(Warning. Some topics within the subject of this article-while not graphically depicted-may be sensitive for certain individuals. Viewer and parental discretion are advised)
"Acid Rain. Drug Addictions. International T3rr0rism. Freeway K!llers. Now more than ever..,it is important to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Don't miss Charles Dicken's immortal classic "Scrooge". Your life might just depend on it,"-Frank Cross' edgy promo for his Christmas special, which provides controversy in-universe, Scrooged
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Welcome back, Young and Young-at-Heart explorers, to Stranger Sinema! The show on Something Niche where we take a deep dive into the strange world of cult cinema, discovering the most madcap, bizarre, or just strangely obscure parts of the film world!
Well, everybody, we made it! Christmas is only a few days away at the time of me writing this! Not only is it time for us to exchange gifts that show our appreciation to our loved ones, but it's also time for us to reflect on the year that has just passed right before our very eyes. It's time to reflect on the accomplishments we may have achieved, mistakes we may have made, and slowly start to get ready for the new year ahead of us. But on more casual terms, it's also time for us to cozy up in our living rooms with some loved ones and some hot cocoa as we watch some of our favorite festive flicks and/or tv specials on the old boob tube.
Indeed, every year, we have at least one Yuletide story that we come back to in order to put us in a Christmasy mood. And for centuries, no tale as stood the test of time as much as Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The story of old Ebeneezer Scrooge and his encounter with multiple spirits as he confronts his past sins, which was arguably the OG redemption story. And it only makes sense that the story has been adapted and re-adapted multiple times in many different mediums, especially the world of cinema. Even if you've never read the source material once in your life, you are definitely familiar with the tale through its countless film adaptations, with almost every decade since the birth of cinema having at least one variation of Charles Dickens' Yuletide magnum opus.
And the CRT-laden days of the 1980s were no different, though one adaptation of the tale decided to update the setting to contemporary times, and in the process, decided to apply the story of the tale to the cutthroat entertainment industry: specifically television. That adaptation is Scrooged, a supernatural comedy starring Bill Murray, de-facto leader of the Ghostbusters, as he finds himself among a selection of admittedly less grimy, but just as mischievous apparitions.
Murray steps into the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge stand-in Frank Cross, a young, arrogant television executive who ends up right in the middle of the same story he adapts into a live tv broadcast for the holidays. If you've seen even one adaptation of A Christmas Carol, you pretty much know exactly what happens to Frank throughout the course of the film, just set in the 80s. And while this movie admittedly doesn't do too much to deviate from Mr. Dickens' most famous work, it still contains its own sense of edgy humor that allows it to stand out from the crowd. And it's all carried by a surprisingly jolly cast of characters, and a few sophisticated-for-its-time set pieces and effects, plus a lot of humorous cultural references that'll keep even those all too familiar with the story glued to their screens.
So, prepare to be visited by a few kindred spirits tonight, as we dive into the 80s Christmas cult classic that is Scrooged!
Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
Scrooged moves the original tale's Victorian-era England setting across the pond to New York City, and focuses on Bill Murray's Frank Cross. True to his much older and grayer inspiration, Cross is a stingy and arrogant businessman. In this case, the president of a successful tv network known as IBC (likely a dead ringer for ABC). Frank's studio is putting on a live television special adaptation of the tale that inspired the movie, and in doing so, continues to call many different controversial shots within his position of power (such as calling to have antlers stapled to the head of a live mouse).
In his latest power fantasy move, Frank decides to craft a controversial promo for his network's television event (quoted above), filled with violent imagery, one that is immediately questioned by his meek employee Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait), who even dubs it the "Manson Family Christmas". Frank fires Eliot in retaliation, despite it being Christmastime, and continues his power trip as production and rehearsals continue, even continuing to air his controversial promo after reports of an elderly lady dying of fright after watching it come in.
Frank continues to make life a living hell for many of his employees, including the widowed mother Grace Cooley (Alfre Woodard), who is raising several children after her husband's murder, including this story's answer to Tiny Tim, Calvin (Nicholas Phillips). Eventually, the story his network is adapting suddenly starts to bleed into Frank's world as he ends up playing the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge. He is visited by the ghost of his late mentor Lew Hayward (John Forsythe), taking up the role of Marley's Ghost as he warns Frank to change his arrogant ways.
