Top 10 "A Christmas Carol" Films

We've probably all either read the Charles Dickens story or saw one adaptation / version of "A Christmas Carol".

We all know the story of a stingy, cynical and nasty old man, Ebenezer Scrooge, who is a banker who collects money from borrowers (a loan shark). Everyone fears and despises him. One night, his seven years deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, visits Ebenezer to warn him that he has to change his ways or end up like him. He also says that that night he will be visited by three ghosts (past, present, future) who will show him the error of his ways. It's Scrooge's last chance for redemption.

It has been done dozens upon dozens of times in some form with titles ranging from "A Christmas Carol", "Scrooge", and "Ebenezer" to more unique names such as "Scrooged" or "Mr. Scrooge". There are also versions with drastically different stories and titles like "Ms. Scrooge" or "An American Christmas Carol". I do enjoy most versions but since this is a top 10 I need to narrow it down to ten. Most of you have probably seen one of my top 10 because a few have played every year for decades.

There have been female versions such as Ms. Scrooge (1997) (TV) with Cicely Tyson as Ms. Ebenita Scrooge and I believe there are a few others with titles I don't remember. Not to sound sexist but I don't care for these females versions at all. I'm not sure if any woman can fit the role of Ebenezer. Possibly with a newly written part just for women. I think Cicely's a great actress but she wasn't very believable here. Maybe we need a Leona Helmsley, Martha Stewart, Hillary Clinton or Condoleeza Rice for the part for it to work.

Other female versions include Ebbie (1995) (TV) with Susan Lucci playing Elizabeth 'Ebbie' Scrooge. Lucci as Scrooge? I just didn't buy it. Then there's A Carol Christmas (2003) (TV), a Hallmark original movie with a very mismatched cast of Tori Spelling as Carol and get this, Coleman and Shatner play two of the Ghosts! Ugh! Plain awful. I guess Cicely beats these two versions.