"Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" Punch-Out Book (1963)

"Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" Punch-Out Book (1963)
Golden Press

One of the things brought to my attention by the book "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol, The Making of the First Animated Christmas Special" by Darrell Van Citters is that there was a merchandising tie-in to the special back in the day.

In 1963, Golden Press published a "punch-out" book based on the special, the idea being that you could punch out characters from the book and set up little scenes.

I don't know how many of these were floating around in 1963, but I imagine that a lot of them were punched out, as that's what you were supposed to do.

Some fun artwork, very on-model:

Is it just me, though, or does Belinda look a little too, ummm, shall we say, sophisticated?

Anyway, so, now when I get that time machine, I'll grab 29¢ (plus tax) and go back to 1963! Oh, and I'll bring an extra 29¢ and see if I can grab one of these too:

So much fun for 29¢ back then!

"Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol, The Making of the First Animated Christmas Special" (2020) - Darrell Van Citters

"Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol, The Making of the First Animated Christmas Special" (2020)
Author: Darrell Van Citters

So, this authoritative book on "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" is now back in print in a softcover edition, revised in 2020.

And if, like me, you got some gift cards over the holidays, the math is simple: you need to get your mitts on this!

I've been aware of earlier editions for a while, but they tended to sell out quickly (usually before I was even aware) and people that have it aren't likely to part with it, so it's good to see it back!

There's a tremendous amount of material here. Just a great job by Darrell Van Citters.

I really like the production sketches that show how the project evolved.

Early versions of the script did include Fred, who is famously not in the show, as well as Fan, who was expendable because you don't need Fred's mother without Fred. (SPOILER ALERT: Fred does not look like Waldo!)

They were dropped early on it seems, but a sequence showing Belle with her family was apparently deleted fairly late. That explains the abrupt cut at the end of the Christmas Past sequence when the spirit says "one shadow more," but the scene ends without that shadow.

I think this definitively ends the argument I've heard/read occasionally that there's some longer version of the special that did include Belle family segment. It was never included in the finished project, but some people are "misremembering" as they had seen a similar scene in another version.

It's like the famous lost "spider pit" scene from "King Kong" (1933) that people insist they've seen on TV.

There are lots of other interesting things that I won't give away, but there's one takeaway for me that was surprise:

The Cratchit daughter is Belinda! I always thought it was Martha, as she seems fully grown, but character sketches identify her as Belinda. There are some preliminary sketches for Martha, but she was not included. Maybe so there would be fewer characters to animate?

So, for tons of fascinating tidbits, this book is highly recommended!

Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962) (Part 3)

So, before we say goodbye to Mister Magoo for now, it's time for some wacky observations!

It's fun to have the bookends of Mister Magoo being his nearsighted self, including driving around in his Stutz Bearcat. It's kind of like the musical was plopped into one of his regular cartoons. He even gets to say his catchphrase, "Ah, Magoo you've done it again!" at the end. I think it's a really neat way to get the audience into the whole thing.

I recall sometimes seeing the special on TV and the bookends were omitted for additional commercials. Very disappointing. It's even worse than Shermey's one line getting cut out of "A Charlie Brown Christmas!"

That's why I only will watch these things on DVD or streaming!

Magoo does a good job of covering up his nearsightedness while acting in his role, but it's fun that the Ghost of Christmas Present makes a reference to Scrooge being too cheap to buy a pair of spectacles.

It's also amusing when he does his typical Mister Magoo-ness after he wakes up on Christmas morning. It fits the jovial mood well.

Being a cartoon, there are certain liberties taken with the idea of this being a Broadway show. Some of the effects would be really hard to pull off. But in a cartoon world, a lot of things are possible, such as the ghosts being transparent and walking through walls with Scrooge.

But my biggest question is who plays young apprentice-age Scrooge? It's not Quincy Magoo, right? He's still on the stage as old Scrooge! But this other actor is perfect for the part. Some other relative more competent than Waldo? Hmmm...

And is the undertaker in the plunderers' scene actually Worcestershire, the butler of Mister Magoo's rich uncle? It kinda looks like him, with a bit of makeup. Did Magoo get him the part?

And are cartoon actors more expensive than live-action ones? Is this why we have only four Cratchit kids instead of six? There's Tiny Tim plus two other boys, one of whom is presumably Peter, but only one daughter. She seems fully grown, so she must be Martha, but none of the other kids are called by name.

And on the subject of families, we do not see Fan during the scene where young Ebenezer is at school. He does write "Sis" on the chalkboard in addition to "Poppa" and "Moma." So, is "Sis" Fan? And is his mother still around?

These are thing we may never know, as it's notoriously difficult to get info out of cartoon stars!

