Dickens, O. Henry And Fleming Stories: Three Great Old Christmas Movies To Watch And Enjoy This Holiday Season

Every holiday season I watch a lot of old, familiar Christmas movies on TV, from my DVD collection, and on the Internet. 

There are perennial favorites, such It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34^th Street, and A Christmas Story. 

I love these movies, but my three favorite Christmas films may not be on your list, or even on your radar. 

I love O. Henry’s short stories and I love the 1952 film, O. Henry’s Full House.    

The film offers five adaptations of O. Henry’s great short stories with Christmas themes, featuring five fine directors, fine screenwriters and a fine cast.  

The film presents some of my favorite short stories from one of my favorite writers.  

The O. Henry stories - The Clarion Call, The Gift of the Magi, The Ransom of Red Chief, The Cop and the Anthem, and The Last Leaf - offer humor, drama, pathos and irony.   

I especially like the crime story The Clarion Call, with Dale Robinson and Richard Widmark (seen in the top photo).

You can watch the film, which features the late, great actor Charles Laughton and a young Marilyn Monroe (seen in the above photo), via the below link:

 O. Henry's Full House (1952) - YouTube

Although 1951’s A Christmas Carol is another perennial favorite, and actor Alastair Sim is nearly everyone’s favorite Scrooge, I love the film with George C. Scott as Scrooge. 

The 1984 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol offers a powerful performance by Scott, who is strong, willful and downright mean and nasty. 

If you have not seen this film, I suggest you watch it. 

You can watch the film via the below link:

 A Christmas Carol George C Scott 1984 - YouTube 

One may not think of a James Bond film as traditional Holiday fare, but every Christmas season I watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

The film, based on Ian Fleming's novel, was released in December of 1969, has a Christmas setting and takes place in the snow-covered Swiss Alps.

The film, despite not having the late, great Sean Connery as Bond, is one the best in the series in my view.  

Considering that the new Bond, George Lazenby (seen in the above photo), had to follow Connery in the role, and that he had not acted before, I believe he delivered a better than fair portrayal of Bond.  

He looked like Ian Fleming's Bond, and he was very good in the fight and action scenes. 

The film was also graced with the late, great Diana Rigg (seen in the above photo with George Lazenby) as Tracy, a strong, yet troubled woman with whom Bond has a serious, if ultimately tragic, love affair.

Although I would have preferred a European actor to portray Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Telly Savalas (seen in the above photo) was a commanding, brilliant and truly mad Blofeld. The supporting actors were also very good.

The director of this fine film was Peter Hunt, who edited the earlier Bond films. Hunt was faithful to Ian Fleming's novel, even going with the thriller's dark ending. Peter Hunt gave us a true James Bond thriller.

The film also offers a terrific soundtrack by John Barry. 

You can watch the film's trailer via the below link:

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - Official Trailer - George Lazenby Bond Movie HD - YouTube

You can also watch scenes and listen to John Barry's great love song sung by the late, jazz great Louie Armstrong via the below link:

On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Louis Armstrong - John Barry - Maurice Binder [HD STEREO] - YouTube

Enjoy the films. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Late, Great George C. Scott Is A Powerful Scrooge In 'A Christmas Carol'

 The late, great actor George C. Scott (seen in the above photo) is best known for his powerful performance as General Patton, but I believe he gave an equally powerful performance as Scrooge in the fine 1984 TV adaptation of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol.  

This film is one of a half-dozen holiday films I try to watch each Christmas season.

You can watch the full film via the below link:

A Christmas Carol 1984 Full Film - Bing video 

George C. Scott As Scrooge In 1984's 'A Christmas Carol'

Although the late, great George C. Scott, one of my favorite actors, is best known for his powerful performance as General Patton in Patton, I believe he gave an equally powerful performance as Scrooge in the 1984 adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

You can watch the entire film via the below link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mEH5emAoAc 

'A Christmas Carol' Saved Dickens From Crushing Debt

Barbara Hoffman at the New York Post offers a piece on Charles Dickens and his ever-popular A Christmas Carol.

