The Christmas Carol

1949 television special

For other uses, see A Christmas Carol (disambiguation).

The Christmas Carol

Directed by| Arthur Pierson
Screenplay by| Arthur Pierson
Based on| A Christmas Carol
1843 novella
by Charles Dickens
Produced by| Bernard Ebert
Mike Stokey
Starring| Vincent Price
Taylor Holmes
Patrick Whyte
Narrated by| Vincent Price
Cinematography| Meredith Merle Nicholson
Edited by| Art Seid
Music by| Edward Paul
Color process| Black-and-white

Production
company

Jerry Fairbanks Productions

Distributed by| Jerry Fairbanks Productions

Release date

* December 25, 1949 (1949-12-25)

Running time

| 25 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

The Christmas Carol is a 1949 low-budget, black and white television special narrated by Vincent Price. Compressing Charles Dickens' classic 1843 story into a half-hour, it is stated to be "the oldest extant straight adaptation of the story" for television.[1] It was originally produced as a syndicated production for airing on 22 stations across the United States on Christmas Day in 1949. It was sponsored by Magnavox and represented that company's first use of television advertising.[2] In 1952, the show was acquired by Consolidated Television Sales for further syndication.[3]

The production is considered primitive by modern standards; it is also noted for misspelling Ebenezer Scrooge's name as "Ebeneezer" in the opening credits and on the headstone of his grave. The cast is led by Taylor Holmes as Scrooge and includes an early appearance by Jill St. John, then age 9 and billed as Jill Oppenheim, who plays one of the Cratchit daughters.[1][4]

## Plot

[edit]

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## Cast

[edit]

* Taylor Holmes as Ebeneezer Scrooge
* Patrick Whyte as Bob Cratchit (as Pat White)
* Robert Clarke as Fred
* Earl Lee as Ghost of Marley
* Nelson Leigh as Ghost of Christmas Past
* Joe Battista as Boy Scrooge
* George James as Ghost of Christmas Present
* Queenie Leonard as Mrs. Cratchit
* Mike Miller as Peter Cratchit
* Karen Kester as Belinda Cratchit
* Jill St. John as Missie Cratchit (as Jill Oppenheim)
* Robert Hyatt as Tiny Tim (as Bobby Hyatt)
* Constance Cavendish as Martha (as Connie Cavendish)
* Jack Nestle as Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
* Paul Maxey as Fat Gentleman
* Leonard Carey as Thin Gentleman
* Ann Howard as Caroline

## See also

[edit]

* Adaptations of A Christmas Carol
* List of Christmas films

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Fred Guida, A Christmas Carol and Its Adaptations: A Critical Examination of Dickens's Story and Its Productions On Screen and Television, McFarland & Company, 2000, ISBN 978-0-7864-0738-5, p. 179. Excerpt available at Google Books.
2. ^ "Magnavox Christmas TV on 22 stations", Billboard, December 24, 1949, p. 15.
3. ^ "Consolidated Handles 'Carol'", Billboard, December 6, 1952, p. 8.
4. ^ "The Christmas Carol (1949): Review", Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television (accessed 2012-01-21).

## External links

[edit]

* The Christmas Carol at IMDb
* The Christmas Carol at AllMovie

* v
* t
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Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol

Characters|

* Ebenezer Scrooge
* Bob Cratchit
* Mr. Fezziwig
* Tiny Tim
* Jacob Marley
* Ghost of Christmas Past
* Ghost of Christmas Present
* Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

Films|

* Scrooge, or, Marley's Ghost (1901)
* A Christmas Carol (1908)
* A Christmas Carol (1910)
* Scrooge (1913)
* The Right to Be Happy (1916)
* Scrooge (1935)
* A Christmas Carol (1938)
* Scrooge (1951)
* It's Never Too Late (1953)
* A Christmas Carol (1960)
* Scrooge (1970)
* A Christmas Carol (1971)
* An American Christmas Carol (1979)
* Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)
* Scrooged (1988)
* The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
* A Christmas Carol (1997)
* Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001)
* A Carol Christmas (2003)
* Springtime with Roo (2004)
* Chasing Christmas (2005)
* A Christmas Carol (2006)
* An American Carol (2008)
* Barbie in a Christmas Carol (2008)
* Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
* A Christmas Carol (2009)
* The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol (2011)
* Scrooge & Marley (2012)
* A Christmas Carol (2020)
* Spirited (2022)
* Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (2022)

Television|

* The Christmas Carol (1949)
* A Christmas Carol (1954)
* Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962)
* Carol for Another Christmas (1964)
* A Special Sesame Street Christmas (1978)
* The Stingiest Man in Town (1978)
* Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol (1979)
* Rich Little's Christmas Carol (1979)
* A Christmas Carol (1982)
* A Christmas Carol (1984)
* Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988)
* A Flintstones Christmas Carol (1994)
* Ebbie (1995)
* Ms. Scrooge (1997)
* An All Dogs Christmas Carol (1998)
* Ebenezer (1998)
* A Christmas Carol (1999)
* A Diva's Christmas Carol (2000)
* A Christmas Carol (2000)
* A Christmas Carol (2004)
* An Easter Carol (2004)
* Karroll's Christmas (2004)
* Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas (2006)
* Nan's Christmas Carol (2009)
* "A Christmas Carol" (Doctor Who) (2010)
* It's Christmas, Carol! (2012)
* Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale (2013)
* A Hearth's Warming Tail (2016)
* A Christmas Carol (2019)

Musicals|

* Scrooge (1992)
* A Christmas Carol (1994)
* Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge (2002)

Plays|

* A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future (1844)
* A Christmas Carol (1988)
* Fellow Passengers (2004)
* A Klingon Christmas Carol (2007)
* A Christmas Carol (2017)
* A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story (2021)

Soundtracks|

* A Christmas Carol (2009)
* Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (2011)

Other|

* Adaptations of A Christmas Carol
* Batman: Noël (comic)
* "Green Chri$tma$" (single)
* The Misadventures of the Wholesome Twins (2005 musical)
* The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017 film)
* Ebenezer and the Invisible World (video game)

Related|

* John Leech (illustrator)

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