I belong to an incredibly small and probably forgotten group of film fans who have seen every filmed version of this classic Charles Dickens novella: "A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas." Yep! You read that correctly. That is actually the official title of Dicken's masterful story, though today it is more commonly known as "A Christmas Carol."
First published in London, England, on December 19, 1843, it's an astonishing revelation when you consider how popular this piece of literature continues to be given that it is now (2021) 178 years old. Redwood and Sequoia trees last that long, while certain animals such as Greenland sharks, Koi fish, Bowhead Whales, and even certain sea urchins live much longer. There is even a clam called the "Ocean Quahog" that is believed to live more than 500 years. And though the average human lifespan is just under 80 years, it would seem that even the aforementioned trees and creatures may not ever be as immortal as A Christmas Carol.
Dickens penned and quickly published A Christmas Carol during a period when he was nearly broke, and had a large family to care for. Unfortunately, the book wouldn't lift him completely out of debt, but it would help.
The real tragedy of the Christmas Carol films is that Scrooge is depicted similarly in each version, even though he is absolutely a multidimensional character. Reginald Owen does an admirable job portraying the irascible, nasty old Ebenezer Scrooge. But the problem is, Scrooge, the character, is so much more than that. He's bitter, yes, but he wasn't born that way. An older, wiser, and no doubt, wearier Scrooge, sees the duplicity of people who wish each other a "Merry Christmas" only to callously push them aside the next day. He doesn't hate the Christmas holiday. He despises the people who celebrate it and he absolutely loathes their hypocrisy.
My only complaint with this version is that it reconstructs the storyline far too often. These "variations" have the effect of diluting the most important threads of the story itself. (If you read the book, or compare this version with the others, you'll see what I mean).
Still, even with the above mentioned flaws, the cast is quite memorable: Bob Cratchit is played by Gene Lockhart, Mrs. Cratchit is played by Kathleen Lockhart (Gene's real wife), Belinda Cratchit is played by June Lockhart (Gene and Kathleen's real daughter), Jacob Marley is played by Leo G. Carroll, who later found a rekindled career as the bumbling and lovable Cosmo Topper in the hit TV series, Topper).
As usual, no spoilers here, but I will reveal that this was the first film appearance of June Lockhart (who would later find fame in the TV series Lassie), and the only film where the Lockhart family, Gene, Kathleen and June, would appear together.
First published in London, England, on December 19, 1843, it's an astonishing revelation when you consider how popular this piece of literature continues to be given that it is now (2021) 178 years old. Redwood and Sequoia trees last that long, while certain animals such as Greenland sharks, Koi fish, Bowhead Whales, and even certain sea urchins live much longer. There is even a clam called the "Ocean Quahog" that is believed to live more than 500 years. And though the average human lifespan is just under 80 years, it would seem that even the aforementioned trees and creatures may not ever be as immortal as A Christmas Carol.
Dickens penned and quickly published A Christmas Carol during a period when he was nearly broke, and had a large family to care for. Unfortunately, the book wouldn't lift him completely out of debt, but it would help.
The real tragedy of the Christmas Carol films is that Scrooge is depicted similarly in each version, even though he is absolutely a multidimensional character. Reginald Owen does an admirable job portraying the irascible, nasty old Ebenezer Scrooge. But the problem is, Scrooge, the character, is so much more than that. He's bitter, yes, but he wasn't born that way. An older, wiser, and no doubt, wearier Scrooge, sees the duplicity of people who wish each other a "Merry Christmas" only to callously push them aside the next day. He doesn't hate the Christmas holiday. He despises the people who celebrate it and he absolutely loathes their hypocrisy.
My only complaint with this version is that it reconstructs the storyline far too often. These "variations" have the effect of diluting the most important threads of the story itself. (If you read the book, or compare this version with the others, you'll see what I mean).
Still, even with the above mentioned flaws, the cast is quite memorable: Bob Cratchit is played by Gene Lockhart, Mrs. Cratchit is played by Kathleen Lockhart (Gene's real wife), Belinda Cratchit is played by June Lockhart (Gene and Kathleen's real daughter), Jacob Marley is played by Leo G. Carroll, who later found a rekindled career as the bumbling and lovable Cosmo Topper in the hit TV series, Topper).
As usual, no spoilers here, but I will reveal that this was the first film appearance of June Lockhart (who would later find fame in the TV series Lassie), and the only film where the Lockhart family, Gene, Kathleen and June, would appear together.