ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS CAROL MOVIE: “INSPIRED” BY CRAFTS INSPIRE ME

Balladeer’s Blog’s Fifteenth Annual Christmas Carol-a-Thon speeds toward its conclusion! For today’s installment I’m grateful to my fellow blogger at Crafts Inspire Me for suggesting this in one of her comments here. Her blog is very enjoyable and holidayish!   

ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS CAROL MOVIE (2024) – As mentioned above, C.I.M.’s author inquired about my ultimate cast for a film adaptation of A Christmas Carol. If I could pluck actors and actresses from any production of the Carol out of the time stream I would cast the following

NOTE: I’m listing the cast from least prominent up to most prominent. 

WAITRESS AT THE INN/ TAVERN: KATH SOUCIE – The waitress who served Scrooge his dinner at the inn/ tavern he stopped at on his way home after parting company with Bob Cratchit on Christmas Eve. She is in the Dickens novel but has no dialogue and is omitted from most versions of A Christmas Carol. 

   An exception is the 1997 animated version, which used the waitress as a great way to add another female character without going outside the source material. Souci as the waitress even got a song!

GHOSTLY HEARSE DRIVER: ROY EVANS – This phantasmal character from the Dickens novel was rarely featured in screen adaptations of the Carol. Shortly after Scrooge sees Jacob Marley’s face in his door knocker, he gets a brief glimpse of this coachman driving a horsedrawn hearse.

   Roy Evans played this ghost in the 1970 Scrooge musical and actually got a line of dialogue! By default that makes him THE choice for this particular role in my opinion.

CHILD SINGING A CAROL: ANY OF THE CHILDREN FROM THE ROGER WAGNER SINGERS – The children in Wagner’s chorus sang in the 1954 Shower of Stars version of A Christmas Carol, and I feel any one of them would do just fine as the caroling child Scrooge chases away at the beginning of the story.

DICK WILKINS: JURGEN CLAUSEN – This actor played Scrooge’s fellow apprentice under Fezziwig in the 1960 German television adaptation of the Dickens novel. Every actor who plays Wilkins has only a few minutes to make an impression and Clausen stood out to me.

OTHER SUFFERING GHOSTS: MARCEL MARCEAU – Since mime Marcel Marceau played all the roles in his 1973 production of the Carol I would go with him as ALL the extra ghosts who suffer like Marley does. Different makeup and costumes plus trick visual effects would nicely accommodate this unorthodox approach. Since these ghosts have no lines who better than a mime for this purpose?

NON-MOURNING BUSINESSMEN: JAMES MASON and ALFRED HITCHCOCK – I’m finessing the rules a bit to include voice acting. Rich Little impersonated James Mason as one of the Businessmen in Rich Little’s Christmas Carol (1978) and imitated Alfred Hitchcock’s voice in Scrooge and the Stars (1963).

BOY OUTSIDE THE WINDOW: ALI GORDON – Little girls as Peter Pan and other roles have long been a thing. Therefore, I would use Ali Gordon as the “Why, it’s Christmas Day!” child outside Scrooge’s window on the Morning After. She performed the role in A VHS Christmas Carol (2020).

IGNORANCE & WANT: DANIEL BOOROFF and LEEANNE HOWARD-WILLIAMS – These two child actors from the 1999 Carol would be my choice.

LITTLE BOY SCROOGE: DORIAN HEALY – This actor from the 1977 version of the Carol stands out in my mind for the schoolboy version of Scrooge in the Christmas Past portion. 

FAN SCROOGE: TRACEY CHILDS – For Scrooge’s sister in the Christmas Past portion I would select this actress who portrayed her in the 1977 Carol.

BELLE’S HUSBAND: PETER SETTELEN – He played the role in the 1984 Carol and did what he could with such a small role.

CHARITY COLLECTORS: ROY KINNEAR and BRADLEY WALLER – For sheer contrast between them I would cast Roy Kinnear from the 1970 Scrooge musical and Bradley Waller from the 2020 mixed-art version of A Christmas Carol. 

