Christmas in July 2023: Ebbie (1995)

 

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #12 in the month-long celebration of Christmas entertainment. Each day this month I will be sharing brief reminisces about Christmas TV episodes, specials, and movies that are a creative or imaginative adaptation of Charles Dickens' tale A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Just a little something different and a way for me to show off the diversity of holiday stories I've collected in the encyclopedia Tis the Season TV (the updated and expanded 2nd edition will be released soon).  

 

Ebbie is played by Susan Lucci who also known for her long-running iconic role as Erica Kane on the TV soap "All My Children."

Today's discussion is on the 1995 Lifetime movie Ebbie. This feature-length adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol" is the first TV movie to cast a woman as Ebenezer Scrooge, here named Elizabeth ‘Ebbie’ Scrooge. 

 

 

In this story, Ebbie is the business-minded owner of a successful department store, assisted by Roberta Cratchet. Cleverly, the Ghosts of Christmas are embodied by two women, previously seen in the department store as perfume counter girls, now dressed as singers whose costumes change according to the time period Ebbie is visiting--from 1960s girl group singers to 1990s heavy metal performers.  

 

1995 TV Guide magazine advertisement

Jeffrey DeMunn here plays Jake Marley. His long career has also seen him as Dale on "The Walking Dead."

 

This 90's movie also features an amazing cast: Susan Lucci as Ebbie, Molly Parker as her sister Fran, Wendy Crewson as Robbie Cratchet, Taran Noah Smith as Tim Cratchet, Laura Harris as Martha Cratchet, Jeffrey DeMunn as Jake Marley, and Jennifer Clement and Nicole Parker as the Ghosts of Christmas. 

This TV movie is so iconic that it was mentioned as a pop culture reference on the TV series Will & Grace in the 2002 holiday episode “All About Christmas Eve.”

 

Joanna Wilson is a TV researcher and book author specializing in Christmas entertainment. More about the TV programs mentioned on this website can be found in her book "Tis the Season TV: the Encyclopedia of Christmas-themed Episodes, Specials, and Made-for-TV Movies." Her latest book "Triple Dog Dare: Watching--& Surviving--the 24-Hour Marathon of A Christmas Story" was released in 2016. She is currently updating and expanding the encyclopedia for an upcoming release. Her books can be found at the publisher's website: 1701 press.com

*Support this website and its research by purchasing the books at 1701 press.com