| A 24 December 1948 live television version on ABC performed by the Rufus Rose Marionettes.
This version of the Dickens classic featured beautifully crafted marionettes as all of the characters.
ABC broadcast this holiday treat on December 24th, 1948 when televisions were still comparatively rare. Manipulation of marionettes is not easy but the legendary Rufus Rose Marionettes were the perfect choice for the task in that era. Rufus, best known as Howdy Doody’s off-camera operator directed this program along with his wife Margo.
Dickens’ Christmas Carol, as this production was titled, was an hour long production which was praised in Variety of December 29th, 1948. The review stated in part: “More than a dozen marionettes, beautifully modeled in the traditional manner, were put through their paces and if the actual manipulation could have stood perfecting the production itself outweighed this crudity.” |
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