The Right to Be Happy is a 1916 American silent

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...

directed by

Rupert Julian Rupert Julian (born Thomas Percival Hayes; 25 January 1879 – 27 December 1943) was a New Zealand cinema actor, director, writer and producer. During his career, Julian directed 60 films and acted in over 90 films. He is best remembered for di ...

. The film is based on the 1843 novella ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...

'' by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

. The movie stars

as Ebenezer Scrooge and

Claire McDowell Claire McDowell ( MacDowell; November 2, 1877 – October 23, 1966) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 350 films between 1908 and 1945. Early years Claire MacDowell was born in New York City on November 2, 1877, th ...

as Mrs. Cratchit. The Bluebird photoplay was produced by

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

and released on December 25, 1916. __TOC__

Plot

The film is a retelling of Charles Dickens' ''A Christmas Carol'', recounting the story of

Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge () is the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. At the beginning of the novella, Scrooge is a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas. The tale of his redemption by three spirits (the Ghost of ...

, played by

. Scrooge is an elderly

miser A miser is a person who is reluctant to spend, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities, in order to hoard money or other possessions. Although the word is sometimes used loosely to characterise anyone who ...

and

curmudgeon Curmudgeon may refer to: * '' Dyskolos'', sometimes translated ''The Curmudgeon'', an ancient Greek comic play by Menander * ''Curmudgeons'' (film), a 2016 short film See also * '' I, Curmudgeon'', a 2004 documentary film by Alan Zweig * The Co ...

. Alone in his room on Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley portrayed by Harry Carter. Marley’s ghost tells Scrooge three spirits will visit him over the next three nights. Scrooge's first visit is by the

Ghost of Christmas Past The Ghost of Christmas Past is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption. Following a visit from ...

played by

Wadsworth Harris Wadsworth Harris (October 9, 1864 – November 1, 1942) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1911 and 1936. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in Los Angeles, California from pneumo ...

. The Ghost shows Scrooge's development from a young boy to a young man. He sees how he started to become a miser. Then, the

Ghost of Christmas Present The Ghost of Christmas Present is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption. Following a visit ...

played by Richard L'Estrange appears, who shows Scrooge how the Cratchit family has fared. He finds out, unless the future changes, the Cratchit's disabled son, Tiny Tim featuring (

Frankie Lee Frankie Lee (December 31, 1911 – July 29, 1970), was an American child actor. He appeared in 56 films between 1916 and 1925. Best remembered in the 1919 film '' The Miracle Man'', he was the little boy on crutches healed by the phony fait ...

), will die. The last spirit Scrooge meets is The Ghost of the Future played by (Tom Figee). This figure shows Scrooge scenes of people discussing someone's death. Nobody in the room seems concerned about the dead person. Scrooge doesn't know who the dead man is. Then, he finds out Tiny Tim has also passed. Next, Scrooge discovers he is the man whose death is celebrated. He vows to change his ways and become a new person. Finally, Scrooge wakes up at home and finds out all the spiritual visits had happened during Christmas Eve. He also finds out today is Christmas Day. Each visit positively changed Scrooge; he transforms into a kinder, gentler man full of Christmas spirit.

Cast

Preservation status

According to the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

website, this film has a current status of “No holdings located in archives,” thus it is presumed all copies of this film are

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

Gallery

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Right To Be Happy 1916 films 1916 drama films 1916 lost films American black-and-white films American Christmas horror films American silent feature films Films based on A Christmas Carol Films directed by Rupert Julian Lost American films Universal Pictures films 1910s American films Silent horror films