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Basil Rathbone as Marley in A Christmas Carol (1954)

Basil Rathbone as Marley in A Christmas Carol (1954)

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“I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas …”

– The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle (BLUE)

With the holiday season upon us, we will take this opportunity to share this December 23, 1954 telecast of A Christmas Carol for the variety series Shower of Stars. Basil Rathbone, who is the image of Sherlock Holmes that your editor envisions when he thinks of Holmes, plays the role of the ghost of Jacob Marley to Frederic March’s Ebenezer Scrooge.

This broadcast was the first musical version of the story to appear on television and the first to be shown in color. Unfortunately, only a black and white version of the show is now known to exist.

The script and lyrics were prepared by Maxwell Anderson and the score by Bernard Herrmann. It’s not the traditional version of Dicken’s story that one comes to expect.

Happy Holidays!

2 Responses to Basil Rathbone as Marley in A Christmas Carol (1954)

  1. Fascinating! I love to watch any version of Christmas Carol so I will add this one to my list! The 1951 version with Alastair Sim is still the best in my opinion.