Top Ten Versions of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”

Having just come out of a run of ‘A Christmas Carol’ myself (I played Marley) last week, I now find that I miss it. Fortunately for me, there are literally 100s of versions of this thing, from movies to cartoons to sitcom-interpretations. I can watch some greedy guy be visited by ghosts and he’ll find the true meaning of Christmas at almost any time of day right now. Good times. But, if you don’t want to watch 100s of these things, cramming yer life full of as much Tiny Tim as possible, then I offer you an early Christmas gift! Yes, now you can watch just the best with the top ten versions of ‘A Christmas Carol.’ I’m such a goose.

10. An American Christmas Carol Many years ago I saw this movie. It’s the exact same story as ‘A Christmas Carol’ but instead of Scrooge, the Victorian Era miser, this one focuses on Slade, the American Industrial Revolution miser. And, what’s better, Slade is played by Henry Winkler! The friggin’ Fonz! And no, this isn’t some Happy Days interpretation - Slade is an old man, played very well by the relatively young Fonz (it came out in 1979 - same as Happy Days). It’s pretty good. Nothing terribly memorable other than the fact that it’s the freaking Fonz.

9. Data on Star Trek: TNG

This isn’t ACTUALLY a version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ so much as one episode of TNG where Data was trying to discover the human condition through method acting as Scrooge on the holodeck. But, we got to catch the end of one of the ghosts, and Data walked around in the costume/make-up for a while. Equaling good Christmas times!

8. Looney Toons In the Looney Toons Christmas Special, one of the cartoons is Yosemite Sam as Scrooge and Bugs as everything else (as it’s just a prank... that’s what Bugs tends to do). I think Porky Pig was Bob Cratchit, purely because he’s the only one of the Looney Toons with a whole family. Man... the Toons have a lot of personal problems, I guess. Either way, this is probably one of the most violent Christmas Carols, having terrible things happen to/fall on Sam during his redeeming.

7. A Blackadder Christmas Carol

I love Blackadder. It’s one of those shows that almost slipped under everyone’s radar, but then a lot of people caught and made it really popular. For those who don’t know it’s a historical comedy from the BBC about generations of total assholes named Blackadder, all of whom are played by Rowan Atkinson. The beauty of this special is that THIS Blackadder (a Victorian one) is a great guy - giving, friendly, etc, and he has a shitty Christmas czu everyone takes advantage of him. Then the Spirit of Christmas (played by Hagrid) shows up and tells him he’s a great guy. Cut to the end, and Blackadder is an asshole like all his ancestors, and it’s fun.

6. The one I was in!

GRINS!

5. Patrick Stewart’s

Again, I only saw this version once right after it came out, but I really liked it. Capt. Picard is a really good Scrooge (even better than Data). Other than that, I’m glad that, for the most part, this was done like all the classic versions of the story. Not too many crazy effects - just the ones that were necessary. I probably wouldn’t have made Marley’s jaw-drop with CGI, but then I’m, picky about Marley now. Also, giving the Ghost of Christmas Future eyes kinda ruined him a bit. But Prof. X made up for it.

4. Alistair Sim’s

THE classic telling of ‘A Christmas Carol’ is the Alistair Sim version. It’s pretty damn old (1930s, I think) but at the same time it’s not too basic. Again, all the necessary effects, plus Sim is one of the best Scrooges of all time. Other actors are good in this, but nothing super- spectacular. But Scrooge is one of the best. I think this version was actually called ‘Scrooge’ which just nails the point home. If you haven’t seen this one before, I suggest you do (the B&W version, not the later-colorized version).

3. The Muppet Christmas Carol

One of the only versions I know of that has Dickens in it (though most scripts I have seen call for him to narrate). With Gonzo filling the role, this is one of the most entertaining versions of the story I’ve ever seen. Also, it’s the only musical version on the list! All the songs are quite good, and really do the story justice. Plus, the interpretations of characters with pre-existing Muppets were brilliant. I already mentioned Gonzo as Dickens, but some other great ones include Statlor and Waldorf as the Marley brothers, and Sam Eagle as young Scrooge’s school-master. Man that scene is awesome. It is, after all, the American way... er... it is the BRITISH way! Oh those Muppets.

2. Scrooged

Perhaps THE most entertaining version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ is Bill Murray’s ‘Scrooged.’ Numbers 2 and 3 on this list could probably be interchangeable, but I like this version better. This modern re-telling of the tale parallels a live broadcast of the Dickens version, which makes for, by far, the best ending ‘A Christmas Carol’ has ever had. Singing, Bill Murray talking directly to the audience, all the ghosts re-appear, and so on. Plus, this one has the second best Ghost of Christmas Future in it. A lot of weight goes into the GoCF. He’s pretty damn important. Plus, the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present were also great, and really different than the originals (one of the few times I’ve seen that happen). But making GoCF basically the same but with a creepy TV that shows a mix of the future and a skull face is wicked. He’s just lucky he wasn’t busted.

1. Mickey’s Christmas Carol

It might just be because this is the first version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ I remember ever seeing, but to me this is THE definitive version of the story. Hell, it doesn’t even have the whole story, just the important parts (which makes sense as it’s under 30 mins in length). The characterization in this one is brilliant - Mickey as Bob works so well, mostly because he’s not just ‘regular Mickey.’ He’s actually depressed for a lot of it. Jimmeny Cricket is a great Ghost of Christmas Past. Scrooge McDuck is one of the best versions of Scrooge I’ve ever seen. But all of this pales in comparison to GoCF. Pete (Pete from Goof Troop) is the best damn GoCF EVER. The weird thing is, it’s got all these things that totally make him NOT the GoCF. First off, he’s Pete - not a ghost. Second, he’s not skull-headed... he’s just Pete. Third, he smokes. And finally, and most importantly, he talks! That SHOULD ruin the character. But no - it makes it gold. That one line is so damn mean. “Who’s grave is this?” “Why yours, Ebeneezer - the RICHEST man in the cemetery! HAHAHAHAHA!” Man, that’s evil. Made all the eviller by the big cigar that he lights off the tombstone. In my mind, whenever I watch ANY version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ I instantly compare it to Mickey’s. Good work, folks.

Well, there ya go, folks. An easy guide to get the most out of yer Christmas viewing this season. Usually they’ll play all these versions, too, so keep an eye open. Most are on almost any channel, Blackadder’s gonna be on Comedy, the Looney Toons one will be on TeleToon, and the episode of TNG will hopefully be on Space. The only one that may be a problem is ‘Scrooged.’ They haven’t played it in a few years. C’mon ASN! Get on it!

Oh, and god bless us, everyone.