A Christmas Carol (1938)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Edwin L. Marin

Writers:

Charles Dickens (short story)
Hugo Butler (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 December 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

Greater than "David Copperfield" !

Plot:

The timeworn Dickens' story about the old merchant Scrooge and how his own disappointments in life shape...

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Christmas | Christmas Eve | Death | Charity

Cast

Reginald Owen	...	Ebenezer Scrooge
Gene Lockhart	...	Bob Cratchit
Kathleen Lockhart	...	Mrs. Cratchit
Terry Kilburn	...	Tiny Tim Cratchit
Barry MacKay	...	Fred - Scrooge's nephew (as Barry Mackay)
Lynne Carver	...	Bess - Fred's fiancee
Leo G. Carroll	...	Marley's Ghost
Lionel Braham	...	Spirit of Christmas Present
Ann Rutherford	...	Spirit of Christmas Past
D'Arcy Corrigan	...	Spirit of Christmas Future
Ronald Sinclair	...	Young Scrooge

Also Known As:

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:G (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #4884)

Company:

Loew's

Trivia:

Although he seemed much older, Reginald Owen was only 4 years older than Gene Lockhart.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Bob is fired by Scrooge for throwing the snowball at him, he sadly walks behind the man with a goose; at different shots he has his scarf nesting right on his shoulder joint, and then hanging freely in front of him, and then back on his shoulder.

Quotes:

[Scrooge has come in after being visited by the ghosts]
Ebenezer Scrooge: Fred! My dear nephew! How are you?
Fred: Well who is this?
Ebenezer Scrooge: It's me! Your uncle Scrooge! Smile makes a difference, doesn't it?

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Jane Austen's Mafia! (1998)

Soundtrack:

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

Fun and different approach to the Christmas classic

The 1938 `Christmas Carol' is by no means the best film version of Dickens's much-beloved tale. Still, it does offer a few novel and enjoyable twists. It is the only version I know of in which Bob Cratchit is `canned' (as he repeatedly says) before Christmas day, after knocking Scrooge's hat off with a snowball. It is also the first version to use the much-imitated ending of Scrooge showing up unexpectedly at Cratchit's house, rather than revealing his epiphany to Bob on St. Stephen's Day. It may be unique for having the healthiest-looking Tiny Tim and the most insanely jovial nephew Fred. But as I say, these are enjoyable twists; it is fun to see a different take on this oft-told tale.