Lionel
Barrymore performs the role of Scrooge
for the radio broadcast. |
The
CBS Campbell Playhouse
1939 broadcast of "A
Christmas Carol"
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Back before television, a
holiday season tradition in America was
listening to "A Christmas
Carol" by Charles Dickens as
performed on radio by Lionel Barrymore
and narrated by Orson Welles with the
Mercury Theatre group. The music was
composed and conducted by the legendary
Bernard Herrmann. (Read a transcript of
the broadcast here.)
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| Few actors ever
gave more meaning to the character of
miserly Ebenezer Scrooge than Lionel
Barrymore who first took on the radio
role in 1934. Now this heart-warming,
historic broadcast recording can be yours
on Compact Disc!
Originally
aired live on Christmas Eve, December 24,
1939, this radio broadcast will live in
the memories of those that heard it for a
lifetime. If you remember listening, and
want to recapture those magical days of
your childhood Christmas, or have never
heard it, but want to experience the
magic of live radio theatre and create
new memories for you and your family,
order this CD! It will become a treasured
part of your holiday listening enjoyment
for years to come.
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Orson
Welles narrating the story. |
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Extra
Bonus Tracks:
- The
Hallmark Hall of Fame production
of "A Christmas Carol,"
again starring Lionel Barrymore
as Scrooge. This is the 24 minute
Side One of the LP record
released in 1947 (see LP
cover below).
- Lionel
Barrymore giving a dramatic
reading of "The Night Before
Christmas."
- Charles
Laughton reading the Biblical
Christmas Story.
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MGM released this LP years later, in 1947, of
the Hallmark Hall of Fame production in which
Barrymore reprised his role as Scrooge, with the
story narrated by Richard Hale, and original
score by Samuel "Sammy" Timberg (who
worked on many animated cartoons with the
Fleischer Studios, such as Popeye, Betty Boop,
and Superman). This record (re-released several
times later) is the source of most people's
recollection of hearing Barrymore in the Scrooge
story, since it was heard on the radio, and
bought and played in many homes for years after
Barrymore passed away in 1954. This 24 minute recording
is included as a bonus on the CD!
Click
here to hear a sample!
CD comes in convenient
SlimLine case for easier shelf storage!
Buy some extra
copies for your friends and family...
they make a great Christmas present or
stocking stuffer, and they'll enjoy it
for many years to come! |
Order here using
your credit card:
The Campbell Playhouse "A Christmas
Carol" CD
$10.00 plus shipping.
Immediate shipping
via First Class mail or Priority!
Buy
Now using our secure shopping cart
View
shopping cart or check out
|
If you wish to
order through the mail, send a check or money
order made out to:
Fred Passmore
and mail to:
Sheep Laughs Records
PO Box 1634
Reidsville, GA 30453
Add $2 for First Class mail, or
$5 for 2-3 Day Priority Mail. Call me at
912-557-8921 with any questions. This site is
current for 2012 and orders are being sent out
daily!
Also:
check out the
BBC and CBS Radio Mystery Theater versions,
also available on CD on this site!
This is a transcript of a
phone message I received, and I thought you would
enjoy reading it!
Fred,
Just received my order of 5
copies of the Christmas Carol CD, and I listened
to one of them, and it is exactly what I have
been looking for, what I have been looking for
for years actually.
I literally have it memorized
from listening to it to many times as a child, so
I had to buy 4 copies for my children, because
they grew up hearing me recite it... and also
because my poor old LP! The reason we still own a
record player is because of that one record which
it is so destroyed we can hardly hear it.
Thank you, thank you, thank
you, thank you!
Wonderful quality, I just
wanted the 24 minute record story, and I got all
this other, so I'm thrilled with it.
You wanted feed back... I'm
your happiest customer!
-N. Black
An email from a happy
customer...
Dear Fred -
We recently purchased from your
site the CD of the 1939 Campbell Playhouse Radio
Broadcase of "A Christmas Carol". We
were delighted to discover Track 9 on the CD -
the Hallmark Hall of Fame 1954 production with
Lionel Barrymore. We used to own the record
of this recording with the exact same album
cover as pictured on the CD insert.
We brought our children up on
this version of the Christmas Carol - over the
years the record was lost, and we have never been
able to find that exact recording - until now!!
It's just the right length for children to listen
to, yet with all the relevant messages.
-V.
Grenier, NJ
"Happy,
happy Christmas, that can win us back to the
delusions of our childish days; that can recall
to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that
can transport the sailor and the traveller,
thousands of miles away, back to his own fireside
and his quiet home!"
-Charles Dickens, excerpt from The Pickwick
Papers, Chapter 28.
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