An American Christmas Carol was actually filmed in the town I grew up in. According to folks in town, Henry Winkler was incredibly kind & super respectful. They had nothing but great things to say about him.
The George C. Scott Christmas Carol was filmed in my home town and my dad's friend actually worked on the film. I've visited the filming locations many times.
I'm always amazed how, " Scrooge " (1970) with Albert Finney, and Alec Guinness is always skipped over and is always the hardest to find. I'm glad I finally own a copy of it. I don't know if it's because it's called Scrooge instead of A Christmas Carol or if it's because of copyrights of the two most famous actors who have ever played Scrooge & Marley. I just don't understand it. If anyone has any real information it would be most welcome.
Definitely the best adaptation. Great performances from the leads and great songs as well. Fleshing out the Scrooge/Isabel storyline really hammered home what a pitiful character he was too. They did a great job of giving him a little more dimension and nuance than some other adaptations. We watch Scrooge every Christmas Eve at my house.
My family watches this every year. It's got great songs that get stuck in your head. For many years we watched the VHS that we got from our church video sale (Our church had a video library that was pretty cool). Couldn't find it anywhere until it later popped on DVD on Amazon.
It has a scene from the book that always gets cut out. After Marley tells Scrooge of the three Spirits, he takes Scrooge through his bedroom window into his courtyard, where Scrooge is horrified to find that the world is full of ghosts, usually invisible, who are tormented by their ability to witness but not influence events. At one moment, a ghost is seen crying helplessly over a mother and young child freezing to death in the snow, unable to help them.
The 1984 version with George C. Scott is my favorite. Coincidentally, my wife and I watched it last night and I mentioned the Rich Little version, which my dad loved.
Agreed, The George C. Scott version is my favorite as well. The back and forth between Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present is something that I think about all the time.
I like a lot of them but probably my favorite is the Jim Carrey version. When Cratchit starts to talk about how tiny Tim, in church, was saying that Jesus made blind men see and lame men walk, it's a very moving scene.
I can't believe that I took the time to research that Scrooge, would infact, know what ketchup was. Maybe not the EZ squeeze bottles made from plastic though.
It isn't a direct adaptation, but I do recommend The Man Who Invented Christmas. Dan Stevens plays Charles Dickens while he goes through the process of creating A Christmas Carol. And we get to see Christopher Plummer play as Ebenezer Scrooge during the inception of the tale. It's a fun movie and became part of my holiday watching since release a couple years ago.
Albert Finney was 34 when he starred in Scrooge (the 1970 musical), and played the old man so convincingly that you forget he's not really an old man. And keep in mind, that's while singing and dancing as an old man. The one thing that really gives him away are his fat, young fingers. By the time you see him as young Eb, you may forget that it's the same actor.
Scrooge isn't supposed to be elderly, anyway. In the chronology of the novel, he should be early 50s at most. Finney played him correctly, and his "old" Scrooge looks to be reasonably in his 50s, which is correct.
You mentioned that you're surprised there weren't more Christmas Carol sequels. There is one I can think of. The 1985 Anthology series "George Burns Comedy Week" had for its second to last episode "Christmas Carol II: The Sequel". The series itself would be worthy of an episode as it was from Steve Martin and Carl Gottlieb and was riding the brief anthology tv series craze of the mid 80s.
Ah, so I’m not the only one who remembers that TV series and that particular episode. (I couldn’t name or describe any other episode from GBCW if you forced me to try.)
I taught this in college English class--we would read the Dickens text in class, and I would show four versions: 1951 (Alastair Sims), "Scrooged,," the George C. Scott (1984) version, and Patrick Stewart (1999) version. Patrick Stewart's version received about 75% of the votes over a ten-year period of teaching this curriculum.
Out of those, Stewart's is the worst - partly because it's a sanitized Disney production, but because it's only shortly after Star Trek TNG ended it just seems like Picard playing on the Holodeck.
For a minute there, I mistook the actor playing Scrooge in ''Scrooge To See You'' for Dereck Jacobi, but then I couldn't understand how a low budget Christian film company could afford him. Then it occurred to me that it was actually David Ruprecht, the host of the old ''Supermarket Sweep'' gameshow. Other than Supermarket Sweep, Ruprecht's big claim to fame was playing the guy that married Janet in the last season of ''Three's Company''.
I'm so glad you included the Henry Winkler version, which came out when I was a (very media-aware) 11-year-old. He was at peak popularity then -- he could write his own ticket, and I think he chose this project to get as far away from The Fonz as he could. I watched at least some of it and remember thinking, "Huh, he pulled it off pretty well."
I thought he sounded familiar, the scrooge from "Mister Scrooge to see you" is the host os Supermarket Sweep. So weird to see him in something other than a fantastically hideous sweater, but I guess you gotta continue to work. This is a wonderful hodgepodge list of movies. Will have to watch them sometime for fun.
Anyone else get a weird Back To the Future 2 vibe from that last movie? "It's Bob Cratchit's kids, Ebenezer! Something's gotta be done about his kids!"
The '51 version with Alastair Sim is still to this day the definite and best one. Scrooged is a personal favorite of myself and my wife. You forgot to mention the 1997 movie Ebenezer with Jack Palance as Scrooge, I've never seen anyone even remotely remember it being made
The Alistair Sim version is great, although some of the changes made to the story aren't so great - like having Marley repent on his death bed but still be damned, which makes no sense, and isn't in the original story for a reason: he was damned because he _didn't_ repent in life. (Which I guess means after a redeemed Scrooge dies and goes to Heaven, Marley will still be trudging around on Earth as a ghost. Kind of a raw deal.)
I love An American Christmas Carol. I saw it for the first time on The Family Channel when I was a kid. Now I have it on Blu-ray. My favorite Christmas Carol has to be the Patrick Stewart version
I was somewhat raised on Rich Little's Christmas Carol. It is enjoyable for what it was, though I do agree it should have been much shorter, less Dickens more Rich Little.
