Daniel Grudge, a wealthy industrialist and fierce isolationist long embittered by the loss of his son in World War II, is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who lead him to reconsider his attitude toward his fellow man.

Presented without commercial interruptions, this "United Nations Special" was sponsored by the Xerox Corporation, the first of a series of Xerox specials promoting the UN. Director Joseph Mankiewicz's first work for television, the 90-minute ABC drama was publicized as having an all-star cast (which meant that names of some supporting cast members were not officially released). In Rod Serling's update of Charles Dickens, industrial tycoon Daniel Grudge has never recovered from the loss of his 22-year-old son Marley, killed in action during Christmas Eve of 1944. The embittered Grudge has only scorn for any American involvement in international affairs. But then the Ghost of Christmas Past takes him back through time to a World War I troopship. Grudge also is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Future gives him a tour across a desolate landscape where he sees the ruins of a once-great civilization.—Bhob Stewart <[email protected]>

It's Christmas Eve. Wealthy and powerful Daniel Grudge has been a bitter man wallowing in self-pity since his son, Marley Grudge, was killed in active duty, the senior Grudge who himself was an officer in WWII twenty years ago. Alone for the evening with the exception of his loyal servants, Charles the butler and his wife Ruby the cook, Daniel receives an unexpected visit from his nephew Fred, a college professor. As usual, the two men are at odds, this time regarding the reason of Fred's visit, where Daniel inserting his political belief into a non-political situation was able to cancel what was purely a cultural and academic exchange a year in the making between two eighteenth century European literature professors, one a colleague of Fred's and the other who teaches in Krakow. After Fred's departure leaving Daniel about to sit down to his lavish Christmas Eve meal on his own, Daniel is visited in succession by three spirits as he dozes off. The first is the Ghost of Christmas Past representing all the dead service people such as Marley, but who not necessarily fought on "Daniel's side". The Ghost wants to show how they were all negatively affected by beliefs such as Daniel's where in addition to these military casualties suffered by people who often did not even know for what they were fighting, civilian casualties were acceptable as a byproduct of "winning" a war. The second is the Ghost of Christ Present who represents humanity in general. He shows Daniel what is happening far away from his proverbial four walls of the displaced and disadvantaged who are in situations not of their own doing but by policies and decisions made by those in power. And third is the Ghost of Christmas Future, who shows Daniel what may become of society, even Daniel's own strongly held beliefs, if there is no dialogue in the world, such non-dialogue that resulted in the decision to cancel the cultural exchange.—Huggo

A man sits back on Christmas and mourns his son, who died 20 years before in World War II. He sits and listens to "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree", and becomes more and more sullen. He is visited by three ghosts, who center the experience they supply on not just Christmas, but war.—John Vogel <[email protected]>