Classic Films in Focus: A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1938)

 

I'm generally a fan of adaptations of Charles Dickens' holiday standard, even the loose and the weird ones, but the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol from MGM strikes me as a bowdlerized, lightweight entry into the category, pleasant enough but not really willing to get to the heart of the story lest it dampen the audience's Yuletide cheer. The desire to keep things merry leads the film to make big changes to the source material, expanding the roles of the likable Fred and Bob and downplaying the darkness of Scrooge's journey. If you're looking for a spooky, thoughtful, or faithful adaptation of A Christmas Carol, look elsewhere; this one is more punch and pudding than poltergeists and poverty. That said, classic movie fans will enjoy the presence of stars like Reginald Owen and the Lockhart family, and I'm sure this gentle, condensed version has its ardent admirers.

Owen leads the cast as the cranky old miser, Scrooge, who berates his cheerful nephew, Fred (Barry MacKay), for enjoying the season and then fires his mild-mannered clerk, Bob Cratchit (Gene Lockhart), for accidentally hitting him with a snowball on Christmas Eve. Throwing economy to the wind, Bob then surprises his family with a lavish holiday feast and makes the best of the celebration while Scrooge endures his encounters with the various spirits, starting with his deceased partner, Jacob Marley (Leo G. Carroll). Scrooge's ghostly guides repeatedly take him to spy on the domestic lives of Fred and Bob, which inspires Scrooge to become invested in their welfare and wish to be included in their happiness. After his supernatural adventure, Scrooge makes Fred a partner in his firm and rehires Bob at double his old salary, thus forming around himself a happy circle of families who will benefit from his newfound generosity.

I genuinely enjoy inventive revisions of the Dickens story, but I like for them to be transparent about it. You know The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) is going to take liberties with the story because most of the characters are Muppets, and even then it ends up being a surprisingly faithful version that leans into some of the darker elements of the narrative. The 1938 film, directed by Edwin L. Marin and with a screenplay by Hugo Butler, plays fast and loose with its source but keeps the atmosphere, the setting, and the most familiar bits of dialogue, making it seem like a faithful retelling even though it's not. For me the worst problem with this kind of adaptation of the Dickens text is its pandering to an audience that wants to identify with the sympathetic characters and not confront the uncomfortable truth that is central to the original story - WE ARE SCROOGE. Dickens didn't want or need to change the hearts of the Tiny Tims and Bobs and Freds; he wanted to confront the financially comfortable, the people who begrudgingly pay taxes and don't see "the poor" as their problem. If audiences don't feel called out by A Christmas Carol, then that version of the story is doing it wrong. Vastly enlarging the parts of Bob and Fred, diminishing Scrooge's meanness, and cutting out or radically altering whole chunks of the narrative lets the audience off the hook. We're left with a feel good story that won't even for a second consider the ruinous financial consequences of Bob's shopping spree. In Dickens' time the Cratchits would have been out on the street before New Year and the brood of children dispersed to the workhouses, as Dickens himself was when he was a child. The specter of real poverty haunted Dickens and haunts his stories, and it ought to be lurking under the robe of every Christmas Carol adaptation if one is going to do right by the story and its author, even if that particular scene about Ignorance and Want gets left out of most film versions.

I won't lay the blame for these shortcomings at the feet of the film's actors, for each of them embodies the watered-down versions of their characters as well as they can. Reginald Owen's Scrooge is pinched but never very terrible, and he melts like a snowball when confronted with his own childhood. He's a cranky, fussy, little old man, and Owen gives him lively feeling in his more childish moments. Barry MacKay's Fred is a handsome if conventional romantic lead, the first character we meet in the opening scene and thus more central to the story than is typical, while Gene Lockhart plays Bob Cratchit as genial, round, and playful. One of the more interesting tidbits of this picture is the presence of the gathered Lockhart family, including Gene's wife, Kathleen, as Mrs. Cratchit, and introducing classic TV favorite June Lockhart in an uncredited role as the Cratchits' daughter, Belinda. Of the ghosts I think the most convincing is character actor Leo G. Carroll as Marley, but Ann Rutherford makes an attractive Ghost of Christmas Past, even if she looks nothing like the apparition imagined by Dickens. Terry Kilburn's Tiny Tim doesn't seem particularly frail aside from his obligatory crutch; he's downright hearty as Tiny Tims go, but that decision is entirely in keeping with the rest of this picture, and thus it's no surprise that the end of the movie feels no need to reassure us about his continued existence.

