Dickensblog

A 'bah, humbug' to Scrooge's grave

In what surely must be one of the most bizarre Christmas Carol-related crimes ever committed, the gravestone of Ebenezer Scrooge from the 1984 film adaptation was found smashed in the graveyard at St. Chad's Church in Shrewsbury, England. Does someone still bear a grudge against old Ebenezer?

(I was surprised to learn, while reading about the crime, that the stone had actually belonged to another grave before being used in the filming, with an inscription faded enough that the filmmakers were able to repurpose it. To be honest, that feels a little like a desecration too.) 

The December 2024 'Christmas Carol' schedule

Time has flown -- I could hardly believe it when I spotted an airing of Scrooge (1951) on this morning's TV schedule! So it's time once again (past time, given that there's already been one airing!) to let you know when and where you can find your favorite Christmas Carol adaptations this year. Keep checking back for updates.

• Scrooge (1935, starring Seymour Hicks): Colorized version free on Prime, Tubi, Plex, and Pluto TV, and available for rent on Apple TV. Black and white version free on Xumo Play, available with subscription on PBS Passport, and available with premium subscription on YouTube. Also available (I'm not sure which version) with premium subscription on YouTube TV and the Roku Channel. 
• A Christmas Carol (1938, starring Reginald Owen): Airing on TCM December 8. Available with subscription on Max. Available with premium subscription on Prime, Hulu, YouTube TV, and the Roku Channel. Available with primetime subscription on YouTube. Available for rent on Google Play Movies & TV, Fandango at Home, and Apple TV. 
• The Christmas Carol (1949, starring Taylor Holmes and Vincent Price): Streaming on YouTube. Available with subscription on Peacock.
• Scrooge, a.k.a. A Christmas Carol (1951, starring Alastair Sim): Airing on Movies! TV Network, December 3, 22, and 25. Free on Tubi and Plex. Available with premium subscription on Prime and Sling TV.
• Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962): Available with subscription on Peacock. Available for rent on Prime, Fandango at Home, Apple TV, Google Play Movies & TV, and YouTube.
• Scrooge (1970, starring Albert Finney): Free on Pluto TV, Plex, and Sling TV. Available with subscription on fuboTV, MGM+, and Paramount+. Available with premium subscription on Prime, YouTube TV, Philo, and the Roku Channel. Available for rent on Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
• Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983): Available with subscription on Disney+. Available for rent on Prime, Fandango at Home, Apple TV, Google Play Movies & TV, and YouTube.
• A Christmas Carol (1984, starring George C. Scott): Airing on Flix December 9 and 14. Free on Tubi, Sling TV, Plex, Xumo Play, and the Roku Channel. Available with subscription on Hulu. Available with premium subscription on Disney+. Available for rent on Prime, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
• The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992, starring Michael Caine): Available with subscription on Disney+. Available for rent on Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and Fandango at Home.
• A Christmas Carol (1999, starring Patrick Stewart): Airing on TNT December 5 and 6. Also free on TNT's streaming service for those with cable TV. Available with subscription on Paramount+. Available with premium subscription on Prime, Hulu, Sling TV, YouTube TV, and the Roku Channel. Available for rent on Prime, YouTube, Apple TV, and Google Play Movies & TV.
• Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009, starring Jim Carrey): Airing on Freeform, December 3, 5, 6, 10, 14, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, and 25. Available with subscription on Disney+. Available for rent on Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Sling TV, and Fandango at Home.
• FX's A Christmas Carol (2019, starring Guy Pearce): Free on Fandango at Home. Available with subscription on Hulu and Apple TV. Available with premium subscription on Disney+ and Sling TV. Available for rent on Prime.
•  A Christmas Carol (2020, starring Simon Russell Beale and Michael Nunn): Free on Prime, Fandango at Home, Plex, and Tubi.
• Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (2022, starring Luke Evans): Available with subscription on Netflix.

As always, if you spot any mistakes or know of any I've missed, please let me know in the comments section!

R.I.P., Julien Arnold

In Edmonton, Canada, on November 24, actor Julien Arnold passed away during a performance of A Christmas Carol at the Citadel Theatre, in which he was playing Marley, Fezziwig, and other characters. He had performed in the show for a number of years. The Citadel posted on its website, "In honor of Julien's memory, we are dedicating this season's run of A Christmas Carol to our dear friend." A GoFundMe has been set up to help Arnold's wife, Sheiny Satanove, with expenses.

'The Artful Dodger' gets a second season

Disney+ and Hulu have ordered a second season of the show about the Artful Dodger's adult life as a doctor in Australia. I ended up enjoying the show very much, despite some gross-out moments (as I mentioned in my review of the first episode) and despite the fact that I didn't like its treatment of the grown-up Oliver Twist (based largely on modern distaste for the character, instead of on Dickens's portrait of him as a brave and loyal soul). Those were minor issues in what was on the whole a fun and imaginative show, and I look forward to seeing more of it. 

'Scrooge' podcast adaptation now available

Hope Media Group and Compassion International have released Scrooge: A Christmas Carol -- Podcast, a four-part dramatization starring Sean Astin as Scrooge, John Rhys-Davies as the narrator, Juliet Mills as the Ghost of Christmas Future, and Ben Barnes as the Ghost of Christmas Past. The podcast is available here, and here's an interview with Rhys-Davies about the project. 

R.I.P., Timothy West

The beloved British actor played John Dickens in the 2002 miniseries Dickens, Sir Leicester Dedlock in the 2005 Bleak House, and Josiah Bounderby in the 1977 Hard Times. He passed away on Tuesday, November 12, at the age of 90. 

Lucinda Dickens Hawksley on 'A Christmas Carol'

On November 21, Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., will host a virtual event with Lucinda Dickens Hawksley titled "Dickens on Dickens: How A Christmas Carol Became a Classic." Go here to register! 

Relatedly, Lucinda also has a new book out titled Victorian Christmas: Traditional Recipes, Decorations, Activities, and Carols.

TCM alert

A Tale of Two Cities (1935) airs on the channel at 7:45 this morning.

New 'Oliver!' trailer

Ahead of Oliver!'s transfer to London, the production has released a new trailer (h/t The Arts Shelf). 

Thoughts on BBC Radio 4's 'Little Dorrit'

I had high hopes for the new radio dramatization of one of my very favorite Dickens novels. What I got was a mixed bag. The atmosphere is a good blend of cozy and eerie, and I like the device of having a narrating Charles Dickens thinking his way through the story as he tells it. But adapter Mike Walker took it upon himself to take a number of liberties with plot and characters. Amy is too feisty, Arthur too hapless, and astonishingly, the characters of Mr. Meagles and Mr. Merdle have been combined into one man (who says "I say" more often than Foghorn Leghorn), for no reason that I can fathom.

One standout character is Affery; Sarah Thom's portrayal hits all the right notes of affection, timidity, confusion, and prescience. Carl Prekopp's Pancks and Lauren Cornelius's Maggy also come off very well. But so many characters have been cut that it does damage to the story; for instance, Arthur can't win Amy's trust by doing Tip a good turn when there's no Tip to do a good turn to. There's too much time spent on events like a party at Mr. Meagles/Merdle's house (and there isn't even a Mrs. Meagles/Merdle to liven it up!) that could have been used to bring in more characters, at least briefly. 

Note that this is a review of episode 1 only (as I did with Hard Times). Episode 2 is up, but I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. I'm hoping for better pacing and characterization in the upcoming episodes, but I fear that the creative minds have already undermined themselves by stripping the cast down to the bare bones.