I'll admit, I laughed at a lot of the clips of that one, and I thought "this actually sounds awesome!" But when he said it was 50 minutes, I thought "Yeah, that is a LITTLE too long for this concept."
Or less Rich Little and more actors. He plays Cratchit, Scrooge, maybe Marley or Ghost of Christmas Present, but then you have comedians or other contemporaries playing the other characters. And maybe only half an hour since it's a comedy and it doesn't have to atmospheric to get the point across.
@@JamieRobles1 Two problems, first this is a one-man show, and Rich Little is one of the great impressionists possibly of all time, very few stars if any are more qualified then him to act in a one-man show. Secondly while it first aired in the USA on HBO, it aired one year earlier on and was produced by the CBC, so we should forgive it for being cheap. 75% if not more of the special's budget most likely went to Rich Little's salary .
@@dr.burtgummerfan439 You don't have enough faith in young people. They have access to all of the media that's ever been created, and if they don't get a references, they can look it up.
My favorite versions are a tie between A Muppet Christmas Carol with Michael Caine and Scrooge with Albert Finney. My least favorite is probably the Disney animated version with Jim Carey, it's an uncanny valley nightmare.
Yeah I'm not a fan of the Jim Carrey version either, funnily enough I'm also not a fan of the Jim Carrey Grinch which is another movie where Jim Carrey plays a character who hates christmas. Btw I also love The Muppet Christmas Carol and Scrooge with Albert Finney.
@@DirectorDonP You're talking about six digits in post-production costs there. Do you really think ANYONE wants to spend all that money to fix a terrible made for television film from 1978 that no one liked to begin with? That's like asking for $25,000 to hire a good artist to paint a decent portrait of Scrooge and then another $5,000 to have it digitally superimposed into this scene @13:09 just to fix it more than ten years after it was released.
@@wellesradio "6 digits post-production" this youtuber did it with almost nothing in his spare time, by himself, and did it so well he got poached by Lucas Films. So no, it wouldn't be until you start throwing Hollywood accounting into it and magically make the money disappear. th-cam.com/video/dHSTWepkp_M/w-d-xo.html
@@Channel-gz9hm He/she added filters on top of already existing footage, and did for a “whopping” two minutes and forty-five seconds. As for “doing it for almost nothing”, if the studios rely on unpaid slave labor, sure, why not? Practically free. Ask that TH-camr how much LucasArts pays for the hours of work they would put in to accomplish this while on the payroll. It’s about $95k-$120k annually per artist. That’s only for the in-house stuff. LucasFilms games licenses properties, so they have to pay a lot more for other designers to being their teams in as well. If I were an architect, just because I’m willing to design my own house in my spare time doesn’t mean that architects are cheap.
I also love the Patrick Stewart version. I also love The Muppet Christmas Carol, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, and the 2009 animated movie with Jim Carrey as Scrooge.
My least favorite adaptation is Christmas Carol: The Musical starring Kelsey Grammar! The one version I liked the best is Scrooged starring Bill Murray.
Noooo the gritty reboot they did last year was the absolute worst. A Christmas Carol doesn’t need to be part of the me to movement or anything else for that matter - it has a message for social change.
That movie was mostly singing (too much to be a standard musical, but not enough for an opera), which is a bad idea if the songs aren't half way decent.
Our family favorite is the 1970 British, musical version titled Scrooge. A young Albert Finney does an excellent job as Scrooge. From the Smith family, we wish everyone a very merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 ♥
My favs are Albert Finney, Rowan Atkinson and Bill Murray, though I like George C Scott and Alistair Sim too. To be fair its a great story so any version is usually worth a watch.
I love that last version, it is exactly my kind of corny and I would never have heard of it but for your video. Adaptations are just such a cool topic tbh. Good video
Scrooge not knowing what ketchup is doesn't make much sense since tomato ketchup since it was around since at least 1817 and the novel came out in 1848.
Man, ever since I first saw the "Rich Little's 'A Christmas Carol'" I fell in love with it and never missed it when it was on (originally on HBO). Been looking for a high quality video commercial version of it for years. Best I could find was a somewhat fuzzy one on TH-cam years ago.
My favourite adaptation is a reverse Scrooge story. "Blackadder's Christmas Carol" features the titular character being overwhelmingly nice to everyone. He's visited in the night by a ghost who shows him what utter arseholes his ancestors were and he awakens in the morning haven turned over a new leaf. While the story is more of a seasonal vehicle for the cast to flex their comedic muscles, Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Robbie Coltrane, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie et al give sterling performances.
My father made us suffer through Rich Littles Christmas Carol for years... He laughed away as we counted down the minutes to watch something else. I like Rich Little now, but damn it was torture when i was young haha.
I remember a Christian film called Scrooge and Marley from 2001 starring Dean Jones, where Marley's ghost takes Scrooge to court as he is trying to ban a manger setting from a school or something.
As a big fan of different versions of A Christmas Carol, I really enjoyed this. I've never even heard of "Mister Scrooge To See You", so thank you for introducing me to that! I'll have to seek it out. One thing - you mention during that one that there hasn't really been a version of a continuation of the story. I actually wrote a version that was produced by the A&E Network in 2004 (and shown on the Hallmark Channel for many years after that before they started making so many of their own Christmas movies) called "Karroll's Christmas" that is basically a continuation of the story. The conceit is that it worked so well with Scrooge, that they've been doing it every year since saving another person. And in my film, set in present day, they make a clerical mistake and end up at the Scrooge character's next door neighbors house. He's a perfectly nice guy who loves Christmas, but hates his jerk neighbor, and ends up having to go through his neighbor's past, present, and future.
Karroll's Christmas is available as a DVD from the UK in the PAL format on eBay. $30 + $23 shipping, ouch. I own it as a VHS taped off the TV when I lived in Europe. Maybe I saw it as an American NTSC format DVD for a lower price elsewhere online??
