Customer Reviews

Rich Little's Christmas Carol [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being a fan of the classic traditional Christmas Carol by Dicken's and most other Christmas Carol renditions, I find this a very well done humorous version of the classic story, with a few twists. Rich little impersonates W.C. Fields, Johnny Carson and others. Very good.

I remember watching a rerun of Rich Little's Christmas Carol on cable and I enjoyed how Rich Little could do imitations of celebrity voices but I can't rate this a 5 because it is a little dated and as talanted as Rich Little was I started to get really bored during the middle of this Christmas show. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Rich Little and The Christmas Carol story but this will probably seem dated to anyone who didn't grow up seeing the original airing and some of the celebrity voices he imitates may only known to older people. I actuallt pretty much enjoyed watching this and I thought it was very interesting! BTW: Don't expect an absolutely faithful adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, this is really more of a showcase for the impressionist voice talents of Rich Little and his fans so if you are a Charles Dickens purist who only likes The Christmas Carol story to be told in the traditional way then this probably won't be your cup of tea but if you watch it with an open mind and you know who Rich Little is you just may surprise yourself by enjoying this but little kids will probably be bored. I will rate this at 4 stars because Rich Little is good and I enjoyed this for the most part.

There are three things you have to know about "Rich Little's Christmas Carol." First, it is based on "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens in terms of the characters and the plot, but do not expect to hear much of the familiar dialogue. Second, impressionist Rich Little plays all of the parts, except, of course, not as Rich Little. That means W.C. Fields is Scrooge, Paul Lynde is Bob Cratchit, Truman Capote as Tiny Tim, Edith Bunker as Mrs. Cratchit, Johnny Carson as Nephew Fred, Richard Nixon as Jacob Marley, Humphrey Bogart as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Groucho Marx as Fezziwig, Columbo as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Inspector Clouseau, as the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come, John Wayne and George Burns as the businessmen, and Jack Benny as the boy outside the window (with his violin, no less). Third, keep in mind this was recorded as a television special in 1978, which means it helps to have been alive and paying attention to the news back then to get some of the references (e.g., why the chains are Marley/Nixon are reel-to-reel tapes).

This one is really more for fans of Rich Little than of Charles Dickens, but there is nothing wrong with that. Part of the fun of this is thinking about what it would have been like to recast the different roles. Pick anybody, from Groucho and Columbo to Bogey and the Duke, and imagine what you would end up with if they were Scrooge. Once you buy into the logic of this comic production it is impossible not to get caught up in the spirit of it all. I was not sure why Scrooge is now the owner of a Boat and Bottle Works shop (Scrooge empties the liquor bottles and Crachit stuffs the littel boats into them), until the last character in this comedy arrives upon the scene. Again, if you remember who was popular on television in 1978 going this far out of the way for the joke will make some sense. But then, if you do not fondly remember Rich Little you are not going to bother to pick this one up.

I've watched this tape every Christmas for as long as I can remember. Even though I'm only in my 20's and most of the jokes sailed over my head until I grew up, I still found this movie vastly entertaining! Growing up and getting all the impression references just made it even better for me. The jokes are cleverly written and the music is actually very heartwarming and fitting for a Christmas movie. Even if you don't get all the people that Rich Little is imitating or understand all the references, give this movie a chance as a ridiculous and funny twist on an old classic.

I'm so glad to have found this item on Amazon.com so I can replace the aging VHS tape that my family has had for over 25 years. Without it, our Christmases just wouldn't be the same!

The laugh-track might be a bit distracting. This is certainly dated... Imitations include W.C. Fields, Paul Lynde, Richard Nixon, James Mason, Jack Benny, Johnny Carson (my favorite), Columbo, Bogart, Inspector Clouseau, Truman Copote, Laurel & Hardy, Groucho Marx, Jimmy Stewart, Edith Bunker, John Wayne, and George Burns. HOWEVER, I LOVE IT. I was born in 67, and I never tire of this show. I even love the music. This show has a special warmth about it. In fact, the only reason I notice the laugh-track is probably because I've watched it so much.

This is a Christmas classic! It's well-written and well-made, with Rich Little performing many of his great impersonations. It may not be for all audiences today in 2002 as many viewers today won't recognize some of the characters (just how often can you do Richard Nixon or Truman Capote jokes?). However, for those over a certain age, it will be funny and make you laugh every year. It will be some time (if ever) before this comes out on DVD, so get the VHS now.

Such a shame that this film is out of print. Rich Little doing Jack Benny is the funniest thing I ever saw. Come on whoever owns the rights to this, re-release it!!! And while you're at it, re-release 1977's "The Gathering". My copy's practically toast.

This video was one of the funniest films

Very entertaining, was Rich Littles, CHRISTMAS CAROL [1978]! This video was one of the funniest films I have watched! I have told many of my friends about this, although I did not know it was not available until now! I could watch it over and over, and that is something I figured I would never say about any video. please look into the possibilities of this being re-released, for many other peoples enjoyment! I think you would be surprised as to the amount of people wanting this video by Rich Little, as it is hilarious! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

This is a family tradition movie. we all love it, however, our tape broke and now it is lost. if anyone knows where to get a copy, please email me and let me know, thanks.

I first saw this on PBS in 1982 and I loved it. Rich Little brings the classic tale to life with his assortment of character voices. From W.C. Fields as Bob Crachet to Truman Capote as Tiny Tim, we see a slightly altered version of this classic tale. It's about 50 minutes long and every bit of the 50 minutes is funny. It's very hard to find in VHS or Laserdisc and to my knowledge, it isn't availiable on DVD. Buy it, you won't regret it.