Quantum Leap: "A Little Miracle"

Premiered 21 December 1990

Al: He's a real Scrooge.
Sam: Yeah, well, you can say that again.
Al: Scrooge! 
---
Sam: Absolutely. Michael is Scrooge, right? He's alone, he's miserable. It's like, uh, Charles, um...
Al: Dickens.
Sam: ...um, Dickens, it's like he created his character based on this guy.
Al: So?
Sam: So, we Scrooge him.

In this episode from Season 3 of the popular sci-fi tv series,  it is the 24th of December 1962 in New York City.  Our time traveling hero, Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) has quantum leaped into Reginald Pearson, valet to the mega-rich and mega-mean Michael Blake (Charles Rocket).

Sam's friend Al Calavicci  (Dean Stockwell), who appears as a hologram that (usually) only Sam can see and hear, says that Blake is a corporate raider type, who has "put more people out of work than the Great Depression."

Currently,  Blake's big project is a plan to raze a Salvation Army mission in order to build Blake Plaza, a gleaming skyscraper with his name vaingloriously emblazoned all over it.

Salvation Army Captain Laura Downey (Melinda McGraw) has been trying for months to talk Blake out of tearing down the building.   She has taken matters into her own hands and brought a Salvation Army band to play "Bringing In The Sheaves" in the vestibule of Blake's penthouse.

Downey tries to emphasize the important work that the mission does for homeless and destitute people in that area.   Blake is unimpressed by the mission, but might possibly be a little impressed with Captain Downey herself.  Sam likes her determination and is sympathetic to her cause.   He suggests that maybe they can talk Blake around, despite that fact that Blake has just threatened to fire him.

While cleaning out Blake's closet, Sam and Al discover a box of photos showing that Blake comes from a much humbler background than his current surroundings.  In fact,  he grew up in the neighborhood where the mission is located.   Sam  thinks they should "Scrooge" Blake in the interest of "saving his soul."

Sam brings Blake to the old neighborhood, doing a "Christmas past" bit.   He fakes having a flat tire to get Blake out of the limo and walking around the neighborhood -- many old memories are awakened.  They run into Downey who offers to let him use the mission's phone for help with the flat tire and encounters an old pal from his childhood who is selling chestnuts out on the street.

Blake seems very pensive and stares off into space drinking after his visit to "Christmas Past."  Sam thinks the plan isn't working,  Al thinks it is and suggests that they show him "Christmas Present" next.

Blake thinks his present is just fine.  He brags about having everything that money can buy and how he is the "living embodiment of the American dream."    Sam bets a month's rent that Blake doesn't have everything he really wants and takes him back downtown.

He tries to show that human interaction is better than some cold monument to Blake's ego.

They hear caroling which leads them to the mission where people are singing.  Blake and Sam join in and Blake admits he thinks Capt. Downey is beautiful (!).  He also has a moment with a Tiny Tim-esque moppet who offers him a toy horse named Sheldon.

Things don't go quite according to plan and Blake winds up feeling angry and manipulated, and more determined than ever to go through with the construction of Blake Plaza.

The "Scrooging" continues thanks to a fluke of brain chemistry which allows Blake to see and hear Al (who is normally only visible to Sam).   Sam enlists Al to act as the "Ghost of Christmas Future" to wake Blake up to the error of his ways.

Will Sam and Al be able to redeem Blake so that Sam can leap? Or will additional help from God/Fate/Time/Whatever be needed?

RigbyMel says:

As an impressionable teenager back in the mists of the late '80s/early '90s,  I was a big fan of Quantum Leap, so I remember watching and enjoying this episode when it first aired.   It holds up pretty well today.   The Dickensian overtones are quite strong.

Sam sees who he has leaped into in a mirror - a trope on the show 

Sam leaps into a very put upon Bob Cratchit type servant and we get a plot revolving around showing the Blake/Scrooge character his past, present and future in hopes of redeeming him.  There is an additional objective for Sam though,  he also wants to "put right what once went wrong" so he can leap home.