About Mr. Scrooge to See You, the one time he went to the future it was comparatively close to his own starting point when everything was still recognizable. Getting chucked a full two centuries beyond his time makes a big difference.
Regarding Mister Scrooge to See You, you can't equate a dream-like journey to the near future with being thrust a century into the actual future where so much has changed. The fish out of water elements, while debatable funny, are appropriate to the premise.
A tv version was made in the late 90s/early 2000s(?) where a yr later Scrooge is revisited by the spirits to warn him that Tim will grow up to be like he was if he doesn`t intercede and help him change his ways. In one scene a college lady friend calls Tim Tiny Tim and he says, "It`s not Tiny Tim it`s Tiny Timothy!" sounding like a snoot.
You are correct about the Rich Little special. Another problem it had was the canned laughter throughout. The only time I remember laughing was when Little as Inspector Clouseau Christmas Yet To Come first appears. He ominously intones in the dark, ""Ebeneezer Scrooge!" He takes a step and trips. The rest was so unmemorable that I do not remember any of it. I forgot all about the Rich Little special until you mentioned it.
Quick thoughts on each one: -As a Columbo fan, I desperately want to see an adaptation in which Peter Falk actually played the Ghost of Christmas Present. -Making Scrooge/the Scrooge analog more of a jerk is one of my biggest pet peeves when taken too far, as it makes his redemption far less believable. -I don't know why, but when you said the movie was released in 2013, I somehow knew it would be a Christian film.
This 1938, Reginald Owen version started the lie that Bob Cratchit was ''fired'' on Christmas Eve. Thank goodness only Disney carried on with the same plot for both Daffy Duck and Yosemite Sam firing poor Porky Pig in 2006 and 1979 respectively.
Back in 1985 there was a TV show on CBS called the George Burns Comedy Week. It was an anthology show that had a new hour long story every week. One was a Christmas Carol II: The Sequel. It takes place one year after the events of A Christmas Carol. James Whitmore plays Scrooge. The ghosts come again to visit him. Scrooge is confused and asks has he not been a generous and giving person? The ghosts tell him yes but he has a new problem, that everyone sees him as an easy mark who gives out money without question. Even the Cratchet family sees him as someone they can pump money out of. The lessons at the end is be kind and generous but don't be a sucker and if you just give money to people without question they will feel entitled to it and won't love or respect you for it. I remember seeing it when I was in high school and it's stayed with me all these years. It's got a great message and it's well acted. I wish it was available to watch somewhere.
I MUST find this version for my collection. The first 3:27 minutes are here on TH-cam; CHRISTMAS CAROL II THE SEQUEL 1985 - James Whitmore as Ebenezer Scrooge
Obviously, the most underrated version of A Christmas Carol is the one that the All Dogs Go To Heaven TV series did. Ernest Borgnine as Scooge? Dom DeLuise, Sheena Easton and Steven Webber as the ghosts? And they're ALL DOGS?? Inspired! :P
"Where is a voice to answer mine back? Where are two shoes to click to my clack? I'm all alooooone in the woooorld. (sob)" My brother and I can recite all the dialogue and sing all the songs. Especially "We're rep re hensible! We'll steal your pen and pencible!" Unfortunately, Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol was pared down from the original one hour TV special (with ads) to a half-hour, which cuts out all the scenes of Mr Magoo preparing to play Scrooge on stage ("It's great to be back, back, back on Broadway!"), receiving the applause of the audience, then blundering about on his usual chaotic path of destruction. However, removing the more Magoo-ish elements leaves a half-hour of (basically) the wonderful Jim Backus doing HIS take on Ebeneezer Scrooge. So all's well that ends well.
Check out Carol for Another Christmas, written by Rod Serling as a film to support and educate the public on the mission of the United Nations. It’s got a great cast, music by Henry Mancini, and definitely has that Twilight Zone vibe.
My favorites are Finney and George C Scott. I was disappointed in the Kelsey Grammar version (considering all of the talent involved), but they did a unique spin that I haven't seen in other adaptations (and I don't remember from the novella): When Scrooge and Marley become successful young men, they foreclose on Fezziwig. I'm also a fan of the FX horror movie version, which I found was the most creative.
Have you ever seem the BBC's Black Adder's Christmas...it's hilarious adaptation where a good man turns into a mean-spirited soul. It's a TV show but it's creative...take a gander at this re-telling.
I own this version on a self-made DVD. Marty and the Professor meet Scrooge and Bill Sykes from Oliver Twist. 1991, 22 minutes long. Season 2, episode 10.
My favorite adaptation is Scrooge. Not Scrooged. Scrooge, with Albert Finney. Very overlooked musical adaptation. For some reason a lot of people hate it, but I’m not sure why.
Big fan of the 1999 made for tv version of A Christmas Carol starring Patrick Stewart myself. Glad I own a copy of so I can watch it every year at Christmas. Being a second-generation Muppets fan, The Muppet Christmas Carol is another favorite of mine. I still treasure the fact that I got to see on the big screen back in 1992.
For me, my personal favorite adaptation of A Christmas Carol is the 2009 film with Jim Carrey. I know the mo-cap animation may look uncanny to some, but I love how that version wasn’t afraid to scare you straight and embrace the darker tone of Dickens' book. (Especially considering it was a Disney movie!)
If I have to pick a "favorite" adaptation, I will have to go with two. In terms of typical versions of the story: The Muppets. Because The Muppets. In terms of obscure: The first ever adaptation, Marley's Ghost. A silent film, and the first film adaptation. In terms of in between: Animaniacs' "A Christmas Plotz."