From there, anybody even slightly familiar with the tale of A Christmas Carol can probably tell what happens to Frank for the rest of the movie. He is first taken through his past life by a ghostly taxi driver (the late David "Buster Pointdexter" Johanson), where we see how his obsession with tv started and the rise and fall of his relationship with a woman named Claire Phillips (Karen Allen), followed by being shown the present effects of his current ways by a violent fairy godmother (Carol Kane). And then, he gets shown the effects his current ways will have on his few loved ones in the future should he not change his ways by the malevolent final spirit.
Yeah, admittedly, this film doesn't do too much to deviate from a story that's been told over a thousand times. However, in addition to the usual story beats, we also see Frank deal with even more consequences to his actions, such as a vengeful Eliot and the threat of being replaced by Brice Cummings (John Glover), who's even worse than he is. And the film is peppered by many humorously dark moments that truly could have only come from a Bill Murray-led movie.
Plus, to top it all off, we have a glorious ensemble cast of supporting characters that includes old-time Hollywood star Robert Mitchum as Frank's boss, company CEO Preston Rhinelander, as well as a brief appearance in a flashback by Bill’s distinctly-voiced brother Brian Doyle-Murrray as Frank's unloving, workaholic father. The film even includes humorous cameos by Mary Lou Retton, Robert Goulet, and Lee Majors playing his Six Million Dollar Man character via in-universe promos and the staged Scrooge production, amongst many, many more!
Re-Writing an Old Tale
Scrooged was the genesis Michael O'Donohue and Mitch Glazer, the latter of whom was a close friend of star Bill Murray and an alum of Saturday Night Live, a show on which O'Donohue was the head writer. Glazer had a history in entertainment journalism prior to his involvement on Scrooged, having written for Rolling Stone and other notable publications. Notably, he wrote and published a cover story on the late great John Belushi in 1977, the first written about the comedy legend.
Glazer had also been planning to break out into motion pictures for years, at one point working on an unproduced screenplay that was to star Belushi and his good friend Dan Aykroyd, said to focus on drug smuggling. The project never went through, likely due to Belushi's tragic demise in 1982, but he would be brought on to co-write Scrooged a few years later.
"We both knew Bill Murray's voice: Michael through SNL, and I through Belushi." Glazer explains when asked about the choice for Bill Murray to star. "Both of us found it easier to imagine him in the role."
The duo spent six months in New York City writing the film's screenplay, often walking six blocks in order to visit with each other. "We read Charles Dickens' book a thousand times and annotated it." Glazer describes, reflecting on their time working on the script. "We also watched the original David Lean film and just started talking back to the screen."
The modernized television studio setting was chosen on account of their familiarity with Saturday Night Live and the famous Studio 8H. Over "a million drafts and iterations" were produced of the film, many of which included strange elements that were very different from the film we have today. For instance, one of the film's most iconic characters was almost very different.
"One time, we had a Ghost of Christmas Present who was a huge biker guy with a big white beard." Glazer describes an early version of a character that has become a personal favorite of my family. "We had realized that Santa Claus always wears biker boots, which is a huge epiphany."
The duo finally managed to finish up the screenplay in the summer of 1987, wanting to choose an ending that-while still uplifting-wasn't too sappy. They were inspired to write in a conclusion where Frank gives a speech on live tv that explains that Christmas is great because everyone is a little nicer and happier. Their own experiences in New York City provided inspiration for this heartfelt monologue, noting that the normally-gloomy city shone a little brighter with lights and smiles during the holiday.
I Hope Mama Gets Her Shopping Done
After Glazer and O'Donohue completed the work on what they surely felt was meant to be a new Christmas classic, filming for Scrooged occurred on location in the same place it was written; The Big Apple. Appropriately, this Christmas movie was actually filmed during the Holiday Season of 1987, which was still more than a year before its release the following Christmas. And a lot of the Christmas decorations seen across the New York skyline were actually owned by those who lived or set up shop there, rather than being provided by the studio!
Many notable NYC landmarks were used for the sets of the film. For instance, the headquarters for IBC was filmed in the Seagram Building on Park Avenue. This skyscraper originally served as the headquarters for the Canadian beverage company Joseph E Seagram's and Sons, hence its name, and is a designated landmark that can still be visited today! The building was also used in multiple other films and tv shows, ranging from the classic Rom-Com Breakfast at Tiffany's to the Stephen King-based psychological horror Misery!
