Today Scott Burns shares with us an original drawing by Ronald Searle. He reports picking it up at "a flea market about 40 years ago for $75." Sweet deal. The artwork measures 13” x 18” and is executed in pen and ink. It depicts a dancing Ebenezer Scrooge and it most likely is an early concept drawing stemming from Searle's work on the titles for the 1970 musical feature "Scrooge." It does not appear to have been drawn on the set or, for that matter, published.
Photo by Scott Burns
Searle's 1970 sketchbook image from the set depicts Albert Finney in the title role dancing. This is a very different Scrooge and it reflects how the character appeared on screen in the production.
Note: My thanks to Scott Burns! This is his fourteenth contribution to Attempted Bloggery. Without people like Scott, this blog would be nothing but humbug.
Seeing clearly that it would be useless to pursue their point, the gentlemen withdrew. Scrooge resumed his labours with an improved opinion of himself, and in a more facetious temper than was usual with him.
—Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Two gentlemen attempt to solicit a donation for the poor from the miser Ebenezer Scrooge. An edition of the classic Dickens Christmas tale with illustrations by Ronald Searle was published in 1961 by Perpetua, the artist's own imprint. The original artwork illustrating the gentlemen leaving the premises of Scrooge and Marley's empty-handed was sold at Christie's South Kensington in 2008.
Ronald Searle,"...The gentlemen withdrew..." A Christmas Carol, Perpetual Books, 1961, page 17
Christie's South Kensington Sale 5360, Lot 23, July 29, 2008
Note:Perpetua (get it?), the Ronald Searle tribute blog, has a host of Dickensian images by Searle under the title More Dickens. You might want to have a look.
Ronald Searle's painting for the title sequence of "Scrooge" (1970) shows Ebenezer Scrooge on a wintry London street. The left half of the image is fairly nondescript and is meant to accommodate an overlaid screen title. The painting was created over a lithographic print of a sketch made on the set. It was not used in the movie's title sequence, but the right hand portion did serve instead as a magazine cover for the Illustrated London News. This original artwork was one of a pair of title paintings sold at Bonhams in December.
Ronald Searle, Unused title painting for "Scrooge" (1970) Original artwork, The Illustrated London News, November 28, 1970
The Illustrated London News, November 28, 1970 with the original artwork by Ronald Searle
Ronald Searle, Unused title painting for "Scrooge" (1970) Original artwork, The Illustrated London News, November 28, 1970
The German Deckweiss is literally an opaque white. I would translate it as bodycolor.
In designing the titles for "Scrooge" (1970), selected sketchbook drawings made on the set by Ronald Searle were copied by a lithographic process. From these printed sheets, he could work out the details of coloring and title overlays. A group of preparatory title graphics were sold at Bonhams Knightsbridge for £1,187 in December.
Ronald Searle, Preparatory title cards for "Scrooge" (1970)
Bonhams London, Knightsbridge December 10, 2014, Lot 100
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