Stingiest Man in Town

The Holy Grail of Lost CAROLS is found!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you are even remotely interested in Charles Dickens's A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and the almost countless number of adaptations that it has inspired, then Christmas 2011 is going to be pretty spectacular indeed. Why? Because the absolute Holy Grail of lost CAROL adaptations has been found and is finally (!) making its long-awaited home video debut. It is, of course, THE STINGIEST MAN IN TOWN starring the great Basil Rathbone.

Keeping in mind that the source is a black-and-white 16mm kinescope, the quality of this new DVD release is excellent -- as is Basil Rathbone and the rest of the cast.

The news of STINGIEST MAN'S rediscovery and release broke on my blog on October 13. Please check it out at charlesdickensonscreen.com

You will also find information on STINGIEST MAN in my book; see link below. My commentary was based on viewing an incomplete copy years ago at the Library of Congress. Now that I've finally seen the whole thing I feel like I've died...

An Entertaining Musical
As the author of BASIL RATHBONE: HIS LIFE AND HIS FILMS, it amazes me that I had never seen THE STINGIEST MAN IN TOWN before. But, the truth is that, when I was writing my book over thirty-five years ago, I had no idea where to find a viewing copy. Those were the days before home video.

Even if I had been able to see it, I probably would not have given the production much more of a mention than I did. My book, after all, dealt with the "Films" of Basil Rathbone, not his television appearances.

However, thanks to Video Artists International, a DVD of this 1956 musical version of Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL is now available. It is a kinescope of a live black-and-white broadcast, so one should not expect the pristine quality found it most home video releases.

Certainly the strongest aspect of this Daniel Petrie- directed production is its score that features music by Fred Spielman and lyrics by Janice Torre. There are several memorable...

Finally! One of the Best (Musical) Versions of Dickens' Christmas Carol
`Tis the season to be jolly, and a really jolly way to enjoy this season is with Video Artist's International release of The Stingiest Man in Town. VAI is famous for bringing us TV treats from the `50s, and this musical bon-bon will keep you smiling.
Broadcast on December 23, 1956, it's based on the Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol that would have been fit for Broadway. The music and lyrics are by Fred Spielman and Janice Torre, who've given us not only "Paper Roses", but also tunes sung by Melchior, Presley and Garland. The production values are superb; the video is a tad grainy or jumpy here and there, but for a TV show more than 50 years old, it's in remarkable condition.
What's most remarkable is the cast. Basil Rathbone sheds his pipe, violin and Dr. Watson persona to play the infamous Scrooge, and he is absolutely outstanding. Singing, dancing and snarling his way through this live broadcast, it's unfortunate his talent didn't grace more musicals. He's...

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