CHRISTMAS CAPERS

Press, 9 December 1988, Page 25

CHRISTMAS CAPERS

Bill Murray learns some festive season lessons in. ‘Scrooged

IN “SCROOGED,” which will start at the Savoy Theatre today, Bill Murray plays Frank Cross, the youngest network president in television history, a man who hates Christmas and plans to exploit the holidays for every rating point they are worth.

Cross is about to be visited by three ghosts: a cabby who will take him on the ride of his life, a sugar plum fairy with a mean right hook, and a ghost who is going to scare some holiday spirit into him. Now it is Cross’s turn to learn some lessons about the true meaning of Christmas. Murray first received national acclaim on the TV show, “Saturday Night Live.” “Time” magazine called him “a master of comic insincerity.” “Rolling Stone” described him as “a semilovable hipster always on the verge of exploding into sublime weirdness.”

Murray describes his character in “Scrooged” as “the kind of guy who’s upset that he didn’t think of colourising black and white movies first.”

Richard Donner, the director of “Scrooged,” describes Frank Cross as “someone who has never taken anything seriously but success until his past catches up with him. Frank is a man who sees Christmas as just another

opportunity to make more money.” Michael O’Donoghue, one of the script writers, says, "In ‘Scrooged’ the meanest man in the world encounters three ghosts who show him what he was and also what he may become.”

The other writer, Mitch Glazer, says, “He eventually realises it isn’t too late for his life to have more meaning.”

“We created a contemporary Scrooge — a man in his 30s who has sacrificed everything for his career.”

Donner says, “The challenge was in creating a character whose humour you enjoy even when you’re angry with him — someone you’ll really care about by the end of the film.” “The role was written for Bill Murray. He’s the most irreverent humorist since W. C. Fields.”

O’Donoghue says, “Following ‘Saturday Night Live,” Bill Murray has played some very challenging roles and has become a quite accomplished actor. “In ‘Scrooged,’ Bill is acting with many other incredible stars. Not since ‘lt’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World’ has there been a cast like this assembled for a movie comedy.”

“I’ve learned a lot from Bill. He’s my guru,” says David Johansen, who plays the New

York cabby that takes Frank for the cab ride of his life. Johansen is also known as Buster Poindexter when he appears musically with his Banshees of Blue or as a semiregular on “Saturday Night Live.”

“In ‘Scrooged’ I play a ghost who apparently had a rather short but tumultuous existence in the world of the living,” Johansen says. “It’s a character that gave me the opportunity to cut loose.” *

The two-time Emmy Awardwinner, Carol Kane, plays a Sugar Plum Fairy with a mean right hook. Kane describes her role as “a wild version of Glinda the Good Witch — But she’s a good fairy that resorts to any and all methods of accomplishing her mission.

“It was really a dream come true to play a part like this,” Kane says. “When I was a little girl I dreamt of getting to wear glitter and wings and of flying around with a wand. “Bill did take a fair amount of abuse from me because I’ve never done any stunt work before. I slapped him, I pulled his hair, cheeks and lips, and I tweaked his nose. Bill was very patient because I know it hurt.”

ABOVE RIGHT: Bill Murray in a scene from “Scrooged.”