Many Sherlockian Actors in A Christmas Carol (1984)

“I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas, with the intention of wishing him the compliments of the season.”

– The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle (BLUE)

With the holiday season upon us, we will take this opportunity to share this December 17, 1984 telecast of A Christmas Carol featuring George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge. This film is one of the best screen adaptions of the classic Dickens story, in your editor’s opinion.

This film has not one, but five different, Sherlockian actors within the cast.

George C. Scott played the role of Justin Mayflair / Sherlock Holmes in the 1971 film They Might Be Giants.

Frank Finlay plays the role of Marley’s ghost in A Christmas Carol. Finlay also portrayed Inspector Lestrade in 1979’s Murder by Decree. Finlay had also portrayed Lestrade in the 1965 film A Study in Terror. He played the role of Professor Coram in the 1994 Granada telling of The Golden Pince-Nez and would later portray Arthur Conan Doyle in the 1992 film The Other Side.

The role of the Ghost of Christmas Present was played by Edward Woodward. In 1990, Woodward would portray Holmes in Hands of a Murderer.

Scooge’s nephew, Fred Holywell, was portrayed by Roger Rees and doubled as the film’s narrator. Rees portrayed Holmes in the 1988 BBC Radio production of The Hound of the Baskervilles. He would also portray Alastair Moore, a friend of Sherlock Holmes in several episodes of the television series Elementary. The folks at I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere has a nice review for Rees after his death and has links to the audio of the 1988 broadcast.

Enjoy the movie and the clips!  By the way, Merry Christmas to everyone!