Grouchy? Vent Vicariously with Classic Grumps By Malayna Dawn l Scrooge l Ralph Kramden l Archie Bunker l Sherlock Holmes l Grumpy Cat l Grumpy Actors l Movies Featuing Grumpy People

Great Grumps and Their Lessons

Grumps, grouches and curmudgeons are some of our favorite characters of TV and film, but why? They must satisfy something within us, or they wouldn’t be so popular. It could be that they say what we may be thinking, but don’t dare to say out loud, allowing us to explore things that would otherwise go unspoken. Though we may be feeling like they act, when it’s taken to the extreme, we can laugh at it, and laugh at ourselves, too. They don’t sugar-coat things, so they seem more realistic, and we feel like they’re being honest, especially with rare compliments. In some cases, they get away with their aberrant behavior because they’re really good at something. They make us think, they make us laugh, let’s see what else we can learn from these classic grumps.

Grumbling Worker Bee - Ralph Kramden

The model for the animated, stone-age Fred Flintstone, this loud, grumpy was frustrated by the challenges of working folks in 1950’s Brooklyn, looking for schemes to quick wealth, and doing his best to enjoy life with his wife and his best friend and neighbor. Female version: Roseanne, from the show of the same name, was the delightfully flawed and irreverent mom in an Illinois working-class family in the late 80’s and early 90’s. They represented real people with real issues that audiences could relate to, seeing themselves in the same situations, and laughing along. Antidote: Loving connection makes you richer than money ever could.

Cold Hearts Can Be Warmed - Scrooges

Ebenezer Scrooge is so well-known for his mistaken emphasis on wealth over connection that we don’t even need to describe him, but the good news is that we know he turned his life and his heart around. Similar characters have had different reasons for their grumpy attitudes, but all gave in to love in the end: The Grinch, Severus Snape, “St.” Vincent, Mr. Frederickson from UP, and Jack Nicholson’s character in As Good As It Gets. Female versions include: Maggie Smith as Downton Abbey’s Dowager Countess Violet Crawley AND in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel; Shirley Maclaine in Steel Magnolias, Rumor Has It and Downton Abbey and Vanessa Williams in A Diva’s Christmas Carol and in Ugly Betty. Antidote: Let love direct your life.