An American Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve

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Back in 1979, ABC aired an Americanized version of Dicken's A Christmas Carol starring Henry Winkler. Winkler was then one of the hottest names on television thanks to the popularity of his character Arthur Fonzarelli, aka Fonzie or the Fonz, on the show Happy Days.

Winkler played Benedict Slade - an American lender in Concord, New Hampshire, during the early days of the Great Depression. The movie opens with Slade traveling around the town with his assistant Thatcher repossessing items from folks who'd borrowed money. The first was a farmer who'd purchased home furnishings and a radio. The second was the director of an orphanage Slade once lived in He repossessed the orphanage's piano.. The third was a bookseller from whom Slade took all his books, including a first edition of the Dicken's book referenced above.

From there, the story follows a similar trajectory to the classic tale. The ghost of Slade's former partner visits him, followed by the three spirits. The spirits take the form of the last three people Slade took back items from.

While the flow of the story is familiar, the telling of it in the context of the Great Depression gives it a unique feeling. If you haven't seen it, it's worth a look.

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