Christmas TV History

Friday, July 7, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: The Stingiest Man in Town (1978)

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #7 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).

Earlier this week, I shared two animated versions of Dickens' "Carol," and yesterday I discussed the 1956 TV musical. So, today let me share another animated version, but one that adapts the music from yesterday's The Stingiest Man in Town. Let's discuss the 1978 Rankin/Bass animated TV special The Stingiest Man in Town.

This is an hour-long, Rankin/Bass cel animated TV special. It is a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ book “A Christmas Carol” featuring the familiar character design of Paul Coker, Jr.

The music is written by Fred Spielman with lyrics by Janice Torre. The music by Spielman and Torre was originally written for the TV musical The Stingiest Man in Town which aired as an installment of “The Alcoa Hour” starring Basil Rathbone in 1956. This animated adaptation uses the cricket character B.A.H. Humbug to take over the Greek chorus role occupied by The Four Lads in the original 1956 production. Click HERE to see yesterday's discussion again about this 1956 TV special.

B.A.H. Humbug is voiced by Tom Bosley.

In this story, B.A.H. Humbug is a cricket that narrates this musical story about the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. Although this story attempts a faithful adaptation, it is missing story from Ebenezer’s childhood and his sister Fan. However, this version cleverly works in Santa Claus to the nineteenth-century tale. Tiny Tim’s sister encourages her little brother’s faith in the holiday by singing a song about Santa Claus while the Ghost of Christmas Present transforms into the familiar image of St. Nick. This version also works in the story of the Nativity to the Dickens classic. B.A.H. Humbug sings a song about the First Christmas and the gifts brought by the wise men during Scrooge’s visit to his nephew Fred’s home, escorted by the Ghost of Christmas Present, as a lesson about generosity.

The original songs in this program include “Merry Christmas Uncle Scrooge,” “An Old Fashioned Christmas,” “The Stingiest Man in Town,” “The Chain Song,” “Golden Dreams,” “It Might Have Been,” “Song of the Christmas Spirit,” “Yes, There is a Santa Claus,” “Birthday Party of the King,” “One Little Boy,” and “Mankind Should Be My Business.”

The voice cast includes Tom Bosley as B.A.H. Humbug, Walter Matthau as Scrooge, Theodore Bikel as Marley’s Ghost, Robert Morse as the young Scrooge, Dennis Day as Fred, Paul Frees as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and Charles Matthau as the boy on Christmas morning. Charles is the real-life son of Walter Matthau.

Thanks for joining me during this first week of the Christmas in July marathon! There's more to come.

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

Thursday, July 6, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: The Stingiest Man in Town (1956)

The cover of the DVD release.

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #6 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).

Today's discussion is an adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" that is a favorite of mine. Those that follow my social media closely know that I share about this program quite a bit. Not only is it a fantastic TV program but it's historically significant. Today I want to talk about the 1956 feature-length musical The Stingiest Man in Town which aired on The Alcoa Hour on NBC.

Ebenezer Scrooge is played by Basil Rathbone.

This TV version of “A Christmas Carol” musical originally aired live and in color. Music for this original three-act production was written by Fred Spielman, with book and lyrics by Janice Torre. This was originally a very lavish production which featured special effects, several dance sequences, and falling snow effects--all during a live show.

In Act I, the songs include “A Christmas Carol” sung by the narrator, “An Old-Fashioned Christmas” sung by nephew Fred, “Humbug” sung by Scrooge and Fred, “The Stingiest Man in Town” sung by Mrs. Dilber, the Four Beggars, and Hawkins, “A Christmas Carol (Reprise)” by the narrator, “I Wear a Chain” sung by Jacob Marley and Scrooge, the instrumental “Country Dance” which is taken from “An Old-Fashioned Christmas,” and the Golden Dreams Sequence consisting of “Golden Dreams” and “It Might Have Been” sung by Young Ebenezer and Belle.

In Act II, the songs include “A Christmas Carol (Reprise)” sung by the narrator, “The Christmas Spirit” sung by the Spirit of Christmas Present and Scrooge, “Yes, There Is A Santa Claus” sung by eldest daughter Martha Cratchit to Tiny Tim, “One Little Boy” sung by the Spirit of Christmas Present, “An Old-Fashioned Christmas (Reprise)” sung by Fred and Betty, and “The Birthday Party of the King” sung by nephew Fred.

In Act III, the songs include “A Christmas Carol (Reprise)” sung by the narrator, the instrumental “Concerto Inferno (Devil’s Ballet) during which the wretched souls dance in the cemetery, “Mankind Should Be My Business” sung by Scrooge, “The Christmas Spirit (Reprise)” sung by Scrooge, Mrs. Dilber, and Hawkins, “One Little Boy (Reprise)” sung by Cratchit and Scrooge, “Yes, There Is A Santa Claus (Reprise)” sung by the Cratchit family, and the finalé “An Old-Fashioned Christmas (Reprise)” sung by the ensemble.

