Trivia / Scrooged

• All-Star Cast: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Robert Mitchum, John Glover, Alfre Woodard, John Forsythe, Michael J. Pollard, Bobcat Goldthwait, David Johansen, Carol Kane, Wendie Malick, Brian Doyle-Murray...
  • And that's not even counting the many cameos: Lee Majors, John Houseman, Robert Goulet, Buddy Hackett, Mary Lou Retton, Jamie Farr, Miles Davis, Paul Shaffer...
• Completely Different Title: In order to play up the Ghostbusters angle, the Mexican title for this movie was "The Ghosts Strike Back."
  • Some dubs change the title to "The Ghosts Attack the Boss."
  • The German dub is titled a bit more creatively: "The Ghosts I Called," referencing Goethe's poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
  • In Italy the film is known as "S.O.S. Fantasmi" (S.O.S. Ghosts) ^note The French name for Ghostbusters is S.O.S. Fantomes, perhaps to fit the syllables in Ray Parker, Jr.'s song..
• Creator Backlash:
  • Michael O'Donoghue later said that Richard Donner did not understand comedy, omitting the script's subtler elements for louder and faster moments. He estimated that only 40% of his and Mitch Glazer's original script made it into the final film and the surviving content was "twisted". He disowned the film, calling it "a piece of unadulterated unmitigated shit".
  • Danny Elfman was disappointed that the film's tone didn't reflect the dark theme he'd created.
• The Danza: James's wife, played by Wendie Malick, is named Wendie.
• DVD Commentary: Richard Donner recorded one when Paramount planned to re-release the DVD in 2006 with more bonus features. However, these extras instead went unreleased until the 2023 35th Anniversary Edition UHD.
• Dyeing for Your Art: All the abuse Bill Murray takes from Carol Kane? It's all real.
• Enforced Method Acting: Carol Kane reportedly came very close to actually whacking Bill Murray with the toaster on every single take, though it never actually happened.
• Harpo Does Something Funny: Bill Murray ad-libbed most of his lines. In a 1988 interview with Philadelphia Daily News, Richard Donner discussed Murray's penchant for improvisation and described the experience of directing Murray as follows: "It's like standing on 42nd Street and Broadway, and the lights are out, and you're the traffic cop."
• Hostility on the Set: Bill Murray and Richard Donner reportedly did not enjoy working together, creating a lot of tension on-set. When asked by Roger Ebert if he had any disagreements with Donner, Murray replied:
  Only a few. Every single minute of the day. That could have been a really, really great movie. The script was so good. There's maybe one take in the final cut movie that is mine. We made it so fast, it was like doing a movie live. He kept telling me to do things louder, louder, louder. I think he was deaf.
  • Donner said of Murray:
  He's superbly creative but occasionally difficult - as difficult as any actor.
• In Memoriam: The film is dedicated to Robert Scaife, Anne Ramsey, and Roger M. Rothstein.
• Playing Against Type: Initially Bobcat Goldthwait seems like odd casting as the timid, softspoken sad sack Elliot. It makes a lot more sense by the end though.
• Prop Recycling: In the opening North Pole segment, Lee Majors carries Old Painless, the same converted M134 Minigun used in Predator, which Majors found difficult to hold due to its weight.
• Real-Life Relative: Bill's brother John Murray as Frank Cross's brother James. Brian Doyle-Murray also cameos as Earl, their father, in the past sequence. Joel Murray plays another guest at James' party.
• Throw It In!:
  • Jack McGee ad-libbed his line "You can hardly see them nipples."
  • Bill Murray falling on his way out of the restaurant is said to have been unscripted and a genuine accident. Apparently, it was due to the stairs still being wet, after splashing the waiter with water, that caused him to lose his footing.
• Wag the Director: Bill Murray wanted several changes to the script once he joined the project; among other changes, the romantic plot with Claire was expanded, and the family scenes were reworked as Murray felt they were "off".
• What Could Have Been:
  • Sam Kinison was originally slated to play The Ghost of Christmas Past. The part eventually went to David Johansen due to his friendship with Bill Murray.
  • Sydney Pollack was briefly attached to direct but left due to differences with the writers.
  • Richard Donner originally wanted John Williams to score the film.
  • Lee Majors' cameo was originally meant for Chuck Norris, whom Donner was a fan of, but he wasn't available.

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