My favorite version is the 1910 version. It may be silent but it captures a feel that only you the viewer can feel. You feel sadness, and a bit of anger for the old Scrooge. I especially feel Scrooges happiness followed by sudden sadness after his happy moment is suddenly taken from him when he revisits a happy memory, or when his cousin comes to visit but is suddenly left standing in shock and sadness when he is denied and sent out the door. It's a very feely version and that is why I like that version so much.
Thanks, Joe. I'd heard of (but never saw) the Henry Winkler one, but the other two were news to me. I love WC Fields, but would always rather watch Fields himself than any impersonator. Although a good Fields impression is always enjoyable for the length of a comedy sketch. My favorite live-action version is still the Alastair Sim one from 1951, not just because that was the year I was born, haha. The cast boasts several great character actors: Michael Hordern, Kathleen Harrison, Hermione Baddely, Mervyn Johns, etc. And Richard Addinsell's score beautifully enhances the grimness, regret, dread and joy of the tale. And my favorite animated version is still Mr Magoo, even whittled down to a skimpy half-hour. The songs, and Jim Backus' Scrooge, are delightful. Happy Holidays to you and yours, and best wishes for health and happiness in 2021.
Michael Hordern took the role of Scrooge in 1977 for a BBC production. It is only available in the Region 2 PAL format, as an expensive import from Greece or Australia. I have this BBC version bought in Europe years ago.. and the PAL machine and Pal TV to play it.
Thanks for reminding me of the Henry Winkler version that I watched all those years ago. To bad someone didn't convinced him to act a little more like the old man the special effects make-up tried to make him resemble.
An American Christmas Carol is a favorite among my family that we watch every year. I kinda like how it is a straight adaptation with surface changes, but in such a way it feels kind of new? I dunno I just always liked it.
My favorite adaptation (comedic wise), was A Diva's Christmas Carol starring Vanessa Williams as Ebony Scrooge; a tightwad music star. It was produced by VH-1 with Kathy Griffin as the spirit of Christmas past, Andy Taylor as ghost of Christmas present, and (spoiler alert) VH-1 itself was the ghost of Christmas yet to come. Very funny take on the Dickens classic.😂
I'm new to your channel but I'm loving your interesting takes on pop culture! Keep up the good work. Also - I believe that was Supermarket Sweep's David Ruprecht as Scrooge in "Mr. Scrooge to See You"!
![ILLSLICK - WINTER IS COMING [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dwTMeM1zIhQ/mqdefault.jpg)
An American Christmas Carol was actually filmed in the town I grew up in. According to folks in town, Henry Winkler was incredibly kind & super respectful. They had nothing but great things to say about him.
I watched it today. It’s really good
it's my favorite one
The George C. Scott Christmas Carol was filmed in my home town and my dad's friend actually worked on the film. I've visited the filming locations many times.
I've also heard he's an incredibly nice. Wish I could meet the dude.
I mean, that seems obvious why they had nothing but nice things to say about the Fonz
I'm always amazed how, " Scrooge " (1970) with Albert Finney, and Alec Guinness is always skipped over and is always the hardest to find. I'm glad I finally own a copy of it. I don't know if it's because it's called Scrooge instead of A Christmas Carol or if it's because of copyrights of the two most famous actors who have ever played Scrooge & Marley. I just don't understand it. If anyone has any real information it would be most welcome.
Definitely the best adaptation. Great performances from the leads and great songs as well. Fleshing out the Scrooge/Isabel storyline really hammered home what a pitiful character he was too. They did a great job of giving him a little more dimension and nuance than some other adaptations. We watch Scrooge every Christmas Eve at my house.
Duuuudde, so underrated. I like it as much as Patrick Stewart's
I love the music in that movie. I get a kick out the "I Hate People" song and laugh every time I watch it.
My family watches this every year. It's got great songs that get stuck in your head. For many years we watched the VHS that we got from our church video sale (Our church had a video library that was pretty cool). Couldn't find it anywhere until it later popped on DVD on Amazon.
I was looking for this comment, couldn’t agree more
The Patrick Stewart one is a favorite of mine, as well. So is Scrooged, which I consider the Christmas version of Groundhog Day
It has a scene from the book that always gets cut out. After Marley tells Scrooge of the three Spirits, he takes Scrooge through his bedroom window into his courtyard, where Scrooge is horrified to find that the world is full of ghosts, usually invisible, who are tormented by their ability to witness but not influence events. At one moment, a ghost is seen crying helplessly over a mother and young child freezing to death in the snow, unable to help them.
A Muppet Christmas Carol is my personal favourite. Michael Caine's serious dramatic performance contrasted with the silly muppets is iconic
The 1984 version with George C. Scott is my favorite. Coincidentally, my wife and I watched it last night and I mentioned the Rich Little version, which my dad loved.
That’s the best version
Agreed, The George C. Scott version is my favorite as well. The back and forth between Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present is something that I think about all the time.
I like a lot of them but probably my favorite is the Jim Carrey version. When Cratchit starts to talk about how tiny Tim, in church, was saying that Jesus made blind men see and lame men walk, it's a very moving scene.
I can't believe that I took the time to research that Scrooge, would infact, know what ketchup was. Maybe not the EZ squeeze bottles made from plastic though.
You are doing God’s work.
It isn't a direct adaptation, but I do recommend The Man Who Invented Christmas. Dan Stevens plays Charles Dickens while he goes through the process of creating A Christmas Carol. And we get to see Christopher Plummer play as Ebenezer Scrooge during the inception of the tale. It's a fun movie and became part of my holiday watching since release a couple years ago.
The trippy 1971 animated version (that won the Oscar!) was my favorite.
The host of Supermarket Sweep playing Scrooge in 2013 is somehow the most 2020 thing ever.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS HIM. God I scrolled the comments to see if anyone else picked that up.
Albert Finney was 34 when he starred in Scrooge (the 1970 musical), and played the old man so convincingly that you forget he's not really an old man. And keep in mind, that's while singing and dancing as an old man. The one thing that really gives him away are his fat, young fingers. By the time you see him as young Eb, you may forget that it's the same actor.