The cast includes Basil Rathbone as Scrooge, Vic Damone as Young Ebenezer, Johnny Desmond as nephew Fred, Martyn Green as Bob Cratchit, Patrice Munsel as Belle, Robert Weede as the ghost Jacob Marley, Ian Martin as The Ghost of Christmas Past, Robert Wright as The Spirit of Christmas Present, Keith Herrington as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, the Four Lads as the narrator/carolers/beggars, Phillipa Bevans as Mrs. Dilber, John Heawood as the ragpicker Hawkins, Betty Madigan as Martha, and Dennis Kohler as Tiny Tim. Heawood is also the production’s choreographer. The orchestra is conducted by Tutti Camarata.

The 1956 album release of the soundtrack by Columbia Records.

For decades after 1956, the only memory TV fans had of this program was the soundtrack released on Columbia Records. However, modern audiences can now enjoy this classic TV program because a kinescope of the elaborate production was recently found and has been since released on DVD.

This musical production is a re-telling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale “A Christmas Carol” with a few interesting interpretations. The Ghost of Christmas Past is depicted as an elderly man looking quite similar to Santa Claus--and not “delicate” and like a child, as Dickens originally described. Another interesting highlight of this production is the visual metaphor used to express the growing emotional divide between Ebenezer and his fiancé Belle during Scrooge’s visit to his past. Here, we see Ebenezer busy amassing his fortune and literally building a golden wall that eventually rises too tall for the lovers to reach over. When the Spirit of Christmas Present visits Scrooge, he brings with him a Christmas tree under which is filled with toys, dolls, and toy soldiers. These toys come to life and dance for Scrooge and the Spirit. During Scrooge’s journey to Christmases Yet to Come, he is greeted by a group of dancing wretched souls in the cemetery.

My favorite scene: during the Golden Dreams sequence, we see a beautiful metaphor realized as Young Scrooge (Vic Damone) amasses his fortune in gold bricks that eventually grow too tall for him to reach his fiancé Belle (Patrice Munsel).

Another change in this version of the story is that on Christmas morning, there is no scene of Scrooge sitting in the window calling down to a boy on the street asking him to run to the butcher’s shop. However, this version does cleverly include references to Santa Claus with the song “Yes, There Is A Santa Claus” and the gospel story of the Nativity with the song “The Birthday Party of the King.” Perhaps the emotional highpoint is when the Ghost of Christmas Present sings “One Little Boy” about the young and frail Tiny Tim bringing tears to Scrooge’s eyes.

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979)

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #5 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).

Yesterday we looked at the classic Walt Disney animated Mickey's Christmas Carol so today let's discuss another animated version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Let's look at the 1979 animated special Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales. The half-hour program features the familiar Looney Tunes characters created by Warner Brothers but here animated by DePatie-Freleng.

The animated special is comprised of three short segments, linked by everyone’s favorite Looney Tunes characters caroling in the snow. The segments are “Bugs Bunny’s Christmas Carol,” “Freeze Frame," and “The Fright Before Christmas." I'm only concerned with the first segment--the animated adaptation of Dickens' literary tale.

"Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol" features Yosemite Sam as Ebenezer Scrooge, Bugs Bunny as the Ghost, Porky Pig as Bob Cratchit, and Tweety Bird as Tiny Tim. In this story, Bugs Bunny wants to teach Scrooge a lesson so he acts as the ghost of Jacob Marley, then the Ghost of Christmas, to frighten Scrooge/Yosemite Sam into changing his attitude. Scrooge becomes so afraid, he dons a Santa Claus suit and begins handing out cash on the street!

The animated segment is just a few minutes long but it casts a long shadow. This "Christmas Carol" segment has aired on TV separate from the entire program "Bug Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales" too. Later, in 2006 there was a second "Christmas Carol" created, entitled Bah Humduck: A Looney Tunes Christmas which also features the Looney Tunes characters but the story is lengthened and more characters fill out the background roles.

And, Christmas movie fans may remember that depressed Martin Riggs (played by Mel Gibson) in the 1987 movie Lethal Weapon is watching Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales on TV when he's feeling suicidal. Maybe the animated special cheers him up? Merry Christmas in July, friends.

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

Merry Christmas in July--and Happy 4th of July! It is Day #4 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).

Today's discussion is on the animated short Mickey's Christmas Carol. The Oscar-nominated, half-hour animated short film from Walt Disney Productions was first released into theaters in 1983 to accompany a re-release of The Rescuers. Its debut on TV was in 1984 on NBC. When on TV, it is often scheduled in a one hour-long time slot, lengthened with additional Disney cartoons or paired with footage to promote a new Disney animated theatrical release.