Furthermore, the scenes with the Ghost of Christmas Past that took place at Frank's childhood home was filmed in the real-life neighborhood of Queens, with the house itself being located on 5828 41st Drive. That particular house had been in the neighborhood as early as the 1940s and has been renovated multiple times throughout the years. Other shooting locations for the movie included West 64th Street, 45th Avenue in Queens, and brief appearances by the Lincoln Center and Central Park West, among many others. A few scenes, such as one at a homeless shelter, were shot on the other end of the country at the production company Paramount Pictures' soundstages in Hollywood.
Sadly, the filming of this production proved to be anything but a Christmas Miracle. A lot of the cast faced laborious tasks while filming their scenes, including the film's Ghost of Christmas Present, Carol Kane. Kane had to undergo ballet training in order to portray her character correctly, insisting on doing so despite a professional having been hired as a stunt double. When reflecting on the film in a 2018 interview, Carol Kane recalled a run-in with the film's production designer, the late J. Michael Riva, during her training.
"But this dance number: my whole heart was in it, and I was trying the best I could. But when I started doing it, Michael started laughing hysterically. Believe me when I tell you, on my heart, I just wanted the dance to be beautiful. But Michael just couldn't stop laughing because...while I was trying so hard, I was also bad at it."
Despite this, however, Riva convinced the production to keep the dance the way it was, feeling that it added more character to Kane's role. However, a few other accidents occurred during the filming of Ms. Kane's scenes. Bill Murray ended up experiencing the worst of them during a scene where the Ghost of Christmas Present tugs on Frank's lip. Carol Kane tugged a little too rough and actually tore poor Bill's lip, which led to production being temporarily halted as his injury healed.
Speaking of Bill Murray, it would seem that he also ended up being the source of some mild tension on set. Specifically for director Richard Donner, who grew frustrated with Murray's tendency to go off script and ad lib a lot of his dialogue. In fact, during the filming of Frank's change of heart speech at the film's conclusion, Bill went off script so much that Donner started to fear that his star was going through a nervous breakdown. "It's like standing on 42nd Street and Broadway...and the lights are out...and you're the traffic cop!" Donner said about his experience working with Murray on the film. "He's superbly creative, but occasionally difficult-as difficult as any actor."
Murray has notably argued against these claims in the years since, claiming that Donner was the one who caused difficulties. "He kept telling me to do things louder, louder, louder. I think he was deaf." he claims. "It was like doing a live movie." However, despite this, and initial disappointment with the movie's script, Murray has gone on record saying that he doesn't regret his time on the movie. "It wasn't that bad. It had some good stuff in it." he said during a 1990 interview with film critic Roger Ebert. "Watch it on video, and you'll see."
A Box Office Carol
After a shoot that, ironically, seemed to make a Scrooge out of a few of the film's cast and crew, Scrooged spent much of 1988 in post-production before finally being released by Paramount Pictures just in time for that year's holiday season on November 23rd. The film's marketing campaign notably cashed in on Bill Murray's post-Ghostbusters fame with the clever tagline "Bill Murray is back among the ghosts. Only this time, it's three against one." The film was also a part of a trend of the 80s that involved many supernatural comedies involving ghosts being big hits at the box office, including the aforementioned Ghostbusters, as well as Beetlejuice, which was released to great fanfare earlier that same year.
In spite of the film's semi-troubled production, the film managed to attain success right out of the starting gate. By the end of the film's run, it had made over $100 Million at the box office, recouping it's $32 Million in costs and then some! It was an investment that left Paramount Pictures a year older and a penny richer that Holiday Season.
Reviews for the film were generally favorable, with the performances being highlighted in particular, but a few critics were Scrooge-like to the film on account of its darker nature compared to a lot of other holiday films (including one scene where a homeless man is shown frozen to death, and another where Eliot chases after Frank with a shotgun in a drunken rage). Influential critic Roger Ebert was particularly miserly towards the film in his one-star review, where he had this to say:
"Scrooged is one of the most disquieting, unsettling films to come along in quite some time. It was obviously intended as a comedy, but there is little comic about it, and indeed, the movie's overriding emotions seem to be pain and anger. This entire production seems to be in dire need of visits from the ghosts of Christmas." Bill Murray notably confronted Ebert for this review in his aforementioned 1990 interview from him, hence the quotes from said interview we just covered above.
