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How exactly do you tell a story that's inspired by "A Christmas Carol" on a television program that's set in a time period that predates the birth of Christ? That was the challenge facing Chris Manheim , a writer for " Xena: Warrior Princess ." But to add to the fun of this...

Few would argue that "A Christmas Carol" is a story about redemption. But what happens when you try to retell Charles Dickens' timeless tale with characters that are utterly irredeemable? Well, you'd probably end up with something like that special Beavis & Butt-Head episode that...

There's nothing wrong with " A Flintstones Christmas Carol " that a sharp pair of scissors couldn't take care of. Copyright 1999 Turner Home Entertainment To explain: In its heart of hearts, this William Hanna, Joseph Barbera & Buzz Potamkin production really wants to be a faithful...

I got notes from a number of JHM readers yesterday who said that I was far too hard on " Alvin's Christmas Carol ." Though one in particular -- an e-mail from Trendy Trudy -- really stuck out. She said. What did you expect? This was an episode of an animated television series. You know...

Are you still struggling with your holiday shopping? Are you having trouble finding just the right gift for that "creative" person on your list? You know the one that I'm talking about. That person who used to tie up your kitchen table with all of their "projects" when they were a kid. Who'd turn construction...

Over the past few days, we've talked about some of the different forms that "A Christmas Carol" can take. There's the fairly faithful adaptation (I.E. " The Muppet Christmas Carol "), the out-right parody (" Blackadder's Christmas Carol ") as well as that truly...

Just how good is The Muppet Christmas Carol "? Well, to be honest, that depends on whether or not you saw the version that ran in theaters back in 1992 OR the version of this Brian Henson film that now runs on television and/or is currently available for sale on DVD. "What's the difference...

There's really no polite way to say this. So I'm just going to say it: " A Jetson Christmas Carol " is lousy. I don't know how familiar you folks are with this animated sitcom, so let me give you a quick history of the show: " The Jetsons " was produced by Hanna-Barbera with the hopes that this program...

When you've seen as many versions of "A Christmas Carol" as I have recently, you begin to notice that there's this pattern to the way a lot of actors portray Ebenezer Scrooge. That they tend to employ the same sorts of acting tricks in order to keep their performances entertaining & emotionally effective...

Earlier today, Mark S. sent me an e-mail asked: Dear Jim: Today's "Scrooge U" article compelled me to pull out my old VHS copy of " Mickey's Christmas Carol ." And you're right. It is fun spotting all of those characters from earlier Disney films that pop up in the picture. In addition to those " Mr...

In ballet circles, " The Nutcracker " is now considered a lucrative cliché. Meaning that it's a show that most companies HAVE TO produce each year. Given that many people nowadays just don't consider it Christmas unless they're able to: Get dressed up. Go to the theater. Nod off while Clara & her...

First of all, I want to thank all of you JHM readers who have sent nice notes my way, saying how much you've been enjoying the site's new series. A fairly typical example of these e-mails comes from Katie G. Who wrote in to say: Dear Mr. Hill, I'm a longtime lurker at your website and ,up...

Just the name seems somewhat sacrilegious: " An American Christmas Carol ." Copyright 1999 Image Entertainment I mean, is it even legal to do that? Take Charles Dickens' almost quintessentially English story out of its familiar 1840s London setting and then drop it into Depression-era America? To be...

I don't really need to explain who Basil Rathbone was, right? I mean, we're talking about the acclaimed actor who crossed swords with Errol Flynn in " The Adventures of Robin Hood ," traded quips with Danny Kaye in " The Court Jester " and even served as the narrator of the...

It is one of my favorite Hollywood "What If" stories. And -- appropriately enough -- you can read a full-blown account of this tale over on one of my favorite blogs, Mark Evanier's great " newsfromme.com ." Here's the Reader's Digest version: W.C. Fields (Who was a Dickens...

Okay. I know. We all love those moments in "A Christmas Carol" after Scrooge has been redeemed. When the old skinflint tries to make amends to all those he's wronged over the years. That's when Dickens' classic holiday tale becomes truly heart-warming. But -- prior to this point...

John S. writes in to ask: Jim -- My son and I recently discovered your website and we've really been enjoyed digging through all of your old stories. Since my son is now showing such a keen interest in the history of the Walt Disney Company, I thought that I might give him a Disney history book as a...

I was just watching the news. And they had on another one of those stories about Black Friday . You know, the day after Thanksgiving? Which is supposedly the busiest shopping day of the year. Anyway ... This reporter was going on and on about the sales that the big boxes will be holding this Friday....

When musical theater fans complain about Disney Theatrical (And they do complain about Disney Theatrical. If you don't believe me, go check out the discussion boards over at Talkin' Broadway and Broadway World ), their main complaint about the Mouse seems to be that " ... the shows that Disney presents...

For football fans, it's the Super Bowl . For guys who collect comic books, it's Comic-Con International . And -- for Disney dweebs -- it's the National Fantasy Fan Club ( THE club for Disneyana enthusiasts) 's annual convention. But -- if you're a serious ABC Daytime fan -- there's only one place that...