Scrooged
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Scrooged is a hit 1988 comedy film based on Charles Dickens' classic story, A Christmas Carol, and follows the Dickens story closely, but sets it in modern times. It features an all-star cast: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Bob "Bobcat" Goldthwait, John Forsythe, Carol Kane, David Johansen, John Houseman, and Robert Mitchum. It also features a number of cameo appearances by Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, musicians Larry Carlton, Miles Davis, David Sanborn, and Paul Shaffer, actor/singer Robert Goulet, and actors Jamie Farr, Buddy Hackett, Lee Majors, and Pat McCormick.
Bill Murray's real-life brothers, Brian, John, and Joel appear in the film.
Tagline: Bill Murray is back among the ghosts. Only this time, it's three against one.
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Plot summary
Francis Xavier Cross is a selfish, cynical television programming executive whose concentration on his lucrative, fast climbing career cost him the love of his life, Claire Phillips (Karen Allen), alienated him from his family and obliterated any chance of having a life. Essentially, all Frank is is just an expensive black suit that barks orders and puts nasty demands on his put-upon assistant (Alfre Woodard), causing her to constantly break plans with her family. He is given the task of heading up a live broadcast of A Christmas Carol, but, inexplicably, his life begins to mirror the story as three ghosts, including that of his mentor, Lew Hayward, visit him and show him the error of his ways. The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future visit Frank in hopes that he will change his wicked ways. The reformed Frank tries to make amends with Claire, who now runs a shelter for the homeless, and he finds in the end that there are more important things than winning the ratings war.
Notes
- The film performed well at the box office and is considered a classic, but writer Michael O'Donoghue loathed the theatrical release of Scrooged, insisting until his death that he and co-writer Mitch Glazer had written a much more brilliant film, far in sensibility from the popular mainstream film that was produced.
- The film's closing theme song, Put A Little Love In Your Heart, written in 1968 by Jackie DeShannon, was performed by Al Green with Annie Lennox.
- Naturally, most of the characters are based on characters in A Christmas Carol: Frank Cross is Ebenezer Scrooge; Grace is Bob Cratchit; Grace's son is Tiny Tim; Lew Hayward is Jacob Marley; and Claire is Scrooge's former fiancée, Belle.
Cast
- Bill Murray as Francis Xavier Cross
- Karen Allen as Claire Philips
- John Forsythe as Lew Hayward
- John Glover as Bryce Cummings
- Bobcat Goldthwait as Eliot Loudermilk
- David Johansen as Ghost of Christmas Past
- Carol Kane as Ghost of Christmas Present
- Robert Mitchum as Preston Rhinelander
- Michael J. Pollard as Herman
- Anne Ramsey as Eva
- Alfre Woodard as Grace Cooley
- Jamie Farr as Himself
- Robert Goulet as Himself
- Brian Doyle-Murray as Earl Cross
- John Murray as James Cross
- Joel Murray as Party Guest
Trivia
- This film features the final mass media appearance of the Solid Gold Dancers, as their show had already been cancelled for a few months when the film premiered.