Despite this, Scrooged remained a crowd favorite and even received an Academy Award nomination for Best Makeup, though it would ultimately lose to the aforementioned Beetlejuice. It also received a few nominations at the Saturn Awards and has remained a cult Christmas classic to this day. And maybe it's time why find out why.
God Bless Us, Everyone!
Nowadays, over thirty years after its maiden voyage, Scrooged seems to have become as timeless as the story it brings into the 80s. Ok, maybe not quite as timeless, but it's still amassed its own faction of yuletide believers that still flock to it every year when the days start to grow colder. But how exactly has this become the case? Well, it shouldn't be hard to see why, once you've looked at things a bit closer!
Much like the classic story it adapts, Scrooged deals with a lot of themes that are rather timeless in spite of it's now-dated setting. A lot of families struggle during the holidays, with many of us wanting to use this time as a way to relax and reflect on the positives this time of year. However, life is still hard during the holidays, and we all wish to see more good in the world come during this time of year; if anything, to throw us a bone. Both Scrooged and its source material make these wishes a reality, if only for a minute, via it's protagonists' worldview-changing journey, enabling them to become better people to both others and to themselves.
But Scrooged stands out from other adaptations of the tale by dealing with issues that are much more relatable to modern audiences; ones that we've been trying to fix for decades now. We see the effects of corporate greed, relationship struggles, homelessness and family struggles being weaved into the story of Charles' Dickens' classic tale, with a lot of the issues tackled in this film being just as relevant-if not even more so in some cases-during the 21st century. Some scenes like Eliot's post-firing rampage aren't as unrealistic as they seem nowadays, especially in a world where everybody seems to be doing worse.
In spite of all this, we ultimately see our cast overcome their flaws and resolve their issues as they become better people, just like how the best of us ultimately want to see things get better in this crazy world. In essence, Scrooged is a movie that gives us hope that even the hardest of hearts can be changed, and that it's not too late for us to change ourselves for the better, to make amends, and to ultimately make the world at least a little less scary.
But it's not just the sappy stuff that has made Scrooged a standout amongst retelling of Old Ebeneezer's redemption arc! As a product of the 80s, it's also a film that isn't afraid to get a little edgy with its humor. And it actually comes off as even funnier because of it! It manages to make jokes about subjects like violence and even substances come off as genuinely hilarious and not offensive or try-hardy, which strikes a fine balance that a lot of edgier movies today fail to replicate. The antics of The Ghost of Christmas Present in particular have made her a favorite amongst me and my family!
And if nothing else, it's also a fine time capsule of the 1980s, an era where everyone seemed to love having a bit more fun than today. It manages to squeeze in cameos from many well-respected figures of the era that don't come off as the filmmakers trying to flex their egos, another thing a lot of movies today seem to have trouble with. This is particularly noticeable with the fake teasers present at the very beginning of the movie, with one promo starring Lee Majors as he and the denizens of Santa's Workshop gear up to fight back against invading terrorists being a particular standout. This scene in the movie encompasses everything charmingly-cheesy about the 80s, and seems have paved the way for many other similar parodies, in particular future potential topic of Stranger Sinema Violent Night! I could watch that scene on its own multiple times over and feel just as satisfied as watching the whole movie!
Freakish Fun Facts
And now, as we prepare all of the usual holiday traditions, it's time for Stranger Sinema to enact one of its own traditions; Freakish Fun Facts! This is the segment on our show were we set aside a few minutes just before we wrap up in order to unwrap a few extra Easter Eggs and presents from behind the scenes of the day's topic!
Here are a few of the gifts left under the tree by Scrooged that you may have missed!
- In 2006, Paramount Pictures announced a special edition DVD release for the movie, entitled the "Yule Love It!" Edition after a promo slogan used by IBC in the film. It was set to release on Halloween that year, and was set to include new special features and behind the scenes extras, but the DVD release never materialized for unknown reasons.
- During a scene where Frank throws water on a waiter after hallucinating the man being on fire, he humorously remarks with "I'm sorry. You know, I thought you were Richard Pryor." This was a reference to an incident where the late comedian accidentally set himself on fire in Los Angelos while trying to sample cocaine.