It isn’t really Christmas without “A Christmas Carol.” Since 1843, when Charles Dickens (seen in the below photo) published what he called his “little Christmas book,” it’s never gone out of print — selling countless copies and spawning thousands of plays, readings, TV shows and movies starring everyone from Alastair Sim, George C. Scott and Christopher Plummer, to Jim Carrey, Scrooge McDuck and the Muppets.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Dickens’ reading tour in America, which seems to have renewed interest not only in “A Christmas Carol” itself — but what prompted him to write it. The new film “The Man Who Invented Christmas,” an exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum and even a novel all seem to come to the same ironic conclusion: that Dickens might never have written his plea for charity if he hadn’t been desperate to make money.

“He was in debt up to his eyeballs,” Samantha Silva, author of the new novel, “Mr. Dickens and His Carol” (Flatiron Books) told The Post. His last works had flopped: No one cared for “American Notes for General Circulation” (based on an unhappy, 1842 trip to the States), and his latest serialized novel, “Martin Chuzzlewit,” was such a dud, Dickens’ publishers docked £50 from his salary each month. Meanwhile, his wife, Catherine, was expecting their fifth child and they’d just leased a grand London home, which Dickens refurbished.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

https://nypost.com/2017/12/09/a-christmas-carol-saved-dickens-from-crushing-debt/

Although the late, great actor George C. Scott is best known for his powerful performance as General Patton, I believe he gave an equally powerful performance as Scrooge in a A Christmas Carol.

You can watch the entire film via the below link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mEH5emAoAc

On This Day In History British Author Charles Dickens Was Born

As Biography.com notes, today is the birthday of Charles Dickens.

British novelist Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, England. Over the course of his writing career, he wrote the beloved classic novels Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations. On June 9, 1870, Dickens died of a stroke in Kent, England, leaving his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished.

You can read the rest of the piece and watch a video via the below link:

http://www.biography.com/people/charles-dickens-9274087 

Charles Dickens covered crime in many of his novels, including Bleak House and Oliver Twist. 

You can also read Terrie Farley Moran's piece on Dickens the crime writer at criminalelement.com via the below link:

http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2011/08/charles-dickens-crime-writer

Watch George C. Scott's Powerful Performance As Scrooge In 'A Christmas Carol'

The late, great actor George C. Scott is best known for his powerful performance as General Patton, but I believe he gave an equally powerful performance as Scrooge in the fine 1984 TV adaptation of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol.  

This film is one of a half-dozen holiday films I try to watch each Christmas season.

Now thanks to youtube.com you can watch the full film via the below link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvdMjXhPGd0

On This Day In History: Charles Dicken's 'A Christmas Carol' Was Published In 1843

As History.com notes, Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol was published on this day in 1843.

You can read about Charles Dicken's via the below link:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-christmas-carol-is-published?cmpid=email-hist-tdih-2015-1217-12172015&om_rid=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5c08e0d6f0aa&om_mid=8037410&kx_EmailCampaignID=1275&kx_EmailCampaignName=email-hist-tdih-2015-1217-12172015&kx_EmailRecipientID=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5c08e0d6f0aa

My favorite film adaptation of A Christmas Carol is the 1984 TV film with the late, great actor George C. Scott as Scrooge. I try to watch the film every Christmas season.

You can read about the film via an earlier post:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2014/12/a-look-back-at-christmas-carol-with.html

You can also read 10 things you may not know about A Christmas Carol via another earlier post:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2014/12/10-things-you-might-not-know-about.html

Media History: On February 2nd In 1863, A Reporter Named Samuel Clemens Became Mark Twain

David Shedden at poynter.org offers a piece on the day former reporter Sam Clemens became the writer Mark Twain.

What do Ernest Hemingway, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain have in common?

They were all reporters.

Twain began his journalism career with his real name, Samuel Clemens, but on February 2, 1863, he first signed his work as Mark Twain.

You can read the rest of the piece and watch several videos via the below link:

http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/316117/today-in-media-history-in-1863-a-reporter-named-samuel-clemens-became-mark-twain/

Note: Clemens/Twain, the author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Roughing It and Life On the Mississippi, is one of my favorite writers.

