel has been performed annually at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson, New York for 25 years. In 2007, Sanzel reached 800 performances as Scrooge.
* A Christmas Carol (1988), is an original musical adaptation by Phillip Wm.McKinley which was written for The Chatham Players in Chatham, NJ. The ensemble production features Charles Dickens as narrator. In 2008, the production celebrated its 20th anniversary; actor Alan Semok has portrayed Scrooge in the Chatham production since 1994.
* The Gospel According to Scrooge (1986), a stage musical that emphasizes the religious elements of the story, often performed by American Christian churches.
* A Christmas Carol (Patrick Stewart) (1988), Patrick Stewart's one-man reading/acting of the story, made its first appearance in London and later on Broadway. On stage he would use a table, chair, stool, lectern, and a book with an over-sized print cover to enact the entire story. The production has been revived in London and New York several times. It has also been released on compact disc.[1]
* Scrooge!: A Dickens of a One-Man Show (1991), a theatrical adaptation one person show written by and starring Kevin Norberg portraying all 40-plus characters in a solo performance.
* Scrooge: The Musical (1992), a British stage musical adapted from the 1970 film and starring Anthony Newley.
* A Christmas Carol: The Musical (1995), a broadway musical adaptation of the classic Dickens novel with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. It was most recently performed in the winter of 2009 at Grand Ledge High School in Michigan.
* A Christmas Carol (1997), a musical adaptation with music by Steve Parsons and book/lyrics by John Popa was performed from 1997–2000 at The Players Guild Theatre in Canton, Ohio and is scheduled to be remounted in November of 2009. This version spawned two cast recordings, one featuring the original cast and a 10th anniversary recording in 2008.
* A Christmas Carol, written and performed by Greg Oliver Bodine, is a one-man stage adaptation enacted by Charles Dickens himself, and is based on a condensed version of the novel that he used while on the second of his historic reading tours of the United States. First performed in 2003.
* Steve Nallon's Christmas Carol (2003), theatrical adaptation starring impressionist Nallon, as a number of famous people.
* A Christmas Carol (2003), theatrical adaptation by Karen Louise Hebden produced by and performed at Derby Playhouse in 2003 and revived in 2006. On both occasions, Scrooge was played by Ben Roberts.
* A Christmas Carol 1941 (2007) a remake set during World War II.
* A Christmas Carol adapted by Tom Haas, has been performed each year at the Indiana Repertory Theatre for more than 25 years. Set on a minimalist stage covered in snow, this adaptation features the characters narrating their own actions to the audience and intersperses carols and dance along with the visits of the ghosts.
* A Christmas Carol a new adaptation by Adam Graham, first performed on 6 December 2007 by Performing Arts Winchester, part of Winchester Student Union. A one hour version featuring all the major characters and well loved carols, it was performed twice a night for the holiday season.
* A Christmas Carol an adaptation by Ron Severdia, premiered on 6 December 2006 at the Barn Theatre in Ross, CA. In 2007, he toured Europe with a new adaptation of the show.
* A Christmas Carol (2003/4) a new stage adaptation by Scott Harrison. Produced and performed by The Dreaming Theatre Company in the Kirkgate Victorian street exhibition inside the York Castle Museum, the first ever company to perform inside this venue. First performed in November/December 2003 and revived in 2004. Other venues included the Georgian Theatre, Richmond and Fountains Hall, Fountains Abbey.
* A Christmas Carol - As told by Jacob Marley (deceased) (2009/10); written and performed by James Hyland and directed by Hugh Allison[2].
* A Christmas Carol a stage adaptation by Jason Carr and Bryony Lavery was written for the Chichester Youth Theatre and performed at The Chichester Festival Theatre during Christmas 2008. This adaptation is to be performed by Birmingham Repertory Theatre for Christmas 2009.
* A Christmas Carol (2009) a stage adaptation written by Alexandria Haber and produced by Geordie Productions, premiering in December 2009 at the D.B. Clarke Theatre in Montreal, Quebec (Canada).
[edit] Film
* Scrooge; or Marley's Ghost (1901), a short British film that was the first screen adaptation.
* A Christmas Carol (1908), with Thomas Ricketts as Scrooge.
* A Christmas Carol (1910) is a 15-minute silent version of the film starring Marc McDermott as Scrooge and Charles Ogle as Cratchit.
* Scrooge (1913), starring Sir Seymour Hicks and retitled Old Scrooge for its U.S. release in 1926.
* The Right to Be Happy (1916), the first feature-length adaptation, directed by and starring Rupert Julian as Scrooge.
* A Christmas Carol (1923), produced in the U.K. and starring Russell Thorndike, Nina Vanna, Jack Denton, and Forbes Dawson.
* Scrooge (1935), a British movie, again starring Seymour Hicks as Scrooge.[3]
* A Christmas Carol (1938), starring Reginald Owen as Scrooge and Gene Lockhart and Kathleen Lockhart as the Cratchits.
* Scrooge (1951), starring Alastair Sim as Scrooge and Mervyn Johns and Hermione Baddeley as the Cratchits. Many consider this film a classic, the best adaptation of the story yet made.[4]
* Scrooge (1970), a musical film adaptation starring Albert Finney as Scrooge and Alec Guinness as Marley's Ghost.
* A Christmas Carol (1971), an Oscar-winning animated short film by Richard Williams, with Alastair Sim reprising the role of Scrooge.
* Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), an animated short film featuring the various Walt Disney characters (including characters from Wind in the Willows, Robin Hood and The Three Little Pigs), with Scrooge McDuck fittingly playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.
* Scrooged (1988), a remake in a contemporary setting with Bill Murray being a misanthropic TV producer who is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas. Directed by Richard Donner.
* The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), featuring the various Muppet characters, with Michael Caine as Scrooge.
* A Christmas Carol (1994), an animated version produced by Jetlag Productions, written by Jack Olesker.
* A Christmas Carol (1997), an animated production featuring the voice of Tim Curry as Scrooge as well as the voices of Whoopi Goldberg, Michael York and Ed Asner.
* Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001), an animated version produced by Illuminated Films (Christmas Carol), Ltd/The Film Consortium/MBP; screenplay by Robert Llewellyn & Piet Kroon; with the voices of Simon Callow, Kate Winslet, and Nicolas Cage.
* A Christmas Carol (2006), a computer animated adaptation featuring anthropomorphic animals in the lead roles.
* Barbie in a Christmas Carol (2008), Barbie stars as the female version of Ebenezer Scrooge.
* A Christmas Carol (2009), a performance capture film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and starring Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge and the three ghosts, from Walt Disney Pictures and ImageMovers Digital. It was released in November 2009 in Disney Digital 3D.
[edit] Television
* An early television adaptation was broadcast live by DuMont's New York station WABD on December 20, 1944.[5]
* A 1947 live television version starred John Carradine as Scrooge.
* A 1948 live television adaptation which aired on Philco Television Playhouse starred Dennis King as Scrooge.
* A 1949 30-minute filmed television adaptation, reportedly notorious among modern critics for its cheap special effects, starred Taylor Holmes as Scrooge with Vincent Price as the on-screen narrator.
* The story was dramatized twice, in 1950 and 1953, on Kraft Television Theatre (NBC).
* An adaptation of A Christmas Carol with Ralph Richardson as Scrooge was shown as a 30-minute filmed episode of NBC's Fireside Theatre in 1951.
* A Christmas Carol (1954), a musical television adaptation starring Fredric March as Scrooge and Basil Rathbone as Marley was shown on the TV anthology Shower of Stars. The adaptation and lyrics were by Maxwell Anderson, the music by Bernard Herrmann. The first version in color; March received an Emmy Award nomination for his performance.
* The Stingiest Man In Town (1956), the second musical adaptation, starring Basil Rathbone and Vic Damone as, respectively, the old and young Scrooge. A live episode of the dramatic anthology series The Alcoa Hour.
* A 1958 episode of the half-hour anthology series Tales from Dickens again featured Rathbone as Scrooge, with Fredric March as narrator.
* Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962), an animated musical television special featuring the UPA character voiced by Jim Backus, with songs by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill. Other voices were provided by such actors as Jack Cassidy (as Bob Cratchit).