MR. AND MRS. FEZZIWIG: LAURENCE NAISMITH and KAY WALSH – These two did great as the Fezziwigs in the 1970 Scrooge musical. I went for chemistry above most other considerations.

FRED’S WIFE: JULIE ALANNAGH-BRIGHTEN – She stood out to me in the 2004 Christmas Carol starring Kelsey Grammer.

OLD JOE: PETER WOODTHORPE – He played Old Joe in the 1984 George C. Scott version and impressed me with his sinister air – appropriate for a dealer in stolen or scavenged objects.

SCROOGE AS BELLE’S SUITOR: ALBERT FINNEY – Some may disagree but I think in 1970 Finney did better as the younger Ebenezer Scrooge than as the old and crotchety one.

BELLE: PATRICE MUNSEL – She portrayed Scrooge’s lost love Belle in the 1956 Stingiest Man in Town. She’s down this low on the cast list since I go strictly by Belle’s brief but emotion-packed role in the Dickens novel. I hate versions that pad out her role.

SHREWISH LADY SCAVENGERS – Any of the ladies who played Mrs. Dilber and/ or the other scavengers of dead Scrooge’s possessions would be fine with me. 

TINY TIM: RICHARD BEAUMONT – From Scrooge (1970), I felt Beaumont did the best an actor can do in the Tiny Tim role. Plus he can sing if you want to have Tim sing the song Dickens refers to about a little boy lost in the snow. (The 1971 animated version features the most LITERAL interpretation of that song.) 

MRS. CRATCHIT: SUSANNAH YORK – She was my all-time favorite in the role of Mrs. Cratchit in the 1984 George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol.

GHOST OF CHRISTMAS YET TO COME: JAMIE BURNS – Years ago I was convinced that silence was absolutely necessary for this particular Christmas Spirit, but this woman’s performance in A VHS Christmas Carol changed my mind. Her mournful yet musical wail is employed in different contexts which add to the emotion of the sights she shows Scrooge. His name is the only thing she articulates. 

MARLEY’S GHOST: ALEC GUINNESS – Even though I dislike most of the songs in the 1970 Scrooge musical I really loved a lot of the performances. I think Guinness is terrific as the ghost of Scrooge’s late business partner.  

GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST: PATRICIA QUINN – Okay, if pressured I would probably consider it a coin-flip between Quinn in the 1977 Carol and Angela Pleasence in the 1984 version. Just for sheer cultural oomph I’m giving the edge to “Magenta” here.

GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT: EDWARD WOODWARD – In the 1984 Carol Woodward struck me as having it all for this crucial role. Jovial when need be, gravely serious when need be and searingly passionate when need be. 

NEPHEW FRED: ROBERT NADIR – I enjoyed Robert’s performance as Fred in the Guthrie Theater video version of A Christmas Carol from 1982. He excelled in the role without grandstanding.  

BOB CRATCHIT: CLIVE MERRISON – To me this actor from the 1977 Carol perfectly captures the right mix of timidity and kindness needed for this role. Some may remember him as Prince Sabinkoff on Reilly, Ace of Spies.

EBENEZER SCROOGE: ORSON WELLES – Welles’ performance as Scrooge in the 1938 Mercury Theater radio version of A Christmas Carol still touches me and his other thespian skills would cinch him as the star of my ultimate version.

CHARLES DICKENS AS NARRATOR: MARSHALL BORDEN – This actor really impressed me playing Charles Dickens himself serving as the onstage narrator in the Guthrie Theater 1982 Carol. He’d have made a great Nephew Fred, too!

*** Obviously, there are no objectively right choices for such casting. It will all vary from person to person, but it was a lot of fun narrowing down my selections for each character. Thank you once again, Crafts Inspire Me! 

FOR MORE VERSIONS OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL CLICK HERE:   https://glitternight.com/category/a-christmas-carol-2/