A Look Back At 'A Christmas Carol' With The Late Great George C. Scott As Scrooge

One of my favorite Christmas films is A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott as Scrooge. I watch it every year during the holiday season.

I believe Scott's portrayal of the Dicken's character Scrooge is the most powerful on film.

Lee Pfeiffer at cinemaretro.com offers his view of the 1984 film.

At the risk of being drawn and quartered, I have to say that, with all due respect to the magnificent Alastair Sim, my favorite version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol is the wonderful 1984 TV production starring George C. Scott in a magnificent, Emmy-nominated performance as Scrooge.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.cinemaretro.com/index.php?/archives/7212-GEORGE-C.-SCOTT-IN-A-CHRISTMAS-CAROL-1984-WATCH-THE-ENTIRE-FILM.html

And you can watch the entire film via the below link:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI5UWo7NCdY

10 Things You Might Not Know About 'A Christmas Carol'

Molly Oldfield at mentalfloss.com offers 10 things you might not know about Charles Dicken's classic story A Christmas Carol.

1. Dickens was inspired to write A Christmas Carol in 1843 after he spoke at a charity night to raise money for the Manchester Athenaeum in England—an institution dedicated to "advancement and diffusion of knowledge." The 31-year-old spoke alongside the young Benjamin Disraeli, who would later become prime minister of Great Britain. After their talk, Dickens went on a long nocturnal walk later and had the idea for his "little Christmas book." 

2. He started the story in October 1843 and wrote obsessively for six weeks. As Dickens wrote, he wept, laughed, and wandered around London at night "when all sober folks had gone to bed." He finished the novella at the end of November so it could be published in time for Christmas. A Christmas Carol hit the shops on December 17, 1843, and sold out in three days.

3. Dickens was the first famous writer to give public readings of his work—and his first reading was A Christmas Carol. The reading took place in front of a crowd of 2000 people in the town hall of Birmingham, England, 10 years after the book was published. Dickens opened the reading by saying, “Ladies and gentleman—I have said that I bear an old love towards Birmingham and Birmingham men; let me amend a small omission, and add Birmingham women too. This ring I wear on my finger now is an old Birmingham gift, and if by rubbing it I could raise the spirit that was obedient to Aladdin’s ring, I heartily assure you that my first instruction to that genius on the spot should be to place himself at Birmingham’s disposal in the best of causes. I now have the pleasure of reading to you tonight A Christmas Carol in four staves.”

4. Rather than simply read extracts from his stories, Dickens loved to perform them—so he created a special version of A Christmas Carol for exactly that purpose. He tore the pages out of an original book, and stuck them into a new, large leafed, blank paged book. Then he filleted the text, cutting out descriptive scenes to create a performance script. He added stage directions for himself all over the text. Such an annotated copy is called a prompt copy.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://mentalfloss.com/article/54245/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-christmas-carol

A Look Back At 'A Christmas Carol' With The Late Great George C. Scott As Scrooge

One of my favorite Christmas films is A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott as Scrooge. I watch it every year during the holiday season.

I believe Scott's portrayal of the Dicken's character Scrooge is the most powerful on film.

Lee Pfeiffer at cinemaretro.com offers his view of the 1984 film.

At the risk of being drawn and quartered, I have to say that, with all due respect to the magnificent Alastair Sim, my favorite version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol is the wonderful 1984 TV production starring George C. Scott in a magnificent, Emmy-nominated performance as Scrooge.

You can read the rest of his comments and link to a full showing of the film via the below link:

http://www.cinemaretro.com/index.php?/archives/7212-GEORGE-C.-SCOTT-IN-A-CHRISTMAS-CAROL-1984-WATCH-THE-ENTIRE-FILM.html

Why Charles Dickens Is Still Relevant: 'Great Expectations' On PBS' Masterpiece Sunday Evening

 

PBS offers a short video on the showing of Great Expectations on PBS' Masterpiece Sunday night.

