Lionel Barrymore is discovered by the camera sitting in an easy chair, and proceeds to praise MGM's production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL with Reginald Owen as Scrooge.
Owen is not one of my favorite performers; he always seems to be acting, rather than simply being the character, reciting the lines instead of saying them; if you want a Scrooge for me, you need Alistair Sim.
But why choose Barrymore to pump the film? Because he was very well known for performing Scrooge on the radio every year. If you go to an Old Time Radio site and listen, you will probably agree. In fact, this version was supposed to star him. But his legs failed him; that's why for the remainder of his career he played from a wheelchair. And so they recast the movie role.
Owen is not one of my favorite performers; he always seems to be acting, rather than simply being the character, reciting the lines instead of saying them; if you want a Scrooge for me, you need Alistair Sim.
But why choose Barrymore to pump the film? Because he was very well known for performing Scrooge on the radio every year. If you go to an Old Time Radio site and listen, you will probably agree. In fact, this version was supposed to star him. But his legs failed him; that's why for the remainder of his career he played from a wheelchair. And so they recast the movie role.
