The Stingiest Man in Town

TV-G

1978

50 min.

Holiday

Animation

Musical

List

100%

5 Reviews

Tomatometer

59%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

A re-telling of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

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StephenPaul C

LOL, the funniest 50 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/27/23

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Jack's A

The songs are a little excessive, but that's the only major problem I have with this special

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/20/23

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Audience Member

Rankin/Bass do a highly abbreviated, musical version of "A Christmas Carol". It's fine, but it's a tough story to do justice to in under an hour, and inserting songs certainly doesn't help. What you essentially get is the high points and little else. Walter Matthau is a fine actor, but he's not quite what you want for Scrooge. The story is narrated by B.A.H. Humbug, an insect voiced by Tom Bosley. The less said about that the better.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

Best Christmas special.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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bill t

This lazily animated story influencesd heavily by Scrooge could have certainly done without the musical numbers every two minutes.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

The Basil Rathbone starring version is better.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

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Jules Bass

Director

Arthur Rankin Jr.

Director

Walter Matthau

Voice

Robert Morse

Voice

Tom Bosley

Voice

Theodore Bikel

Voice

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Emily St. James

Vox

It's still a superb version of a very good story, with some terrific songs. The special loses something by condensing the story as much as it does, but it's hard to go wrong with Dickens in song.

Dec 7, 2018

Full Review

Alonso Duralde

TheWrap

This made-for-TV musical version rarely surfaces these days, and that's a pity, particularly since Rathbone's patented brand of hammy villainy suits the character so well

Dec 6, 2018

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Emily St. James

AV Club

The Stingiest Man In Town remains a brisk retelling of one of the most famous stories ever told, a retelling that boasts fun songs, a good deal of TV history being made, and a great central performance.

Rated: B+

Dec 6, 2018

Full Review

Matthew Jackson

Syfy Wire

A traditionally animated musical special that's surprisingly emotional.

Dec 7, 2018

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Ryan Voyles

Paste Magazine

The animation and Matthau help to create one of the most underrated specials in the Rankin/Bass catalogue.

Dec 6, 2018

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Synopsis

A re-telling of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

Director: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Screenwriter: Romeo Muller
Rating: TV-G
Genre: Holiday, Animation, Musical