As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
I either have excellent taste or the worst fortune in the history of mankind, as I watch A Christmas Carol every year starring George C. Scott. I have read the originals and was always puzzled by a version which was spectacular and could never figure out how the book was not as good.
It is impossible for anything to ever surpass the original, especially when it is Charles Dickens and yet Hanna Barbera of Australia in 1969 AD in the year of our Lord, did just that. I was trying to locate this animated version and found someone looking for it. Of course it was online in 2009, it is not on Gaytube any longer, nor is it, or the other 28 Famous Classic Tales.
I do not understand how their genius added to Scrooge, but there were two psychological tics that changed the entire character and gave it complete depth.
One addition was Scrooge sniffed, snuff from a snuff box, but he was too tight to ever give a sneeze, until he changed at the end, and then he sneezed mightily.
The other thing which was fabulous in this version of Scrooge rubbed a gold coin in his hand between his forefinger and thumb. He hung onto it like a lifeline and had rubbed it almost bare. That coin at the end of the show is what Scrooge throws to the boy to go buy the turkey for the Cratchits.
These two things added to Scrooge in a poetic license which was absolutely perfect. The creators who came up with this were genius.
The Gaytube links do not work, but my reason for posting this here is as a record for my records so in case some day I ever stumble upon a DVD version of this, as there apparently was a release available on Amazon some years ago, that I would be able to obtain it.
Famous Classic Tales
It turns out that the version most of you are talking about here--the Richard Williams 1971 award winning version--is not the same version I was talking about. Although now that I've seen that one again, I do remember bits of it as well, especially the look of Ignorance and Want. All the info provided here helped me track down a nice DVD file called "The Very Best of Richard Williams" that includes his version complete.
I've since found out that the version I actually started this thread about was indeed on CBS for its lifespan, first shown in 1970. It was part of the "Famous Classic Tales" series, producer Walter J. Hucker and directed by Zoran Janjic. It runs about 46 minutes without commercials, and was made in Australia.
Part 1 starts HERE, and goes on from there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsisICSUQl8&feature=related
Apparently it was out twice on video tape for awhile, but never on DVD yet. So far, I haven't come up with any DVD transfers posted anywhere either. Even though this one didn't win any awards, I still like this Marley WAY better, and the backgrounds still look pretty nice too
I do not understand in I want Johnny Quest in the original unedited politically incorrect version. That though when I tried to find it, had disappeared too from the one vendor who had it. I really adored the originals when I saw the original version, just as this CBS version of Scrooge was simply mesmerizing for an animation, simply due to the additions which the creators added.
Hopefully one day Warner Brothers Animation will make this entire series available as it is ridiculous that something this good is not being released. I researching this, apparently CBS ran this version for 15 years as it was this popular.
I will leave this at that, but it is so frustrating to want something in the version which it should be, and not have it available.
Nuff Said
agtG