* Mr. Scrooge, a 1962 CBC television musical adaptation, starring Cyril Ritchard (Peter Pan 's Captain Hook) as Scrooge, with Alfie Bass and Tessie O'Shea as Bob Cratchit and his wife.
* Carol for Another Christmas (1964), a TV-movie written by Rod Serling that recasts Scrooge as a wealthy isolationist bitter over his son's death in World War II. With Sterling Hayden, Eva Marie Saint, Ben Gazzara.
* A Christmas Carol (1970), an animated television special directed by Zoran Janjic and produced by Australia's Air Programs and aired on CBS. It was the first in a series titled Famous Classic Tales and sponsored by Kenner.[6]
* "Scrooge Gets an Oscar" (1970), an episode of The Odd Couple had Oscar not being in the Christmas spirit while Felix tries to put together a play of Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" for some local children. Oscar falls asleep and dreams that he is Ebenezer Madison (Scrooge) and is shown what Christmas is really about by a ghost played by Felix. The poker-playing buddies appear as carollers who continue to gamble whilst carolling.
* In "Ebenezer Sanford", a 1976 episode of Sanford and Son, Fred is a Scrooge-like miser during the Christmas season and his friends try to get him to join into the Christmas spirit. He falls asleep and dreams that he is visited by three spirits who show him the true meaning of Christmas.
* A Christmas Carol (1977), an adaptation by the BBC with Sir Michael Hordern, who had played Marley's Ghost in two other versions, as Scrooge.[7]
* Rich Little's Christmas Carol (1978), a HBO television special in which impressionist Rich Little plays several celebrities and characters in the main roles.
* The Stingiest Man In Town (1978), an animated made-for-TV musical produced by Rankin-Bass. Stars Walter Matthau as the voice of Scrooge and Tom Bosley as the narrator. Scrooge was drawn to physically resemble Matthau. This had originally been done as a live-action musical on television in 1956.[8] This version, however, was not nearly as well received as the 1956 one.
* An American Christmas Carol (1979), an adaptation starring Henry Winkler at the height of his fame from the television series Happy Days, where the story is set in Depression era New England, and the Scrooge character is named Benedict Slade.[9]
* Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol (1979), an American country music inspired TV film starring Hoyt Axton as Cyrus Flint.[10]
* Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol (1979), an animated television special featuring the various Looney Tunes characters, with the role of Scrooge going to Yosemite Sam.
* Alvin and the Chipmunks adapted the basic storyline in a 1983 TV Special on NBC, Alvin's Christmas Carol. Alvin becomes a Scrooge-like chipmunk who only views Christmas as a time of getting. But Dave, Theodore and Simon show him that Christmas is a time of giving. Incidentally, Alvin's elderly neighbor on his paper route has a cat named Ebenezer.
* "A Keaton Christmas Carol", a 1983 episode of Family Ties, has Alex P. Keaton in the "Scrooge" role.
* A Christmas Carol (1984), starring George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge, David Warner and Susanna York as the Cratchits, with Edward Woodward as The Ghost Of Christmas Present. Scott (who had played Fagin two years previously) received an Emmy Award nomination for his performance. Clive Donner, who had been the film editor for the 1951 film Scrooge, directs.
* Another Song For Christmas, a 1984 episode from the television series Highway to Heaven, starring Michael Landon, Victor French, and Geoffrey Lewis as "Honest Eddy" Barton, the Scrooge equivalent. Honest Eddy is a used-car salesman who was having a wonderful Christmas Eve (for him). He just sold an overpriced lemon to an elderly couple who can't afford it, fired his chief mechanic because he refused to set back the odometers, ordered his attorney to evict one of his tenants—an orphanage—on Christmas, and ordered his main butler to report for work on Christmas morning instead of spending it with his family. That night he is taken on a whirlwind tour of his past, present and future. He wakes up the next morning a changed man and sets out to repair the damage he's done before it ruins everyone's Christmas. Landon plays the role of the spirits of the Past and Future, while French plays the role of the Present. At the beginning of the episode Mark Gordon (French) is seen reading "A Christmas Carol".
