15 Fun Facts About Scrooged

It was the late 80s when Scrooged came out in theaters and people were hesitant to go see the film. They did see it, however, despite the fact that the movie did not get particularly good reviews and that even the starring actor was a bit worried that the movie would be a big flop. The movie ended up being one of the funniest of the time, and it’s since become a Christmas classic that people still watch on a regular basis, especially during the holiday season. Despite the fact that you might have seen the movie several times in the past 30-something years, you probably still don’t know at least some of these 15 fun facts.

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Bill Murray was Worried about the Movie

He believed that it might be a flop, and he was worried that this would be true. It was especially concerning for him given the fact that he was fresh off a four-year hiatus from the movies, he thought that maybe since his last review and his last film was such a bad one that he would make another bad film and be reviewed as one of the worst actors in the Hollywood. Fortunately for Murray, however, you have to admit that this movie is hilarious and that he made a good choice when it came to his return to his family.

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Bill Murray’s Brothers are In the Movie

Did you know that the film is a Murray family reunion – practically? The film stars not only Bill, but his brothers John, Brian and Joel? Brian plays the father in the film, John plays James, Murray’s brother in the movie, and Joel is one of the party guests during one of the party scenes. It was a lot of fun for the family to do together, and they really did enjoy the fact that they got to spend so much time together during filming.

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Ghostbusters References Happened

There was a time during which the film’s marking company wanted to advertise the film in a way that would remind his fans of his hit role in Ghostbusters. They marketed it as a way of introducing him back to the world of movies by actually reminding his fans that this was the time he came back to star in a movie with Ghosts. The references were removed, however, and it was marketed as the Christmas film it actually is.

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There is a Bit of Charles Dickens in this Movie

Aside from the fact that Charles Dickens is actually the man who created the story from which this movie was derived, there is a scene in which you can see the name of a cab company. It’s called the Belle Cab Company. The name Belle comes from the name of the woman Ebenezer Scrooge loved first in his life from the original story. What a cute way to make the movie have a piece of the original in it.

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It’s Not A Family Christmas Movie

While the premise of combining A Christmas Carol with a greedy TV executive in the 80’s might sound like it’s a family Christmas Movie, it’s most certainly not.  From a few scenes with scantily clad women, to swearing and violence, this film is definitely not suited for young children.

For late teens and adults though, this holiday class will make your belly shake like a bowl full of jelly and it’s a nice break from feel good Hallmark Christmas movies.

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Roger Ebert Hated the Film

As with many of the 80s Christmas films that came out, Roger Ebert, the late movie reviewer, hated the film. He gave the movie one star and called it awful and basically told audiences that they would not like to watch the film. According to audiences, however, the film was pretty successful and according to the fact that this is one of the most famous movies of the holiday season even today, it seems that Ebert was actually mistaken.

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Sam Kinison Was Turned Down for the Role of a Ghost

The actor was considered briefly for a role as the Ghost from the past, but the role was ultimately given to someone else. David Johansen, who ended up getting the role, was a close friend of Bill Murray, and that had a lot to do with the fact that the other actor was not given a chance at the role. That really did not sit well with Kinison, who has said on several occasions it really upset him that he was not given the role.

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Bill Murray Called out Roger Ebert

Nearly two years after Ebert gave this movie a bad review, he was interviewing Murray when Murray decided to turn the interview around on him. He asked him to explain his review. He told Murray that he really just did not like the film, and that considering the fact that it was a comedy, it was not really all that funny.

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Bill Murray Was Really Injured…

You know the scene in the movie when the Ghost of Christmas Present grabs Bill Murray by the lip? She grabbed him so hard she actually tore his lip and the crew had to stop the production of the movie for almost a week so that he could heal and have the medical attention necessary to ensure there was no permanent damage to his appearance.

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…But He Wasn’t Mad

Most of the people on the set of the movie were really worried that Murray would be so upset he might decide he no longer wanted to be part of the movie, or that he would demand the actress lose her job. However, he thought that she was a good actress who was simply into the scene. He realized she did not intend to hurt him, so all was well in the end.

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It’s Inspired by A Christmas Carol

We assume that most everyone is well aware of this fact, but there is always someone who seems not to know that the movie is inspired by the classic Charles Dickens’ classic. The ghosts of all the Christmases, the point of the story, the main character with a mean spirit and a hatred of Christmas….if you didn’t get that, now you do. There should be no more explanation necessary. Actually, there should not have been any explanation necessary.

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It’s the First Movie Bill Murray Did in Four Years

For whatever reason, Bill Murray had taken a break from acting. We don’t know why, considering it was at the height of his career. People were in love with his hilarious acting skills, his humor and his wit, and his four-year break was one people did not understand. What they did not understand even more was what made the actor turn to this role as his first back, but the success of the film speaks to that today.

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The Christmas Carolers are Pretty Famous

When you see the street carolers during the movie, it might surprise you to realize they are all musical royalty. Paul Schaffer is the man who leads the band on the Late Show, and he is joined by other carolers such as the famous Miles Davis, David Sanborn and Larry Carlton. It is pretty ingenious casting if you consider the fact that the men hanging out on the side of the road singing Christmas carols are some of the best musicians in the world.

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Sam Kinison Was Mad about Other Things, Too

Aside from the fact that he was upset that he did not get the role of the ghost from the past, Sam Kinison was also angry at some point that a man by the name of Bobcat Goldthwait was given a smaller role in the film. This man was one Kinison considered his rival, and he opened up on the Howard Stern show about how upset he was that this actor was given a role in the film and he was not.

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There Are Old Movie References

In the scene where people are singing a song and Bill Murray yells out, “Feed me, Seymour,” he is actually referencing a role he had in one of his previous movies. The movie was Little Shop of Horrors. The line is one he yelled to a giant plant that actually was trying to eat him in the other movie. It’s actually pretty funny to hear him scream that out during a scene, and it makes us love his comedy even more.

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