It's December. The yuletide season. The countdown to Christmas. I had a hankering to see some retro holiday entertainment and I found one of my favorites online. When I was a little boy, Mr. Magoo was a popular cartoon character on TV. He was the spunky senior citizen who needed but never wore glasses as he jauntily squinted through life.
Magoo, voiced by Jim Backus, was featured in a 1962 animated holiday one-hour special that aired on NBC. For a time, it aired annually. MR. MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL was like a show within a show. It had an original score. The sweet, witty songs were written by Jule Style and Bob Merrill. Two years later, they'd write a score for a new Broadway show called FUNNY GIRL starring a Broadway newcomer named Barbra Streisand.
MR. MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL opens with Mr. Magoo singing his joy at being back on Broadway. He's starring in a Broadway show based on Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL. We then go to the theater and see him onstage in the production as Ebenezer Scrooge.
This animated special was so much fun to watch that, in later years, it motivated me to read the famous Charles Dickens novella. Jule Style and Bob Merrill wrote some catchy and touching tunes for it. I loved hearing Tiny Tim sing about his love for turkey "...with razzleberry dressing" in the tune "The Lord's Bright Blessing."
The songs "Alone in the World" and "Winter Was Warm" could be done by a popular singer today like Michael Bublé and find a whole new audience. By the way, Tiny Tim looks a lot like Gerald McBoing-Boing, a classic TV cartoon character sprung from the mind of Dr. Seuss.
You can find MR. MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL on Vimeo, YouTube and Peacock. If you're in a mood for some retro holiday entertainment, I think you'll dig it.
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