As with some other tv variations on A Christmas Carol,  the plot centers on characters using any means at their disposal to drag the character in need of transformation on his spiritual journey.  In this take on the story, the technological/brain wave fluke that allows Blake to see Al is key.  Dean Stockwell seems to particularly relish his "Ghost of Christmas Future" role,  hamming it up in quite an amusing fashion.

Al in Ghost of Christmas Future mode shows Blake his potential fate

Some fun trivia:   Melinda McGraw who plays the ingenue Salvation Army captain has gone on to play a major role in ANOTHER show set in the early 1960s --  she plays the rather harder-nosed character of Bobbie Barrett on AMC's Mad Men.  

Melinda McGraw as Bobbie Barrett in Mad Men ... 

 ... and as Capt. Downey in Quantum Leap

The redemption of  Blake doesn't come easily.  In fact, he backslides a lot in this episode before the end and there does seem to be some supernatural rather than technological help that occurs before all is said and done.

The titular "little miracle"? -  The star is NOT one of Al's holographic projections! 

All in all, this is an endearing variation on the themes of A Christmas Carol that is well worth a look or a re-visit.

RigbyMel's rating:

4 candy canes

J.A. Morris says:

Quantum Leap was a show I enjoyed, but I hadn't seen "A Little Miracle" until recently.  It's a very good adaptation of A Christmas Carol. 

As RigbyMel mentioned, Sam's ultimate goal in this series is to leap home to his own time.  He must redeem Blake's soul to continue his journey homeward.  This makes Sam's role here somewhat similar to that of Clarence the angel in It's A Wonderful Life.

Blake sees his future self, bankrupt in the 1970s.

And Sam when says he feels sorry for Blake, he echoes the sentiments of Scrooge's nephew Fred.

The fact that "A Little Miracle" takes place in a more recent time shows us that many never got the message of A Christmas Carol.  There were still Scrooges in the world of 1962 as well as in 1990 (the year the episode was produced) and today.  Since historical allegories are often used to critique the present, it's possible that this episode was meant to be a commentary on the "Merger Mania" that raged on Wall Street in the 1980s and early 90s.

Blake cowers before the Ghost of Christmas Future (aka Al).

In short, "A Little Miracle" is another example of the timeless relevance of Dickens' story.

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 candy canes!

Bewitched: "Humbug Not To Be Spoken Here"

Thanks to Joanna Wilson for today's guest review.  Joanna runs the HollyAndIvyTastic blog Christmas TV History and has authored several books about Christmas television programs and films.  These books make great gifts at Christmas or any time of year.     

The fourth season episode "Humbug Not to Be Spoken Here" on Bewitched is the second of a total of four Christmas episodes made during the series' run.  This particular episode has some common story elements with the other Bewitched Christmas episodes, and I fear that its legacy has been overlooked.  Maybe I can convince you to take another look at this under-appreciated magical Christmas installment--that includes a much imitated Dickensian spin.

"Christmas is just another day to me," says a Scrooge-like Mr. Mortimer.

In 1967's "Humbug Not to Be Spoken Here," Darrin Stephens finds himself being asked to work late into the night on Christmas Eve--although he's already promised to help his wife Samantha decorate the Christmas tree.

Working late on Christmas Eve, the insensitive Mr. Mortimer obligates his butler Hawkins to continue serving as well.

A new client, the very business-minded Mr. Mortimer is insisting that the details of his advertising campaign can't wait until after the holidays.  When Darrin refuses to work any later, Mortimer follows him to the Stephens' home insisting Darrin continue working or he'll cancel his $500,000 account.

"There's a time for soup and there's also a time for sugar plums!"  Darrin insists that Mortimer's instant soup business can wait.

Later that evening, Darrin tries on his Santa costume he'll use in the morning for his daughter Tabitha.  Meanwhile, Sam speculates on what's wrong with Mortimer.

Sam feels badly for Mortimer and his lack of holiday spirit.  She's sure there's something she can do to reach him and she hatches a plan to inspire Mortimer's belief in Santa Claus.  While Darrin is sleeping in bed, Sam decides to use her magic to take Mortimer on a nighttime journey.

"Think of me as the Spirit of Christmas," says Sam as she awakens Mortimer on Christmas Eve.

There's no Polar Express here--Mortimer is going to take a ride on a witch's broom to the North Pole!