This adaptation of Charles Dickens’ literary tale includes the familiar Disney cartoon characters in the roles of “A Christmas Carol.” This comedy version of the story is potentially the “cutest” adaptation and an easy-to-watch introduction for children to the Dickens’ classic. The roles are played out with Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit, Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge, Donald Duck as nephew Fred, Goofy as the Ghost of Jacob Marley, Jiminy Cricket as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Willie the Giant (from “Mickey and the Beanstalk” in 1947’s “Fun and Fancy Free”) as the Ghost of Christmas Present, the villain Pete as the Ghost of Christmas Future, Minnie Mouse as Mrs. Cratchit, Daisy Duck as Isabelle [Belle], and Mortie Mouse as Tiny Tim. Many other recognizable characters from past Disney cartoons fill in as the background characters throughout the rest of the story. Pay special attention during street scenes and during Fezziwig’s dance scene for a deep dive into classic Disney characters!

Alan Young on the TV sitcom "Mister Ed."

The 1983 animated short film was adapted from the 1975 Disneyland Storyteller Record written by Alan Young and Alan Dinehart. Yes--the record came before the cartoon. And, its writer, Alan Young, is the same man who starred as Wilbur Post on the 1960s TV series Mister Ed with the talking palomino. Young also voiced Scrooge McDuck on the original record and again in the cartoon. This 1983 short film is also known to be the last time Clarence Nash voiced Donald Duck. And, Mickey’s Christmas Carol was Mickey Mouse’s return to theater screens after thirty years (the previous Mickey cartoon was 1953’s “The Simple Things”).

The short film includes the original song “Oh What a Merry Christmas Day,” with music by Irwin Kostal and lyrics by Fredrick Searles.

Monday, July 3, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: Scrooged (1988)

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #3 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).

Today's discussion is on the 1988 feature-length, irreverent comedy Scrooged, directed by Richard Donner and starring Bill Murray. Here, the central Scrooge character is named Frank Cross, a TV network programming executive more focused on his career than the true spirit of the holiday. In a show-within-a-show, Cross is managing a TV special entitled "Scrooge" which is a celebrity-filled re-telling of "A Christmas Carol." As Cross is visited by three ghosts, he suspiciously believes he’s experiencing a part of his own TV production. While the preparations and rehearsals for the "Scrooge" TV special on Christmas Eve are underway and the live presentation is being broadcast, Frank Cross is becoming a transformed man. With his newfound holiday spirit, he steps onto the set of the live TV special and interrupts the broadcast to deliver his Christmas greetings and encourages the viewers to undergo a similar renewal.

The song "Put A Little Love In Your Heart" is sung by the cast including Bill Murray as the closing credits role. It’s enough to put everyone in the holiday spirit!

Frank Cross’ executive assistant in the Bob Cratchit role is named Grace. She has a young son Calvin, think Tiny Tim, who hasn’t spoken in several years because of a trauma. Cross’ former fiancé, in the book named Belle, is here a social worker named Claire. And the role of Jacob Marley is Cross’ former network boss and mentor Lew Hayward who appears as the golf-playing corpse when he returns as a ghost.

There are tons of details that fill this silly movie to the edges with excitement. There are also celebrities at every turn. For example, jazz legend Miles Davis as the trumpet player street musician, Hollywood bad boy Robert Mitchum as Cross’ boss, the cabbie/Ghost of Christmas Past is played by David Johansen who also works professionally under the name Buster Poindexter and was an original member of the New York Dolls punk/glam band, and TV’s Charlie of Charlie’s Angels John Forsythe plays the role of Lew Hayward.

Don’t overlook the parody clips shown at the movie’s opening. These are promos for the IBC Network's holiday specials for that season. They include the ultra-violent "The Night the Reindeer Died" starring Lee Majors as a commando that saves the North Pole, "Bob Goulet’s Old Fashioned Cajun Christmas" with the popular entertainer singing and boating through the swamps, and a sappy sitcom holiday episode of the TV series "Father Loves Beaver." There’s also the ridiculous show-within-the show "Scrooge" produced by IBC. It stars actor John Houseman as the narrator, comedian Buddy Hackett as Scrooge, actor Jamie Farr as Cratchit, Olympic Gold medal-winning gymnast Mary Lou Retton as Tiny Tim, and the Solid Gold Dancers as the Scroogettes, dancing on the streets of Victorian London.

