Simply A Masterpiece

Memorable, crazy movie

Absolutely Brilliant!

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Three talkie movies of the Charles Dickens classic had come out when Oscar winner Frederic March tackled the role for this television musical that cuts out much of the meat and left and disguises it with bits of parsley disguised as mistletoe to make it seem better than it is. Adding mediocre songs makes it even more tedious although much of what makes this beloved is there. March isn't so much miserly than a lonely old man too filled with pride to admit that all he was wants is a little attention. He isn't scary at all, and one thing that should be clear is that his wealth makes him a force to be reckoned with whether it be as a lender seeking the return of a loan or as an imperious boss. Basil Rather one is on and off quickly as Marley, but the usually bland Ray Middleton seems liver than normal as both Scrooge's nephew and the ghost of Christmas present. Sti, the plight of Tiny Tim is touching and the themes remain timeless. Remade countless times in several ways, this one will remain an obscure view of Dickens' most beloved classic. It won't ever compare to the several later musical versions, especially the Albert Finney remake in 1970.

I first saw the Shower of Stars production of A Christmas Carol as a child in 1954. I must say, my jaw dropped at the first sight of Sally Frazier (the Ghost of Christmas past). I thought she was a Goddess,easily the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. When I was able to purchase an obscure video tape of this show in 1988 however, imagine my disappointment at the trick my 11 year old eyes had played on me. While still beautiful, she was nothing like I remembered. (or imagined!) What I did not remember, and was pleasantly surprised at was the outstanding score by the great Bernard Herrman. From the opening sounds of a child trumpeting his flute for the coming (acappella) carolers who sing their message as a foreboding warning of things to come, (so Herrman!) to the well done musical interludes that DON'T intrude on the story, this was an unexpected delight! I wish this was available on DVD and at the very least, Bernard Herrman's wonderful and ORIGINAL Chistmas score should be made available.

This show is on DVD, it's a bonus feature on the Bing Crosby and Kate Smith Christmas DVD. I was excited to watch this, never knowing that March played Scrooge before, and always up for seeing a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol. What a huge disappointment! This is borderline garbage. March doesn't deliver and the rest of the actors, except for Rathbone of course, are lousy. The songs aren't memorable, nor even mediocre enough to sit through, and the choice of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is unbelievably ridiculous. The only consolation is that the Bing Christmas show is the main feature and worth paying the $8 for, so you're not really paying for this version of A Christmas Carol (unless you watch it).

I remember watching this for several Christmases when I was a young boy. Basil Rathbone as Marley scared the bejesus out of me, and I had nightmares.I never thought I'd ever see it again until a friend found it in a big catalog and gave me a print for Christmas. What a wonderful cast and what a shame this version wasn't better preserved. Maxwell Anderson, the adaptor, was born just a few miles from here and is buried in Crawford County.The cast is superb. Whoever hears of Ray Middleton any more, or Bob Sweeney. Frederic March's reputation has held up a little better, but any would-be actor could do a lot worse than to watch him work.The songs were corny and had the sound of being tossed off between breakfast and lunch. The boy soprano in the beginning had the same effect on me as a dentist's drill.It was neat that the print I got has the Chrysler commercials, spaced out a heckuva lot further apart than they are today. Sadly, they made a fuss about telling viewers the show was in living color, but mine came through in black and white - just like our TV did in 1955.