• Lionel Barrymore was originally set to play Scrooge, but had to back out due to illness. Barrymore instead suggested his friend Reginald Owen take over the role.
• John Seitz temporarily replaced cameraman Sidney Wagner during production when Wagner was ill with a bad case of flu, and Marvin Stuart replaced assistant director Dolph Zimmerwhen Zimmer had a cold.
• Lionel Barrymore was originally cast as Scrooge, a role which he had performed on radio each Christmas morning for several years, but ill-health prevented him from being in the production. It was he who suggested Reginald Owen for the part. Barrymore did not perform the radio version of A Christmas Carol in 1938 so that it would not interfere with the success of the picture, and he appeared in a special trailer for it called "A Fireside Chat with Lionel Barrymore", which was produced by Frank Whitbeck and directed by 'Edward L. Marin' .
• M-G-M released 375 prints of the film, a record number, so that as many people as possible could see it during the Christmas season.
• This was the only film in which Gene Lockhart appeared with his wife Kathleen and their daughter June.

Contributions

• Noircitydame (2008-09-26)

  Source: not available

  In many areas, this film played as a double feature with MGMs "Out West with the Hardys" - a Christmas greeting from the Hardy's followed that picture.