Garden Theatre to Host Holiday Movie Series Based on A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 12/9-18

The Garden Theatre presents a Holiday Movie Series as a part of What The Dickens Orlando, a celebration of the life and times of Charles Dickens, Tuesdays and Thursdays, December 9 - 18, 2014 at the Garden Theatre (160 West Plant Street).

During the What The Dickens Orlando 202-day celebration, Central Florida arts, cultural and social service organizations are presenting events based on Charles Dickens' works in honor of his 202nd birthday.

Garden Theatre's Holiday Movie Series is based upon one of Dickens' most beloved novellas, A Christmas Carol. The story follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a stingy businessman and elderly miser, who learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve when he reflects on his past, present and future with the help of three ghosts. The story has been told numerous times in numerous ways over the years. The Garden Theatre is presenting the films that mesmerized audiences in 1920, 1938, 1951, 1988 and 1994. The line-up includes:

December 9 • A Christmas Carol

1910 - A silent film, directed by J. Searle Dawley for Thomas Edison. This is one of the earliest film adaptations of Charles Dickens' famous 1843 novella. (NR, 10min)
1938 - America's first full-length film adaptation of Charles Dickens' novella. Lionel Barrymore was originally set to play Scrooge, but had to back out due to illness. Barrymore instead suggested his friend Reginald Owen take over the role. This was the only film in which Gene Lockhart appeared with his wife Kathleen and their daughter June Lockhart. (NR, 69min)

December 11 • A Christmas Carol

Starring Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge, and directed by Brian Desmond Hurst. Although this film is widely regarded as the best film adaptation of the story, it is the only one which omits Scrooge's famous line: "If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled in his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart." An interesting fact is that the actors who portrayed MARLEY and the Ghost of Christmas Past were never on the same set with Sim. They were added in later through the use of an optical printer. (1951, NR, 86 min)

December 16 • A Flintstones Christmas Carol

An animated TV movie based on the cartoon series, The Flintstones and the novella of the same name by Charles Dickens. Fred Flintstone is cast as the lead part of Scrooge in the Bedrock Community Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol, but his method acting causes Fred to act more and more like the miserly Scrooge in real life. (1994, 70min)

December 18 • Scrooged

A modern twist on the classic Charles Dickens tale. Produced and directed by Richard Donner, Scrooged stars Bill Murray as Frank Cross, a greedy and selfish TV executive who is obsessed with putting on a live adaptation of A Christmas Carol that will break television records. Little does Frank know that he will be visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future in an effort to help him change his ways. (1988, 101 min)

Tickets to all movies are $7 and may be purchased online at gardentheatre.org/movies or by calling the Garden Theatre Box Office at 407.877.GRDN (4736).

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