The oldest version I've seen is the Seymour Hicks one from the early 30s. It is an acceptable version and has the shortest running time. There was some unique scenes only in this version but they didn't even show Marley's Ghost, you just heard his voice. I guess replicating a ghost was beyond their level of expertise at the time.
The next is the Reginald Owen Scrooge made a few years later with wonderful special effects for that time period. Mr Owen replaced an ill Lionel Barrymore as Scrooge and I wonder what that would have been like. I'm sure Mr. Barrymore would have crushed it! The Owen Version isn't my favorite but I like it for other reasons. One is they have the Lockhart family as Mr. and Mrs. Bob Cratchit and their lovely young daughter June playing one of the Cratchit's children. June would later play Timmy's mother in the TV series Lassie and the mom of "Lost in Space", a silly SciFi series obviously trying to garner Star Trek's fan following. Also in this version the horse drawn Carriage Scrooge uses to make the rounds is in the Carriage Museum in Florida! We've been to that museum and it was exciting seeing this and other historic carriages. According to AAA magazine it is considered a Florida Jewel. I agree!
The early 50s "A Christmas Carol" starring Alistair Sim as Scrooge is by and far the best version and also the most accurate. It came out on premiere day (Halloween) to lukewarm reviews stating it was too scary. Too scary for Halloween? How times have changed! This is the ONLY version that completely tells why he is estranged from his nephew Fred. He blames him for his sister's death as she died having him. This is ironic as he was estranged from his own father for the very same reason! Scrooge's mother died having him and the dad blamed Scrooge. I get so annoyed at the versions showing Fan as a younger sister! If their mom died having Scrooge and Fan is much younger well how in hell did that happen? That's impossible! If you're gonna change a story at least keep the basic facts right! This same unfortunate occurrence happened in my family. My great grandmother died having my grandfather and his dad was so upset he put him in an orphanage! He was later taken out and raised by aunts. And I don't even know if he ever saw his father again. Sad.
At some point in time the powers that be decided to make musical versions. The Albert Finney one gets great reviews. I have no idea why. He has no voice AT ALL and croaks out tune after tune. Yuck. Then there is the better Kelsey Grammer version, it has it's moments and at least Mr. Grammer can sing. The best musical one if you ask me is the "Mr Magoo Christmas Carol". It is animated, has a cute story line, wonderful songs and stars Jack Cassidy as Bob Cratchit. He was the father of teen idols Shaun and the recently departed David Cassidy and was a fine actor and singer.
Another animated version stars Jim Carrey as Scrooge. This is the scariest version and must have been mind blowing on the big screen in 3D. Even on a regular TV the special effects are
spectacular! One scene has Scrooge being chased by red eyed demon horses pulling a hearse, small kids must have been scared out of their wits!
My favorite of the newer versions is the George C Scott one. This gets lousy ratings and again I am clueless. He is one of our finest actors ever and certainly delivers in this telling! The whole cast is awesome and Tiny Tim for once really looks like he's dying. Maybe it was politics I don't know. And yet they always give that Bill Murray abomination glowing reviews. Ugh, really people? Although I pretty much hate all the versions that skew it to modern times.
One actor in the George C Scott one was in one of my favorite shows from the 80s. It was called "The Equalizer" and starred a very Bond like British actor- Edward Woodward. He plays the ghost of Christmas present and at one point stares down Scrooge and tells him off, figuratively ripping him a "new one". I loved it! By the way here is the opening sequence of the Equalizer. If the pounding music and frightening imagery doesn't make your hair stand on end check your pulse!
The last version I will watch this week stars Patrick Stewart as Scrooge. If Captain Jean-Luc Pickard can be Scrooge why not Kirk's William Shatner? His halting and monotone delivery may have been quite unique, or funny. This is one of the better new versions. I like Patrick Stewart and read a story on him once about his miserable childhood at the hands of his abusive father with severe PTSD. I wonder if he called on those memories for his excellent portrayal of a man hardened by a heartbreaking childhood. I imagine he did.
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