Scrooge isn't supposed to be elderly, anyway. In the chronology of the novel, he should be early 50s at most. Finney played him correctly, and his "old" Scrooge looks to be reasonably in his 50s, which is correct.
Blackadder Christmas Carol is a good reverse version of the story
yesssss!!!
Thanks for the suggestion James I took it, the family loved it. You adorable xmas elf!
Yes I love that episode!
Watch it every year. Hysterical. Quote lines year round. My favorite? Baldricks posing pouch.
Bad guys have all the fun!
My favorite overlooked adaptation of A Christmas Carol is the early 1970’s Chuck Jones animated version voiced by Alistair Sim.
You mentioned that you're surprised there weren't more Christmas Carol sequels. There is one I can think of. The 1985 Anthology series "George Burns Comedy Week" had for its second to last episode "Christmas Carol II: The Sequel". The series itself would be worthy of an episode as it was from Steve Martin and Carl Gottlieb and was riding the brief anthology tv series craze of the mid 80s.
Ah, so I’m not the only one who remembers that TV series and that particular episode. (I couldn’t name or describe any other episode from GBCW if you forced me to try.)
I remember that episode. I remember it was funny.
I taught this in college English class--we would read the Dickens text in class, and I would show four versions: 1951 (Alastair Sims), "Scrooged,," the George C. Scott (1984) version, and Patrick Stewart (1999) version. Patrick Stewart's version received about 75% of the votes over a ten-year period of teaching this curriculum.
Out of those, Stewart's is the worst - partly because it's a sanitized Disney production, but because it's only shortly after Star Trek TNG ended it just seems like Picard playing on the Holodeck.
For a minute there, I mistook the actor playing Scrooge in ''Scrooge To See You'' for Dereck Jacobi, but then I couldn't understand how a low budget Christian film company could afford him. Then it occurred to me that it was actually David Ruprecht, the host of the old ''Supermarket Sweep'' gameshow. Other than Supermarket Sweep, Ruprecht's big claim to fame was playing the guy that married Janet in the last season of ''Three's Company''.
Me too, then he sort of sounded like Ethan Phillips...
@@billeickman You're absolutely right, I never noticed that before.
Well, whoever it was, at least it wasn't Kirk Cameron.
Well, whoever it was, at least it wasn't Kirk Cameron.
You guys got a Supermarket Sweep? Ours was Dale Winton and then Ryland Clark-Neal hosting it, the U.K. one.
I could watch henry winkler wash his hands. Love him
My personal favorite is the 1970 Scrooge with Albert Finney and Alec Guinness.
Same😍
That's my favorite musical adaptation of it.
Absolutely!
Thank you very much...
Thank you very much...
It's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me...
Yes!
agree
I'm so glad you included the Henry Winkler version, which came out when I was a (very media-aware) 11-year-old. He was at peak popularity then -- he could write his own ticket, and I think he chose this project to get as far away from The Fonz as he could. I watched at least some of it and remember thinking, "Huh, he pulled it off pretty well."
Just based on these clips, he didn't pull it off.
Albert Finney's "Scrooge" is the one my family watches every year.
I thought he sounded familiar, the scrooge from "Mister Scrooge to see you" is the host os Supermarket Sweep. So weird to see him in something other than a fantastically hideous sweater, but I guess you gotta continue to work. This is a wonderful hodgepodge list of movies. Will have to watch them sometime for fun.
His name is David Ruprecht and he has been in a lot of stuff.
Yeah, I thought he looked familiar.
I think that's where most of the film's budget went!
oh man, i thought it was Ethan Phillips for a moment there...i was like "Neelix, no!"
I watch the Blackadder version every year!
The ultimate version!
Me too
Anyone else get a weird Back To the Future 2 vibe from that last movie? "It's Bob Cratchit's kids, Ebenezer! Something's gotta be done about his kids!"
Yes, the TNT Patrick Stewart is a good one.
It's the best one! Follows the dialog of Dickens's novel more accurately than any other.
I get so excited whenever you post a new video. No matter the subject, I know it will be quality. Keep up the great work.
Thanks so much!
The '51 version with Alastair Sim is still to this day the definite and best one. Scrooged is a personal favorite of myself and my wife. You forgot to mention the 1997 movie Ebenezer with Jack Palance as Scrooge, I've never seen anyone even remotely remember it being made
The Alistair Sim version is great, although some of the changes made to the story aren't so great - like having Marley repent on his death bed but still be damned, which makes no sense, and isn't in the original story for a reason: he was damned because he _didn't_ repent in life. (Which I guess means after a redeemed Scrooge dies and goes to Heaven, Marley will still be trudging around on Earth as a ghost. Kind of a raw deal.)
I love An American Christmas Carol. I saw it for the first time on The Family Channel when I was a kid. Now I have it on Blu-ray. My favorite Christmas Carol has to be the Patrick Stewart version
I was somewhat raised on Rich Little's Christmas Carol. It is enjoyable for what it was, though I do agree it should have been much shorter, less Dickens more Rich Little.
I'll admit, I laughed at a lot of the clips of that one, and I thought "this actually sounds awesome!" But when he said it was 50 minutes, I thought "Yeah, that is a LITTLE too long for this concept."
Or less Rich Little and more actors. He plays Cratchit, Scrooge, maybe Marley or Ghost of Christmas Present, but then you have comedians or other contemporaries playing the other characters. And maybe only half an hour since it's a comedy and it doesn't have to atmospheric to get the point across.
@@JamieRobles1 Two problems, first this is a one-man show, and Rich Little is one of the great impressionists possibly of all time, very few stars if any are more qualified then him to act in a one-man show. Secondly while it first aired in the USA on HBO, it aired one year earlier on and was produced by the CBC, so we should forgive it for being cheap. 75% if not more of the special's budget most likely went to Rich Little's salary .
