A Christmas Carol (1938)

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:

On Christmas Eve, a old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the spirit of his former partner...

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Christmas | Death | Charity | Christmas Eve

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bunny Beatty	...	Martha Cratchit (uncredited)
Frank Benson	...	(uncredited)
Billy Bevan	...	Leader of Street Watch (uncredited)
Ted Billings	...	Sidewalk Extra (uncredited)
Matthew Boulton	...	Second Charity Solicitor (uncredited)
Bob Carey	...	(uncredited)
St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choristers	...	Singers of 'Adeste Fidelis' (uncredited)
Charles Coleman	...	First Charity Solicitor (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Scrooge's waiter (uncredited)
Richard Deane	...	Handsome boy (uncredited)
David Dunbar	...	(uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	(uncredited)
Gertrude Geyer	...	Slim girl at Fred's party (uncredited)
Douglas Gordon	...	(uncredited)
Lumsden Hare	...	Man Discussing Scrooge's Funeral (uncredited)
Hugh Harrison	...	Tom (uncredited)
Forrester Harvey	...	Old Fezziwig (uncredited)
Harold Hensen	...	Jack (uncredited)
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Clergyman sliding on sidewalk (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten	...	Schoolmaster (uncredited)
Boyd Irwin	...	Man discussing Scrooge's funeral (uncredited)
Bill James	...	(uncredited)
I. Stanford Jolley	...	Sidewalk Extra (uncredited)
Tiny Jones	...	Woman encouraging Fred to slide (uncredited)
Muriel Kearney	...	Cratchit's daughter (uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	(uncredited)
Crauford Kent	...	Scrooge's taller business associate (uncredited)
George Kirby	...	Goose seller (uncredited)
Maude Leslie	...	Bess's mother (uncredited)
Norma Leslie	...	Plump girl at Fred's party (uncredited)
June Lockhart	...	Belinda Cratchit (uncredited)
William Martin	...	Cratchit's middle son (uncredited)
John O'Day	...	Peter Cratchit (uncredited)
Charles Peck	...	Dick Wilkins (uncredited)
John Rogers	...	Chestnuts vendor (uncredited)
Clifford Severn	...	Boy who buys Scrooge's Christmas Turkey (uncredited)
Renee Shearing	...	Fred's Maid (uncredited)
William Stack	...	Man discussing Scrooge's funeral (uncredited)
Elvira Stevens	...	Fan Scrooge (uncredited)
James Stevens	...	Fat man at Fred's party (uncredited)
Doris Stone	...	Pretty girl at Fred's party (uncredited)
Monte Vandergrift	...	Drunk (uncredited)
Delmar Watson	...	Snowballer in Gang (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Scrooge's shorter business associate (uncredited)

Directed by
Edwin L. Marin

Writing credits
Charles Dickens		(short story)
Hugo Butler		(screenplay)

Produced by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz	....	producer

Original Music by
Franz Waxman

Cinematography by
Sidney Wagner		(photographed by)
John F. Seitz		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
George Boemler

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Valles

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup designer: characters

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marvin Stuart	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Dolph Zimmer	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
John S. Detlie	....	associate art director (as John Detlie)

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Music Department
Leo Arnaud	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Earl K. Brent	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
David Snell	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Franz Waxman	....	musical director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Loew's
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1938) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1938) (UK) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Loew's
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

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:

This was the only film in which Gene Lockhart appeared with his wife Kathleen Lockhart and their daughter June 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:

Ebenezer Scrooge: [to Marley's ghost] We'll soon see how real you are.
[Calling out the window]
Ebenezer Scrooge: Watch! There's an intruder in my room!
Leader of watch: Right up, sir - law and order!
Jacob Marley's ghost: It was for your welfare that I made this visit, Ebenezer Scrooge.
[He disappears]
Leader of watch: [unable to find him] Your intruder seems to have extruded, if I may say so, sir.
Ebenezer Scrooge: He was here! He was a spirit!
Leader of watch: [laughing] Of course, sir! A fine night for spirits - of one form or another, sir!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: Burns' Heir (#5.18)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Adeste Fidelis (O Come All Ye Faithful)

Reginald Owen is the star.....

How refreshing to see Reginald Owen as star of a movie. So what if he was the last minute replacement for Lionel Barrymore. I have read earlier comments for this movie, and I will give you my take.

I first saw Reginald Owen in "Mary Poppins", playing Admiral Boom, a character whom I thought was insanely crazy. I realized, many years later, that Owen was a very intelligent actor who had carried many a movie, mostly in character settings. Indeed, in "Poppins", Owen played along with all the craziness in the story.

In "A Christmas Carol", Owen plays Ebenezer Scrooge, essaying the lead part well. How refreshing, indeed. As an acting student, I noticed how Scrooge's forehead "old-age makeup" resembled that of what I was taught last summer in a theatre stage makeup class at The Ohio State University. There is that liquid latex (that has dried, of course) with just enough wrinkle to make his face give the hint of elderliness, whereas in real life Owen was only 51 years old.

As for Lionel Barrymore, I glean from my studies of the Barrymores that if they had made enough money on the stage they would never have "gone Hollywood", like they did. I think they had long ago sold out to the moneyed establishment. Definitely a lucky break for Reginald Owen, who for most of his career played the-glue character parts or second leads. Admiral Boom is certainly "an aside" in Mary Poppins.

In "A Christmas Carol", I noticed that "Tiny Tim" was played by the boy who played "Colley" in "Goodbye, Mr. Chips". So what if the actor was too old. He conveyed the spirit of the story. He was a good actor.

The Lockharts were great, especially Gene as Bob Cratchit. Lockhart also played the double roles of The Starkeeper and The Graduation Speaker in "Carousel", as an older man, and certainly always a rotund one. Indeed, it was other actors supporting Reginald Owen this time, not the other way 'round.

The Ghost of Christmas Present was well made up and costumed. I liked his hair and beautiful robes -- the robes reminded me of the fur-trimmed outfits of modern Santa Clauses. He did a good job showing Ebenezer Scrooge the error of his ways.

All, it was a heartwarming story about how a wretchedly selfish individual gets shown the error of his ways, and is given a chance to right his self-centered existence. A charming holiday season movie to watch.