Though made in 1979, this marionette puts me in mind of the Victorian puppets made in the Nineteenth Century by the Tiller-Clowes troupe. Here, we see Ebenezer Scrooge. He was made, along with twenty-two others, by Peter and Frances Grant for their puppet production of “A Christmas Carol.” Their Theater of Marionettes toured Britain in 1979 with this production.
The Grants had a long history of puppetry. They began their company in the 1960s, and, over time made their way across Britain and Europe to the delight of many.
Frances Grant sculpted the bodies of their marionettes. She used obeche, a tropical wood valued for its smoothness and lack of resin. The faces, hands and feet were also sculpted by Frances who employed epoxy resin to create expressive features. Peter Grant costumed the figures and created all the props.
Of all the many film versions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, this one, in my opinion, is the best. Produced and directed in 1951 in Britain by Brian Desmond Hurst, the film was originally released under the title, Scrooge. When it was distributed in the United States, United Artists preferred to use the name, A Christmas Carol.
Alastair Sim plays the title character—perfectly. His Scrooge is crusty, but charmingly so, slightly mad and shows us just a little vulnerability beneath his initially hard exterior. Joining Mr. Sim is Kathleen Harrison as Scrooge’s charwoman, Hermione Baddeley and Mervyn Johns as Mrs. And Mr. Cratchit, Michael Hordern as Marley’s ghost, Patrick MacNee as young Marley and Ernest Thesiger as the undertaker. The rest of the cast is also exceptional—each giving performances which seem to have been directed by Dickens himself.
The film differs from the original text a bit. The name of Ebenezer’s fiancée is changed from Belle to Alice and we learn more about her than we do in the book. We get more of a back story into the business relationship of Scrooge and Marley. Scrooge’s charwoman adopts the name Mrs. Dilber when she’s nameless in the book and Mrs. Dilber is actually the laundress. The most notable difference is the inclusion of an explanation for Scrooge’s sour disposition—having apparently been the cause of his mother’s death during his birth. This addition is meant to balance Scrooge’s distaste for his nephew since his beloved sister died during childbirth as well.
These minor changes notwithstanding, the film follows the book relatively well and includes much dialogue straight from the pages of Dickens. What I like most about this film is that it’s so very English. It’s an English film about an English book made in England and actually shot in and around London. This is something that just can’t be replicated. No special effects, no amount of dialogue coaching, nor any scenic trickery will ever be able to match that.
Another enjoyable aspect of the film is the soundtrack. The music was composed by Richard Addinsell who added traditional English music to his dramatic score. Included in this assortment is “The Ballad of Barbara Allen”—a song which I’ve always loved (as you already know).
If you’ve not seen it, you must watch this film sometime this Christmas season. If you have seen it, watch it again. It’s available on DVD and, surprisingly, on Blu Ray. Many of the DVD copies come with the 1989 colorized version of the film. To that, I say, “Humbug!” Here's the whole film...
This hand-colo(u)red etching was created for an early edition of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol,” published in 1843, and depicts the scene in which Scrooge's third visitor—The Ghost of Christmas Present—appears.
It was drawn by John Leech (of "Punch Magazine" fame) and published in an edition by Chapman & Hall. The title and artist’s signature are still clearly seen.
It’s great to be back, back, back. It’s great to be back on Broadway…
This charming short film should not be dismissed as just another animated Christmas special. It was the original Christmas special—the first animated film to be created specifically for television broadcast on Christmas. It predates all of those other Christmas specials that we all grew up with. And, truly, it’s a remarkable little film.
Produced in 1962 by Henry G. Saperstein for UPA and directed by Abe Levitow, the film centers around beloved myopic thespian Quincy Magoo who is about to make his triumphant return to Broadway in a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. While the introductory and interstitial portions of the film which show Magoo as “himself” (not as Scrooge) are often cut for broadcast on television, the approach to the story is that this is Mr. Magoo playing Ebenezer Scrooge—on stage—with a cast of American actors (including frequent Magoo costar Gerald McBoing-Boing in an unprecedented speaking part as Tiny Tim) playing the characters from Dickens’ work. Recent broadcasts which cut the behind-the-scenes theatrical aspects of the film, are diluting the filmmakers’ original intent. They didn’t want us to think that Mr. Magoo was Scrooge, that wanted us to remember that this was part of his ongoing adventures as he played the part in his much-anticipated return to the stage.