* A Jetsons Christmas Carol (1985), Christmas themed episode of The Jetsons in which Cosmo Spacely is the "Scrooge" visited by three robotlike "ghosts" and the ghost of his deceased business partner, "Jacob Marsley". Astro, the Jetsons' pet dog, has a "Tiny Tim" like role, as he's about to die because of a faulty product and, money issues aside, the Jetsons can't find a veterinarian working at Christmas Seasons. The Ghost of Christmas Present, characterized at this story as a huge package (to make a pun on the word "present") fails to make Spacely care about it and Spacely only cares to save Astro when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows that, should Astro die because of the faulty product, which happens to be his, the Jetsons will sue him and become rich, while Spacely's life goes downhill. (His business go wrong, turning him poor, and his wife leaves him)
* X-Mas Marks the Spot (1986), a Christmas themed episode of The Real Ghostbusters in which ghostbusters Peter Venkman, Egon Spangler, Ray Stantz, and Winston Zeddmore unknowingly travel back in time to Christmas Eve 1837 and accidentally 'bust' the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future as they talk to Scrooge.
* John Grin's Christmas Carol (1986), an African-American modernization of the story with Robert Guillaume as the Scrooge-like title character.
* Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988), a Christmas special between the third and fourth seasons of Blackadder, starring Rowan Atkinson as Ebenezer Blackadder and Robbie Coltrane as the Spirit of Christmas. In a twist on the story, Blackadder is the "kindest and loveliest" man in England, but his kindness is constantly taken advantage of. When the Spirit of Christmas arrives to show Blackadder the contrary antics of his ancestors, Blackadder comes to admire their trickery and wit. When Blackadder discovers that continuing to lead a life of generosity will eventually lead his descendant to become a slave to his bumbling manservant Baldrick's descendant, and becoming selfish and greedy will cause his descendant to take over the universe, Blackadder decides that "bad guys have all the fun," and awakens the next day treacherous, scheming and mean (which is the way the character is portrayed in the rest of the series).
* Scrooge: A Christmas Sarah (1990), a special Christmas pantomime episode of the British children's program Going Live! featuring presenter Sarah Greene as "Sarah Scrooge".
* A Little Miracle- December 24, 1962 (1990), an episode of Quantum Leap has Sam Leaping in on Christmas Eve into the life of Reginald Pierson, valet to a wealthy contractor, who is in danger of losing his soul in an attempt to demolish a Salvation Army mission, so he can build his "Blake's Plaza." Seeing a similarity to the Dickens character, Sam and Al decide to "Scrooge" the greed out of the man. Their attempts to make him face his poor past and hard present fail so they take advantage of how the man's brainwaves allow him to "see" the holographic Al to have Al pose as the Ghost of Christmas Future, using the records of how the man's fortunes fail to convince him to change his ways.
* A Christmas Plotz. An Animaniacs Episode (1993) featuring Thaddeus Plotz in the main role.
* A Flintstones Christmas Carol (1994), animated adaptation featuring Fred Flintstone as 'Eboneezer Scrooge', Barney as 'Bob Cragit' and Mr. Slate as 'Jacob Marbley'. [11]
* Northern Exposure used A Christmas Carol as the basis for its episode "Shofar, So Good" (1994), which depicts the Ghosts of Yom Kippur Past, Present, and Future visiting Dr. Joel Fleischman to encourage him to truly atone for his sins.
* Ebbie (1995), a television movie in which the role of Scrooge is played by a female with Susan Lucci as Elizabeth "Ebbie" Scrooge, the cold-hearted owner of a department store.[12]
* " A Solstice Carol", the 9th episode of season 2 on the television series Xena: Warrior Princess. Xena and Gabrielle arrive in a kingdom where celebrating the Solstice is forbidden. Xena devises a plan to stop King Silvus (as Ebenezer Scrooge) from closing an orphanage. He is visited by three ghosts, who show him the error of his wicked ways.
* Ebenezer (1997), a Canadian TV production Western-themed version starring Jack Palance and Rick Schroder.