You can watch the video via the below link:

http://video.pbs.org/video/2216835068/

You can also read Linda Stasi's New York Post review via the below link:

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/great_stuff_OgrtKGv40Nay6sPzPjSviK

Note: I've recently watched and enjoyed Masterpiece's adaptation of Dickens' Little Dorritt on Comcast's On Demand. I've also recently watched and enjoyed Masterpiece's adaptations of Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop, Little Dorritt and Bleak House.      

Celebrating Charles Dickens' 200th Birthday: The Top Ten Dickens Novels In Movies Or TV

John Haydon at the Washington Times offers a list of Charles Dickens' top ten novels that are in the movies or on TV.

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of British writer Charles Dickens, the List looks at the best adaptations of Dickens books on the silver screen and television. The oldest surviving film version of a work by Dickens, an adaptation of “A Christmas Carol,” is from 1901, and more than 100 years later, Dickens‘ works are still being filmed for cinema and TV, and every one of his 15 novels has been filmed at least twice. 

You can view the list via the below link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/7/list-top-10-dickens-novels-movies-tv/

My personal favorite is 1984's A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott.

Scott (seen in the above photo) is powerful as Scrooge. He is meaner than previous actors and a lot less weaselly. I watch the film every Christmas season.   

You can watch the highlights of the film via the below link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1-aIOpV0dA

Charles Dickens: A Tale Of Two Centuries

Susan Elkins at the British newspaper the Independent looks at the best books on Charles Dickens during his bicentennial year.

If Charles Dickens were as immortal as his writing, he would be celebrating his 200th birthday on 7 February. He may be – like Jacob Marley – as dead as a doornail, but culturally he's never been more alive, thanks to all of those timeless themes in his work. We are still wrestling with Orlick-style crime; punishment for men such as Sykes; daunting lawyers such as Jaggers; greedy industrialists such as Merdle and terrible poverty for Oliver Twist-like children. And family anxieties, tensions, miseries and joys – think Micawber, Pocket, Cratchit, Wemmick and Gradgrind – have changed remarkably little.

...in acknowledgement of his bicentenary, the Dickens commentators, critics, editors and creative responders have been busy producing new books.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/charles-dickens-a-tale-of-two-centuries-6292734.html

You can also read an earlier post on the preparation of the Dickens bicentennial via the below link:

http://pauldavisoncrime.blogspot.com/2012/01/britain-prepares-for-charles-dickens.html

Britain Prepares For Charles Dickens' 200th Birth Anniversary

Monami Thakur at the International Business Times reports that the United Kingdom is gearing up to celebrate the birth of author Charles Dickens, who was born on February 7, 1812

 The year 2012 marks the bicentenary of Victorian author Charles Dickens known for creating some of the most iconic novels and characters of English literature. Throughout Britain, a host of exhibitions, events and activities are being organised to celebrate the life and work of the famed author.

... To commemorate this special anniversary, a website "Dickens 2012" has been set up providing details about all the celebrations across Britain and worldwide. This mainly includes special commemorative exhibitions that are being held in London and the UK while venues in France, Switzerland and the US will showcase the rich heritage of Dickens's life.

"Although a writer from the Victorian era, Dickens's work transcends his time, language and culture. He remains a massive contemporary influence throughout the world and his writings continue to inspire film, TV, art, literature, artists and academia," the site Dickens 2012 states.

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/275208/20120102/britain-prepares-charles-dickens-200th-birth-anniversary.htm

Grip, The Raven Who Inspired Dickens and Poe, Is Stuffed And Stored At The Philadelphia Free Library

Phillymag.com offers an interesting piece about how Charles Dickens' pet raven, called Grip, was the inspiration for the raven in Dicken's novel Barnaby Rudge, and later served to inspire Edgar Allen Poe when he wrote The Raven in Philadelphia.

Grip, the raven who influenced two of the 19th Century's greatest authors, is now stuffed and on displayed at the Philadelphia Free Library.

You can read the piece via the below link:

http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2011/10/31/poes-raven-stuffed-free-library/