YMMV / Scrooge (1951)

• Can't Un-Hear It: Alastair Sim is one of the most iconic Scrooges in history. Truth be told, anyone who grow up with this film as THE Christmas Carol adaptation will be hard-pressed to read Dickens' words without hearing all the actors' voices.
  • In Sim's case, he was considered iconic even back in the day to the point where Richard Williams got him to reprise his role two decades later in his Academy Award-winning animated adaptation of the story... because even he KNEW no one else could nail the role so perfectly.
• Genius Bonus: The song that Jorkin whistles when he makes his pitch to Scrooge to work for him? "The Linconshire Poacher", thoroughly appropriate for someone poaching talent from a competitor.
• Ho Yay: Scrooge and Marley click immediately when they meet as young men, Marley spends his last breath trying to warn Scrooge of his fate, and while Alice is still alive in the present day Scrooge doesn't visit her.
• Jerkass Woobie: Scrooge himself, a bitter, angry miser and general arse... and yet we see how he got his Jade-Colored Glasses in the first place.

• Narm:
  • Jacob Marley's haunting. It really can't be at all frightening with how over-the-top he is. He needn't have shouted so much, or wailed at such a high pitch with his hand to his forehead like a stereotypical Drama Queen.
  • This line when Young Ebenezer sees his sister Fan all grown up. The Foreshadowing is anything but subtle.
    "Mama must have looked as you do just before she died."
  • Ignorance and Want are described in the book as very creepy looking or demonic. A couple adaptations are good at presenting this, but in this version, they just look like a couple of regular kids, and though their faces are meant to look sad and pained like starving beggars', it's easy to see them instead as looking quite bored, and just waiting for the scene to wrap.
• One-Scene Wonder: There's a maid that takes Scrooge's coat when he arrives at Fred's house and happily nods for him to go into the party. Although a small role, she seemed to leave a strong lasting impression on viewers, especially men who were taken by her angelic beauty and gentle compassionate nature. There were lengthy blog posts and discussions about who the actress was and even rumors she was a young uncredited Audrey Hepburn due to their resemblance. She was eventually found out here, identified as Theresa Derrington.
• Retroactive Recognition: The young Jacob Marley is played by Patrick Macnee, who would later reach worldwide fame in The Avengers.
• Vindicated by Cable: While a hit in the UK, it performed poorly in the US. After repeat broadcasts on US television from the 1950s onward, it's considered one of the best adaptations of A Christmas Carol ever made.

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