Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

I’ve seen three versions of ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens lately. First it was ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’, which I shared my review on early in December, then the 2009 ‘A Christmas Carol’ film with Jim Carrey, and I’ve seen 1951’s ‘Scrooge’ with Alistair Sim. 🙂

Around 2001, my parents and I were getting into DVDs when we bought our first DVD player. One of the first Christmas films we had on DVD in 2001 was the 1951 film ‘Scrooge’. In fact, it was released on DVD in 2001 to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary.

If ‘Mickey’s Christmas Carol’ and ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ were my versions of ‘A Christmas Carol’ as a kid in the 1990s when I saw them on VHS, the 1951 ‘Scrooge’ film was my first experience of ‘A Christmas Carol’ as a teenager in the 2000s when I saw it on DVD.

I highly rate the 1951 ‘Scrooge’ film. Alistair Sim is brilliant in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge from beginning to end. The 1951 ‘Scrooge’ film also has more elements of the ‘Christmas Carol’ story that I don’t think is evident in other film and TV adaptations I’ve seen over the years.

This is especially in the Christmas Past segment of the film where we see more of Scrooge being a businessman with his fellow partner Jacob Marley. The Christmas Past segment is not just limited to Scrooge falling in love with a girl before he falls in love with his money.

I also feel there’s more of a Christian emphasis in 1951’s ‘Scrooge’ compared to other film and TV versions of ‘A Christmas Carol’. This is especially in the carol singing as well as the references to Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, as said by the Ghost of Christmas Present.

I feel very engaged with Alistair Sim’s performance as Scrooge in the 1951 film, especially when he’s angry and bitter as well as scared when coming across the Ghost of Christmas Future. It’s also very funny when seeing him so happy once laughing away by the film’s end.

As well as Alistair Sim, the film stars Michael Hordern as Jacob Marley. This was before Michael Hordern played Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1977 BBC TV adaptation of ‘A Christmas Carol’ and before he played Gandalf in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ 1981 BBC radio series.

George Cole, who I would later see in ‘The Good Life’ special episode ‘When I’m 65’, plays the young Ebenezer Scrooge in the film. Patrick Macnee, who later became well-known as John Steed in ‘The Avengers’ 1960s TV series, plays the young Jacob Marley in the film.

There’s Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Dilber, Scrooge’s charwoman, Mervyn Johns as Bob Cratchit, Hermione Baddeley (who later played Ellen in the 1964 film ‘Mary Poppins’) as Mrs. Cratchit, Glyn Dearman as Tiny Tim, and there’s John Charlesworth as Peter Cratchit.

Michael J. Dolan stars as the Ghost of Christmas Past. Francis de Wolff (who later guest starred in the ‘Doctor Who’ TV stories ‘The Keys of Marinus’ and ‘The Myth Makers’) stars as the Ghost of Christmas Present. And there’s Czesław Konarski as the Ghost of Christmas Future.

There’s Rona Anderson as Alice, Scrooge’s past fiancée. Incidentally, how is it that it’s ‘Alice’ in the 1951 film whereas in ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ and the 2009 Disney film, it’s ‘Belle’? Apparently, in the original book by Charles Dickens, the neglected fiancée is ‘Belle’.

Carl Marsh is Fanny Scrooge, Roddy Hughes is Mr. Fezziwig, Hattie Jacques is Mrs. Fezziwig and Jack Warner is Mr. Jorkin. Olga Edwardes is Fred’s wife (I’m surprised she’s not called Clara in the film), Miles Malleson is Old Joe, Ernest Thesiger is the undertaker Mr. Stretch, and Louise Hampton is the Laundress.

Peter Bull (who is also the film’s narrator) and Douglas Muir play the businessmen that Scrooge meets at the exchange. There’s also Noel Howlett and Fred Johnson as the collectors for the poor that Scrooge rejects when they meet him at his place of business. 😐

The 1951 ‘Scrooge’ film is one that shouldn’t be missed at Christmas time. I regard very highly and I can easily recall the lines said by the characters in the film. Most of them are easily recognisable, especially when you’ve seen other adaptations like ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’.

I feel this version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ has more in keeping with the original book by Charles Dickens and its leans more towards the Christian faith concerning Christmas. Alistair Sim is excellent as Scrooge, and I found myself in tears when watching the film. 🙂

Thanks for reading!

Bye for now!

Tim 🙂