The Christmas Carol as told by Vincent Price

While searching for a specific radio broadcast of Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol, I found this 1949 television production narrated by Vincent Price.

The program, a half-hour adaptation, was originally produced for airing on 22 stations across the country on Christmas day by its sponsor, Magnavox Company.  The event marked the first time Magnavox used video as a marketing medium.

I can’t lend too much praise to this, especially since I’ve been listening to wonderful old-time radio adaptations of this classic story featuring the brightest stars Hollywood ever produced.   But I can say that it is worth a look for its historical significance and the presence of Vincent Price.  This TV version is a low-budget adaptation, written by Arthur Pierson based on Dickens’ original work, which includes a misspelling of the main character’s name in the credits – Ebeneezer Scrooge – perhaps done on purpose to emphasize his geezer-ness. And “The” taking the place of “A” in the story’s title, which is interesting.  In any case, I’ll let you make up your own minds about where this one should stand compared to the myriad of other productions of A Christmas Carol.

So, without further ado, here is The Christmas Carol as told by Vincent Price: