 A short made by MGM to promote its release of _Christmas Carol, A (1938)_ (qv) . Actor  Lionel Barrymore  (qv) traditionally read the  Charles Dickens  (qv) novel in a radio broadcast every Christmas; he didn t do it in 1938 so as not to conflict with the release of MGM s film. Instead, he made this short to discuss the novel--and the upcoming film--with the audience that would normally listen to his broadcast.