1938 A Christmas Carol

[Wellesnet]

With Welles filling in as Scrooge, when Lionel Barrymore got sick at the last minute. Not bad, but inferior to the next year's broadcast, when Barrymore was able to perform.

[Wellesnet]

Available, in good sound, at the new IU/Lilly website, along with the original script:
https://orsonwelles.indiana.edu/items/s ... 516%2C3123

[Wich2]

With Welles filling in as Scrooge, when Lionel Barrymore got sick at the last minute. Not bad, but inferior to the next year's broadcast, when Barrymore was able to perform.

Actually Boss, as covered in my book, that old fandom legend belongs in F FOR FAKE! Lionel would have perfectly capable of doing this planned-for turn as Scrooge at mic, for this his fifth year since assuming the role.

The proof?

He did do an at-mic CAROL that Christmas!

MGM, where he was long contracted, had him narrate their own radio production, featuring the star of their current film version of the tale, Reginald Owen.

(Alas, like the film, the broadcast is not terribly good.)

Merriest,
-Craig

[Wellesnet]

Thanks for the info, Craig. For those of you unfamiliar with Craig's book, "Standing in the Spirit at Your Elbow: A History of Dicken's Christmas Carol as Radio/Audio Drama", it would make an excellent gift this holiday season:
https://www.amazon.com/Standing-Spirit- ... 1593932200

[Wich2]

As (the reformed) Scrooge says,

"I am much obliged to you. I thank you fifty times!"

-Craig

[Wich2]

Hear highlights of Orson's two CAROLs, and of those from several other stars, here!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1842810229076250&set=a.389137754443512.94602.100000418724596&type=3&theater

[Le Chiffre]

Lionel would have perfectly capable of doing this planned-for turn as Scrooge at mic, for this his fifth year since assuming the role.

The proof?

He did do an at-mic CAROL that Christmas!

MGM, where he was long contracted, had him narrate their own radio production, featuring the star of their current film version of the tale, Reginald Owen.

That might explain Welles's statement at the end that they were "depending" on Barrymore to be with them the next year (when there would be no movie to get in the way).

Some other observations on the 1938 CHRISTMAS CAROL:

More overtly religious than the '39, it starts out with Welles reading a passage from one of the gospels, and a beatific-sounding chorus concludes the program with a hymn.

Welles has some good moments as Scrooge, and is a more energetic ogre than Lionel Barrymore in the first half of the show. But towards the end Welles's "reformed" Scrooge starts to run out of inspiration and resorts to a pretty hammy squawking that reminded me at times of Walter Brennan.

Hiram "Chubby" Sherman plays Bob Cratchett in this broadcast', I don't know of any other radio shows of Welles's in which he appeared. Sherman was one of the leads in the early Welles stage production "Horse Eats Hat", and according to Leaming's book, was being groomed by Welles as the Mercury's second director as part of Welles and Houseman's expansion plans for the stage branch of the Mercury. His departure just before the Mercury's second theater season put Welles into a depression and may have contributed to the failure of that season. But the parting was obviously not bitter enough to prevent him appearing in the '38 ACC.

Anna Stafford (stage name of Welles's first wife Virginia Nicholson) appears as Belle, Scrooge lost youthful love, and her performance is maybe the best one I've heard from her. She certainly doesn't stick out like sore thumb as much as she usually did. I don't know if this was her last appearance on a Campbell Playhouse show, but it was probably one of the last.

The Ghost of Christmas Future actually speaks in this show, which I've never heard of in any other presentation of the story in any other medium, including Dickens' original novel. A strange idea that doesn't work here. It was much better conveyed with Welles's narration from the book in the '39 version.

[Wich2]

Alas, Chief, a speaking Future is used in several other Radio versions of The Carol. It's a foolish choice, based on a poor understanding of writing for the medium. And worse, it totally guts Dickens' point with the character: because The Future doesn't ever speak very loudly to us, does it?

My late friend Arthur Anderson is actually very good as Past here. Orson, for me, presents a comic-opera "Old Man," not very effective at all.

Merriest,
-Craig