As one of the most popular texts for adaptation, there's a Christmas Carol movie for every fan's taste, but the 1938 picture doesn't suit mine. Those who love it are welcome to it, but if it isn't for you, either, try the 1951 adaptation starring Alistair Sim, which is considered by many to be the gold standard of Christmas Carol movies, or the more recent live action versions starring George C. Scott (1984) or Patrick Stewart (1999). I'm deeply fond of the Muppet treatment, mainly for Michael Caine's dead serious performance as Scrooge and the fantastic puppetry that brings the Christmas Ghosts to life, but I also love the modernized Bill Murray version in Scrooged (1988) because it brings the themes of Dickens' story into the 20th century in a thoughtful, funny, and provocative way. There's also the fictionalized account of Dickens' experience writing the story in The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017), which takes its own liberties with Dickens' biography but works beautifully as a commentary on the heart of his story and the personal history that inspired it.

Classic Films in Focus: JULIA MISBEHAVES (1948)

Directed by Jack Conway, Julia Misbehaves (1948) is a charming, frothy romantic comedy that reunites the stars of Mrs. Miniver (1942) for a rather different look at the ups and downs of marriage. Greer Garson kicks up her heels as a bohemian performer long estranged, but not divorced, from husband Walter Pidgeon. The picture also features a host of familiar faces, including Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Lawford as a young pair with romantic issues of their own and great character actors like Cesar Romero, Nigel Bruce, Mary Boland, Reginald Owen, and Henry Stephenson. The cast alone makes the film worth seeing, but Garson and Pidgeon share a delightful chemistry that enriches their scenes together even when their characters are being most ridiculous.

Garson stars as Julia Packett, who long ago left her husband and infant daughter and returned to the stage to make her own way. Broke but persevering on pluck and a steady stream of schemes, Julia is surprised by an invitation to her daughter's wedding and decides to attend. Her mother-in-law (Lucile Watson) hopes to eject Julia from the nuptials, but husband William (Walter Pidgeon) quickly falls for her all over again, much to his mother's dismay. Meanwhile, daughter Susan (Elizabeth Taylor) is preparing to marry an unseen groom while fighting her attraction to the handsome young Ritchie (Peter Lawford).

Julia Misbehaves resolutely focuses on the comedic aspects of its material, but there's a lot of heartache lurking beneath the bubbly surface. Over the course of the picture we learn that Julia married William when she was only seventeen and he was a young soldier abroad. They had happy days together at first, but we get the distinct sense that their separation was orchestrated by William's mother, who disapproves of Julia and schemes to divide them once more by inviting Julia's acrobatic admirer, Fred (Cesar Romero), into the Packett family home. Several scenes touch on the longing Julia has felt to be reunited with Susan all these years, and the conversations between Julia and Mrs. Packett suggest that Julia was forbidden that contact. These details matter because we're supposed to like Julia and understand that she didn't just abandon her family for life on the stage; she was pushed out against her will when she was still very young. When she returns, Julia has become a force in her own right, no longer vulnerable to Mrs. Packett's intimidation.

The story, therefore, is essentially a comeback comedy, with Julia regaining the things she lost so many years ago. In order to survive and become a match for the scheming Mrs. Packett, Julia has learned to be quite a schemer herself. She wheels and deals to get the money she needs; we first see her in a bathtub threatening to commit suicide in order to induce her friend Benji (Reginald Owen) to pay off her debts. She later bamboozles an old gambler (Nigel Bruce) so that she can buy gifts for Susan. The men in the picture also resort to underhanded plots for good causes; William turns out to be just as crafty as his mother and his wife, especially as he works to rekindle the flame of his marriage, while Ritchie hatches plans to frighten Susan into his arms with some help from a friendly bear. Even sweet Susan turns out to have a few schemes up her sleeve at the story's close, much to the surprise of her parents. Everybody, it seems, has to be a trickster sometimes in order to make happy endings happen.

