If you can believe it, Richard Donner’s fantasy black comedy Christmas movie “Scrooged” turned 37 years old this year. The Bill Murray-led classic was released on November 23, 1988.
The film is a metafictional modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella “A Christmas Carol.” It follows Murray’s Frank Cross, a cynical, selfish, Christmas-hating television executive who, while prepping for a live broadcast adaptation of the aforementioned “A Christmas Carol” on Christmas Eve, is visited by three ghosts who teach him the error of his miserly ways.
“Scrooged’s” brilliant cast also includes the likes of Karen Allen, John Glover, and Bobcat Goldthwait, amongst a plethora of other stars. Ever wondered what they all look like now compared to how they did back when “Scrooged” was released? It’s time to find out!
Bill Murray (Frank Cross)
The leading man of “Scrooged,” actor and comedian Bill Murray was 38 when it hit theaters. He played Frank Cross, the movie’s modern incarnation of the classic anti-Christmas character Ebenezer Scrooge.
Murray had become a star on the sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live,” but also had many notable movie credits by 1988. They included 1979’s comedy “Meatballs,” 1980’s sports comedy “Caddyshack,” 1981’s war comedy “Stripes,” 1982’s satirical romantic comedy “Tootsie,” 1984’s supernatural comedy “Ghostbusters,” and 1986’s horror comedy musical “Little Shop of Horrors” (per IMDb).
He is now 75, still a huge star, and has amassed an incredibly impressive filmography since starring in “Scrooged.” Some of his most notable movie credits include 1989’s supernatural comedy sequel “Ghostbusters II,” 1993’s fantasy rom-com “Groundhog Day,” 1996’s sports comedy “Kingpin,” 2003’s romantic comedy-drama “Lost in Translation,” 2004’s adventure comedy-drama “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” 2014’s comedy-drama “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” 2016’s fantasy adventure “The Jungle Book,” and 2023’s superhero flick “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
GettyKaren Allen (Claire Phillips)
Karen Allen was 37 when “Scrooged” came out. She played Claire Phillips, Frank Cross’ ex-girlfriend who reconnects with him during the movie.
She had been acting for a decade at the time. Her movie credits included 1978’s comedy film “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” 1979’s coming-of-age drama “The Wanderers,” 1981’s action-adventure flick “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and 1984’s romantic sci-fi drama “Starman” (per IMDb).
GettyAllen is now 74 and still acting. Her post-“Scrooged” movie credits include 1992’s epic biographical drama “Malcolm X,” 2000’s biographical disaster drama “The Perfect Storm,” 2008’s action-adventure sequel “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” and 2023’s action-adventure sequel “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
GettyJohn Forsythe (Lew Hayward)
John Forsythe played Frank Cross’ deceased mentor, Lew Hayward, in “Scrooged.” Hayward took the role of Jacob Marley’s ghost in the reimagining of “A Christmas Carol.” Forsythe was 70 when the film was released.
The veteran actor’s movie career dated back to the 1940s and his back catalogue of films included 1952’s neo-noir crime movie “The Captive City,” 1956’s rom-com “The Ambassador’s Daughter,” and, more recently, 1979’s legal comedy-drama “…And Justice for All” (per IMDb).
GettyForsythe passed away from pneumonia in California, on April 1, 2010. He was 92.
He only had four movie credits after “Scrooged.” They included voicing the eponymous Charles “Charlie” Townsend in the spy action comedies “Charlie’s Angels” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” in 2000 and 2003, respectively (a role he reprised from the television series of the same name).
GettyJohn Glover (Brice Cummings)
In “Scrooged,” John Glover played Brice Cummings, an ambitious acquaintance of Frank Cross’ who wants to replace him. Glover was 44 when the film released.
He had been acting for 15 years at the time and the movie credits to his name included 1977’s satirical romantic comedy-drama “Annie Hall,” 1988’s neo-noir movie “Masquerade,” and 1988’s drama film “Rocket Gibraltar” (per IMDb).
GettyGlover is now 81 and has amassed countless television and movie credits since “Scrooged.” His most notable recent movie appearances include 2019’s superhero flick “Shazam!” and 2025’s psychological horror film “The Home.”
GettyBobcat Goldthwait (Eliot Loudermilk)
Comedian, actor, director, and screenwriter Bobcat Goldthwait was 26 when “Scrooged” came out. In the movie, he played Eliot Loudermilk, a meek executive fired by Frank Cross, who returns with a gun to kill him.
Goldthwait’s first movie appearance only came four years before “Scrooged.” Still, he had already appeared in nine, including his iconic turn as Zed in three “Police Academy” installments in 1985, 1986, and 1987, respectively (per IMDb).
