MovieChat Forums > Scrooge (1951) Discussion > Last traditional human only version rele...

Last traditional human only version released in theaters?

posted 8 years ago by PhineasAppleby
6 replies | jump to latest

That would mean no musicals no Muppets, no animated, no comedies, no tv versions. Just the story told with human actors like this version.

[–] Big_AL-96 8 years ago

I believe that would be this 1951 film. George C Scott and Patrick Stewart versions were made for TV.

Let's pray the human race never escapes Earth to spread its iniquity elsewhere. C.S Lewis

[–] rmontro 8 years ago

George C Scott and Patrick Stewart versions were made for TV.

They were well done enough to be theater releases though.

[–] strntz (12773) 3 months ago

The Scott one certainly was.

I remember watching this on TV when my wife and I were first married, and we loved it. The costumes, the music, the performances, etc. I still get that old feeling a bit when I hear the opening music. Great version, but Sim made 1951 the best.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 3 months ago

I just watched the Scott film tonight and I agree that it is great. I posted a few thoughts earlier over on its respective board. It is my second favorite version behind Sim.

According to Wiki, while it aired on TV in the US, it did actually get a theatrical release in the UK.

[–] liscarkat (19398) 4 months ago

Check IMDB. There are dozens of human versions, both before and after this one. One or more post-1951 versions must have been a theatrical release. Or maybe not.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 3 months ago

The '84 version with George C. Scott apparently was released theatrically in the UK but premiered on television in the US.

If we want to count non-traditional adaptations, both the 1970 musical Scrooge with Albert Finney and Scrooged with Bill Murray were released theatrically. But when it comes to straight-up traditional retellings of the tale without muppets or animation or musical numbers or modern settings, the OP is right that it's been a long time.

It's actually been a while now since we last got a major live-action adaptation of any kind--theatrical, made-for-TV, direct-to-streaming--that was faithful to Dickens' story. Unless I'm missing something, you have to go all the way back to the Patrick Stewart version that aired in TNT in 1999 for that. FX did an adaptation a few years ago but I heard that it is godawful and takes a ton of liberties with the story.