Sam flies into Mortimer's window and awakens him from his bed.  She confesses she's a witch and explains to the angry and confused man that she's taking him on a journey to the North Pole to introduce him to the real Santa Claus.

With the elves feverishly working in the foreground,  Mr. Mortimer is unimpressed when he meets Santa Claus (background).

At the North Pole, Mortimer is confused and upset and demands to be taken home.  Santa Claus agrees to drop Mortimer off at home when he passes by on his annual trip around the world.  On this long journey with Santa, Mortimer recognizes the home of his butler Hawkins.

Sam and Mortimer see Hawkins dancing around his Christmas tree.

Looking through the front window of Hawkins' home, Sam and Mortimer notice how happy the put-upon butler behaves when he's with his own family.  Mortimer remarks that he's surprised about Hawkins' happiness given that his employee doesn't have much money.

Character actor Charles Lane plays Mr. Mortimer.  Lane made himself a career out of playing curmudgeons

On Christmas morning, Sam, Darrin, and Tabitha are celebrating Christmas together and opening their gifts when there's a knock on the front door.  It's Mr. Mortimer who explains that he experienced a horrible nightmare last night and has had a change of heart about cancelling his ad campaign.  Sam goes along with his nightmare theory--pretending she doesn't know about his experiences last night.

Darrin in his Santa suit, Sam and Mr. Mortimer--all happy on Christmas morning.

Mr. Mortimer would like to continue working with Darrin after the holidays are over.  He'll have to wait until his butler returns anyway--he sent Hawkins and his family away on an all-expenses paid vacation.  The implication is that Mortimer now appreciates that money can't buy happiness and he regrets punishing Darrin for putting his family first before business.  When Mortimer sees Tabitha under the Christmas tree playing with a one-of-a-kind doll he saw at the North Pole, he's no longer sure what he experienced last night was a nightmare after all.

What sort of Christmas magic occurred last night after all?

What stands out to me in this holiday episode--despite the distracting Santa Claus and North Pole elements--is that this story is structured like an adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  Mortimer is focused on the importance of money, he has a lack of holiday spirit, he demands Darrin work on Christmas, and on Christmas Eve while in bed Mortimer is visited by a guide calling herself "The Spirit of Christmas."   For many of us, Santa Claus represents our belief in Christmases past.  Mortimer also visits a Christmas in the present--when he witnesses Hawkins' joy with his family.  And, Mortimer feels transformed by his night time journey, deciding to give gifts to those he's wronged and righting the future for his ad campaign.  The episode's story is a little muddy, but I believe Dickens' original elements are all clearly here.

Is Sam behaving arrogantly by taking it upon herself to teach Mortimer a life lesson?  Probably.  But we love Samantha anyway.

What makes this episode different from typical adaptations of Dickens' A Christmas Carol is that Samantha stands in for the three spirits of Christmases past, present, and future.  Even more precisely, she takes it upon herself to teach Mr. Mortimer a lesson about the holiday spirit by gaslighting him into thinking he's experiencing a supernatural journey during the night of Christmas Eve.  Well, Mortimer is taking a supernatural journey--by way of her witchy magic.  However, instead of a ghostly Jacob Marley character who wants to warn Scrooge about his upcoming painful fate in the afterlife--Sam decides she knows better for Mr. Mortimer and takes it upon herself to teach him a lesson about life.  It's actually kind of arrogant of Sam--but we'll forgive our favorite TV witch, this once!  I think the TV writers found an interesting and clever way to incorporate the much-beloved storyline of A Christmas Carol into this series without turning Sam (or any of the other regular characters) into the vilified Scrooge character.

Bo, Daisy, and Luke Duke each take a turn speaking across the top of the jug to create a spooky voice transmitted on the CB radio, hoping to scare Boss Hogg into transforming his life on Christmas.

