Musical Monday

The Stingiest Man in Town is the second musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol viewed for the 2020 Countdown. This is another post that’s a rehash of previous years with some minor updates. My perception of this adaptation is unchanged. This is a very good show and I have to reign myself in as it could result in a very long post; so I’m trying to keep this on the shorter side.

This was another musical offering by American television done in 1956. It has some similarities to its 1954/55 predecessor musical of ACC: 1)It was a holiday episode of an anthology series; 2) it was an original musical adaptation; 3) it was an early color broadcast with only a black & white kinescope surviving; 4) there is a small chorus of carolers that sang between scenes; 5) they both starred Basil Rathbone (but in different roles). That’s where most of the similarity ends.

This was the Christmas episode of the series The Alcoa Hour and was presented live. The 1954 version was filmed and, despite its ambitions, is best described as a semi-musical. The Stingiest Man in Town is a full-blown, second-half-of-twentieth-century musical proper. It was believed lost for years and but finally became available under a decade ago after the discovery of a surviving kinescope!

Before continuing, I’ll state that there is a definite mix of English and American accents to be heard.  This is probably the only version where it doesn’t distract me and I’m more forgiving to the non-English accents.  I believe this is due to it’s musical staged nature.

Although Basil Rathbone stars in 1954’s Shower of Stars version of ACC as Marley’s Ghost, he goes all the way to the top in the title role of The Stingiest Man in Town.  He was already a veteran of the role of Scrooge from a 1940’s radio production that was also commercially released as an album.

While this is the traditional ACC story, the attempt here is a musical comedy for the purpose of light entertainment.  It does well with both, but more so as a musical. This is very much thanks to the music of Fred Spielman (coupled with Janice Torre’s lyrics).  Spielman was a very successful songwriter. One his songs that is still well known is Paper Roses.  This was well received enough that there used to be an available soundtrack album of the songs.

Throughout the show, there is a quartet of carolers (sometimes beggars) that sing narration during the introduction, between scenes, and after the finale. The carolers are played by pop vocal group The Four Lads.

The opening scenes lead us, of course, to Scrooge & Marley’s counting house. Basil Rathbone’s singing parts are tailored for a non-singing actor. For one verse in the song “Humbug,” Rathbone changes from live performance to lip-synching a pre-recorded verse, with studio echo effects (most likely to make him sound better).  However, in later musical numbers he has bits in, seems comfortable and confident with his brief singing parts.

Johnny Desmond is very pleasing as nephew Fred.  As this is a musical and Fred is a singing part, Desmond’s voice is pleasant to contemporary ears.

John McGiver appears as one of the two gentlemen charity collectors. Though it’s a small part, I had to give this a mention.  I’ve always spotted McGiver in small but noticeable parts in dozens of movies and television shows.  He is easily recognizable in this role.

Something a bit unusual in this version is the appearance of a cleaning woman character (who turns out to be Mrs. Dilber) at Scrooge & Marley’s.  It’s a small speaking role, too.  Here appearance at the counting house is clearer when we realize that Scrooge’s bedroom is in the counting house!  In the context of this live, televised musical production, this makes sense for the scene changes.  We are also introduced to a ragpicker character named “Hawkins” who later is used to fill the gap for the missing Old Joe and undertaker in the future sequence.

Robert Weede, twice Tony Award nominated, is Marley’s Ghost. Marley wears an opaque veil as part of his costume, removing it in Scrooge’s room and replacing it when he leaves.

Ah! The Wandering Spirits are shown here.  They become part of the musical number “I wear a Chain” performed by Marley’s Ghost.  The Wandering Spirits work as part of a musical number in this version, unlike the strange one Marley and the spirits enact in the 1994 animated version. A Unique moment: Scrooge recognizes one of the Wandering Spirits as another former friend of his who was very successful in life but now suffers in death! (This was copied/repeated in 2004’s A Christmas Carol: The Musical.)  Although Dickens’ novella mentions that Scrooge recognized an individual in the wandering tormented spirits, it is rarely, if ever, used in the various versions and adaptations.

