An American Christmas Carol

TV Movie
1979
Not Rated
1h 38m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

1.7K

YOUR RATING

Henry Winkler and Christopher Crabb in An American Christmas Carol (1979)

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Drama Fantasy

In an American town, an old bitter miser is given a ghostly chance at redemption on Christmas Eve.In an American town, an old bitter miser is given a ghostly chance at redemption on Christmas Eve.In an American town, an old bitter miser is given a ghostly chance at redemption on Christmas Eve.

Director
- Eric Till
Writers
- Charles Dickens
- Jerome Coopersmith
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

1.7K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Eric Till
Writers
- Charles Dickens
- Jerome Coopersmith
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
The clinic to which Benedict sends Jonathan to treat his polio was run by Sister Elisabeth Kenny, founded in 1932 in Townsville Queenland, over 2000km away from Sydney, which is where the last ticket went to that Slade gave Jonathan as a Christmas gift.

Goofs
Near the end of the film, Slade tells Thatcher's son he's sending him to Australia to a clinic run by "Sister Elizabeth Kenny" (a nurse) to cure his polio caused paralysis. Such a nurse did exist and had developed an effective therapy to cure paralysis. However an American stricken with polio couldn't travel there to visit her. Her methods needed to be employed immediately upon contracting the disease and such a journey would take too much time. American patients were treated by their local doctor or nurse who'd read up extensively on her methods.

Quotes
Thatcher: We know there's going to be other partings among us. A marriage. Long voyages. Even death again. But when someone is remembered with love, their spirit never really dies.

Connections
Featured in Everything is Terrible! Holiday Special (2012)

Soundtracks
We Three Kings
(uncredited)
Written by John H. Hopkins (as John Henry Hopkins, Jr.)

User reviews54

Review

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For a long time, I was fascinated by the make up of Henry Winkler. Better adaptations of A Christas Carol were more attractive and the story of venerable Benedict and his exploration of past, present and future, like the nice transformation was only a piece from a long chain.

But , seeing it again, I was fascinated by the nuances, tones and acting.

And more than seduced by the charming end.

Indeed, the story of a lonely old man, reduced to himself. But, in same measure, fine portrait of the selfishness as fruit of many bitter experiences and surogate of happiness. Not the make up rules but a beautiful acting, sustaining a precise, clear and touching message. And it is enough.