George C. Scott did it. So did Albert Finney. Then there are Michael Caine, Reginald Owen, Patrick Stewart, Quincy Magoo, and Yosemite Sam. These men, respected thespians one and all, have all grouchily portrayed Charles Dickens’ deathless miser Ebenezer Scrooge in various versions of A Christmas Carol. And now YouTube-based VKMTV Studios, which recently created a dandy supercut of TV’s most memorable Christmas trees, has created a Dickensian highlight reel entitled “A Tribute To TV And Movie Scrooges SUPERCUT.”
This fast paced clip show focuses on the most famous elements of the oft-told story— there are a few “bah humbug”s, a few quivering Bob Cratchits, the requisite appearances by judgmental ghosts, and some token redemption at the end. The editors have taken an eclectic approach, drawing from at least one silent version of the story as well as parodies like the 1988 Bill Murray vehicle Scrooged. But what’s truly remarkable here is how many long-running series, including Sanford And Son, The Real Ghostbusters, Martin, Family Ties, Beavis And Butt-Head, and Saved By The Bell, have gone to the Christmas Carol well to pad out their respective episode orders.