Ms. Scrooge (1997)
Ebenita Scrooge runs her savings and loan with an iron fist — until the partner she buried comes back to warn her.
Ebenita Scrooge climbed to the top of her Providence savings and loan by shutting everyone out, and she likes it that way. On Christmas Eve she is visited by the ghost of Maude Marley, her former partner and the only person she ever listened to, who warns her that three spirits are coming. Past, Present, and Yet to Come walk Ebenita through the life she chose — the love she gave up, the clerk's family she is crushing, and the small grave waiting if nothing changes.
Cicely Tyson as Scrooge is the whole argument for this film: she plays Ebenita's hardness and her unraveling with the same authority she brought to every landmark role of her career. Katherine Helmond is her Marley, and the Dickens machinery — moved from London to Providence, Rhode Island — survives the trip intact. It aired on USA Network in December 1997 and has been a word-of-mouth classic of the Black Christmas canon ever since.
From the Film
The Facts
- Year
- 1997
- Director
- John Korty
- Runtime
- 87 minutes
- Network / Studio
- USA Network
- Genres
- Fantasy, Drama
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Cicely Tyson | Ebenita Scrooge |
| Katherine Helmond | Maude Marley |
| Michael Beach | Reverend Luke |
| Rae'ven Kelly | Young Ebenita |
Good to know: Dickens moved to Providence, Rhode Island, with Scrooge and Marley reimagined as women; it premiered on USA Network on December 10, 1997.
Where to watch Ms. Scrooge
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