Scrooged Information

Scrooged is a 1988 American comedy film, a modernization of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The film was produced and directed by Richard Donner, and the cinematography was by Michael Chapman. The screenplay was written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue. The original music score was composed by Danny Elfman.

The film stars Bill Murray, with Karen Allen, Bobcat Goldthwait, John Forsythe, Carol Kane, John Houseman, and Robert Mitchum in supporting roles. Murray's brothers, Brian, John, and Joel also appear in the film.

The film was marketed with references to Ghostbusters which had been a great success four years earlier. In the USA, the tagline was, "Bill Murray is back among the ghosts, only this time, it's three against one."

Plot

Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a cynical television programming executive. He has found great success and wealth but only by becoming cold-hearted and cruel.

His ruthless concentration on his career has cost him his true love, Claire Phillips (Karen Allen). It has also alienated him from his brother James (John Murray), and ruined any chance of having a happy and fulfilling life. Frank overworks his assistant Grace Cooley (Alfre Woodard), forcing her to constantly break plans with her family and neglect her mute son Calvin. When a disturbing TV commercial that Frank personally produced is criticized by timid yes man Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait), Frank responds by firing him on Christmas Eve.

When Cross is given the task of heading up a live Christmas Eve broadcast of A Christmas Carol, his life begins to mirror the story he's producing. The decomposing corpse of his mentor, media mogul Lew Hayward (John Forsythe), comes to tell him the error of his ways, and to announce the impending visitation of three ghosts. Adding to Frank's stress is his boss, Preston Rhinelander (Robert Mitchum), who takes the liberty of hiring an assistant, Brice Cummings (John Glover), who is transparently after Frank's job.

The Ghost of Christmas Past (David Johansen) appears as a New York City cab driver and takes Frank back to his childhood in 1955, to his late teens in 1968 when he had his first job at the TV station, in 1969 for his anniversary with Claire, and 1971, the year in which he chose his job as "Frisbee the Dog" over her. The sequence shows how Frank gradually became the man he is in the present.

The Ghost of Christmas Present (Carol Kane) then appears as a life-size pixie who delights in hitting Frank; she shows him how Grace's family lives in poverty because of his stinginess, and also how much his brother misses him.

After the second ghost's visit, Eliot Loudermilk, drunk and angry, storms the office with a shotgun and tries to murder Frank. The Ghost of Christmas Future, a seven-foot-tall ghoul with a TV screen for a face, appears and shows Frank a future in which Calvin has ended up in a mental hospital, Claire has become as cold and uncaring as he is, and only James and James's wife attend his cremation.

Frank finally sees the error of his ways and begs for a second chance. He awakens back in his office, right as the live broadcast is wrapping up. The reformed Frank rehires Loudermilk at a considerable salary increase, steps in front of the rolling studio cameras (enlisting Loudermilk to hold the control room hostage), and delivers a monologue about spending Christmas with the people you care about instead of watching TV. Calvin urges him to add Tiny Tim's phrase, "God bless us, everyone", finally breaking free of his mute condition. Claire appears in the studio and Frank reconciles with her, sharing a romantic kiss as Grace and the cast and crew sing "Put a Little Love in Your Heart".

Cast

• Bill Murray as Francis Xavier "Frank" Cross
• Karen Allen as Claire Phillips
• John Forsythe as Lew Hayward
• John Glover as Brice Cummings
• Bobcat Goldthwait as Eliot Loudermilk
• David Johansen as the Ghost of Christmas Past
• Carol Kane as the Ghost of Christmas Present
• Robert Mitchum as Preston Rhinelander
• Nicholas Phillips as Calvin Cooley
• Michael J. Pollard as Herman
• Alfre Woodard as Grace Cooley
• Mabel King as Gramma
• John Murray as James Cross
• Wendie Malick as Wendie Cross
• Brian Doyle Murray as Mr. Cross, Frank and James's father

Cameos

• Jamie Farr as Himself / Jacob Marley
• Buddy Hackett as Himself / Ebenezer Scrooge
• Robert Goulet as Himself
• John Houseman as Himself
• Lee Majors as Himself
• Mary Lou Retton as Herself / Tiny Tim
• Miles Davis, Larry Carlton, David Sanborn, and Paul Shaffer as street musicians

Reception

Critical response

On Siskel & Ebert & The Movies, Gene Siskel gave it thumbs up while Roger Ebert gave it thumbs down. As of July 2, 2012, the film has a 64% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 39 reviews.

DVD & Blu-ray

Yule Love It! Edition DVD

Although the DVD had been available for some time, Paramount decided upon a special edition release titled the 'Yule Love It! Edition'. Announced for October 31, 2006, it was recalled for unknown reasons.

Blu-ray

The Blu-ray was released on November 1, 2011 with a DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack and the film's theatrical trailer.

Soundtrack & Score

Soundtrack

A&M Records released the soundtrack to Scrooged in 1989. It features 9 songs.

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| title1 = Put a Little Love in Your Heart | writer1 = Jackie DeShannon, Randy Myers, Jimmy Holiday | extra1 = Annie Lennox & Al Green | length1 = 3:48

| title2 = A Wonderful Life | writer2 = Judson Spence, Monroe Jones | extra2 = Mark Lennon | length2 = 4:19

| title3 = Sweetest Thing | writer3 = U2 | extra3 = New Voices of Freedom featuring Adriane McDonald & George Pendergrass | length3 = 4:12

| title4 = The Love You Take | writer4 = Dan Hartman | extra4 = Dan Hartman & Denise Lopez | length4 = 4:21

| title5 = Get Up 'n' Dance | writer5 = L. Mallison, Mohandas Dewese, R. Isaacs | extra5 = Kool Moe Dee | length5 = 4:09

| title6 = We Three Kings of Orient Are | writer6 = John Henry Hopkins, Jr. | extra6 = Miles Davis, Larry Carlton, David Sanborn & Paul Shaffer | length6 = 4:43

| title7 = Christmas Must Be Tonight | writer7 = Robbie Robertson | extra7 = Robbie Robertson | length7 = 4:51

| title8 = Brown Eyed Girl | writer8 = Van Morrison | extra8 = Buster Poindexter | length8 = 3:34

| title9 = The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) | writer9 = Mel Tormé, Robert Wells | extra9 = Natalie Cole | length9 = 3:53 }}

Al Green and Annie Lennox's version of the song "Put a Little Love in Your Heart", featured in the film, reached #9 in the US, and was a top 40 hit in several countries worldwide.

Score

Danny Elfman's score was released by La-La Land Records late in 2011 (a suite of his score had previously been included on Music For A Darkened Theatre: Vol. 1). Limited to 3000 units, the released contains 34 tracks including source cues used in the film, but not part of the written score.