Julia Misbehaves is the final film directed by Jack Conway, who had started in the silent era and gone on to direct a number of Jean Harlow comedies, including Red-Headed Woman (1932), Libeled Lady (1936), and Saratoga (1937). Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon star in eight movies together, with Julia Misbehaves as their fifth pairing and a rare foray into comedic territory. More typical of their collaborations are Mrs. Miniver (1942), Madame Curie (1943), and Mrs. Parkington (1944). For another film featuring both Peter Lawford and Elizabeth Taylor, see the 1949 adaptation of Little Women, or move on to Father of the Bride (1950) for more of young Liz in a wedding dress.


WHERE TO WATCH: Julia Misbehaves is currently streaming on Filmstruck.

Classic Films in Focus: THE PIRATE (1948)

In the same year that she starred with Fred Astaire in Easter Parade (1948), Judy Garland partnered with Hollywood’s other reigning hoofer, Gene Kelly, in the Caribbean musical romance, The Pirate (1948). Garland and Kelly had already starred together in For Me and My Gal (1942), and they make a very lively pair in this odd, boisterous romp, which also benefits from Cole Porter’s songs and Vincente Minnelli’s direction. With its tropical setting and heated dance numbers, The Pirate pulses with sexual energy, but it moderates its plot about a young girl’s bedroom fantasies of kidnap and ravishment with liberal doses of comedy. Supporting appearances from Walter Slezak, Gladys Cooper, and the fabulous Nicholas Brothers also make this picture worthwhile for musical and comedy fans.

Garland stars as Manuela, whose arranged marriage to the much older Don Pedro (Walter Slezak) threatens to extinguish her hope for a life of romance and adventure. Her beauty attracts the admiration of Serafin (Gene Kelly), a traveling actor who pursues Manuela to her hometown and disrupts the wedding by claiming to be the infamous pirate, Mack the Black Macoco. Serafin’s ruse backfires, however, when the real Macoco connives to have the actor executed for the outlaw’s crimes.

The plot of the story is surprisingly lusty, with Manuela as both desired object and desiring subject. She yearns for the rough embrace of Macoco the pirate, primarily because she is bored with her conventional, sheltered upbringing and has no idea what an encounter with a real pirate would be like. Don Pedro, fat, rich, and determined to live a quiet life, represents the very opposite of everything that Manuela thinks she wants, but Serafin doesn’t live up to her ideal, either, since he’s merely a rakish entertainer. Manuela gets to live her fantasy, even if it’s just pretend, when Serafin poses as Macoco and demands that Manuela be delivered to him as a sacrifice to save the town. This is kinky stuff for 1948 and sweet-faced Judy Garland, but the movie treats the subject with such ironic humor that it gets passed off as a harmless lark. Still, it’s hard to imagine the production heaving with the same urgency without Gene Kelly in those delightfully tight pants, even if his wig looks a bit silly.

Several of the musical numbers contribute to the heady sexual atmosphere. Louis B. Mayer might have destroyed the alarmingly sexy “Voodoo” number that was meant to be in the picture, but the songs that remain give the audience plenty of heat. Kelly’s “Nina” number has him trying to make out with every girl in port, and the pirate ballet sequence shows off both his dancing ability and his naked legs. Garland waxes rhapsodically about “Mack the Black” and literally lets her hair down to fantasize about being carried off by the buccaneer. Other songs moderate the prevailing mood of the picture with comedy or more traditional romance; the best of the lot is the first performance of “Be a Clown,” which features Kelly with the incredibly talented Nicholas Brothers.

