A Christmas Carol Hot Takes (Part 1)

A Christmas Carol Hot Takes (Part 1)

On this episode of Scrooge: A Christmas Carol Podcast, I'm going through Letterboxd reviews that go against the norm. I'll be reading 1/2-star and 1-star reviews of unpopular versions, and 4 1/2-star and 5-star reviews of unpopular version. Just a fun diversion from the standard show! In fact, there were so many reviews that this is simply part 1. Stick around until the end, where I talk a bit about what Season 3 of the show will look like. Have Christmas Carol hot takes for a future episode? Feel free to leave them, and I'll cover them.

The Audio Christmas Carols: The Lionel Barrymore Years

For nearly 20 years, Lionel Barrymore played Ebenezer Scrooge on the radio, and some of these broadcasts survive. I'm covering these two decades, while also reviewing the existing broadcasts. From Orson Welles to the Hallmark Hall of Fame, Barrymore played Scrooge on multiple networks in various time slots, and with various scripts. Sources used in this episode: Radio Hall of Fame blog [https://web.archive.org/web/20171213005711/http://www.radiohof.org/a_christmas_tradition.htm] Comet Over Hollywood [https://cometoverhollywood.com/2016/12/24/a-christmas-tradition-lionel-barrymore-as-ebenezer-scrooge/] Jim Ramsburg's Gold Time Radio [http://www.jimramsburg.com/christmasintheair.html]

Veggie Tales: An Easter Carol (Or, the Rise and Fall of the Romaine Empire)

It's another episde about a non-Christian holiday. It was only a matter of time until beloved children's media franchise Veggie Tales did their own take on A Christmas Carol. However, 1) It's not about Christmas and 2) It came at a time when the frachise was going through major changes. Has it unfairly gone under the radar? Video about the history of Veggie Tales [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwU5OBbt41Y]

The Silent Christmas Carols: 1922-1923

I'm wrapping up my series on the silent adaptations of A Christmas Carol with two adaptations from the 1920s (and a bit on a lost version from 1916). Plus, I wrap up this mini-series as a whole. I promise we'll be back with Christmas Carols with sound next month. The special effects continue to evolve here, with some quite impressive ghost effects. Source: A Christmas Carol and Its Adaptations by Fred Guida [https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Christmas_Carol_and_Its_Adaptations/2tLoMBDbUbIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=buckstone]

The Silent Christmas Carols: 1913-1914

Last time, we looked at the very earliest versions of A Christmas Carol, from an incomplete silent version to a version we only know about in writing. This week, I'm looking at two complete versions from the 1910s, one of them starring Seymour Hicks, who would more famously play the part in 1935. We're still firmly rooted in the stage, but we do start to see these evolving as films.