“The Christmas Carol” (1949)

The Christmas Carol 

Brief Description:

On Christmas Eve, tight-fisted businessman Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the Spirit of Christmas Past, the Spirit of Christmas Present, and the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come. Is there any chance his frozen old heart will change, and that he can escape the frightful destiny that awaits him?

(written by me)

Date: 1949

Genre: British Christmas fantasy drama 

Running time: 25 minutes

Cast: 

Vincent Price (Host / Narrator)

Taylor Holmes (Scrooge)

Earl Lee (Marley)

Robert Clarke (Fred)

Pat White (Cratchit)

Queenie Leonard (Mrs. Cratchit)

Nelson Leigh (Ghost of Christmas Past)

George James (Ghost of Christmas Present)

Jack Nestle (Ghost of Christmas to Come)

Mike Miller (Peter Cratchit)

Connie Cavendish (Martha Cratchit)

Bobby Hyatt (Tiny Tim)

Director: Arthur Pierson

Production company: Jerry Fairbanks Productions

Based on: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

IMDb page

Watch on Archive

(watched on Tubi)

Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 3/5

This has a distinctly 1940s feel in the acting. Several parts were overdone and the Crachits were a very 1940s household. It was definitely a lower quality of film. 

Characters: 3/5

The characters weren’t badly done, but they also didn’t grab me…? 

Plot: 3/5

The plot condensed the book quite a bit, but not badly; and there was a bit added on to show Scrooge’s change of heart, also not badly done. It was fun to have a narrator to add extra bits, too.

Overall: 3/5

Of all the adaptions I saw, this one appears to have stuck with me the least. It wasn’t bad—I will probably watch it again—but it seems to have been pretty generic, for I remember little of it.