My favorite! Watch it every year. Too bad young people won't get the majority of the impressions.
@@dr.burtgummerfan439 You don't have enough faith in young people. They have access to all of the media that's ever been created, and if they don't get a references, they can look it up.
My favorite versions are a tie between A Muppet Christmas Carol with Michael Caine and Scrooge with Albert Finney. My least favorite is probably the Disney animated version with Jim Carey, it's an uncanny valley nightmare.
Yeah I'm not a fan of the Jim Carrey version either, funnily enough I'm also not a fan of the Jim Carrey Grinch which is another movie where Jim Carrey plays a character who hates christmas. Btw I also love The Muppet Christmas Carol and Scrooge with Albert Finney.
Oh man, I remember watching Rich Little’s Christmas Carol as a kid. Even then I knew it was cringe city.
The Patrick Stewart version is my favorite, followed closely by the Disney version.
one version that wasn't as bad as I expected was "Ebenezer", a Western version starring Jack Palance
When you play a time traveling Ebenezer Scrooge and you hear the beep, think of the fun you could have on Supermarket Sweep!!
They should remake the Christmas Carol starring Henry Winkler now that he's old, and use the footage of Young Henry for flashbacks
Or they could just 'deep-fake' his current look over the old film. (And perhaps, pitch down his voice to make him sound older).
@@DirectorDonP You're talking about six digits in post-production costs there. Do you really think ANYONE wants to spend all that money to fix a terrible made for television film from 1978 that no one liked to begin with? That's like asking for $25,000 to hire a good artist to paint a decent portrait of Scrooge and then another $5,000 to have it digitally superimposed into this scene @13:09 just to fix it more than ten years after it was released.
@@wellesradio Do I really think...etc etc? ha ha ha of course not! Just like MCFPapa's original comment - we're just having a banter!
@@wellesradio "6 digits post-production" this youtuber did it with almost nothing in his spare time, by himself, and did it so well he got poached by Lucas Films. So no, it wouldn't be until you start throwing Hollywood accounting into it and magically make the money disappear. th-cam.com/video/dHSTWepkp_M/w-d-xo.html
@@Channel-gz9hm He/she added filters on top of already existing footage, and did for a “whopping” two minutes and forty-five seconds.
As for “doing it for almost nothing”, if the studios rely on unpaid slave labor, sure, why not? Practically free. Ask that TH-camr how much LucasArts pays for the hours of work they would put in to accomplish this while on the payroll. It’s about $95k-$120k annually per artist. That’s only for the in-house stuff. LucasFilms games licenses properties, so they have to pay a lot more for other designers to being their teams in as well. If I were an architect, just because I’m willing to design my own house in my spare time doesn’t mean that architects are cheap.
I also love the Patrick Stewart version. I also love The Muppet Christmas Carol, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, and the 2009 animated movie with Jim Carrey as Scrooge.
I love Christmas Carol like every single one I don’t really have a favorite
Mine is Little Drummer Boy.
@@grantbitman1448 that doesn’t seem like a Christmas carol
My least favorite adaptation is Christmas Carol: The Musical starring Kelsey Grammar! The one version I liked the best is Scrooged starring Bill Murray.
I JUST watched the Kelsey Grammar one today! I’m a huge Frasier fan, but it was painful and the songs were shrill and annoying.
Noooo the gritty reboot they did last year was the absolute worst. A Christmas Carol doesn’t need to be part of the me to movement or anything else for that matter - it has a message for social change.
Musical Hell tore the Kelsey Grammer one a new one, check it out
That movie was mostly singing (too much to be a standard musical, but not enough for an opera), which is a bad idea if the songs aren't half way decent.
Our family favorite is the 1970 British, musical version titled Scrooge. A young Albert Finney does an excellent job as Scrooge.
From the Smith family, we wish everyone a very merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 ♥
My favs are Albert Finney, Rowan Atkinson and Bill Murray, though I like George C Scott and Alistair Sim too. To be fair its a great story so any version is usually worth a watch.
I love that last version, it is exactly my kind of corny and I would never have heard of it but for your video. Adaptations are just such a cool topic tbh. Good video
The Henry Winkler version played regularly year after year until the 90s. Maybe not on the big networks, but you could always find it somewhere.
The 3rd movie actually looks really wholesome
My favorite is Scrooge with Albert Finney. Such a great movie. I still haven't seen Scrooged for some reason though, and I love Bill Murray.
Scrooge not knowing what ketchup is doesn't make much sense since tomato ketchup since it was around since at least 1817 and the novel came out in 1848.
Man, ever since I first saw the "Rich Little's 'A Christmas Carol'" I fell in love with it and never missed it when it was on (originally on HBO). Been looking for a high quality video commercial version of it for years. Best I could find was a somewhat fuzzy one on TH-cam years ago.
It is available on eBay. Too expensive for me, not worth buying when It's on TH-cam.
The last one showed a very valuable lesson: If you don’t have the budget to do CGI, don’t do it.
My favourite adaptation is a reverse Scrooge story. "Blackadder's Christmas Carol" features the titular character being overwhelmingly nice to everyone. He's visited in the night by a ghost who shows him what utter arseholes his ancestors were and he awakens in the morning haven turned over a new leaf. While the story is more of a seasonal vehicle for the cast to flex their comedic muscles, Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Robbie Coltrane, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie et al give sterling performances.
My father made us suffer through Rich Littles Christmas Carol for years... He laughed away as we counted down the minutes to watch something else. I like Rich Little now, but damn it was torture when i was young haha.
Hats off to you my man
Alastair Sim’s version is the only one that matters. Nothing else compares to his performance.
^ This.
Watched An American Christmas Carol the other day. One of my favorite versions
I remember a Christian film called Scrooge and Marley from 2001 starring Dean Jones, where Marley's ghost takes Scrooge to court as he is trying to ban a manger setting from a school or something.