An interesting thing I found while digging around the internet is this TV Guide listing from 1964, which would be the third airing of the special. Jane Kean is listed as Belle Fezziwig! They don't mention in the show that Belle is supposed to be Fezziwig's daughter. She's not his daughter in the book, although she is in some adaptations. Was there some mention of this in an earlier draft of the script and that's what TV Guide used in their original listing which had not been updated? Hmmm...

A wacky throwaway bit is the Ghost of Christmas Present opening the door for Bob and Tiny Tim to enter their house. Bob goes right on through like it's an everyday occurrence and the family doesn't think it's odd either! This actually makes sense within the context of the show, though. They want Bob to come in quickly, but since he's carrying Tiny Tim, he might've had trouble with the door. Problem solved due to an obliging spirit!

A neat touch in this scene with a clever special effect is Scrooge flashing back to himself making the "surplus" population remark rather than the ghost repeating it to him. Scrooge strokes his chin as he recalls this and it's another powerful moment!

Scrooge was obviously paying attention during this scene, as he remembered to bring razzleberry dressing and woofle jelly cakes in addition to a Christmas tree when he surprised that Cratchits on the "real" Christmas Day. Good for him!

That scene at the end is interesting in other ways. We get to see more of the Cratchits' dinner before Scrooge comes in, including the toast that Mrs. Cratchit objects to. And it's good to see the turkey cooked and ready to eat for a change.

I also find the curtain call at the end of the show to interesting. It's fun to see the actors come out to take their bows. Interesting, though, in that the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is not there, however. Nor is Martha, although the other Cratchits are. Hmmm...

And don't sleep on the door knocker breaking the fourth wall and winking at us!

So, to sum up, what we have here is a cartoon adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" with more emotional depth than most straight dramas  and better songs than most musicals. Throw in some well-timed comic moments, and you've got a real classic! Those Magooverse critics were right!

Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962) (Part 2)

So, the credits of "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" include a disclaimer that it's "freely adapted from Dickens' "A Christmas Carol.'"

This would seem to imply that it's not a particular faithful adaptation. But is it?

Well, yes and no. Being a cartoon that's not trying not to be a cartoon, it's surprisingly sensitive toward the original material and has some pretty dramatic moments. But, there are always a few omissions and additions in  various versions. I'm presuming most of the omissions were for time constraints, as they needed to keep the special within the one hour time slot (with commercials) and still have the big musical numbers.

So, what do we have (or don't have) here...

The most notable omission comes right off the bat. There's no nephew. That's big. Almost every version includes the nephew, as the contrast between his Christmas cheer and Scrooge's lack thereof has a lot to do with establishing Scrooge's character.

What's interesting is that in the Magooverse, Mister Magoo actually does have a nephew - Waldo! He appears with him in many of his cartoons, starting with the first, "Ragtime Bear" (1949). Did Waldo audition for this show and was so bad that the producers dropped the nephew angle entirely? What did Waldo think when they told him they were going in a different direction?

We do have a lot of Scrooginess, though, from the song "Ringle, Ringle," in which Scrooge's love of money is contrasted with Bob Cratchit's lack of coal!

Scrooge also has the usual interplay with the two gentlemen attempting to collect for charity. In a nod to the book, only one of them speaks. Most adaptations have them both speak.

Another thing right out of the book that we don't frequently see is Scrooge seeing Marley's ghost's face in his fireplace in addition to his knocker. Marley is pretty creepy in a cartoon way. Although judging by his portrait, he was no bargain while alive either!

Another big change is more of a reshuffling: The Ghost of Christmas Present is the first to appear! It probably doesn't ultimately really matter that much, but it's interesting.

Since there's no nephew, we only see the Cratchits' Christmas dinner. But, with the extra time, we get a big production number, "The Lord's Bright Blessing" to show how happy they are. And they are! Tiny Tim would really like some razzleberry dressing, though!

I've heard that the reason for the present to be first is so that particular sequence would end about half-way through the special, sort of like the first act. That does make sense and we do see the audience watching the curtain open and close.

The Ghost of Christmas Past makes its arrival as the curtains open. We get a couple of scenes here and they're good. First is the lonely young Ebenezer at school. He sings a song ("Alone in the World") and when old Scrooge starts singing with him, it's powerful. It's not just a cartoon, it's real emotion. I don't think I've ever seen this done better in any form.

Fezziwig's ball lightens the mood and we do get Dick Wilkins as Ebenezer's fellow apprentice. A change from the novel that is extremely common is that Belle is also at Fezziwig's ball.

We know that things with Belle are due to go south, and they do. Belle's sings "Winter Was Warm" and that's another powerful moment. That particular song has a very haunting melody and it's used throughout the score.

Next is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appears. I really like the way this ghost is presented. Since it is a cartoon, it doesn't just seem like a guy in a cloak and it's actually fairly expressive.

