new Leslie Bricusse musical for CBS

[FrontRow]

Posted: 1/21/04 at 3:07pm

Leslie Bricusse is writing a new musical version of 'A Christmas Carol' to air on CBS. Who has seen his 1970 movie musical 'Scrooge' with Albert Finney? I consider this a seriously underrated musical (and 'Christmas Carol' adaptation -- it's better than Alastair Sims!). Other opinions of it and/or Finney's performance?

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 1/21/04 at 3:12pm

Why would he want to adapt something he has already done? What is your source? Could you provide a link?

I have not seen SCROOGE in years, but I remember being rather underwhelmed by it.

[FrontRow]

Posted: 1/21/04 at 3:17pm

Story about the CBS musical is in the News section of Playbill.com.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/21/04 at 8:56pm

Ah, Leslie Bricusse...the tuneless wonder.

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 1/22/04 at 12:35am

But Dollypop, he also wrote those EXCELLENT lyrics to Jekyll and Hyde!

Updated On: 1/22/04 at 12:35 AM

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/22/04 at 5:21am

Maybe in this version, Scrooge is transformed - and gets MEANER.

[MisterRussell]

Posted: 1/22/04 at 6:57pm

Gawd, this is sad news.

I used to LOVE Bricusse's work...up through the film version of SCROOGE. Then somehow, his talent just dried up and he was creating pure junk.

SAY HELLO TO HARVEY and SHERLOCK HOLMES were awful. And how sad to see him use the only good song in either show in BOTH SHOWS!
Then came the embarrassing lie to Bob Goulet that Bricusse was writing him an original Henry VIII musical...Goulet went on the talk shows touting the project, only to have Bricusse fans inform him that Bricuse was recycling an aborted project from the early 70's.

I'm not a J&H fan, and the too-numerous songs he creates for Hollywood are almost always forgettable.

Leslie, what happened? (For that matter, Tim Rice, what happened?_

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/22/04 at 8:05pm

I believe the tuneless wonder is in the songwriters Hall of Fame. Not bad

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/22/04 at 8:58pm

EXCELLENT lyrics to JEKYLL & HYDE??? Surely you jest. there was nothing excellent about that show. RL Stevenson is rolling in his grave with that one! Just the thought of hearing "Facade" again sends shudders down my back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/22/04 at 9:59pm

Loved J/H but even I must admit that "Murder, Murder" did not do it for me & likewise for "Facade"

[Belter]

Posted: 1/23/04 at 7:24am

Albert Finney was the BEST Scrooge I've ever seen, and I agree that it is seriously underrated. They get every detail right -- all the way from the beginning to the end. What surprises me is how few people know of it.

And I love the music ... from Thank You Very Much to Happiness Is to December the 25th to Beautiful Day ... WOW. My family watches it every Christmas, and we have since the days when they would show it over and over at the local theatre on Christmas Day, so parents could drop kids off ....

Meanwhile, I'm also a big fan of his work from Roar of the Greasepaint and Stop the World and Victor/Victoria ...

I hope his new work is a success ... I don't see the point of not wanting a new musical work to succeed.

[John4763]

Posted: 1/24/04 at 8:27am

So is Bricusse just going to put his 1970 "Scrooge" into a tv movie?

Not a bad idea, since "Scrooge" was pretty good -- just had some flaws (the whole Hell sequence was really terrible and totally without any Dickens precedent whatsoever).

But "Thank You Very Much" has to be one of the most insanely catchy tunes in movie history. I also like "Father Christmas" , "December the 25th", "I Like Life", and "I Hate People".

As for Finney, he's a little too spitty in this film. But somewhere I read that he was brought in after filming started because the original star suddenly had to back out.

[Belter]

Posted: 1/25/04 at 6:29am

Ooooh, that's a good story ... I wonder who it was that backed out?


I mean, don't ya think Stewart whatziname is kicking himself for losing the part of Aragorn?? His loss was Viggo's gain!

[bob8rich]

Posted: 1/25/04 at 6:52am

I don't agree that Bricusse is a "tuneless wonder". He has written some quite beautiful melodies ("You And I" from "Goodbye, Mr Chips"; "Where Are The Words" from "Doctor Doolittle"; etc. and many wonderful songs that he co-wrote with Anthony Newley). But I have to say that I found the score to the stage musical, "Scrooge", decidedly tuneless. Alan Menken's "A Christmas Carol" beats it hands down.