A Christmas Carol, 1938

The first American sound film version of A Christmas Carol is MGM’s 1938 take on the story. Like many of the renderings, this is usually identified by it’s lead actor; this one being Reginald Owen.

This is one of the classic versions that generate a lot of discussion and very varied opinions. If you’re an American within a particular large-ranged age group, this is likely the version you watched most growing up, side by side with 1951’s Scrooge with Alastair Sim. I’m one of those Americans.

In my years being obsessed with A Christmas Carol, this adaptation has been the most varied in my personal rating scale. At this point in time its actuality on the higher end. (There have been times it was low.)

The factors that must be considered when viewing: 1938. American. MGM. This version is affected by MGM’s (at its peak) moralistic vision for Americans. This vision is implanted on a 1930’s Hollywood take on early Victorian England. What results is a fairly sanitized adaptation: family friendly and with romance. It has faults but they’re easily forgiven.

Reginald Owen is far from being the best Ebenezer Scrooge but he’s a good actor that’s easy to watch. He was not the intended choice for the first American big-studio sound version. That honor was meant for the great Lionel Barrymore. There was a long tradition of Barrymore playing Scrooge live on American radio during Christmas, both before and after this movie. To America, he was Scrooge. Unfortunately, Barrymore’s physical problems prevented him from doing the movie. Who knows what it might have been had Barrymore been able to bring his interpretation to the screen. I’ve read that Reginald Owen playing Scrooge was Barrymore’s recommendation.  [As a sidetracking personal note: listening to Barrymore’s radio A Christmas Carol is a long-standing Christmas Eve tradition that I relish every year!]

Owen plays Scrooge as a crooked, knee-bent crabapple. The most apparent non-likability is he’s a skinflint and doesn’t like Christmas. This is how he’s seen from the beginning. But before we are introduced to Scrooge, we actually meet Fred and Tiny Tim first!

Fred is an expanded role in this adaptation. Very Hollywood: he’s tall, handsome and hopelessly in love with his fiancée, Bess. The fiancée, Bess, is another expanded role for the ingénue Lynne Carver. This is predictable MGM middle America movie appeal at it’s “best.” Instead of already being married as in the novella, they are presented as a “struggling” engaged couple, waiting for the means to be able to marry.

In comes Bob Cratchit played by Gene Lockhart. Lockhart is physically against type as Bob Cratchit (he’s overweight) but his portrayal is well done. His real life wife, Kathleen Lockhart, is a good choice as Mrs. Cratchit because she and Gene work well as an affectionate couple. One of the strangest innovations in this version: Bob Crathit is fired by Scrooge on Christmas Eve.

The Cratchit children are definitely a distinctive topic with this version. In the past I often made fun of their almost spastic excitement with ordinary things and tasks. They make an early case in the need for Ritalin. In recent viewings I tend to view this as an MGM naïve interpretation of those that do not have much being appreciative when receiving simple pleasures. Of course, the Cratchit family, along with most other settings in this version, does not look to be that poor and destitution is non-existant.

There are some odd moments in the movie. Noticeably weird are the unusual music effects from the time Scrooge enters his home to when Jacob Marley appears.

Leo G. Carol as Marley has always been a paradox for me. His vocal performance as Marley is imposing and very good but his stature doesn’t fit. Because Owen plays Scrooge in crooked poses, he and Carol look almost equal in height. If Owen stood straight there would be a noticeable difference between them.

a

The Ghost of Christmas Past is a young, pretty female played by Ann Rutherford (who appeared as a regular character in the Andy Hardy films with Mickey Rooney and in Gone With the Wind as Scarlet O’Hara’s sister).

In Scrooge’s visit to the past, we hear Fan is called Fran in this version. (As I stated in the post about the Patrick Stewart version, this is a personal peeve.) Fran is played by English child actress, Ira Stevens, who is very recognizable from her small but noticeable part in The Little Princess with Shirley Temple.

The Ghost of Christmas Present is a traditional rendering well played by Lionel Braham (another alum from The Little Princess). His torch is a mini cornucopia (with a noticeable light inside) used to do the sprinklings, which isn’t actually that commonly presented among versions. A noticeable difference in Scrooge’s time with the Ghost of the Present is his almost full transformation before the visit by Yet-to-Come! The end of the Present usually transitions right into the future. Instead, after his time with Present, Scrooge is back laying in bed, seeming to sleep, dreaming and laughing of all the happy Christmas scenes he witnessed with the Ghost. Then he’s unexpectedly transported standing in front of Yet-to-Come.

The scenes with the reformed Scrooge give us another mashed up rendering of the story’s events. Scrooge carries the prize turkey, himself. But first he goes to see his nephew and his fiancée for dinner. This scene takes the opportunity for a mini happy ending as Scrooge makes Fred his partner, which will allow Fred and his fiancée to finally marry. Then they all go to the Cratchit home to deliver the prize turkey and other presents. This is where Scrooge tells Bob he will raise his salary, and Bob doesn’t have to reveal to his wife the non-canonical event of being sacked by Scrooge on Christmas Eve!

Despite being sanitized and having dark elements removed, this version is heart warming and very enjoyable to watch. This remains a “never miss” in annual viewing.

Missing

• Phantom hearse
• Wandering Spirits
• Belle
• Ignorance & Want
• Undertaker, laundress, charwoman, and old Joe

Before They Were Famous

Recurrent TV mother, June Lockhart, makes her debut as one of the Cratchit children to her parents portrayal of Bob and Mrs. Cratchit.