- The film's version of Tiny Tim, Calvin Cooley, took his name from former U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, who was known to rarely speak, just as young Calvin does in the movie.
- In one scene, Frank describes that cats and dogs are starting to watch tv like their owners and suggests making programs targeted towards them. This seemingly ridiculous scene became a reality during the 2010s, when Roku started making channels and programs based on scientific research as to what interests pets!
- Frank Cross's phone number for his office in the film is (212) 674-9565. This was a real phone number that was also used in several other movies and has since been disconnected.
- Lee Majors' aforementioned cameo in the film was initially planned for Chuck Norris, of whom Richard Donner was a fan of. However, Norris had to decline because of scheduling conflicts.
- In addition to the televised adaptation shown in the film, there are multiple references to the original A Christmas Carol in the film. For example, the Ghost of Christmas Past's taxi is labeled as being from the Belle Cab Company, who was Ebeneezer's first love in the original story.
- The scantily clad dancers seen in the special came from Solid Gold, a popular dance variety show during the 80s. This movie was their final production together, as their show had been cancelled the same year the movie was released.
Put a Little Scrooged in Your Heart!
So, in the end, while Scrooged may not ultimately do too much to deviate from the Charles Dickens classic that it brings into the 80s, it's still a fun, if occasionally dark, Yuletide treat to have stuffed in your metaphorical stocking. It's charismatic cast and 80s self-awareness hold it together, and its sense of humor was truly something that could only exist back then.
But perhaps most importantly, Scrooged manages to be all of this while still keeping true to the timeless tale it adapts. It's still a story about redemption, and the true importance of goodwill towards men. It's a movie that gives us hope-even if only for a moment-that even iciest of souls can thaw, and that anybody has the power to make the world at least a little less dark. And isn't that what we all try to do around Christmastime?
In a where pride and greed seem to run rampart more than ever before, stories like this are certainly an absolute necessity in order to give us hope to carry on, and to hopefully make the world a better place, even if only for a brief moment. Perhaps that is why people still continue to adapt and re-adapt A Christmas Carol to this day, with Scrooged perfectly bringing it to a more contemporary audience. Even if it's obvious 80s-isms may not be considered very "modern" by the standards of the digital age!
But what about you? Have you ever seen Scrooged? Are you interested in giving it a go after hearing my thought about it? Do you agree that A Christmas Carol is a tale that's necessary for every generation to know about? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don't be afraid to share my blog with friends and family on social media. And above all else...
Happy Holidays from Something Niche!
Dedicated to David Johansen
Abrams, Simon. “Carol Kane and Karen Allen Spill on Scrooged.” Vulture, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2018, www.vulture.com/2018/12/carol-kane-and-karen-allen-scrooged-interview.html.
Academy, The. “Writing a Holiday Classic. ‘Scrooged’ Co-Writer Mitch Glazer Tells… | by the Academy | Art & Science | Medium.” Medium, 20 Dec. 2018, medium.com/art-science/writing-a-holiday-classic-170c2d9bb11a.
Phillips, Mark E. “Scrooged (1988).” NYC in Film, 6 Dec. 2022, nycinfilm.com/2022/12/06/scrooged-1988/.
Rupert, Nickalus. “Bill Murray vs. Richard Donner: Scrooged Movie Controversy Explained.” ScreenRant, Screen Rant, 12 Dec. 2020, screenrant.com/scrooged-movie-bill-murray-richard-donner-controversy-explained/.
Solomon, Matt. “Bill Murray Confronted Roger Ebert over Bad Review for ‘Scrooged.’” Cracked.Com, Cracked.com, 14 Dec. 2024, www.cracked.com/article_44750_bill-murray-confronted-roger-ebert-over-bad-review-for-scrooged.html.
Ware, J. Gabriel. “Bill Murray Always Had a Problem with the Way Scrooged Was Filmed.” SlashFilm, SlashFilm, 27 Nov. 2022, www.slashfilm.com/1112218/bill-murray-always-had-a-problem-with-the-way-scrooged-was-filmed/.
All the awards and nominations of Scrooged - FilmAffinity
10 Things You Didn't Know About Scrooged (Re-upthingy)
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