That’s right, a 1979 television movie starring The Fonz as Ebenezer Scrooge is ranked ahead of White Christmas. (Or, if you’re younger than a hundred, the Coach in “The Waterboy.”)
I have nothing to say in my defense and await your wrath.
Well, I do have one thing to say: Henry Winkler is a marvelously talented and underrated actor, and any opportunity to boost his Winkler-ness I’m taking. See also: Night Shift (1982) and an under-appreciated masterpiece called The One And Only (1978).
Besides, Adam Sandler loves the guy. You want to argue with that?
Other than The Disco Ghost of Christmas Past, shifting the Dickens’ classic from Victorian England to Depression-era New England was an inspired idea that adds a nice spin to the story’s familiar template. Though the characters are given Americanized names (Scrooge becomes Slade), they’re all there including a very effective Tiny Tim. Another terrific spin is making the child Scrooge/Slade an orphan after the death of his parents. This added subplot not only helps to explain why Slade whould grow into a lonely old miser but adds something different and effective to his Christmas day reformation.
For a television movie the production design is superb. Many of the exterior locations were shot on real locations (in Canada) with real snow, and the interiors give off a stage vibe which is a perfect match for Winkler’s larger-than-life charisma and performance. While his old age make up is a bit much, Winkler’s Slade is very funny and you get a sense he ad-libbed some of the more interesting bits of business. It’s hard to imagine the script called for the phantom Slade visiting his past to remove a piece of lint from his mentor’s suit.
“An American Christmas Carol” isn’t the only television movie in the top 25. Will the Marlo Thomas remake of “It’s a Wonderful Life” make the list? Stay tuned.