The Stingiest Man in Town

This is the only animated version of "Stingy" I've seen,and it's great, but for years at the Cabaret Supper Theater in Fort Sill, OK, we did this show every year on the stage. The music is superb; the songs wonderful, and the opportunity for children to 'be in a show" are boundless. Our director, the late Ray Shermeyer (who played Scrooge, naturally) held open auditions and cast just about every kid who showed up. He started this around 1967 and when the Cabaret finally was forced to close its doors (as many "supper theaters" did) in 1989, many of those children, then in their late teens or early twenties, came to the mike and said it had given them the confidence to get into shows. Several went on to showbiz careers.

It's a wonderful show for the Christmas season, and it's even a more wonderful play for amateurs (and especially children) to feel the thrill of being on the stage for the first time. HOLLY-HO!

This movie is one of the best renditions of "a Christmas carol" that i have ever seen, and yet most people have never heard of it! it doesn't get to all aspects of Dickens' original work, but it hits all the major points, and is coupled with great creative and original songs that get stuck in your head for days. The third person narration by B.A.H. Humbug it a very cute extra touch. In my opinion, the movie is neck-in-neck with Mickey Mouse for the best take on "Carol." It doesn't always get a yearly playing, but it is definitely worth keeping your eye out when scanning your TV guide around Christmas. It is really a fantastic retelling of a classic!!

There were three main reasons why I wanted to see The Stingiest Man in Town. One was that I simply adore the story A Christmas Carol, for me the quintessential Christmas story and easily the most accessible of Charles Dickens' work. Two was that I have loved a lot of what Rankin/Bass have done, Rudolph The Red Nosed, The Little Drummer Boy, Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, Frosty the Snowman and The Year Without a Santa Claus are classics. And three, anything with Walter Matthau, Tom Bosley or both are well worth watching. I found myself loving The Stingiest Man in Town, it doesn't quite surpass the 1969, 1971 and Disney animated versions of the story, but it is miles ahead of the 2001 one. The animation is similar to the style of Twas the Night Before Christmas, which is a good thing as that special was beautiful to look at as well with character designs that are distinctive traditional-animated Rankin/Bass and simple but atmospheric colours and backgrounds. The music is also great, with whimsical scoring and songs that are guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings in some way or another, Yes There is a Santa Claus is very touching. The dialogue is sweet and well-meaning while never falling into the over-sentimentality trap, while the story is charming, heart-warming and moving as well as true in spirit to the Christmas Carol story. If there was any complaint I had of the special actually, it was that I did find the Ghost of Christmas Future, admittedly though that part is not as lengthy as the past and present parts in the first place, part too brief and rushed. The characters all engage, Scrooge's change from miser to humble is very convincing as it ought to be, B.A.H.Humbug was a good narrator-character, the spirits are imposing and the Cratchit family you can always relate to. The voices are spot on, Walter Matthau isn't the best singer in the world but he still makes for a brilliant Scrooge, and Tom Bosley's voice work as Humbug is done with a lot of warmth. All in all, a lovely special and a more than worthy animated adaptation of the timeless story. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Once again, Rankin/Bass did a another great Holiday special, This time a Charles Dickens Best Work, A Christmas Carol, this time they renamed The Stingiest Man in Town, Cast did a good job, Walter Matthau did a great job as the voice of Ebenezer Scrooge who learn a lesson about Christmas when 3 Ghosts came to visit them, Paul Frees who is the voice of both Ghost of Christmas Past and Ghost of Christmas Present, but Ghost of Christmas Yet of Come is quiet but no Voice Actor, Tom Bosley is a voice of the B.A.H. Humbug the Storyteller of this special, This animated special got good music, good storyline and good acting, It's a heartwarming story and A Good Holiday Special.

Rankin/Bass do a highly abbreviated, musical version of "A Christmas Carol". It's fine, but it's a tough story to do justice to in under an hour, and inserting songs certainly doesn't help. What you essentially get is the high points and little else. Walter Matthau is a fine actor, but he's not quite what you want for Scrooge. The story is narrated by B.A.H. Humbug, an insect voiced by Tom Bosley. The less said about that the better.