Ebenezer Scrooge returns to TV this Christmas
Ebenezer Scrooge returns to TV This Christmas
What: Scrooge & Marley—a dramatic comedy and modern parable
When: Airs Christmas Week 2001
Where: Nationwide
He’s back! Scrooge, that tight-fisted, ill-tempered old miser returns to television this Christmas. Yes, that squeezing, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner is back in Scrooge & Marley, which airs Christmas week on nationwide television.
Writer/director Fred Holmes dusts off Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in this modern parable that breaks new ground for Christian entertainment. Shot on film this past September at sound stages in Fort Lauderdale and on Universal Studios back lot, Scrooge & Marley is quality family entertainment and a powerful story of spiritual transformation. Holmes, an experienced Hollywood film and television director with, among others, The Wonder Years, Doogie Howser, M.D., and the PBS children’s series, Wishbone, to his credit, deftly moves from light comedy to drama in this wonderful adaptation set in the quaint fictional New England town of Winterset, Connecticut.
In this fresh retelling, Scrooge is incensed at a manger scene outside City Hall. Despite its status as a seasonal landmark of long standing, Scrooge barks out his vow to remove it for good. But things change when he encounters Jacob Marley, his former law partner back from the grave. With help from expert witness Dr. D. James Kennedy, Marley gives the old grouch an entirely different perspective about Christ and his contribution to human existence. Together, they show Scrooge why Christmas, even for those who do not believe, is truly a day to celebrate.
“Wrapped in drama and comedy and graced by the shadow of Dickens, Scrooge & Marley shows why all of us—including Ebenezer Scrooge—ought to get down on our knees and thank God for Jesus Christ,†said Kennedy, who has cataloged a long list of Christianity’s contributions in his book, What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? (Thomas Nelson).
“Christmas is normally a time when people are more receptive to Christ and the Gospel,†said Dr. Kennedy, president of Coral Ridge Ministries and senior minister of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale. “In the wake of September 11, this Christmas may present the greatest evangelistic opportunity we have seen in our lifetimes. Our nation, wounded and reeling from the heinous attacks on our shores, desperately needs the hope and strength found only through faith in Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that God will use this creative vehicle and the immense power of television to bring thousands to a saving knowledge of the One whose birthday we celebrate this Christmas.â€
Post-production is nearly complete on this $2.5 million project, which is scheduled to air Christmas week nationwide. Broadcast details will be announced in early December and posted on www.crm.tv. and www.scroogeandmarley.tv.