Though busy producing his monthly serial installments of Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-44), he furiously went to work on the story and completed it in time for the Christmas market. The story had suddenly occurred to him in early October 1843, when he was visiting Manchester to speak at a fund-raising occasion. Incidentally, there's a substantial article, including an interview with June Lockhart, on this film in the book "AMC Presents the Great Christmas Movies.A Christmas Carol was the first and much the best of the long series of Christmas books (1843-48) and stories (1850-67) by Charles Dickens.
The black-and-white play of light and shadow in this film is essential to its' atmosphere.
But do not, under any circumstances, see the colorized version. Hugo Butler's screenplay captures the feel of it all perfectly, and Franz Waxman's score is one of his best. Manckiewicz wasn't responsible for at least some of the directing chores, as well. One wonders, though, if executive producer Joseph L. With "Christmas Carol," though, he redeems himself. Marin was, frankly, a hack, and, as such, usually handed a lot of forgettable "B" properties at MGM. Atmospherically, the movie is as comfortable and heartwarming as an old Christmas card. Carroll as probably the out-and-out spookiest Marley's Ghost there ever was, and Ann Rutherford (That's Polly Benedict to you "Andy Hardy" fans!) as probably the loveliest Ghost of Christmas Past. Kildare's" girlfriend during the '40's) add just the right spirit as Scrooge's nephew, Fred, and his fiancee, respectively. Barry McKay and Lynne Carver (The latter perhaps best remembered as "Dr.
Gene and Kathleen Lockhart (And daughter June, making her film debut at 12) make as good a pair of Cratchits as you will ever see, with Gene Lockhart underplaying more than was usually his wont. Chips!" the following year) goes perhaps a bit overboard with the cute stuff as Tiny Tim, but at least he tries. Terry Kilburn (The little boy who said "Goodbye, Mr. Reginald Owen, whose career in US films alone spanned more than 40 years, was given the part, and, if not as vivid a Scrooge as Alistair Sim, he is more than up to the task. Lionel Barrymore was to have played Ebeneezer Scrooge, when the accident that confined him to a wheelchair prevented it. More that sixty years after it was made, MGM's 1938 version of "A Christmas Carol" still ranks as one of the best adaptations of the Dickens classic ever.
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