While the plot of the “Christmas Carol” differs from Dickens’ book for the sake of time, the dialogue is surprisingly spot-on, with many of the characters speaking lines directly from the original work. The most magnificent parts of the show, however, are the music and the songs. Composed especially for the film by the famed Broadway team of Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, the music is as good as any Broadway show. Songs such as “Winter was Warm,” “When You’re Alone in the World,” “Ringle, Ringle,” and “The Lord’s Bright Blessing” are epic, sweeping, emotional tunes with as much to offer as any Tony-Award winning show’s score.
With a talented cast that includes Morey Amsterdam, Jack Cassidy, and Paul Frees alongside Mr. Magoo’s usual voice, Jim Backus (Thurston Howell, III/James Dean’s father in Rebel without a Cause—to name a few), the film is humorous and touching. Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol was recently restored to all of its original 1960’s glorious color and is available on DVD. If you haven’t seen it in years or haven’t seen it at all, you must add this film to your Christmas collection.
Here’s a clip of one of my favorite scenes. The Laundress, The Charwoman and the Undertaker—along with Old Joe—since “The Plunderers’ March” also known as “We’re Despicable.”
Though made in 1979, this marionette puts me in mind of the Victorian puppets made in the Nineteenth Century by the Tiller-Clowes troupe. Here, we see Ebenezer Scrooge. He was made, along with twenty-two others, by Peter and Frances Grant for their puppet production of “A Christmas Carol.” Their Theater of Marionettes toured Britain in 1979 with this production.
The Grants had a long history of puppetry. They began their company in the 1960s, and, over time made their way across Britain and Europe to the delight of many.
Frances Grant sculpted the bodies of their marionettes. She used obeche, a tropical wood valued for its smoothness and lack of resin. The faces, hands and feet were also sculpted by Frances who employed epoxy resin to create expressive features. Peter Grant costumed the figures and created all the props.
It’s great to be back, back, back. It’s great to be back on Broadway…
This charming short film should not be dismissed as just another animated Christmas special. It was the original Christmas special—the first animated film to be created specifically for television broadcast on Christmas. It predates all of those other Christmas specials that we all grew up with. And, truly, it’s a remarkable little film.
Produced in 1962 by Henry G. Saperstein for UPA and directed by Abe Levitow, the film centers around beloved myopic thespian Quincy Magoo who is about to make his triumphant return to Broadway in a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. While the introductory and interstitial portions of the film which show Magoo as “himself” (not as Scrooge) are often cut for broadcast on television, the approach to the story is that this is Mr. Magoo playing Ebenezer Scrooge—on stage—with a cast of American actors (including frequent Magoo costar Gerald McBoing-Boing in an unprecedented speaking part as Tiny Tim) playing the characters from Dickens’ work. Recent broadcasts which cut the behind-the-scenes theatrical aspects of the film, are diluting the filmmakers’ original intent. They didn’t want us to think that Mr. Magoo was Scrooge, that wanted us to remember that this was part of his ongoing adventures as he played the part in his much-anticipated return to the stage.
While the plot of the “Christmas Carol” differs from Dickens’ book for the sake of time, the dialogue is surprisingly spot-on, with many of the characters speaking lines directly from the original work. The most magnificent parts of the show, however, are the music and the songs. Composed especially for the film by the famed Broadway team of Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, the music is as good as any Broadway show. Songs such as “Winter was Warm,” “When You’re Alone in the World,” “Ringle, Ringle,” and “The Lord’s Bright Blessing” are epic, sweeping, emotional tunes with as much to offer as any Tony-Award winning show’s score.
With a talented cast that includes Morey Amsterdam, Jack Cassidy, and Paul Frees alongside Mr. Magoo’s usual voice, Jim Backus (Thurston Howell, III/James Dean’s father in Rebel without a Cause—to name a few), the film is humorous and touching.
Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol was recently restored to all of its original 1960’s glorious color and is available on DVD. If you haven’t seen it in years or haven’t seen it at all, you must add this film to your Christmas collection.
Here’s a clip of one of my favorite scenes. The Laundress, The Charwoman and the Undertaker—along with Old Joe—since “The Plunderers’ March” also known as “We’re Despicable.”
This hand-colo(u)red etching was created for an early edition of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol,” published in 1843, and depicts the scene in which Scrooge's third visitor—The Ghost of Christmas Present—appears.
It was drawn by John Leech (of "Punch Magazine" fame) and published in an edition by Chapman & Hall. The title and artist’s signature are still clearly seen.