The cast includes Bill Murray as Frank Cross, Alfre Woodard as Grace, Karen Allen as Claire, John Forsythe as Lew Hayward, Bobcat Goldthwait as the disgruntled employee Eliot Loudermilk, David Johansen as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Carol Kane as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Robert Mitchum as Cross’ TV network boss Preston Rhinelander, Michael J. Pollard as the homeless man Herman, and Mary Ellen Trainor as Ted.

Sunday, July 2, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: An American Christmas Carol (1979)

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #2 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).

Henry Winkler as Benedict Slade, aged to look like a mature businessman.

Today's discussion is on the 1979 feature-length story An American Christmas Carol. Before he was the Emmy-winning actor who played acting coach Gene Cousineau on the HBO series Barry, the unscrupulous lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn on Arrested Development, or the successful children’s book author, Henry Winkler had an earlier career. He was the actor who embodied America’s favorite 1950’s rebellious, motorcycle-riding, ladies’ man--Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on the hit TV series Happy Days. During his success on that sitcom, Winkler got this plum role as Benedict Slade on TV movie version of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Under heavy make-up that ages him at least thirty years, Winkler is Ebenezer Scrooge, only this time the story doesn’t take place in Victorian England but Depression-era New England in Concord, New Hampshire, 1933.

Benedict Slade is the business-minded Savings & Loan President that repossesses his client’s collateral on Christmas Eve. After being warned by his former business partner Jack Latham, Slade is visited by three spirits of Christmases past, present and future. Each of these spirits is embodied by one of the clients he had repossessed items from earlier in the day. The Spirit of Christmas Past is the bookseller whose shop Slade closed down, the Spirit of Christmas Present is the orphanage director from who Slade collected the children’s piano, and the Spirit of Christmas Future is a farmer who wasn’t able to keep up with the payments on his family’s furniture.

There are more changes from the Victorian era to the 1930s Depression era. Gone are the references to prisons for the poor. Modern TV audiences can more clearly connect with the pain of enduring unemployment known throughout the Depression. And, Tiny Tim’s mysterious ill health is also changed. Now the character, re-named Jonathan, suffers from infant paralysis, or polio, and his health and future well-being can be improved with treatments from a distant clinic.

This revised “Christmas Carol” also re-imagines charity-giving from the Victorian era. Slade offers more of a leg-up--not a hand-out--which reflects certain American values. After Slade’s transformation, he sees the benefit of investing in re-opening the recently closed quarry. This business decision will not only benefit Slade’s pocket but will provide jobs once again for the entire community. We also see the transformed Slade select one troubled boy from the orphanage and offer him an apprenticeship, much like the young Slade was offered by a local businessman when Slade was living at the orphanage many years ago. While An American Christmas Carol, much like the original book, is filled with charity-giving, it seems uniquely American to adapt the story to include the use of capitalism, and Slade’s business acumen, to invest in the community’s well-being too.

The cast includes Henry Winkler as Benedict Slade, David Wayne as Merrivale the bookseller/Spirit of Christmas Past, Dorian Harewood as the sharecropper/Spirit of Christmas Future, Gerard Parkes as Jessup the orphanage director/Ghost of Christmas Present, Ken Pogue as Jack Latham, and Chris Cragg as Jonathan.

Saturday, July 1, 2023

Christmas in July 2023: Muppets Christmas Carol (1992)

Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #1 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).

Today's discussion is on the 1992 theatrical release movie The Muppets Christmas Carol, directed by Brian Henson. While this feature-length story is set in Victorian London--a setting viewers expect from a traditional adaptation of Dickens' story--it is creatively re-imagined as a musical, a comedy, and the characters are mostly brought to life with puppets--or Muppets, to be more precise.

The Oscar-winning British actor Michael Caine plays Ebenezer Scrooge. Kermit the Frog plays Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy is Emily Cratchit, Fozzie Bear is Fezziwig (or Fozziwig), Robin the frog is Tiny Tim, Dr. Bunsen and Beaker are the charity collectors, and Statler and Waldorf are the brothers Jacob and Robert Marley. This version adds the character of brother Robert Marley which is not in Dickens' original book. Another change includes a narrator character, Charles Dickens, played by The Great Gonzo. The characters of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future are not familiar Muppets but original puppets created for the roles. This movie is easy to watch and a pleasant introduction to Dickens for the whole family.

The outstanding songs are written by Academy Award-winner/Grammy winner Paul Williams and include "Scrooge;" "One More Sleep 'Til Christmas;" "Marley and Marley;" "When Love is Gone;" "It Feels Like Christmas;" "Bless Us All;" and "Thankful Heart." The song "When Love Is Gone" sung by Belle has been cut from some versions of the home video releases. Thankfully, in December 2022, the song “When Love Is Gone” was added back to the movie for the version streaming on Disney+.

#DVDdress

About Christmas TV History