FAQ

It's Dickens' classic story. Rich London businessman Ebenezer Scrooge (Seymour Hicks), known for his miserliness, particularly hates Christmas, considering it 'humbug' and those who celebrate it as 'fools'. On Christmas eve, Scrooge is visited by his deceased business partner Jacob Marley, who warns Scrooge that, if he does not change his greedy ways, he will end up like Marley...wearing the chains he forged during his life. Thereafter, Scrooge is visited by three more spirits: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Oscar Asche), and the voiceless Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come. Each of them show Scrooge a segment of his life and introduce him to the spirit of Christmas as displayed by his nephew Fred (Robert Cochran) and the family of his clerk Bob Cratchit (Donald Calthrop) and Cratchit's crippled son, Tiny Tim (Philip Frost).

Scrooge is based on A Christmas Carol (full title: A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas), an 1843 novella by English writer Charles Dickens [1812-1870]. The novella was adapted for the movie by British screenwriter Harry Fowler Mear.

Jacob Marley does not actually appear in this version except as a face on Scrooge's door knocker. Otherwise, we only hear his voice, and the actor supplying the voice is not listed in the credits. Although credited, the Ghost of Christmas Past (Marie Ney) appears only as a shadowy figure, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come (C.V. France) is seen only as a sleeve and pointy finger.

Dickens himself doesn't specify what disease Tiny Tim has. He speaks only of him using a crutch and being expected to die within a year if untreated. Considering that the story is fiction, Dickens might have meant only to portray Tiny Tim as sickly and in need of medical attention, which Cratchit could not afford on his salary. However, viewers have suggested several possibilities. Most commonly mentioned is polio because of the crutch. Tuberculosis was also a very common disease at the time, typically respiratory in adults but it could appear in children as a crippling illness also causing fatigue and weight loss. A third possibility sometimes mentioned is rickets, a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency. Symptoms include soft bones, muscular weakness, osteoporosis, and joint pain. Without vitamin D, the body cannot absorb the calcium needed for building and maintaining strong bones. More recently, it's been suggested that Tim might have suffered from renal tubular acidosis, a disease where the kidneys fail to excrete acids into the urine, causing them to build up in the blood. It can result in growth retardation, bone disease, and progressive renal failure.

Scrooge wakes up the next morning ecstatic to find that he is still alive and that it is Christmas Day. His giddiness terrifies his housekeeper but she rallies when he tosses money to a young boy, asks him to purchase the prize turkey still hanging in the butcher's window, and has it sent to the Cratchits. He then hurries over to Fred's house where he is received open-heartedly by Fred, his wife (Eve Gray), and their guests. The next morning, Scrooge goes into the office. When Cratchit comes in late, Scrooge pretends to be annoyed and calls him on his tardiness, then says that it leaves him no alternative but to raise his salary. He promises to henceforth be like a father to Tiny Tim and sends Cratchit home to his family. In the final scene, Scrooge attends church, where he joins Bob Cratchit singing, 'Joy to the World'.