* Ms. Scrooge (1997), a television movie starring Cicely Tyson that aired on USA Network. [13]
* Disney's 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997) In the Christmas episode, A Christmas Cruella, the ghosts, Cadpig as Past, Rolly as Present and Spot as Yet to Come, show how Cruella comes to hate Christmas in her early life, what will happen when Anita Dearly is fired, as well as Cruella's future.
* An All Dogs Christmas Carol (1998), Charlie and his friends appear as the three ghosts to a Scrooge-like Carface in order to stop an evil plot.
* A Christmas Carol (1999), a television movie directed by David Jones (credited as David Hugh Jones), starring Patrick Stewart as Ebenezer Scrooge. Inspired by his one-man show, but featuring a full supporting cast. This was the first version of the story to make use of digital special effects. Stewart was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award for his performance. [14]
* A Christmas Carol (2000) A modern-day version starring Ross Kemp as Eddie Scrooge, an unscrupulous loan shark.
* A Diva's Christmas Carol (2000), a humorous adaptation by VH1 starring Vanessa Williams as bitchy diva Ebony Scrooge who is transformed into a kind-hearted soul.[15] The ghost of Christmas future is portrayed by a television in her hotel room showing a future episode of VH1's Behind the Music about Ebony. Ebony is terrified at the engraving on her tombstone. That movie's Bob Cratchit is a fusion of two characters from the original novel. He's Ebony's employee like the original Bob Cratchit is Ebenezer's and he once was romantically involved with Ebony, turning him into a male counterpart to Ebenezer's lost love.
* A Carol Christmas (2003) Made-for-TV adaptation on the Hallmark Channel. Stars Tori Spelling as "Scroogette" TV host Carol Cartman. William Shatner makes a special appearance as the ghost of Christmas Present, and Gary Coleman as the ghost of Christmas Past.[16]
* Karroll's Christmas (2004), a modern-day variant in which the ghosts visit the next-door neighbor of the "Scrooge" character by mistake.
* A Christmas Carol: The Musical (2004), starring Kelsey Grammer.
* A Sesame Street Christmas Carol (2006), a direct to DVD special featuring Oscar the Grouch in the Scrooge role.[17]
* Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas (2006) the second Looney Tunes adaptation; this time, it features Daffy Duck as Scrooge.
* A Christmas Mikey (2006 television episode) Season one finale of Kappa Mikey, pitting Ozu in the role of Scrooge, and three Ghosts who resemble Japanese samurai.[18]
* "Dora's Christmas Carol" (2009, an episode of "Dora the Explorer" in which Swiper the Fox ends up on Santa Claus' naughty list and Dora and her friends help Swiper visit his past and present to try and change.
(Of all the actors who have played different roles in versions of the story, it is possible that Basil Rathbone may hold the record, having appeared in three different ones on television and one on radio. He played Scrooge in three productions and Marley's Ghost in another. Meanwhile, Jerry Nelson may hold the record for playing the most diverse roles in a single version, since in A Muppet Christmas Carol he performs at least a dozen Muppet characters, including Marley (Statler), the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Tiny Tim (Robin).)
[edit] Radio
* Lionel Barrymore starred as Scrooge in a dramatization on the CBS Radio Network on December 25, 1934, beginning a tradition he would repeat on various network programs every Christmas through 1953. Only twice did he not play the role: in 1936, when his brother John Barrymore filled in because of the death of Lionel's wife, and again in 1938, when Orson Welles took the role because Barrymore had fallen ill.[19][20][21][22]
* A 1940s adaptation starring Basil Rathbone as Scrooge was subsequently issued as a 3-record set by Columbia Records.[23]
* Alec Guinness starred as Scrooge in a BBC production from 1951, also broadcast in America, and repeated for several years afterward.
* A 1953 episode of The Six Shooter, "Britt Ponset's Christmas Carol", features a Western-themed adaptation of the story as told by series star James Stewart.
* Another 1953 version, also from the BBC, starred Laurence Olivier in his only recorded performance as Scrooge. This one was issued on CD in 1992.
* Beginning in the 1980s, NPR has periodically broadcast a straightforward, faithful version read by comedian Jonathan Winters, in which he plays all the roles.
* Focus On The Family Radio Theatre adapted the story in a 1996 production hosted by David Suchet, narrated by Timothy Bateson, and with Tenniel Evans as Scrooge. This production credits Noel Langley's screenplay for the 1951 film as well as Dickens' original book.
* I'm Sorry I Haven't A Christmas Carol (2003), a Christmas special of BBC radio show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. It's a story of Ebenezer Scrumph (host of the show Humphrey Lyttelton) and his poor assistant Crotchet (pianist Colin Sell). It features regulars of the show (Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Barry Cryer) as well as guest performers Linda Smith, Jeremy Hardy, Andy Hamilton, Sandi Toksvig, Tony Hawks and Stephen Fry as the narrator.
* A Christmas Carol (2007), a theatrical audio version, written and directed by Arthur Yorinks from The Night Kitchen Radio Theater, starring Peter Gerety, noted stage and film actor, as Scrooge. This faithful adaptation features a score by Edward Barnes and carols sung by members of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts Concert Choir.
* In 2008, David Jason recorded a 10 part abridged reading of A Christmas Carol for BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime.[24]
[edit] Recordings
* In 1941, Ronald Colman portrayed Scrooge in a famous American Decca four-record 78-RPM album of "A Christmas Carol" with a full supporting cast of radio actors and a score by Victor Young. [25] This version proved extremely popular and was eventually transferred to LP, where it sold well into the 1960s. In 2005, it appeared on a Deutsche Grammophon compact disc, along wth its companion piece on LP, Mr. Pickwick's Christmas, narrated by Charles Laughton. (The Pickwick recording had originally been made in 1944.)
* Ralph Richardson and Paul Scofield were featured on a Caedmon Records adaptation of the story. While the Colman version took up only one side of an LP, the Caedmon Records version took up an entire one. [26] It still has not appeared on CD.
* Patrick Stewart has recorded his one-man dramatic reading of the story.
* The Ronald Colman "A Christmas Carol" is abbreviated on both the LP and the CD versions. With the greater time available it was hoped that the CD would have the complete recording, but Deutsche Grammophone used the shorten LP version.
I'm not sure how complete this list is.
Did you really read all that?
Bet you eyes are glazed like donuts now!:roll:
I do have a few observations:
Favorite line from a Muppet A Christmas Carol (I think): Jack Not Name, Jack JOB!
Did I say I've been up since 3am for no good reason, work schedule.
Dickens was reading Hamlet (son of Piglet..Disney reference) when he wrote this. Yea, I know! Keep an open mind.
I love the Patric Stewart and George C Scott versions.
Disney did this story justice when it stared Mickey.
Star war is a version of A Christmas Carol.
I would have loved to have seen A Christmas Carol with the Marx Brothers as the Ghost and W.C. Fields as Scrooge. Imagine Groucho as the ghost of Christmas present, Chico as the ghost of Christmas past, and Harpo as the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Zepo could be Cratchit, he was the straight man. That lady who always played Mrs. Dumas could be his wife
I would also love Jackson to do a version of A Christmas Carol. Hey he did the Lord of the Rings why not take this on and do a real gritty version.
Is anybody still reading?
Three cups of coffee and three shots of RUM later and starting a 5am.
Please tear this up and spit it out.
This is only IMHO and I could be wrong!
Did anybody read all of this?
There are going to be EDITS. I'll come back on more. I won't be offended if no actually reads all of this. It's just a my thoughts.
EDIT: Star Wars does have all the elements of A Christmas Carol.
There's are Ghosts: Obi Wan and Yoda
There's a dark past: Vader
There's redemption: Vader
There is visitation: Vader and Luke
Tiny Tim: Anakin Skywalker
Marley: Palpatine
There is a bright future.
Stop me before I write my dissertations! I'm not Len, I don't need no stinking dissertations(Badges). OK I'm a huge fan of Bogart. Yes that line is from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Not from a Chuck Norris movie! I'm gonna step away from this post now, can you say ramble!
Please by a show of Mickey ears, DID ANYBODY READ THIS?
As if this isn't long enough! I will be writing EDITS. In the future.
