ALWAYS GETTING SCROOGED; HUNT IS DRAWN TO 'CAROL'.

Byline: Reed Johnson Staff Writer

Having played literature's most memorable miser on at least five different occasions, William Dennis Hunt is at last ready to answer those tough questions pertaining to Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Ebenezer Scrooge but Were Too Busy Wrapping Presents to Ask.

Namely, what exactly is ``smoking bishop''? A new cigarette brand for those with, um, catholic tastes?

``Smoking bishop is essentially mulled wine,'' replies Hunt, who's starring as Scrooge in A Noise Within's new production of ``A Christmas Carol,'' which wraps up a brief run with two shows today at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex at California State University, Los Angeles.

Hunt's expertise on Charles Dickens' seasonal classic was acquired in two ways. First, he keeps a copy of the annotated ``A Christmas Carol,'' which explains the story's various topical references. ``Smoking bishop'' appears near the end of the tale, when the newly reformed Scrooge vows to Bob Cratchit that they'll discuss Cratchit's future that very afternoon ``over a bowl of smoking bishop.''

``I still don't know what 'greasy offal' is, though,'' Hunt says. ``I don't think I want to know.''

The other reason for Hunt's authoritativeness is that ``A Christmas Carol'' is, in a particular way, the story of his life and those of many other human beings, he believes.

``It's about change, and I think that strikes a chord in everybody,'' Hunt says. ``I think that's why there's 57,000 productions of it and people keep going to see it. And I think everybody likes a good ghost story, too.''

``As far as Scrooge goes, I've certainly had points in my life where I was withdrawn and isolated and not engaged in the world,'' he continues. ``I won't say that's an easy thing to find, but it's something I can relate to.''

Hunt, 55, a versatile and well-regarded actor, has performed at the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theatre, Pacific Resident Theatre, the Odyssey Theatre and the Matrix Theatre, among other Southern California venues. He was a founding member of The Company Theatre and The Provisional Theatre, both of Los Angeles, and spent much of his early career doing political theater until, he says, he grew tired of it.

This spring, he'll by playing the title role in Shakespeare's ``Cymbeline,'' his fourth production at A Noise Within.

Hunt has performed ``A Christmas Carol'' both on stage and via radio broadcasts, in community theaters and Equity theaters. When A Noise Within co-directors Julia Rodriguez Elliott and Geoff Elliott offered him the chance to do the show again, he jumped.

``I love what Geoff has done with the adaptation because it's all Dickens. You don't need much more than those words. Deborah Strang and Mitch Edmonds and Jill Hill, all these people just give you new things to do,'' he says, referring to his fellow cast members.

Hunt sees Scrooge as a man who's ``beyond selfish'' because he won't even spend money on personal indulgences.

He's also clearly an intelligent man, ``not without wit,'' who ``takes the reluctant leap of faith that he's going to go on this journey whether he likes it or not.''

As for psychological motives, Hunt thinks with Scrooge ``it's a simple matter that he shut out others to protect himself. He got smaller and smaller as he grew older.''

One of the challenges in playing the role, Hunt believes, is not to telegraph Scrooge's miraculous conversion too early.

``It's obvious he's going to be saved. What I'm working with Geoff and Julia on is trying to hang onto some of that cynicism and coldness as long as I can to make the journey more interesting.''

There've been many famous Scrooges, of course, from Albert Finney and George C. Scott to Bill Murray, Patrick Stewart and Mr. Magoo.

But Hunt has no trouble naming his favorite as Alastair Sim, who starred in the 1951 British movie version.

``Mostly because of the joy he took in the rediscovery of his life, his wakeup scene,'' Hunt says. ``I have no qualms in saying I was heavily influenced by it. If you're going to steal, steal from the best.''

Hunt says he performed his first Scrooge at age 19, unless you count the abridged interpretation he gave to an audience of one when he was 10 or 11 years old.

``My father shot this little 8mm film of me doing the (door) knocker scene. That film still exists for me. And no one is ever going to see it.''

Maybe not. But some of those long-ago spirits are alive and present with the man who would be Scrooge.

``My father, with whom I had a very checkered relationship all my life, was the one who turned me on to this book. He gave me 'A Christmas Carol' when I was 10 years old. And as difficult a relationship as I had with him, I always think somehow that I'm honoring his memory by doing this.''

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Photo: (1 -- 2) Actor William Dennis Hunt plays Ebenezer Scrooge in the Noise Within production of ``A Christmas Carol,'' at Cal State L.A.'s Luckman Fine Arts Complex.