There’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ version for every taste. We ranked our favorites

L.A. Times ^ | 12/24/2019 | Greg Braxton

[SeekAndFind]

Bah Humbug. Bah Ha-Ha. Bah Horror.

When it comes to Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” how do you like your Scrooge served?

Are you partial to the dramatic British version starring Alastair Sim, which has brought a tear to many a viewer’s eyes? Or maybe you prefer your Scrooge spiked with a dose of merry mischief like Bill Murray delivers in “Scrooged.”

“A Christmas Carol” performed by puppets never fails to charm, as evidenced by the huge popularity of “The Muppet Christmas Carol.” It’s hard to resist the scenery-chewing Scrooges of George C. Scott and Patrick Stewart in their respective versions. Mickey Mouse’s Christmas Carol has plenty of devoted fans. Even Hallmark’s gender-twisted “It’s Christmas, Carol!” featuring the dynamic duo of Carrie Fisher and Carson Kressley (of “Queer Eye” fame) has its admirers.

Dozens and dozens of film adaptations of “A Christmas Carol” have been produced in a variety of genres — dramatic, comedic, musical. Among them: “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” “An All Dogs Christmas Carol” and “A Diva’s Christmas Carol.” The gallery of Scrooges includes Jim Carrey, Kelsey Grammer, Reginald Owen and Scrooge McDuck.

Adding another yule log to the fire, FX just unveiled its dark-toned “A Christmas Carol” with Guy Pearce (“Memento”) as Scrooge, sprinkled with F-bombs and bloody images. It repeats Christmas Eve at 8 p.m. and Christmas at 4 p.m. (Best keep the kiddies away from this one.)

And that’s not counting the voluminous number of TV shows that have put their spin on the tale in holiday-themed episodes. The story is so embedded in our culture that almost everyone has a favorite go-to version. Here are a few of ours.

[dfwgator]

[Mozilla]

Oh yeah a few years ago Lifetime or some local ran a 1978 version of Christmas Carol called An American Carol with Henry Winkler.

[Mozilla]

It ran in 2014 either on Lifetime Movie Network or my local My Network station. I forgot which one.

[Mozilla]

Totally agree.

[V K Lee]

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
GOD BLESS YOU, FREEPERS. Have a blessed and Merry Christmas.

[FroggyTheGremlim]

There is a version Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” which is excellent IMO.

It’s not animated like a cartoon. I don’t know what techniques were used to make it, but I like it. The candle “Christmas Past” is very well done.

[jmcenanly]

The animated version by Richard Williams, which also features Alistair Sim, is also pretty good, being based on the illustrations from the original Dickens story.

[wally_bert]

Out of all, that’s my favorite version.

[Ge0ffrey]

Mr. Magoo’s A Christmas Carol is the best, bar none. It’s even better than the original book by Charles Dickens.

[Polyxene]

I agree! George C. Scott was the best Scrooge!

[Forward the Light Brigade]

I still like Mr Magoo’s version. Great Songs.

[ZChief]

Agree about Pearce version, complete rubbish!

[Drew68]

I'll take the "Married With Children" version where without Al, all the Bundys enjoy successful, well-adjusted lives.

[Fairhairedboy]

Dark and light. Good and evil. Fate and choice. Christ and satan. Painful and hard to watch. FX’s A Christmas Carol represent our exact moment in time on this earth.

This movie is brilliant. No perversion. Just pain.