Ian Martin is the Ghost of Christmas Past – not bad but not memorable.  This version’s Ghost is done as an old man.  As I am a big radio show buff, I have to point out that Martin appeared in almost 200 episodes of CBS Radio Mystery Theatre.  In the past sequence, the boyhood Scrooge and his school part is not done although there is mention of Fan.  Fan is only talked about, not shown.  The past concentrates on the Fezziwig ball where the focus becomes Young Scrooge and Belle.

Opera star Patrice Munsel is Belle. She’s a nice counterpoint to the Young Scrooge of Vic Damone. I’ve never cared much for Damone and even a musical version of A Christmas Carol doesn’t sway me into fandom.  But despite Damone, the musical sequence he performs as Young Scrooge with Belle is ingenious.  In the song “Golden Dreams,” a large production number, Scrooge amasses gold as it grows into a golden brick wall that separates Belle and him.

Robert Wright is the Ghost of Christmas Present.  The costume, however, is a tad non-traditional for my taste.  He makes his appearance in a chorus and dance production number.  He doesn’t sing solo until the visit to the Cratchit home.

Bob Cratchit is portrayed by Martyn Green, who was well known for doing Gilbert & Sullivan and was a veteran of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company.

Martha Cratchit’s role is a bit larger than usual as she has a solo song she sings to Tiny Tim (“Yes, There is a Santa Clause”).  Although this is a good song, it feels out of place for A Christmas Carol.  It’s too much of an Americanization for my liking in what attempts to be taking place in 1840’s London.  At the least, it should have been “Father Christmas” instead of “Santa Clause.”

The Ghost of Christmas Present then has a wonderful song he sings to Scrooge (“One Little Boy”).  Next, with the visit to Fred’s house, there is actually a religious inspired song (“The Birthday Party of the King”).  Sadly, only 1950’s American television could get away with this.  [Note that by the early ’60’s, Peanuts creator Charles Schultz had to fight for the inclusion of the Biblical Nativity excerpt quote in A Charlie Brown Christmas.]

In the future, the events are sparse.  Scrooge only witnesses Hawkins, the ragpicker, and Mrs. Dilber, the housekeeper talking about his death after they are shown leaving his business after ransacking his body.  He is then shown his gravestone. There is no visit to the future Cratchit home or any mention of Tiny Tim’s death.

What is immediately presented is an instrumental musical number, “Concerto Inferno,” with dancing spirits in the cemetery while taunting Scrooge.  Remember, it’s a musical (which is okay!).  If you don’t like traditional mid-20th century musicals, then this definitely is not your cup of tea!

At the beginning of the reformed Scrooge scenes, the well-known exchange with Scrooge and the boy in street is given a twist. The exchange isn’t with a boy at all. Instead, Scrooge speaks to his cleaning woman, Mrs. Dilber, who is off-camera. Once again there is the well borrowed scene of Scrooge visiting the Cratchit home on Christmas Day. However, as the show ends with the finale number, Scrooge is leaving to go have dinner at his nephew’s house.

This is a very enjoyable version of A Christmas Carol that succeeds with it’s aim to be fun and entertaining without really spoiling the classic tale.

Jump ahead years later to 1978; The Stingiest Man in Town was remade as an animated musical Rankin-Bass special.  I don’t know if I will include it in this year’s blog but I know it won’t be as favorable.

Unique

There is a unique interchange between the reformed Scrooge and Tiny Tim when Scrooge is at the Cratchit home on Christmas Day. Scrooge approaches Tiny Tim and begins a personal exchange with him concerning doctors and the future; he asks him “…will you help me change the shadow of the future?”

Missing

• Phantom hearseYoung Scrooge at school flashback
• Fan is discussed but never shown
• Dick Wilkins
• Ignorance & Want
• Future Cratchit home visitation
• Boy in the street