Thank you for the upload! Have a great Christmas! Keep up the great work!
As a big fan of different versions of A Christmas Carol, I really enjoyed this. I've never even heard of "Mister Scrooge To See You", so thank you for introducing me to that! I'll have to seek it out. One thing - you mention during that one that there hasn't really been a version of a continuation of the story. I actually wrote a version that was produced by the A&E Network in 2004 (and shown on the Hallmark Channel for many years after that before they started making so many of their own Christmas movies) called "Karroll's Christmas" that is basically a continuation of the story. The conceit is that it worked so well with Scrooge, that they've been doing it every year since saving another person. And in my film, set in present day, they make a clerical mistake and end up at the Scrooge character's next door neighbors house. He's a perfectly nice guy who loves Christmas, but hates his jerk neighbor, and ends up having to go through his neighbor's past, present, and future.
I must see this. Possible?
Karroll's Christmas is available as a DVD from the UK in the PAL format on eBay. $30 + $23 shipping, ouch. I own it as a VHS taped off the TV when I lived in Europe. Maybe I saw it as an American NTSC format DVD for a lower price elsewhere online??
About Mr. Scrooge to See You, the one time he went to the future it was comparatively close to his own starting point when everything was still recognizable. Getting chucked a full two centuries beyond his time makes a big difference.
Excluding the Muppets and Mr Magoo, I'd have to say the animated Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim is one of my favorites.
I believe the animated version you mention won the Acadamy Award Oscar for best Short Subject in 1972
The 1970 musical "Scrooge" is my favorite behind the '95 version
My dad's friend worked on the George C. Scott Christmas Carol and it was filmed in my home town and I've visited the filming locations many times.
I was hoping you'd touch on Ebenezer, a western version of the story starring Jack Palance. Saw it when I was a kid and it's always stuck with me.
Been teaching this to my students this past month. Lovely to see this video. Thank you always for your content :)
The Patrick Stewart one is my favorite. He is the only person alive who can speak Victorian English like he grew up speaking it.
Regarding Mister Scrooge to See You, you can't equate a dream-like journey to the near future with being thrust a century into the actual future where so much has changed. The fish out of water elements, while debatable funny, are appropriate to the premise.
OMG I have to find the Rich Little one. It looks hilarious honestly.
Merry Christmas to Hats off Entertainment!! And Merry Christmas to all my fellow Hats Off Entertainment subscribers!
Next year there should be a part-2 of this. There are more than enough adaptations to pick from
"Scrooged" is my favorite version, with Sir Patrick's a close second.
A tv version was made in the late 90s/early 2000s(?) where a yr later Scrooge is revisited by the spirits to warn him that Tim will grow up to be like he was if he doesn`t intercede and help him change his ways. In one scene a college lady friend calls Tim Tiny Tim and he says, "It`s not Tiny Tim it`s Tiny Timothy!" sounding like a snoot.
You are correct about the Rich Little special. Another problem it had was the canned laughter throughout. The only time I remember laughing was when Little as Inspector Clouseau Christmas Yet To Come first appears. He ominously intones in the dark, ""Ebeneezer Scrooge!" He takes a step and trips. The rest was so unmemorable that I do not remember any of it. I forgot all about the Rich Little special until you mentioned it.
Quick thoughts on each one:
-As a Columbo fan, I desperately want to see an adaptation in which Peter Falk actually played the Ghost of Christmas Present.
-Making Scrooge/the Scrooge analog more of a jerk is one of my biggest pet peeves when taken too far, as it makes his redemption far less believable.
-I don't know why, but when you said the movie was released in 2013, I somehow knew it would be a Christian film.
My uncle used to stay up until the early hours of morning on Christmas Eve just to watch the 1938 version and decorate the living room.
This 1938, Reginald Owen version started the lie that Bob Cratchit was ''fired'' on Christmas Eve. Thank goodness only Disney carried on with the same plot for both Daffy Duck and Yosemite Sam firing poor Porky Pig in 2006 and 1979 respectively.
Back in 1985 there was a TV show on CBS called the George Burns Comedy Week. It was an anthology show that had a new hour long story every week. One was a Christmas Carol II: The Sequel. It takes place one year after the events of A Christmas Carol. James Whitmore plays Scrooge. The ghosts come again to visit him. Scrooge is confused and asks has he not been a generous and giving person? The ghosts tell him yes but he has a new problem, that everyone sees him as an easy mark who gives out money without question. Even the Cratchet family sees him as someone they can pump money out of. The lessons at the end is be kind and generous but don't be a sucker and if you just give money to people without question they will feel entitled to it and won't love or respect you for it. I remember seeing it when I was in high school and it's stayed with me all these years. It's got a great message and it's well acted. I wish it was available to watch somewhere.
I MUST find this version for my collection. The first 3:27 minutes are here on TH-cam;
CHRISTMAS CAROL II THE SEQUEL 1985 - James Whitmore as Ebenezer Scrooge
Dude you are definitely one of my favorite channels to click on fast..
Cheers!
Obviously, the most underrated version of A Christmas Carol is the one that the All Dogs Go To Heaven TV series did. Ernest Borgnine as Scooge? Dom DeLuise, Sheena Easton and Steven Webber as the ghosts? And they're ALL DOGS?? Inspired! :P
Mr. Magoo's is my favorite version. Saddest song ever is in it.
"Where is a voice to answer mine back? Where are two shoes to click to my clack? I'm all alooooone in the woooorld. (sob)"
My brother and I can recite all the dialogue and sing all the songs. Especially "We're rep re hensible! We'll steal your pen and pencible!" Unfortunately, Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol was pared down from the original one hour TV special (with ads) to a half-hour, which cuts out all the scenes of Mr Magoo preparing to play Scrooge on stage ("It's great to be back, back, back on Broadway!"), receiving the applause of the audience, then blundering about on his usual chaotic path of destruction. However, removing the more Magoo-ish elements leaves a half-hour of (basically) the wonderful Jim Backus doing HIS take on Ebeneezer Scrooge. So all's well that ends well.
