The Stingiest Man in Town

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.

I am thrilled to find out that a record of this movie actually does exist. I remember seeing this as a kid, even though I'm only 19, and loving it. I remember that we had it recorded on a tape and my siblings and I would watch it every year. Walter Matthau does a great job as Scrooge, as he contributes his unique voice and vocal characteristics to the role. Be sure not to overlook the presence of Tom Bosley as the Humbug. Recognizing his voice from the voice of "Mr. C." from Happy Days shouldn't be a stretch for anyone. This is a great animation of Dickens' tale, and should definitely be experienced by families to come.

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.

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!

I remember watching this special as a little kid in 1978. I still believed in Santa then. Walter Matthau, Tom Bosley, Theodore Bikel and Dennis Day make up for a delightful animated cast with their distinctive voices. Walter should have played Scrooge in a live action movie, he would have been delightful like he was with Oscar in The Odd Couple. The songs aren't exactly Oscar quality, but what the hell. Its a nice cartoon the kids will enjoy and even though we only hear his voice, Matthau does a splendid acting job, he just cannot sing very well. He makes Scrooge's transformation from miser to nicer very convincing. I remember one song that warmed my heart in particular was Yes there is a Santa Claus.