Scrooged
Short description
Frank Cross runs a television network and has built his career on ambition and a cruel sense of humor, leaving behind the woman he once loved. On Christmas Eve, after firing an employee, he is visited by the ghost of a former colleague who warns him that three more spirits will come to him during the night. The visits force him to confront his past, his present and what his future may hold. The film is a modern retelling of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, with the holiday broadcast Frank is preparing serving as the backdrop to his night of reckonings.
Richard Donner directed, working from a screenplay by Michael O'Donoghue and Mitch Glazer, with Donner and Art Linson producing. It was Donner's seventh film as director, arriving between Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2. Bill Murray plays Francis Cross, with Karen Allen, John Forsythe, John Glover, Bobcat Goldthwait and Robert Mitchum among the cast. The production cost about 32 million dollars and took in roughly 60 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds a 6.9 rating from around 129,000 votes, and on TMDB a 6.8 from a much smaller number of votes. A critics' rating of 6.3 from 52 reviews places it slightly below the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- At the end of the film, where everyone sings "Give Your Heart a Little Love," Frank says the phrase "Feed me, Seymour!" which is a reference to "Little Shop of Horrors" (1986). Murray had a small role in that film.
- Bill Murray's first leading role after 'Ghostbusters' (1984) directed by Ivan Reitman (1946-2022). After filming with Reitman, Murray lived in Paris and seriously considered giving up his acting career.
- Filming began in December 1987. Christmas was approaching, and director Richard Donner (1930-1921) asked the management of Paramount Pictures if a Christmas holiday could be declared, but was refused. Donner then resorted to trickery. On December 24th, at the end of the working day, he gathered the film crew and cast and announced that everyone was fired. Two days later, on December 26th, he rehired everyone to their previous positions, thus giving people the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with their families.
- Filming began in December 1987. Christmas was approaching, and director Richard Donner asked the management of "Paramount Pictures" if they could declare a day off for Christmas, but he was refused. Then Donner resorted to trickery. On December 24th, at the end of the working day, he gathered the film crew and cast and announced that everyone was fired. Two days later, on December 26th, he rehired everyone to their previous positions, giving people the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with their families.
- In one scene, Carol Kane, playing the Ghost of Christmas Present, grabbed Frank's lip so hard that she injured him. As a result, filming had to be suspended for several days.
- All three of Bill Murray's brothers appeared in the film: John Murray, Joel Murray, and Brian Doyle-Murray.
- This was Bill Murray's first major role after "Ghostbusters" (1984) directed by Ivan Reitman. After filming with Reitman, Murray lived in Paris and seriously considered giving up his acting career.
- The scene in which Bill Murray's character falls as he exits the restaurant was not in the script and happened accidentally. He simply slipped on the wet steps after a waiter was splashed with water.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