GettyGoldthwait is now 63 and still very much active as a director and performer (he has some very notable directing credits, like 2013’s brilliant found footage horror film “Willow Creek”).
After “Scrooged,” his movie credits subsequently included 1993’s black comedy “Freaked,” 1997’s animated musical fantasy comedy “Hercules,” 2001’s biographical crime drama “Blow,” and 2018’s animated action comedy “Henchmen.”
GettyCarol Kane (Ghost of Christmas Present)
Carol Kane played a wonderfully violent fairy version of the Ghost of Christmas Present in “Scrooged.” Kane was 36 when the movie released in theaters.
She had been acting since the early 1970s and her prior movie credits included 1973’s comedy-drama “The Last Detail,” 1977’s satirical romantic comedy-drama “Annie Hall,” 1979’s psychological thriller “When a Stranger Calls,” 1985’s horror comedy “Transylvania 6-5000,” and 1987’s fantasy adventure comedy “The Princess Bride” (per IMDb).
GettyNow 73, Kane continues to act quite prolifically in movies and on television. Her notable recent film credits include 2022’s comedy-drama “iMordecai,” 2023’s animated adventure comedy “Migration,” and 2025’s black comedy crime thriller “Caught Stealing.”
GettyDavid Johansen (Ghost of Christmas Past)
Singer, songwriter, and actor David Johansen played the chain-smoking, taxi-driving Ghost of Christmas Past in “Scrooged.” He was 38 when the film hit theaters.
While he is and was far better known as a member of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls, he did have some acting credits at the time. They included 1987’s drama “Candy Mountain” and 1988’s dark comedy crime romance movie “Married to the Mob” (per IMDb).
GettyJohansen passed away on February 28, 2025. He was 75 and died from cancer at his Staten Island home.
His movie credits after “Scrooged” included 1989’s comedy “Let It Ride,” 1993’s family comedy “Mr. Nanny,” 1990’s comedy horror anthology film “Tales from the Darkside: The Movie,” and 2014’s thriller drama “Glass Chin.”
GettyAlfre Woodard (Grace Cooley)
Alfre Woodward played Frank Cross’ loyal assistant, Grace Cooley, in “Scrooged.” She was 36 when the movie was released.
Most of Woodward’s previous acting credits had come on television, but she had appeared in six theatrical films. They included 1983’s biographical romantic drama “Cross Creek” and 1986’s drama “Extremities” (per IMDb).
Woodward is now 73 and a huge Hollywood star. Her notable movie credits now include 1996’s sci-fi flick “Star Trek: First Contact,” 1996’s mystery crime drama “Primal Fear,” 2014’s supernatural horror “Annabelle,” 2016’s superhero movie “Captain America: Civil War,” 2019’s musical drama “The Lion King,” and 2024’s supernatural horror “Salem’s Lot.”
GettyMichael J. Pollard (Herman)
Michael J. Pollard played Herman, a homeless man, in “Scrooged.” He was 48 at the time of the movie’s theatrical release.
Pollard was a talented character actor with a filmography dating back to the late 1950s. His notable recent movie credits at the time included 1986’s action flick “The Patriot,” 1987’s rom-com “Roxanne,” and 1988’s slasher movie “American Gothic” (per IMDb).
Pollard passed away in 2019, having suffered a cardiac arrest in California. He was 80 years old.
After appearing in “Scrooged,” Pollard appeared in several notable movies, including 1989’s slasher sequel “Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland,” 1989’s buddy cop action comedy “Tango & Cash,” 1990’s crime action film “Dick Tracy,” and 2003’s black comedy horror “House of 1000 Corpses.”
GettyRobert Mitchum (Preston Rhinelander)
Robert Mitchum was 71 when “Scrooged” hit theaters. In the film, he played Preston Rhinelander, the boss of Bill Murray’s Frank Cross.
Mitchum’s ample filmography stretched back to the early 1940s and included classics like 1955’s Southern Gothic horror-thriller “The Night of the Hunter” and 1962’s psychological horror thriller “Cape Fear.” His most recent credits prior to “Scrooged” were 1984’s drama movie “Maria’s Lovers” and 1988’s comedy-drama “Mr. North” (per IMDb).
Mitchum passed away on July 1, 1997, at the age of 79. He died at his California home from complications of lung cancer and emphysema.
After his turn in “Scrooged,” he appeared in 10 more movies before his death. They included 1991’s remake of “Cape Fear” and 1997’s biographical drama “James Dean: Live Fast, Die Young,” his final credit.
Getty“Scrooged” is a truly brilliant modernized interpretation of the classic festive tale “A Christmas Carol.” If you haven’t already got plans to watch it this holiday season, make sure you add it to your “to watch” list.
May John Forsythe, David Johansen, Michael J. Pollard, and Robert Mitchum rest in eternal peace.
