NBC/Rankin-Bass, 1978
Voices of Walter Matthau, Dennis Day, Tom Bosley, and Robert Morse
Directed by Katshuhisa Yamada, Arthur Rankin Jr., and Jules Bass
Music by Fred Spielman; Lyrics by Janice Torre
Given Rankin-Bass did animated specials for pretty much every other holiday-related property in the 60's and 70's, it was probably inevitable that they'd get to A Christmas Carol sooner or later. The soundtrack for The Stingiest Man In Town remained popular, but the live broadcast was long-gone by 1978. NBC commissioned this special in order to preserve their copywrite on the music. How does it compare to the live-action version I reviewed on Thursday? Let's start at Scrooge's counting house this time and find out...
The Story: B.A.H Humbug (Bosley), an insect who lives in Scrooge's (Matthau) counting house, narrates the story of how he met three ghosts on one cold Christmas Eve. Scrooge was once the most miserable man in London. He cheated his clerk Bob Cratchit (Sonny Melendrez) out of holiday bonus money and refused to spend one cent for the poor. Scrooge learns his lesson from the ghost of his former boss Marley (Theodore Bikel) and the ghosts of past, present, and future, who show him what his life holds if he doesn't change his ways.
The Animation: Like 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, the character designs here were done by Paul Coker Jr., who did illustrations for MAD Magazines for years. While slightly less cartoon-y than the shorter special, it still shows Coker's hand, with large heads and huge, rounded eyes. The colorful backgrounds here, especially during the "Golden Dreams" fantasy number, are also quite nice.
The Song and Dance: Some of the Rankin-Bass specials made after about 1975 can get pretty bizarre, but this is one of the better ones. Already-strong material makes all the difference here. They keep the entire original score (save a few reprises), and even manage to do better by a few of them. Day makes a jolly Nephew Fred, Morse and Shelby Flint are an appealing pair of lovers in the past sequence, Bikel brings gravity to an especially spooky Marley, and Melendrez is a charming Bob Cratchit.
Favorite Number: Bosley joins the stray animals of London to complain about Scrooge's lack of charity as he bilks everyone around him in the title song. Day joins Matthew to bark about how Christmas is a "Humbug" and explain why "An Old-Fashioned Christmas" is worth enjoying. Young Scrooge's "Golden Dreams" has him and Belle waltzing in a fantasy palace, but she prefers the simple comforts and family of "It Might Have Been." "The Christmas Spirit" is still performed by toys under the Ghost of Christmas Present's tree, but this time Humbug and a shrunken Scrooge get to dance along. Scrooge also joins The Ghost of Christmas Present to learn why "One Little Boy" can mean the world to his family and friends.
Trivia: Charles Matthau, who did the voice of Tiny Tim, is Walter Matthau's son (adding an extra layer of poignancy to "One Little Boy").
This was Dennis Day's last TV appearance.
What I Don't Like: Much of the original story was compressed for time and a younger audience, even from the live-action version. Of the three ballets, only the "Christmas Spirit" toy ballet was even remotely carried over. The Future segment is barely hinted at; we only see a few minutes of the Ghost leading Scrooge to his tomb before he converts. Those who preferred the Four Lads in the original may find Bosley's "Humbug" to be too cutesy and maybe seen a little too much. Day's Nephew Fred might have been used a bit more. The segment with Scrooge's sister Fan is cut, and "The Birthday Party of the King" is now sung by Bosley.
The Big Finale: This is one of the rare times I'm equally happy with the original and its remake. I admit to be a bit biased as I recall occasionally seeing this one on cable as a child. Whether you go for live-action and animation, they're both worth checking out for fans of Christmas Carol, Rankin-Bass, or the casts.
Home Media: Currently only on DVD as part of two collections of Warner Bros-owned Christmas specials; the second includes How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Year Without a Santa Claus.
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