Scrooge: A Christmas Carol Podcast

This week, I'm covering the 1984 version of A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott, my personal favorite adaptation. What makes this version stand out among the rest? This one also features David Warner, Edward Woodward, Susannah York, Angela Pleasence, and Roger Rees.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ScroogeAChristmasCarolPodcast

Twitter: https://x.com/scroogepod

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/scroogepod.bsky.social

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Alright, it's time to talk about the two weirdest Christmas Carols of the '80s. First up, it's Scrooge's Rock 'N' Roll Christmas, a truly bizarre TV special starring western actor Jack Elam as Ebenezer Scrooge, who has to not only change his mind about Christmas but also rock 'n' roll. Will the music of Three Dog Night, Mike Love, and the mysterious Bridget change his mind?

After that, it's Bu...

It's episode 2 of season 2 of Scrooge: A Christmas Carol Podcast, and I'm covering A Christmas Carol (1982) from Australiia. Ron Haddrick is back as Ebenezer Scrooge, reprising his role from the 1969 film. It's twenty minutes longer than the previous version, but is it better? There are some truly surprising moments here.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ScroogeAChristmasCarolPodcast

Twitter: https://x.com/scroogepod

Bluesky: https...

It's Season 2 of Scrooge: A Christmas Carol Podcast, and we're going From Mickey Mouse to the Muppets. Mickey's Christmas Carol was my introduction to the story, and I know it was a lot of other people's as well, so we're starting there. Learn the long history of Disney and A Christmas Carol, including 2 separate album versions before they ever adapted it for film, and revisit the classic short.

Patreon: htt...

There are countless versions of A Christmas Carol, but which is the most accurate to the book? I've listed 100 important plot points and character descriptions, and I'll be scoring 12 versions (from 1935-1979) on their accuracy. Most podcasts are audio only, but this episode is best watched as a YouTube video. Watch here:

https://youtu.be/Kt3KFYaRicE

If you're new to the podcast, I'm comparing 12 versions that I talk...

It's a preview episode of Scrooge TV, a new series for my backers on Patreon where I will review a TV episode based on A Christmas Carol. This episode is free for all, and you can access a new one every month for $5 a month on Patreon.

It's Christmas Eve, and Mr. Spacely is making George Jetson work late. When he falls asleep, he's visited by some Christmas ghosts who help him change his ways.

Link to my Patreon:

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Collin wraps up A Christmas Carol Deep Dive with this episode covering the final stave of the book. What does "Walker!" mean? Who is Joe Miller? What on earth is a Laocoön? It's all here!

Links used in this episode:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laoco%C3%B6n

https://victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/xmas/pva116.html

http://grammarphobia.com/blog/2021/12/hookey-walker.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Miller_(actor...

In this episode of A Christmas Carol Deep Dive, Collin breaks down the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come portion of the story. Learn about 'Change, Victorian burial traditions, offal, and much more.

Sources used in this episode and additional reading:

https://www.britannica.com/story/where-does-the-concept-of-a-grim-reaper-come-from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exchange_Alley

https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=grim

https://www.ahdiction...

Since it's the only version of A Christmas Carol based around July 4, Collin is taking this month to review An American Carol. From David Zucker (The Naked Gun, Airplane, Top Secret, and apparently the Republican party) comes this 2008 political comedy. Michael Malone (Kevin Farley) is a documentary filmmaker who needs to love the 4th of July, and he'll have his views changed with the reprimanding of three ghosts (Kelsey Gr...

It's the second half of the Ghost of Christmas Past, and this episode covers Scrooge and the Ghost visiting lighthouse keepers, sailors, and miners, Fred and his friends, and of course the children Ignorance and Want. Find out what all those games Fred was playing are about, what a "children's Twelfth Night party" is, and much more.

Sources and additional links:

https://victorianweb.org/art/illustration/green/70.ht...

We're into the third stave of A Christmas Carol, and there is a lot to cover in this one. In this episode, Collin talks about the first half of the Ghost of Christmas Present portion of the story, including an argument between Scrooge and the Ghost about bakers being open on Sundays, the entirety of the Cratchits scene, and lots and lots of descriptions about food.

Sources and additional links:

https://www.merriam-webster.com...

Just when I thought I was done with the 1970s adaptations, I learned there was one more. This TV movie is so obscure that it only aired once and only exists in a home recording. Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol tells the story of Cyrus Flint, a 1970s bank manager (played by Hoyt Axton) who gets a visit from some Christmas ghosts and hears a lot of country music. Also starring Mel Tillis, Lynn Anderson, Martha Raye, Dottie West,...

Join Collin as he breaks down Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, with the help of a LibriVox audiobook. This episode covers the second stave, which involves the Ghost of Christmas Past. Each month, a new episode of A Christmas Carol Deep Dive will drop, until we have gotten through the whole book. Find out about the historical context, cultural references, inspiration for adaptations, and much more.

Sources and additional link...

Join Collin as he breaks down Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, with the help of a LibriVox audiobook. This episode covers the second half of the book's first stave, which involves the haunting of Marley's ghost. Each month, a new episode of A Christmas Carol Deep Dive will drop, until we have gotten through the whole book. Find out about the historical context, cultural references, inspiration for adaptations, and mu...

Join Collin as he breaks down Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, with the help of a LibriVox audiobook. Each month, a new episode of A Christmas Carol Deep Dive will drop, until we have gotten through the whole book. Find out about the historical context, cultural references, inspiration for adaptations, and much more. This episode covers the first half of the book's first stave, from the beginning of the story up through ...

On this episode, Collin covers three weird adaptations from the 1970s: A Christmas Carol 1977 from the BBC (with Michael Hordern as Scrooge), Rich Little's Christmas Carol (with Rich Little as W.C. Fields as Scrooge), and A Special Sesame Street Christmas with Oscar the Grouch needing a change. All three of these are extremely weird in their own way, and there is a lot to talk about. Guests on these specials include Ethel Merman, P...

There is one more TV adaptation to cover from the 1970s, and it deserves its own episode. In An American Christmas Carol, Henry Winkler plays Benedict Slade, an Americanized Ebenezer Scrooge, and he's backed up by a supporting cast including Dorian Harewood, Susan Hogan, R.H. Thomson, and many more. The setting is moved to Concord, New Hampshire during the Great Depression, a perfect choice for this kind of story. Find out why this...