An American Christmas Carol (1979)

'The Fonz' (Henry Winkler) is 'Slade', a Scrooge-like grumpy old landlord who likes to throw folks out of their homes in the dead of winter.Winkler is just OK in his role, featured here with an excessive amount of make-up so he'll appear to be 60 or 65 years old, though he looks like he's about 102. In the flashbacks depicting him as a young man, it's Susan Hogan as his past love named 'Helen' who shows the finest acting talents. Her performance is accompanied by beautiful Justine Till who portrays Helen as a young girl.Worthwhile version of Dickens' classic holiday tale.

It takes a great movie "for me" to voice my opinion, but this is such a great version I had to speak out. Although there are other versions "and there are many" this is the one that puts a jump in my step, this is the one that I go out of my way to watch. I actually plan my TV viewing time around it every year, the President could be declaring war, and I'll change the channel on him. One year it was not playing on any of the station so I went out and bought a copy. Now I have it on file forever, and can watch it any time I choose "but seriously" it literary kills me to have to wait until Christmas time to watch it. One year "I couldn't wait" so I whipped out my disk "slid it in the player" and watched it in July. Be cool John, R.I.

I have always loved the story A Christmas Carol though I have to admit its been done one too many times. However with this one staring Henry Winkler playing a Scroge type character and was a refreshing angle on an old story. It takes place in 1933 during the Great Depression and Mr. Slade (Scroge) is the only man in town who has any money and seems to be the most unhappy, which is typical of Scroge characters.He has a old warehouse filled with furniture, an old piano, wine glasses, books and other things he repossess from his customers who could not pay their debts to him. Anyway, he is approached by one of his employees asking if he would be willing to re-open an old rock quarry to bring some work to the town. Mr. Slade rips into his employee (Mr. Thatcher)and fires him. The story from here is pretty much the same as the English version with the ghosts of past, present and future coming to him and explaining he better change his ways. He does and at the end of the film he goes to Mr. Thatcher's house and hires him back and offers to send Mr. Thatcher's crippled son to a hospital to be cured.The only issue I have with this film is how Mr. Slade (Winkler) is portrayed. You never really feel that he was ever a good guy unlike scrooge who was friendly as a young man and then become an old mean hermit. Slade just always seemed willing to use people to get ahead even before he was an old man. In any case still an interesting take on a old story.

WOW! I thought I was the only one who had ever seen or heard of this movie? Thanks so much for having a link to buy a copy. I will do so before next Christmas.It is not really an americanized version of the Dicken's Clssic, I guess, but it takes place in 1930's New England, rather than Victorian England? MR Slade is not as mean as Mr Scrooge, he is just out of touch and seems to have forgotten all the people who made him what he is? He shows his cluelessness when he gives the hungry boys a book (I think it was a Horatio Alger book?) instead of giving them a meal? One of the striking things about it is the way he goes back to the orphanage and finds someone just like him and takes him to the now-ruined furniture factory. You hope that he inspires him, but you wonder if this boy will end up repeating Mr Slade's life? Of course, Mr. Slade did was not married, nor did he have a lovely daughter? i hope that Turner or AMC re-discover this little gem!