Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
From Christmas Specials Wiki
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| Directed by: | Abe Levitow |
| Written by: | Barbara Chain freely adapted from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol |
| Release date: | December 18, 1962 |
| Running time: | 53 minutes |
| Characters: | |
| Available on: | VHS DVD iTunes |
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol is a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' famous short story A Christmas Carol, and the first animated holiday special ever produced specifically for television. It later became the first episode of a TV series entitled The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, in which the Mr. Magoo character became an actor in dramatizations of various well-known stories.
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[edit] Synopsis
The story is the familiar Dickens tale with Mr. Magoo cast as Scrooge, and Gerald McBoing-Boing (in a rare speaking role) as Tiny Tim. The cartoon is written as a Broadway theatre play, divided into acts with an actual stage curtain. In the often-cut opening and closing, the near-sighted Mr. Magoo arrives at the theatre, takes his bows with the other actors, and accidentally demolishes the stage scenery at the end. The 19th century English characters Ebeneezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, etc., are thus not seen directly, but instead are portrayed by fictional American actors playing their parts. They generally have no British accents. The comic song "We're Despicable" is set at the grimmest part of the drama, and self-consciously breaks into the story.
[edit] Songs
[edit] Cast
- Jim Backus: Ebenezer Scrooge / Mister Magoo
- Morey Amsterdam: Brady, James
- Jack Cassidy: Bob Cratchit
- Royal Dano: Marley's Ghost
- Paul Frees: Fezziwig, Charity Man, Undertaker, Director
- Joan Gardner: Tiny Tim, Ghost of Christmas Past
- John Hart: Billings
- Jane Kean: Belle
- Marie Matthews: Young Scrooge
- Laura Olsher: Mrs. Cratchit
- Les Tremayne: Ghost of Christmas Present
[edit] Rights
The program was originally held by United Producers Associates, along with the rest of the "Mr. Magoo" library. As of 2009, Classic Media, formerly known as Entertainment Rights, are the rights holders.
