By John C.

We are now at the midpoint of our Christmas Countdown.  Yesterday we profiled three TV classics from the 1960s, which means that today brings us a look at the 1970s, the most sparse decade on our list.  The 1970s were an interesting time for Christmas movies, most notable for the lack of holidays films that these ten years produced.

The main film from the 1970s that we are including is one that came right at the beginning of the decade.  Directed by Ronald Neame and starring Albert Finney in a role that required him to wear plenty of make up, Scrooge (1970) is a musical version of the classic Charles Dickens story.  This is a unique adaptation of the often told tale that puts its own spin on several sequences and is worth seeing for the musical numbers and Albert Finney’s performance in the title role.

The film picked up four Oscar nominations, including Best Song for “Thank You Very Much,” and is so far the only feature length version of the story to receive Academy Award recognition.  Equally interesting to note is that a year later the animated special A Christmas Carol (1971) became the only adaptation to actually win an Oscar, when the 28 minute TV production starring the voice of Alastair Sim was awarded Best Animated Short Film.

Although Scrooge is the singular feature film from the 1970s to appear on our list, it’s one that is worth checking out this holiday season.  We hope you will all come back tomorrow for a look at the numerous classics from the 1980s…