I point out this interesting A Christmas Carol story development because I've seen it many times.  As someone who writes about Christmas entertainment, I've seen quite a few television versions of A Christmas Carol where the series' hero takes it upon him/or herself to gaslight an adversary into learning a lesson, usually inspiring the Christmas spirit.  Do you remember any stories like this?  How about the Six Million Dollar Man's 1976 episode "A Bionic Christmas Carol?"  It's also an element within The Dukes of Hazzard's 1980 episode "The Great Santa Claus Chase."  And, it has been done on the 1984 Christmas episode of Highway to Heaven, the 1996 holiday episode of Xena: Warrior Princess, and the 2009 Christmas episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, among others.  There are more episodes to add to this list--can you name one?

Col. Steve Austin disguises himself as Santa Claus and shows his adversary visions of his Christmas past, present and future on The Six Million Dollar Man.

I chose to share this particular episode of Bewitched and discuss this unique television spin on Dickens' original tale because I believe this 1967 episode is the first of its kind.  Do you know of an earlier example than this 1967 episode of someone being gaslit into receiving the Dickens treatment?  Let's discuss it.

A Christmas Carol (1938)

Premiered 16 December 1938

In this slick MGM adaptation, directed by Edwin L. Marin and produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Scrooge is played by Reginald Owen.

Reginald Owen as Scrooge, early in the film.

Lionel Barrymore (who played Scrooge on the radio for several years) was originally cast to play the old miser, but a hip injury prevented this.

Title card for the 1938 adaptation.

Barrymore does introduce the trailer for the film, watch it here:

As for other principal characters:

Bob Cratchit is played by Gene Lockhart, who has a bit of a Christmas movie pedigree.  He also plays the judge in the 1947 classic, Miracle on 34th Street.

Scrooge confronts Bob Crachit.

Scrooge's nephew Fred is played by Barry MacKay, who was best known for similar light comedic roles in British films from the 1930s.

Scrooge with Fred (Barry MacKay).

Tiny Tim here is portrayed by (Terry Kilburn), who went on to appear in Goodbye, Mr. Chips in 1939.

Here's a fun bit of trivia about the Cratchit family as portrayed in this verison:  as previously mentioned, Bob is played by Gene Lockhart.  Mrs. Cratchit is played by Kathleen Lockhart, Gene's wife, and their daughter June Lockhart (best remembered for her tv roles on  Lassie and Lost in Space) plays daughter Belinda Cratchit.

Marley's Ghost (Leo G. Carroll) appears in Scrooge's room.

Other notables include Leo G. Carroll (one of the best character actors of the 20th century) as Marley's Ghost and Ann Rutherford (who played Scarlett's sister Carreen in Gone With The Wind) as the Ghost of Christmas Past.

The Ghost Of Christmas Past (Ann Rutherford) takes Scrooge back to his old school.

As you may recall from last year's Dickensfest, we break from our usual summary/review format (since most of you know the plot of A Christmas Carol) and discuss the major differences found in various adaptations.

What's different about this adaptation?  Quite a bit.

After the opening titles, we get this image:

Most film and tv versions open in Scrooge's counting house.  This version begins with Fred joyfully walking through the snowy streets of Victorian London.  He stops and chats with some young boys playing in the snow, one of whom turns out to be a son of Bob Cratchit. 

Fred then enters Scrooge's business.  He brings Cratchit a bottle of wine to keep him warm, since Scrooge won't allow more coal to be put on the fire.

Later, Cratchit leaves for home and gets ambushed by kids having a snowball fight.  He shows them how to make a "real" snowball.  Cratchit proceeds to inadvertently throw the snowball at Scrooge and scores a direct hit.  Scrooge fires Cratchit on the spot and is mean enough to say that Bob owes him a shilling for ruining his hat.

In spite of this turn of events, Bob goes shopping for Christmas dinner anyway.  He is determined that his family shall have a nice meal even if he has lost his job.  We don't normally see Cratchit  purchasing Christmas dinner at all, much less Cratchit actually losing his situation in most adaptations. 

When Marley's ghost appears, Scrooge sticks his head out of the window and calls town criers into his house to get rid of Marley's ghost.  The ghost disappears, one of the criers says that the "intruder seems to have ex-truded" and they ask Scrooge for some "Christmas spirit" (aka alcohol). 

Scrooge's Sister Fran comes to pick him up from school; Calls him Ebbie.  Scrooge's sister in the book is named "Fan" and (as far as I can tell), there's no other adaptation where she calls Scrooge Ebbie. 

