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“Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.” These are the opening lines to Charles Dickens’ timeless holiday tale “A Christmas Carol.” And while quintessential pinchpenny Ebenezer Scrooge is indeed the main character of the book, without the spectral Christmas Eve visit by his “dead these seven years” ex-business partner Jacob Marley, the whole story would have come to a screeching halt. Indeed, it’s thanks to “a chance and hope” of his procuring that Scrooge gets an opportunity to avoid Marley’s purgatorial sentence of forever wandering the Earth, seeking to do the good he could have done in his lifetime, but now unable to. And let’s face it, Marley’s appearance in Scrooge’s bed chamber–wailing, a kerchief tied around his head, his body encircled by clanking metal chains linked to money boxes and ledger books–is fondly remembered by many a youngster as their scariest Yuletide memory this side of Jack Skellington.
Despite his eerie entrance and exit, Marley’s Ghost is but one small part of “A Christmas Carol,” usually appearing in the many stage, screen, and TV adaptations of Dickens’ tale for a few minutes, tops. Even so, his haunting (sorry) visage and integral part in the proceedings have lead to some unforgettable performances. Here are just a few of the most memorable Marleys from film and TV:
Scrooge, or, Marley’s Ghost (1901) – Hey, how about that? Old Jacob got equal billing in this British-made silent short, the first known screen version of the story. In fact, the oddly chain-free Marley depicted here (played by an unknown actor) does the job of all three Christmas spirits as he seeks to help his erstwhile colleague (Daniel Smith) mend his ways.
Old Scrooge (1913) – Seymour Hicks, known for his regular stage turns as Scrooge, stars in this British short which, like its 1901 predecessor, allows Marley–still unfettered–to pull quadruple ghost duty on his mission of redemption. And once again, the actor playing Marley’s Ghost was uncredited. Hicks would return to the title role 22 Christmases later (see below).
Scrooge (1935) – Poor Jacob Marley got short shrift compared to the returning Hicks in the first feature-length sound version of the story. In fact, Marley only appears onscreen briefly as a face on the front door knocker of Scrooge’s London home (which had been Marley’s until his death). From then on, it’s just Jacob’s voice that’s heard. On the plus side, though, said (uncredited) voice is supplied by none other than Captain Renault himself, Claude Rains…who knew a thing or two about about appearing unseen thanks to his earlier turn as The Invisible Man.
A Christmas Carol (1938) – Who better than Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to film Hollywood’s first major adaptation of the tale? Alongside Reginald Owen as Scrooge, the cast also featured the husband-wife duo of Gene and Kathleen Lockhart as Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit (with their 13-year-old daughter June as one of the “small assorted Cratchits”), Anne Rutherford as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and future Alfred Hitchcock regular and Man from U.N.C.L.E. boss Leo G. Carroll as Jacob Marley. And, as you can see, this Marley came fully equipped with an impressively “ponderous chain” and a wail to match.
A Christmas Carol (1951) – Known simply as Scrooge in its native England, this is the version that many folk think of as the definitive Dickens translation, due in no small part to its frequent TV airings beginning in the 1960s. Noted stage and film actor Michael Hordern, who plays Jacob opposite the wonderful Alastair Sim as Scrooge, gets more to do here than most Marleys, as the screenplay follows the two misers scheming their way to success in Victorian London and includes a scene where Scrooge makes a Christmas Eve visit of his own to a dying Marley. Both Sim and Hordern would reprise their respective roles in Richard Williams’ Oscar-winning 1971 animated version.
A Christmas Carol (1954) – An episode of the anthology series Shower of Stars, this early TV edition was originally filmed in both black-and-white and color, although the latter version is now considered lost. Academy Award-winner Fredric March gets top billing, and playing the Marley to his Scrooge is Basil Rathbone. Rathbone’s screen time is brief, but he’s fortunate: in order to fit the story in the hour-long running time, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come was replaced by a mynah bird!
