# Your favorite version(s) of A Christmas Carol **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2016, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002 "2016-12-17T23:59:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Magicicada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@Magicicada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magicicada)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/21 "2016-12-18T06:35:09Z")
Henri, the existential cat’s version. Which I think may have been an extended cat food commercial. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/22 "2016-12-18T06:43:19Z")
The Alistair Sim version was my mother’s favorite. The Christmas morning scene when he scares the maid put her on the floor every year laughing. Therefore, it gets my vote in the poll. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/23 "2016-12-18T09:41:18Z")
Other-_Blackadder’s Christmas Carol_. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/24 "2016-12-18T12:37:39Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > The Alistair Sim version was my mother’s favorite. The Christmas morning scene when he scares the maid put her on the floor every year laughing. Therefore, it gets my vote in the poll. “I must stand on m’head!” “Bob’s your uncle!” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/25 "2016-12-18T12:41:55Z")
Sim. He was the most evil Scrooge, and the happiest at the end. The scene where he wakes on Chistmas Day has never been topped, even by actors saying the exact same lines. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/26 "2016-12-18T12:58:36Z")
This is just a trap–I’m definitely not going to fall for admitting that my favorite version is the _My Little Pony_ episode [A Hearthswarming Tale](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Cyeng_4M4). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/27 "2016-12-18T13:12:19Z")
Another vote for Blackadder’s Christmas Carol. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/28 "2016-12-18T14:00:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Whitney Young Junior High version _Those_ hacks!? From the list: George C Scott and The Muppets. Not from the list: About 12 years ago, I saw Patrick Stewart perform it as a one man show on Broadway. Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/29 "2016-12-18T14:26:31Z")
Alastair Sim or Reginald Owen? I’ll need to compare the films again. George C Scott’s version got my vote because the others are tied… Dickens wrote a pretty strong story, able to survive many adaptations. Houston’s Alley Theatre mounts a production every holiday season–to compete with the ballet’s _Nutcracker_ next door. Highly original versions? Let me say that nobody has mentioned the time Xena & Gabrielle arrived in a kingdom where the mean, miserly king had banned celebrating Solstice. How to change him? Why, frighten him with “ghostly” apparitions! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/30 "2016-12-18T14:59:45Z")
I’ve given this spiel before, but so what? I love Alistair Sim, I love Mr. Magoo, I’ve liked SEVERAL versions. But George C. Scott was my favorite. Why? Several reasons, but mainly this: Scrooge had been done to death by the time I saw Scott play him. I was sure nothing new or interesting could be done with the character. Scott changed my mind. He made me LIKE the miserly, pre-change Scrooge. In most productions, Scrooge is obviously unhappy in his life, wretched and miserable. Scott showed us a Scrooge who LOVED making a profitable business deal, who liked making witty remarks, who enjoyed insulting banter with his nephew Fred. Scott’s Scrooge is a funny guy, who thinks he’s being clever when he says every Christmas revellers should be buried with holly in his heart. Scott’s Scrooge is PROUD of what he’s accomplished, and engages in give and take with the spirits. He doesn’t readily admit that he made the wrong choices in his life. He has regrets,but QUALIFIED regrets. He’s very human, and not just a stereotypical evil miser. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/31 "2016-12-18T15:42:31Z")
> [@Magicicada](#): > > Henri, the existential cat’s version. Which I think may have been an extended cat food commercial. [The Worst Noël](https://youtu.be/egtvaWzIh7o)? ---
**Author:** ![TheInimitableMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@TheInimitableMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheInimitableMaven)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/32 "2016-12-18T16:37:45Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Not from the list: About 12 years ago, I saw Patrick Stewart perform it as a one man show on Broadway. > Brilliant. I am officially envious. Yet another reason I wish I had time and space blinking/teleporting abilities. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/33 "2016-12-18T16:42:44Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Here is my thread from 2007. I still think the 1938 Owens version is the best. > [Let's rank the film versions of A Christmas Carol - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=448069) I also preferred the 38, though the 51 runs a close second. I remember my English prof saying that when it came to Dickens, you tend to liek Christmas Carol and dislike the rest of his stuff, or you prefer the rest and dislike CC. \ Not overly fond of Dickens, but generally I would rather read him than watch a movie based on his works. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/34 "2016-12-18T17:42:26Z")
George C. Scott for the win. Frank Finlay’s Marley is the best ever, David Warner (Cratchet) is one of Britain’s finest character actors, and Edward Woodward knocked the Spirit of Christmas Present out of the park. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/35 "2016-12-18T20:40:32Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I’ve given this spiel before, but so what? > > I love Alistair Sim, I love Mr. Magoo, I’ve liked SEVERAL versions. But George C. Scott was my favorite. > > Why? Several reasons, but mainly this: Scrooge had been done to death by the time I saw Scott play him. I was sure nothing new or interesting could be done with the character. > > Scott changed my mind. He made me LIKE the miserly, pre-change Scrooge. In most productions, Scrooge is obviously unhappy in his life, wretched and miserable. Scott showed us a Scrooge who LOVED making a profitable business deal, who liked making witty remarks, who enjoyed insulting banter with his nephew Fred. Scott’s Scrooge is a funny guy, who thinks he’s being clever when he says every Christmas revellers should be buried with holly in his heart. > > Scott’s Scrooge is PROUD of what he’s accomplished, and engages in give and take with the spirits. He doesn’t readily admit that he made the wrong choices in his life. He has regrets,but QUALIFIED regrets. > > He’s very human, and not just a stereotypical evil miser. Michael Caine played it pretty much the same way with the Muppets. And a re-read supports the theory that Dickens intended the character that way. The one I REALLY like, though is **Sampiro** ’s Kurt Vonnegut impression in the [_If Other Authors Had Written It_] thread. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/36 "2016-12-19T04:21:32Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Nitpick: I believe the Alastair Sim version is titled, _Scrooge_. That is my favorite. Nitpick of the nitpick: The two titles seem to be a bit “fluid” upon further investigation. I’ve got it on a DVR down the road as “Scrooge”, but TMC is playing it later this month under “A Christmas Carol”. Aw, Scrooge it! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/37 "2016-12-19T14:08:17Z")
Overall, the Jim Carrey version comes closest to the original story, and tries to incorporate the original illustrations. It even incorporates obscure references that you need an annotated edition to understand. Overall, it’s my new favorite. I have a soft spot for Mr. Magoo’s version. It’s the first one I saw. It’s the first TV “Christmas Special” Cartoon (ignoring the self-promoting Disney “From All of Us …To All of You” episodes), and the songs are pretty darned good. Alastair Sim’s 1951 version was, for years, the definitive version. I really liked the George C. Scott version. Scott was a helluvan actor, and he definitely avoids the cliché in portraying Scrooge. One version not up there, but which deserves to be, is the Chuck Jones-produced cartoon version. Jones didn’t animate it – the animation director was the underappreciated Richard Williams (who later animated **Who Framed Roger Rabbit** ). The voice of Scrooge was Alastair Sim from the 1951 version, brought back to voice the character anew. Like the later Carrey version, they tried to reproduce the original illustrations, and did the whole movie in that style. > **[A Christmas Carol (TV special)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol_(1971_film))** > > A Christmas Carol is a British-American animated adaptation of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella. The film was broadcast on U.S. television by ABC on December 21, 1971, and released theatrically soon after. In 1972, it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. > The place: London. The time: 1843. Ebenezer Scrooge is about to meet the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future to teach him the true spirit of the season. This adaptation includes scenes of miners and sailors singing carols t... ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/38 "2016-12-19T14:24:54Z")
George C. Scott, hands down. Every other film version of the story seems to kind of drag on for me, but Scott keeps it entertaining throughout. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/39 "2016-12-19T14:25:19Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > This is just a trap–I’m definitely not going to fall for admitting that my favorite version is the _My Little Pony_ episode [A Hearthswarming Tale](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Cyeng_4M4). My kids were watching that the other day. Not too bad for a half-hour version. My favorite is still the Muppets one. They do a fairly accurate run (well, minus the singing) including some of the original lines. Plus, Rizzo. That’s some points right there. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002/40 "2016-12-19T14:46:47Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > George C. Scott for the win. Frank Finlay’s Marley is the best ever, David Warner (Cratchet) is one of Britain’s finest character actors, and Edward Woodward knocked the Spirit of Christmas Present out of the park. I don’t have to post; this one says it all for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-version-s-of-a-christmas-carol/775002.md?page=3)