This cartoon version of A Christmas Carol hails from the production house of Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass--the team that brought you just about every other Christmas special you saw as a kid (including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer). Reinvented as a 49-minute musical ghost story, Stingiest stars the voice of Walter Matthau as the bedeviled Scrooge and Tom Bosley as the Jiminy Cricket-type narrator, B. Humbug, Esq. The 1978 animation is serviceable and the songs are sometimes catchy and clever (a reformed Scrooge tunefully ponders "Man's happiness should be my profit / His suffering my loss"). But since the cartoonists downplayed the scariness of the ghosts and the cute songs just slow the action, the cartoon's intended youthful audience may be end up feeling a bit restless. (Suitable for all ages) --Kimberly Heinrichs

Customer Rating:
Summary: Those of you looking for this title on DVD, it is now released
Comment: As mentioned in another post I was reading, this particular story is released on DVD now. I just found it today.
It is part of a 10 holiday favorites Classic Christmas Favorites.
I cannot wait to see it! Now, I am patiently waiting on the rest to be released on DVD. :)

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: MUSICAL AND MAGICAL
Comment: I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS DICKENS VERSION AND WOULD SO LIKE TO HAVE IT ON DVD. MY CHILDREN LOVED IT AND NOW I AM PASSING IT ON TO MY GREAT NIECES AND NEPHEWS. I LOVE THIS ANIMATED VERSION AND ONE SPECIAL FEATURE IS THAT THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS IS FOCUSED ON, IF BRIEFLY, AND I LOVE THAT. LOVELY MOVIE FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS. I STILL LOVE TO WATCH IT.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: The Stingiest Man In Town VHS Review
Comment: This is the very first rendition of A Christmas Carol I ever saw, even before Mickey's Christmas Carol. The vocies, the songs, the music, LOVE THEM ALL!!!

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: DVD news about "Stingiest Man in Town"!
Comment: According to Warner Home Video's website, "Stingiest Man in Town" will be part of this collection of Rankin/Bass Christmas shows: Classic Christmas Favorites. I am thrilled to know this is finally being released on DVD!

Okay, all that aside...honestly the closeups of Marley's face on the door knocker gave me nightmares as a kid. To this day I can barely watch that short moment in the cartoon or hear the music in the background. Other than that, I absolutely love this movie and have since childhood. Walter Matthau made a great singing Scrooge, the animation was well executed and it's something I wish was still shown on TV.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Needs a DVD release
Comment: Havnig played Belle in this show twice on stage, it has always been close to my heart. We videotaped the show off the TV back when it first aired and I can still remember singing along with all the songs - especially It Might Have Been (Belle's song). They seem to release and re-release many of the Rankin Bass specials year after year, but this one is ignored. If all you can get is the VHS, get it. Share it with your kids. It's better than Finney's Scrooge musical and has all the charm of the usual R/B specials.

---