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Donner’s Pass

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Faster than you can say “I’ve got a relative in the biz,” Michael O’Keefe was out and Bill Murray’s brother John was in the major supporting role of Bill’s screen bro in Paramount’s “Untitled Bill Murray Film” (a.k.a. “Scrooge”), shooting in NYC. You might suspect nepotism, but a rep for producer-director Dick Donner insists it was Donner who originally wanted John Murray. But John, star of the Fox flop, “Moving Violation,” had a scheduling conflict at the time, the spokeswoman explained.

“Dick wanted Murrays in the picture,” she added. “He cast Bill’s brother, Brian Doyle, as his father in a flashback and his brother-in-law, Bruce Jarchow, as a television executive. When John became available, he explained the situation to Michael . . . and they agreed to the change.”

O’Keefe shot only one scene before he was immediately replaced and the scene re-filmed with John Murray that night, according to another source.

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The Donner spokeswoman said O’Keefe probably was paid in full. O’Keefe’s publicist said he was out of the country.

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