We see "adolescent" Scrooge working for Fezziwig.  The Christmas party, is omitted from this adaptation, so is Scrooge's fiancee.  

The Ghost Of Christmas Present (Lionel Braham) with Scrooge.

Next, the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to a church.  They observe Fred and his fiancee Bess singing "O Come All Ye Faithful".  Scrooge says they should be married. 

Bob and Tiny Tim are in church too.  They bump into Fred and Bess outside, Tim says she's very pretty.  Fred and Bess decide to slide on the ice.  A Minister scolds them for sliding, then goes for a slide himself.  They slide, then kiss in public.

Tiny Tim & Bob sing at church.

The Ghost of Christmas Present and Scrooge make their usual visit to the Cratchit home.  Bob tells his daughter Martha that Scrooge fired him.  When it comes time for the Christmas toast, it's Mrs. Cratchit who toasts Scrooge.  This is a major departure from the book and most films, where Mrs. Cratchit detests the man and get's angry when Bob toasts his boss. 

Bob & Tiny Tim arrive home from church.

Scrooge's visit to Fred's house is similar to other adaptations.  But when it's time to go, Scrooge  says he wants to stay and that he "loves Christmas".  This version does NOT show us "Ignorance and Want".  

Scrooge next appears on a hill, with Ghost of Christmases Yet To Come.  This segment is consistent with most re-tellings.

When Scrooge wakes up, we get some more differences:

Scrooge personally delivers the prize turkey to Cratchit's house.  He's brought toys for the kids; Fred  and Bess are with him too.  Scrooge mentions that Fred is now his partner. 

Scrooge raises Bob's salary, offers Peter a job when he's old enough.

Scrooge toasts Christmas, Tim says The Line.

J.A. Morris says:

I have mixed feelings about this adaptation.  This was the first live-action version of A Christmas Carol that I ever watched, so I will always have a sentimental attachment to it.  For whatever reason, the local UHF stations in my area aired this much more than the 1951 adaptation that features Alistair Sim.  So Reginald Owen is "my" Scrooge.

Scrooge encounters the Ghost Of Christmases Yet To Come.

I'd say Owen is a good Scrooge, rather than a great one.  He does a decent job with the adapted script he has to work with.  And I feel that his transformation happens a little too fast.  By the end of his visit to "Christmas Present", he announces that he "loves Christmas"?  Already?  Then why bother with the last spirit?

But one problem with this film is that Scrooge seems no more important than his nephew Fred, whose role is expanded here.  The film opens with Fred, we see Fred and his fiancee at church, they play in the snow outside the church.  There were times when I thought the movie should have been called "Fred, Nephew Of Scrooge".  It seems like MGM wanted to emphasize this "young love" subplot.  I can understand, this film came out in 1938 (when the Great Depression was still going on) and they didn't want this to be too...depressing.  But it doesn't play so well today.    

Another problem is the Cratchits.  Gene Lockhart was a good character actor, and he's fine here.  But the Cratchit's home is too nice.  They have knickknacks on the shelves and pictures on their walls as well as quite a few rooms for a poor Victorian family.  

The Ghosts are all pretty good, especially Carroll as Marley.

I'll always enjoy the 1938 adaptation of A Christmas Carol  since it's the version I grew up with.  But compared to other versions, I'd say it's not so great today.

J.A. Morris' rating:

 2 and a half candy canes.


RigbyMel says:

This version of A Christmas Carol is relatively new to me.   The MGM budget makes for good production values, but there are a few too many liberties taken with the story for my taste.

As J.A. Morris says, Scrooge's conversion happens too quickly and the film's focus on nephew Fred is a bit strange.   After all,  A Christmas Carol is about Scrooge and his journey from parsimonious sinner to generous man suffused with the Christmas spirit.  Fred is there as a foil to Scrooge.   Fred's scenes sliding on the ice and smooching (in public?! -- not very good Victorian etiquette!) with Bess are cute enough but are very peripheral to the tale at hand.

This is an interesting, but not great adaptation.

RigbyMel's rating:

2 candy canes