The Pirate succeeds at balancing sensuality with comedy thanks to its cast. Kelly is obviously having a ball as the waggish Serafin; he plays at being a swashbuckler like Douglas Fairbanks and hams up his theatrical bits like John Barrymore. Garland, already fragile and edging toward the end of her MGM career, still looks lovely and has the strength to hold her own against Kelly. The scene in which she throws a roomful of breakable objects at him is quite a spectacle. Gladys Cooper is both maternal and mercenary as Manuela’s Aunt Inez, while Walter Slezak has some very good scenes as the dour Don Pedro. George Zucco makes a brief but memorable appearance as the Viceroy who wants to hang Macoco, and Reginald Owen also turns up in a small supporting role.

For more of Garland and Kelly, see their third and final film together, Summer Stock (1950). Vincente Minnelli also directed Garland, who was his wife from 1945 to 1951, in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and The Clock (1945); he directed Kelly again in An American in Paris (1951) and Brigadoon (1954). For more of Walter Slezak, see Lifeboat (1944) and People Will Talk (1951). Don’t miss the Nicholas Brothers in Stormy Weather (1943), which offers a better and more extended example of their amazing technique.

Classic Films in Focus: MARY POPPINS (1964)

Disney has had a hit or miss history with its live action films, but Mary Poppins (1964), directed by Disney veteran Robert Stevenson, stands as a testament to the studio’s ability to make really fine pictures with human stars, and the film’s five Oscar wins and thirteen nominations make it Disney’s best contender of all time at the Academy Awards. Of course, a lot of the movie’s appeal stems from the captivating Julie Andrews, making her big screen debut as the practically perfect nanny and taking home a Best Actress Oscar for her performance. Today, Mary Poppins is still a thoroughly charming family film that also rewards seasoned cinephiles with appearances by a number of favorite stars, including Glynis Johns, David Tomlinson, and even Elsa Lanchester and Jane Darwell.

Andrews plays the title character, who arrives as the new nanny in the rather dysfunctional Banks family. Mrs. Banks (Glynis Johns) spends all of her energy on the suffragist cause, while Mr. Banks (David Tomlinson) devotes himself to his work at the bank and thinks that his home ought to be businesslike, as well. Little Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber) Banks, lost in this shuffle, delight in their new nanny’s magical abilities and embark on a series of adventures with her and her friend, Bert (Dick Van Dyke), but their chatter about their unusual outings only riles Mr. Banks. A crisis ensues, but Mary Poppins’ lessons eventually put everything right.

Julie Andrews demonstrates the enormous talent that would take her through an impressive subsequent career, leading to two more Best Actress nominations. She sings, dances, and acts beautifully, and she looks simply adorable with her bright eyes, pert little nose, and trim figure. It’s impossible not to fall in love with her, especially during musical numbers like “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Stay Awake,” and, of course, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” Andrews’ Mary is always ladylike, but she still evinces a lively sense of humor, even under the most trying circumstances. The subtle suggestion of romance between Mary and Bert adds a touch of melancholy to an adult’s perception of the story, since we know that Mary will only stay until the wind changes.

Children will enjoy the combination of live action and animation used in the chalk drawing sequence, as well as the energetic dance numbers and Dick Van Dyke’s affable comedy. Be sure to point out to them that Van Dyke also plays the elderly Mr. Dawes at the bank, a role that proves he can do a decent English accent if not a plausible Cockney one. Classic movie fans will be pleased to see a variety of familiar faces among the supporting cast, including Hermione Baddeley and Reta Shaw as the servants, Elsa Lanchester as Katie Nana, Arthur Treacher as the constable, and Reginald Owen as the aptly named Admiral Boom. Ed Wynn has a particularly fun role as Uncle Albert, while the great character actress Jane Darwell makes her final screen appearance as the woman who sells food for the birds.

Robert Stevenson also directed the somewhat similar follow-up picture, Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), as well as Old Yeller (1957), The Love Bug (1968), and The Shaggy D.A. (1976). For more of Julie Andrews, see The Sound of Music (1965), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), and Victor Victoria (1982). Dick Van Dyke also stars in the family classic, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), and you’ll find both David Tomlinson and Glynis Johns in the mermaid comedy, Miranda (1948). For more magical nannies, try the two Nanny McPhee films starring Emma Thompson.

