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Mr. Scrooge: Directed by Bob Jarvis. With Cyril Ritchard, Tessie O'Shea, Alfie Bass, Elizabeth Cole. A retelling of Charles Dickens' novel about a nasty miser who is visited by spirits on Christmas eve.
- (33)
- Comedy, Music
- Bob Jarvis
- 1964-12-21
Miserly London businessman Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his dead business partner Marley, who warns him that three more ghosts will appear during the night trying to show Scrooge the error of his ways.
- Overview
- Plot
- Songs
Mr. Scrooge is a TV special that aired on CBC in December 1964.
The story begins in London on Christmas Eve in 1860 (“Bringing Home the Christmas Tree”), where dour banker Ebenezer Scrooge cruelly rebuffs a choir of boys collecting charity for the poor, denouncing Christmas as a waste of time as he does (“Christmas is a Humbug to Me”). He also mistreats his clerk, Bob Cratchit, who only wishes to spend time with his family on Christmas. Scrooge insults Cratchit, calling him gluttonous and lazy for partaking in Christmas traditions, but relents and allows him to go home for the holiday. Cratchit returns to his family, including his crippled son Tiny Tim, and they all go together to see the Christmas lights in town (“Gee’ Up Little Pony”). Scrooge goes home that night and thinks he sees the face of Jacob Marley, his deceased business partner, in his door knocker. He dismisses this vision and sits down to supper, but soon he hears strange noises around his house. Suddenly a translucent apparition appears before him, claiming to be the ghost of Jacob Marley. Marley’s ghost talks about the tortures he has suffered in his ghostly state, and they recount their time together as business partners (“Pounds, Shillings, and Pence”). Just before he disappears, Marley warns Scrooge that he is to be haunted by three spirits that night, and that if Scrooge doesn’t change his ways he will suffer in death as Marley does.
Later that night, while Scrooge is asleep, he is visited by the first of the three spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Past, who arrives riding a tricycle. The ghost demands that Scrooge awaken and accompany him at once. The ghost shows him a scene from Scrooge’s past at a Christmas party held by his former employer Mr. Fezziwig. Scrooge spots his much younger self at the party, along with Isabelle, the love of his life and his fiancée. In the past, Isabelle takes Scrooge aside and they speak in private. Scrooge keeps trying to delay their marriage, believing that he must become more financially successful in order to properly provide for both of them. He has a scheme to invest their savings and make a great deal of money, allowing Scrooge the opportunity to start his own business. Isabelle notes that Scrooge’s priorities have changed since she first fell in love with him, and that he now desires the acquisition of money more than her love (“But That was Very Long Ago”). She gives back his ring and calls off their engagement, running away. The elder Scrooge is emotional about viewing this scene from his past.
Scrooge suddenly awakens in his bed, crying. He is confronted by another ghost, the Ghost of Christmas Present, clad in a military uniform and clearly inebriated. The ghost shows Scrooge the Cratchit family’s Christmas dinner, and he feels guilt when he notices their meager meal. Cratchit proposes a toast to Scrooge, although Mrs. Cratchit despises him for his cruelty towards her husband, greed, and misanthropy, and the Cratchit children have a dim view of him as well (“Mr. Scrooge”). Scrooge becomes interested in Tiny Tim’s fate, and the ghost shows him a vision of the Cratchit family mourning his death. Suddenly Scrooge finds himself in a mysterious void, with only a tall spirit holding its own disembodied head as company. The head speaks to him, telling him that he is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, and that Scrooge is being shown his own future. He sees looters ransacking his house and selling his possessions in the wake of his death (“We’re Knockin’ off His Knick-Knacks”). Scrooge is upset that no one seems to care about his death or show any emotion towards him, and begs the ghost to take him back, claiming that he will change his ways and embrace the Christmas spirit.
He awakens back in his bed and finds that it is Christmas morning, and he is happy to be there for it (“Merry Christmas”). He goes out to celebrate with people in the street, and asks a boy to purchase a large turkey for him and deliver it to the Cratchit house. He visits the Cratchits as they sit down to enjoy their meal, and gives him a large raise in salary, much to the delight of the whole Cratchit family. They insist that he stay to join them for Christmas dinner, and Scrooge obliges. Scrooge makes a toast, and Tiny Tim offers his own Christmas wishes (“God Bless Us Every One”).
•"Bringing Home the Christmas Tree"
•"Christmas is a Humbug to Me"
•"Gee' Up Little Pony"
•"Pounds, Shillings, and Pence"
•"But That was Very Long Ago"
•"Mr. Scrooge"
1964 Directed by Bob Jarvis. A Christmas Carol retelling. Cast. Crew. Details. Releases. Cyril Ritchard Tessie O'Shea Alfie Bass Eric Christmas. More at IMDb TMDb. Sign in to log, rate or review. Share. Ratings. ★. 1 ★½ rating (100%) ★★★★★. Popular Lists. More. Neverending Christmas movie list. 🎄JulieClaus🎄 8,209 films 10K 761.
- Bob Jarvis
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Mr. Scrooge (1964) 1 of 1 Charles Dickens , Alfie Bass , Eric Christmas , Dolores Claman , Eric Clavering , Elizabeth Cole , Neil Culleton , Michael Dodds , Gillie Fenwick , Don Francks , John Maddison , Richard Morris , Tessie O'Shea , Cyril Ritchard , Billy Van , Norman Welsh , Ted Wood , Bob Jarvis , Loro Farrell , and Barbara Gryfe in Mr. Scrooge (1964)