We see Scrooge's (former) business acquaintances discussing his death in the usual offhand manner. Then we get the one sequence in the whole thing that I don't like: the selling of his personal items in Old Joe's shop.

I don't like the way the characters are drawn and I don't like the voices! I know it's supposed to be comedic, but it's too cartoony in a cartoon that's otherwise not that cartoony, you know? Their production number seems to last longer than any other in the special as well. I do admit that the title of the song they sing, "The Plunderer's March" is awesome, however. OK, enough about this scene!

Tiny Tim's death is dealt with in a sensitive manner. This show really has some emotional depth!

So, Scrooge wakes up and it's Christmas morning. Since he's a new man and the mood is so cheerful now, we get some business related to Mister Magoo's nearsightedness. Good fun and not overdone.

Scrooge does get it together long enough to buy the big turkey (and this one is big) and have it delivered to Bob Cratchit's house anonymously. He also meets the charity guys and gives them a big bag of coins.

But since he doesn't have a nephew, he needs another Christmas dinner to crash and so goes over to Bob's house pretending to be mad, but raises Bob's salary and joins in the fun, all to a reprise of "The Lord's Bright Blessing."

Most important of all, Tiny Tim finally gets his razzleberry dressing!

So, freely adapted or not, it does a great job all around!

Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962) (Part 1)

Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962)
Director: Abe Levitow
Scrooge: Quincy Magoo

So, now we've looked at two movie adaptations and an audio recording. Let's switch gears and check out a cartoon...

Not just any cartoon, but "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol," a highly regarded version of the story.

So, is it deserving of it's lofty status? Of course it is!

This was apparently the first made-for-TV animated Christmas special, predating "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" by a couple of years. (Hmmm... Those three would make an awesome mini-marathon. I'm totally doing that!)

The special is presented as a Broadway musical and it has some terrific original songs by the well-established Bob Merrill and Jule Styne, who also teamed up for the actual hit Broadway musical "Funny Girl" a couple of years later.

Side note: I've heard the urban legend that the song "People" was written for Mister Magoo, but it was rejected and wound up in "Funny Girl." Or that that he producers wated "People" for Magoo, but Merrill and Styne were saving it!

It's certainly a novelty to have an established cartoon star such as UPA's Mister Magoo appear in a largely serious role, but "he" is actually very well-cast in the role. Hey, Mister Magoo's a two-time Oscar winner, so he's got some cred!

The voice acting of Jim Backus as Magoo as Scrooge is top-notch. You really feel like you're watching Scrooge, not just Mister Magoo playing Scrooge. Not the easiest trick to pull off.

I like to think that in the Magooverse, his series of theatrical and TV cartoons show Quincy Magoo in his everyday life. In this special, we see that same Magoo as an actor on Broadway, which explains the wacky mayhem he causes in the bookends of the special. "The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo" series which followed this special is Magoo acting in a "filmed" TV show rather than a "live" play. We even see him in his dressing room introducing the stories. Makes sense?

A lot has been said over the years that Tiny Tim looks like Gerald McBoing-Boing (star of the groundbreaking 1950 Oscar winning UPA cartoon of the same title), but if it is Gerald, why does he talk? We all know "he doesn't speak words, he goes Boing! Boing! instead." My theory is that in that same Magooverse, the same actor who plays Tiny Tim in the Broadway show plays Gerald McBoing-Boing in the cartoons (which would be live-action to them). So, this actor can talk just fine. Kind of meta, but it works for me!

Besides Jim Backus, we have a lot of other talent voicing the characters.

I remember Jack Cassidy, who plays Bob Cratchit here, as one of those famous-for-being-famous celebrities that seemed so prevalent in the 70s, but I did know that he had a musical background, and not just because he was married to Shirley Jones and was the father of David and Shaun Cassidy! He does a great job here! I would not have known it was him.

We also have prolific voice artist Paul Frees in a bunch of roles. He's versatile, but I can always tell it's him. His best work to me was his Peter Lorre imitation on the old record of "My Old Flame"(1947) by Spike Jones.

The part of Belle is played by Jane Kean, who does a great job with her song "Winter Was Warm" in the Christmas Past sequence. A couple of years after this, she started appearing as "Trixie" in the musical episodes of "The Honeymooners." Jane had a sister, Betty, who was also a performer. Interestingly, Betty Kean had been married to Jim Backus about 20 years prior to this special. Awkward!

We get the great pipes of veteran radio actor Les Tremayne as the Ghost of Christmas Present. I remember him from the Saturday morning show "Shazam!" back in the day.

You can catch Morey Amsterdam (of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" fame) as one or two of the other businessmen in the Christmas Future sequence, but you have to listen for him.

The opening titles say that this was "freely adapted" from the Dickens work. Next up we'll talk about how free it is!