About Old Man Marley
Old Man Marley was an old man, the neighbor of Kevin McCallister and the deuteragonist of the 1990 smash hit film Home Alone. He was played by the late Roberts Blossom.
In the film, Old Man Marley was subject to rumors. He was called “the South Bend Shovel Slayer”, and was said to have murdered his family back in 1958 by Kevin’s older brother Buzz. He was also said to have kept his victims in his garbage can full of salt, and that the salt was supposed to have turned the dead bodies into mummies.
When Kevin walks outside his house while saying he is not afraid anymore, he encounters Marley, and turns and runs back inside his house, afraid.
Later, Kevin goes to the drug store, gets a toothbrush and asks the clerk about whether or not it was approved by the American Dental Association. Marley then comes in while Kevin is checking his pockets to see if he had brought enough cash to buy the toothbrush. Kevin then looks up, sees Marley and backs away a little before running off, while also accidentally taking the toothbrush with him (as he didn’t have time to buy the toothbrush).
When Kevin goes to church, he meets up with Marley again, and they talk. Kevin learns that Marley is actually a nice man, as well as a Christian, a father and a grandfather. Kevin also discovers that Marley didn’t really murder his family like Buzz claimed, but rather had a fight with them — more particularly, his son. Marley tells Kevin that the real reason why he was at church was so he could hear his granddaughter sing, and that he can’t come and hear her tonight. When Kevin asked if that meant he had plans, Marley corrected him, saying that he wasn’t welcome — not at the church (as he believes a person is always welcome at church), but with his son.
According to Marley, years back, before Kevin and his family moved into the neighborhood, he and his son got into an argument for an unknown reason, and told each other they didn’t care to see each other anymore, causing them to become estranged from each other. Kevin asks Marley to call his son, and Marley says he’s afraid to because he thinks his son won’t talk to him. Kevin tells Marley that he used to be afraid of his basement until he turned on the lights, and realized it was no big deal. The point is, Kevin then says, Marley should call his son; whether or not his son talks to him, Marley will know and he won’t be afraid. Kevin tells Marley that he should also do it for his granddaughter, who probably misses him and the presents. Marley tells Kevin that he sent his granddaughter a check for Christmas, and Kevin remarks, “Wish my grandparents did that. They always send me clothes.”
Later, when the Wet Bandits trap Kevin at the Murphys’ house, Marley sneaks in and saves him by knocking the burglars out with his shovel before taking Kevin back home.
At the end of the movie, Kevin walks over to the window, and sees that Marley has taken his advice and reunited with his son, his daughter-in-law and his granddaughter. Seeing Kevin, Marley waves to him, grinning, as a sign of thanking him. Kevin, also smiling, waves back as his way of saying “You’re welcome.”
Finally, Marley turns and goes to his house with his family.
Then and Now
Trivia
In the novelization for Home Alone, Marley chuckles a little before telling Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), “You don’t have to be so scared of me. All that stuff you hear about me — none of it’s true. Just the product of someone’s overactive imagination.”
Where Are They Now?
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