Classic Films in Focus: BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS (1971)

Loosely based on the novel by Mary Norton, Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) followed up Disney's enormous success with Mary Poppins (1964), and on paper the two pictures must look very similar. Here we have two musical comedies set in England, both involving magic and a handful of cute but troublesome children, both combining live action and animation, and both directed by Robert Stevenson and starring David Tomlinson. Bedknobs and Broomsticks, however, differentiates itself from the earlier film by replacing its spoonful of sugar with equal parts vinegar and poisoned dragon's liver, and the result is a more nuanced, less treacly story that offers a thoughtful treatment of its adult characters while still delivering plenty of entertainment for the kids.

Angela Lansbury stars as independent spinster Eglantine Price, who reluctantly takes in three orphaned children evacuated from London because of the Blitz. Carrie, Paul, and Charlie (Cindy O'Callaghan, Roy Snart, and Ian Weighill) soon discover that Miss Price is secretly training to become a witch in order to fight the Nazis with her magic, but her correspondence course in witchcraft comes to an abrupt end. Determined to finish the lessons, Miss Price and the children travel to London using an enchanted bedknob, where they meet "Professor" Emelius Browne (David Tomlinson), who turns out to be nothing but a former stage magician and con man. Nevertheless, they enlist Browne's assistance and embark on a series of adventures to learn the rest of the spells needed to repel a Nazi invasion.

Lansbury and Tomlinson really shine in their roles. Both of the successful character actors are here solidly middle-aged and an unlikely pair for a romance, but they balance the humor and pathos of their characters beautifully. Their musical numbers are lively and fun, although the melancholy tint of "Portobello Road" most accurately captures the subtler mood of the film as a whole. The London waifs, truly a Dickensian trio, are played with enthusiasm by the child actors, particularly Ian Weighill. A wonderful cast of supporting players helps to round out the film, including Roddy McDowall, Sam Jaffe, and Reginald Owen. These are names that veteran classic movie fans will certainly recognize; McDowall, however, is probably the most familiar, having starred as a child in top-shelf classics like How Green was My Valley (1941) and Lassie Come Home (1943).

The scenes that combine live action and animation serve as the film's show pieces, but the numerous musical numbers also have their charms. In addition to "Portobello Road" we get the aquatic duet, "The Beautiful Briny," and the hypnotically catchy "Substitutiary Locomotion." DVD versions of the film also include an extended cut of "Portobello Road" plus an additional number from Tomlinson called "With a Flair." The longer rendition of "Portobello Road" provides an energetic - if historically incorrect - introduction to the many different countries that formed part of the British Empire at the time of World War II, and it's well worth watching even though it was deemed too long at the time of the film's original release. 

The serious war theme that persists underneath the merriment of music and magic might escape the notice of very young viewers, but adults should pick up on it immediately. The children, already orphans, lose their guardian in London when a Nazi bomb falls on their home. Another bomb, this one unexploded, provides Emelius with a swanky temporary refuge, even though his general cowardice has prevented him from signing up for military duty. Nobody, however, really escapes the war, and the film offers an excellent opportunity to discuss the nature of war and its impact on non-combatants with children who might not have thought about such issues before. Contrast Eglantine's determination to help with Emelius' reluctance, and give some attention to the old men, veterans of World War I, who form the slightly silly but deeply noble Home Guard.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks earned five Oscar nominations and won for Best Visual Effects. If you want to see the breadth of Angela Lansbury's career, catch her early appearances in Gaslight (1944) and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) and then move on to The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and more recent films like Nanny McPhee (2005). Kids, of course, will recognize her as the voice of Mrs. Potts in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991). You can see a young David Tomlinson in the 1948 mermaid comedy, Miranda, starring his Mary Poppins costar, Glynis Johns; he can also be found in Tom Jones (1963) and The Love Bug (1968). 

An earlier version of this review originally appeared on Examiner.com. The author retains all rights to this content.