"The Island of Lost Christmas Specials" where missing treasures like "A Christmas Carol" (1948) may be found one day.
Dickens "A Christmas Carol"
Broadcast: December 24, 1948, 8:00pm EST ABC-TV affiliates
Puppeteers: Rufus and Margo Rose. Producer: Leonard Steinman.
The Hook: An early version of Dicken's most famous story with no "human" performers. Pre-dates "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol by 14 years as the first "animated" version....in one sense of the word".
It is well documented that the famous puppeteers Rufus and Margo Rose did a one-hour all puppet telecast of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" in 1948. Rufus Rose was at the time the puppeteer behind TV's first kids sensation "Howdy Doody". A review from Variety described this special as a "treat for both adult and child alike". The broadcast was a highlight of the Roses' career. If only it could be seen today. Hopefully, a kinescope will turn up in an archive or a private collector's hands.
