A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens' classic holiday tale of one man learning the true meaning of Christmas
has been told many times on the big screen and television. We are all familiar
with the story of the skinflint businessman, Ebenezer Scrooge who, with the help
of three Christmas Spirits, is forced to examine the failings of his own life.
The first feature length film accredited incorrectly to retelling the story is the 1938 USA version "Scrooge" with Reginald Owen playing the lead.
The UK actually produced the first in 1935 with Sir Seymour Hicks playing Scrooge. Hicks also starred in an earlier silent version in 1913.
Interestingly, contract actor Reginald Owen got the part in the 1938 version when Lionel Barrymore was forced to resign the
part when he became crippled by arthritis. MGM wanted Barrymore because he previously provided the voice of Scrooge for a generation of radio fans.
No doubt there will always be new versions of the classic tale. Here is a list of the more well known versions:
| Year | Title | Scrooge Actor | Notes |
| 1901 | Scrooge | UK - Silent | |
| 1913 | Scrooge | Sir Seymour Hicks | UK - Silent |
| 1922 | Scrooge | H.V. Esmond | UK - Silent |
| 1923 | Scrooge | Russell Thorndike | UK - Silent/Short |
| 1928 | Scrooge | Bransby Williams | UK - Short |
| 1935 | Scrooge | Sir Seymour Hicks | UK |
| 1938 | A Christmas Carol | Reginald Owen | USA |
| 1951 | A Christmas Carol | Alastair Sim | UK |
| 1954 | A Christmas Carol | Fredric March (voice) | Animated Musical |
| 1962 | A Christmas Carol | Basil Rathbone | |
| 1964 | Carol for Another Christmas | Told with a different twist, in this version, a melancholy father spends his Christmas Day mourning the son he lost in World War II. His holiday grieving is interrupted by the visiting ghosts of Christmases past, present and future. | |
| 1969 | A Christmas Carol | Animated | |
| 1970 | Scrooge | Albert Finney | Musical |
| 1971 | A Christmas Carol | Alastair Sim (voice) | Animated |
| 1977 | A Christmas Carol | Michael Hordern (voice) | UK Animated |
| 1978 | The Waltons: A Christmas Carol | ||
| 1978 | Rich Little's Christmas Carol | TV | |
| 1979 | An American Christmas Carol | Henry Winkler | |
| 1979 | A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theatre | ||
| 1979 | Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol | TV | |
| 1979 | A Christmas Carol | Music and Dance | |
| 1983 | Mickey's Christmas Carol | Alan Young (voice Scrooge McDuck) | |
| 1984 | A Christmas Carol | George C. Scott | USA/UK |
| 1985 | The Jetsons Christmas Carol | ||
| 1986 | James Galway's Christmas Carol | TV | |
| 1988 | Scrooged | Bill Murray | |
| 1992 | The Muppet Christmas Carol | Michael Caine (voice) | Michael Caine also provided the voices for Beaker and Belinda Cratchit |
| 1994 | A Flintstones Christmas Carol | Animated | |
| 1977 | The X-Files: Christmas Carol | In a rare seasonal X-Files episode, Scully and her mother pay a pre-Yuletide visit to the home of Scully's brother, Bill Jr. (Pat Skipper). Upon arrival, Scully answers the phone and hears a plea for help — from a woman who sounds eerily like her dead sister, Melissa (Melinda McGraw). The mystery deepens with the arrival of a detective (John Pyper-Ferguson) investigating an apparent suicide, the "victim's" young daughter (who looks just like a young Scully), and a brace of sinister Men in Black. Part one of a two-part story, "Christmas Carol" was written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz; the episode first aired December 7, 1997. — Hal Erickson (All Movie Guide) | |
| 1997 | Ms. Scrooge | Cicely Tyson | |
| 1997 | A Christmas Carol | Tim Curry (voice) | Animated |
| 1998 | An All Dogs Christmas Carol | Animated | |
| 1999 | A Christmas Carol | Patrick Stewart | |
| 2000 | Diva's Christmas Carol | Vanessa Williams | |
| 2000 | Maxine's Christmas Carol | Animated | |
| 2001 | A Christmas Carol | Simon Callow (voice) | UK Animated |
| 2001 | A Christmas Carol | USA Animated | |
| ? | Brer Rabbit's Christmas Carol | Animated | |
| 2004 | A Christmas Carol | Kelsey Grammer | TV Musical |