The Stingiest Man in Town (1956): Two years after clanking Marley’s chains in Shower of Stars, Rathbone would take over as Scrooge in another small-screen adaptation, this one from The Alcoa Hour. More of a musical production than a straight drama, it featured Robert Weede as Jacob Marley. There was also an animated version done in 1978 by Rankin/Bass, with folk singer-turned-actor Theodore Bikel in the role of Marley’s Ghost.
Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962): The myopic Magoo (voiced by Jim Backus) portrayed the miserly Scrooge in this, the first animated TV Christmas special. Boasting songs by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill (Funny Girl), the UPA production stays fairly faithful to the source material (there’s a nice line where Scrooge is accused of being too cheap to buy a decent pair of spectacles). Playing the part of Marley’s Ghost was actor Royal Dano.
Scrooge (1970) – No doubt warming up for his future performances as the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars films, Alec Guinness straps on the fetters, looking to scare his old partner (Albert Finney) onto the path of redemption, in another musical take on the Dickens story, this time featuring a score by Leslie Bricusse of Doctor Dolittle and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory fame.
Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) – This was Disney’s first crack at animating the story of Scrooge and company, and luckily they had a duck named Scrooge under contract! Mickey Mouse takes over as Bob Cratchit, and the one and only Goofy does his best to spook Scrooge as the ghost of Jacob Marley. Supplying the voice of Goofy is everyone’s favorite Mayberry town drunk, Hal Smith, while Alan Young voices Uncle Scrooge (a role he’d later continue in 1987’s DuckTales). Fun Fact: This was the first Mickey Mouse theatrical cartoon the studio made in 30 years.
A Christmas Carol (1984) – Star George C. Scott, as Scrooge, was nominated for an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Special Emmy (He lost to Richard Crenna; we have no idea if Scott would have accepted had he won). Along with Edward Woodward as the Ghost of Christmas Present and David Warner as Bob Cratchit, the handsome TV production also starred Frank Finlay as a rather moldering-looking Marley.
Scrooged (1988) – Okay, technically the ghost here is named Lew Hayward, not Jacob Marley, and he was TV executive Frank Cross’s (Bill Murray) boss and teacher rather than his partner. Still, I know some folks around this site would be miffed if I didn’t at least mention John Forsythe’s wonderful turn as the ghostly mentor who offers Frank a friendly head up about the night he’s about to experience in director Richard Donner’s darkly funny updating of Dickens’ story.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) – What’s better than one ghost of Marley? Why, two of course! And who better to play the old codgers than those no longer balcony-based hecklers, Statler and Waldorf, in this family-friendly take on the story directed by Brian Henson (whose Muppet guru father Jim had passed away two years earlier). As Jacob and Robert Marley, the wisecracking duo pay a Christmas Eve call on their ex-colleague Scrooge, played by Michael Caine, to prepare him for what’s to follow.
A Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001) – Opening with a live-action sequence featuring Charles Dickens himself (Simon Callow, who also supplies the voice of Scrooge) reading his story to a theatre audience, this animated film from director Jimmy Murakami (The Snowman) boasts a voice cast that includes Kate Winslet, Jane Horrocks, Michael Gambon…”and Nicolas Cage as Marley’s Ghost.”
Disney’s A Christmas Carol (2009) – Sometimes, CGI animation can make even supposedly normal characters look strange and eerie (The Polar Express, anyone?). Well, Disney and director Robert Zemeckis (the man behind The Polar Express) managed to up the creepy factor in this feature’s depiction of the late Jacob Marley, voiced by Gary Oldman, who also portrayed Bob Cratchit alongside Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge. With a budget estimated at nearly $200 million, the film’s lackluster box office performance (along with that of a second Zemeckis-produced animated project, Mars Needs Moms) led Disney to shutter his ImageMovers Digital studio in 2011. Whether Marley’s Ghost still haunted the studio remains to be seen.
Do you remember being scared by Marley’s Ghost? Do you have a favorite portrayal that we missed? Let us know in the comments, and God bless us, every one.