Check out Carol for Another Christmas, written by Rod Serling as a film to support and educate the public on the mission of the United Nations. It’s got a great cast, music by Henry Mancini, and definitely has that Twilight Zone vibe.
My favorites are Finney and George C Scott. I was disappointed in the Kelsey Grammar version (considering all of the talent involved), but they did a unique spin that I haven't seen in other adaptations (and I don't remember from the novella): When Scrooge and Marley become successful young men, they foreclose on Fezziwig. I'm also a fan of the FX horror movie version, which I found was the most creative.
Mr. Scrooge to See You starring Super Market Sweep's David Ruprecht!
11:50 - It's lit like a TV soap opera. That alone greatly contributes to cheap look.
Have you ever seem the BBC's Black Adder's Christmas...it's hilarious adaptation where a good man turns into a mean-spirited soul. It's a TV show but it's creative...take a gander at this re-telling.
MERRY XMAS TO YOU HATS OFF....Thanks for all the great videos👍😊👍❤❄❄❄❄❄
OMG, you covered two of my dad’s favorite versions: Rich Little and Henry Winkler’s versions! I love the Pimp ghost of Christmas future!
I hope next time you do this, you include the episode from the Back to the Future cartoon where biff is scrooge and Marty plays the ghosts.
I own this version on a self-made DVD. Marty and the Professor meet Scrooge and Bill Sykes from Oliver Twist. 1991, 22 minutes long. Season 2, episode 10.
My favorite adaptation is Scrooge. Not Scrooged. Scrooge, with Albert Finney. Very overlooked musical adaptation. For some reason a lot of people hate it, but I’m not sure why.
Big fan of the 1999 made for tv version of A Christmas Carol starring Patrick Stewart myself. Glad I own a copy of so I can watch it every year at Christmas. Being a second-generation Muppets fan, The Muppet Christmas Carol is another favorite of mine. I still treasure the fact that I got to see on the big screen back in 1992.
For me, my personal favorite adaptation of A Christmas Carol is the 2009 film with Jim Carrey. I know the mo-cap animation may look uncanny to some, but I love how that version wasn’t afraid to scare you straight and embrace the darker tone of Dickens' book. (Especially considering it was a Disney movie!)
If I have to pick a "favorite" adaptation, I will have to go with two.
In terms of typical versions of the story: The Muppets. Because The Muppets.
In terms of obscure: The first ever adaptation, Marley's Ghost. A silent film, and the first film adaptation.
In terms of in between: Animaniacs' "A Christmas Plotz."
Am I the only one who considers the Bill Murray one to be the best
My favorite version is the 1910 version. It may be silent but it captures a feel that only you the viewer can feel. You feel sadness, and a bit of anger for the old Scrooge.
I especially feel Scrooges happiness followed by sudden sadness after his happy moment is suddenly taken from him when he revisits a happy memory, or when his cousin comes to visit but is suddenly left standing in shock and sadness when he is denied and sent out the door. It's a very feely version and that is why I like that version so much.
Thanks, Joe. I'd heard of (but never saw) the Henry Winkler one, but the other two were news to me. I love WC Fields, but would always rather watch Fields himself than any impersonator. Although a good Fields impression is always enjoyable for the length of a comedy sketch. My favorite live-action version is still the Alastair Sim one from 1951, not just because that was the year I was born, haha. The cast boasts several great character actors: Michael Hordern, Kathleen Harrison, Hermione Baddely, Mervyn Johns, etc. And Richard Addinsell's score beautifully enhances the grimness, regret, dread and joy of the tale. And my favorite animated version is still Mr Magoo, even whittled down to a skimpy half-hour. The songs, and Jim Backus' Scrooge, are delightful.
Happy Holidays to you and yours, and best wishes for health and happiness in 2021.
Michael Hordern took the role of Scrooge in 1977 for a BBC production. It is only available in the Region 2 PAL format, as an expensive import from Greece or Australia. I have this BBC version bought in Europe years ago.. and the PAL machine and Pal TV to play it.
My favorites were the Muppets one and the one with Albert Finney, though recently I've become quite partial to the Guy Pierce version on FX.
I was really into the FX one but then they make things way too dark and it robs the story of that wholesome ending
The next time you hear chains dragging *dragging chains. Just think of the fun you can have by being visited by three ghosts.
Thanks for reminding me of the Henry Winkler version that I watched all those years ago. To bad someone didn't convinced him to act a little more like the old man the special effects make-up tried to make him resemble.
$200k budget sounds like money laundering to me lol
I have An American Christmas Carol on DVD and absolutely adore it!
Mickey Mouse one, Mr. Magoo one, and the 1984 version have always been my favorites to watch
Scrooged and Muppets are my favorites, by far. I love how wacky they both are
An American Christmas Carol is a favorite among my family that we watch every year. I kinda like how it is a straight adaptation with surface changes, but in such a way it feels kind of new? I dunno I just always liked it.
I knew it! Mr. Scrooge To See You stars the host from Super Market Sweep!
The Guy Pierce FX miniseries should not be missed. An original and almost psychological thriller take on the story.
My favorite adaptation (comedic wise), was A Diva's Christmas Carol starring Vanessa Williams as Ebony Scrooge; a tightwad music star. It was produced by VH-1 with Kathy Griffin as the spirit of Christmas past, Andy Taylor as ghost of Christmas present, and (spoiler alert) VH-1 itself was the ghost of Christmas yet to come. Very funny take on the Dickens classic.😂
I'm new to your channel but I'm loving your interesting takes on pop culture! Keep up the good work.
Also - I believe that was Supermarket Sweep's David Ruprecht as Scrooge in "Mr. Scrooge to See You"!