Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

Just as there are different DVD versions of the silent NOSFERATU vampire movie with the KINO DVD version being at least one of the best DVD copies of this old classic horror film with a great original composed music score, so there is more then one DVD version of this classic Christmas favorite! I only just found out that MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL was the first made for TV Christmas special and so it began a long list of Christmas favorites from Rankin Bass's RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED RHEINDEER, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS and so on and so on. I recorded this special last year on to DVD with my DVD recorder off an NBC broadcast. But when I played it back I was dissapointed because all the min. of Mr. Magoo driving his car to Broadway to play his Scrooge role in a theater and the gags showing his near sightedness messing up the play's directer were cut out! This has been an increasing problem when modern TV show old programs that come from a time when there were much less commercials! Even the SIMPSONS have been a victim of this when episodes of that series are rerun in the early evening on FOX network! THE SIMPSONS started out with episodes that were 24 min. long without the commercials. But as the ads increased the episodes decreased in length to 21 min. So the older episodes were edited down for increased advertising! So it's only on DVD sets that you get all the episodes uncut! When I spotted the MAGOO CHRISTMAS CAROL on DVD on TCM SHOP website I thought I would get it uncut, but TCM admitted that their recording was missing the Broadway framing that showed Magoo was performing a Broadway play! TCM said," There are no existing versions showing this framing device!" But wait, when I discovered the same special title was advertised on amazon.com I discovered that another MAGOO CHRISTMAS CAROL DVD with a different cover and a longer running time exists! It's a 2004 DVD release sold by sellers on the amazon site that IS NOT the 2011 edited down release! This dvd 1 disc set has a scowling, angry Magoo as Scrooge on the cover in close up with the Cratchet family shown below him. This older DVD has the complete U.P.A. special with the Broadway gags and a remastered picture with vibrant colour! The cover also says the special is 60 min. long. The edited Dvd cover says 52 min. long! There's also a Magoo cartoon short with Magoo meeting Gerald Mc Boing Boing. And Gerald is back to his talking with just sound effects! It's as Tiny Tim that Gerald actually spoke in english! The U.P.A. team must have thought of the cartoon short: STAGE DOOR MAGOO which showed Magoo performing in a stage opera for the theater background of MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL. (See my review of MAGOO'S THEATRICAL SHORTS on amazon.com) Anyway getting this dvd was very satisfying and nostalgic! The remastered colour brings out the bright, vivid colour textures in the 2D backrounds that became a trademark of U.P.A 's modern art design and it shows their ability to be able to say a lot visually with very little detail! It's an interesting contrast to the beautifully detailed Richard William's A CHRISTMAS CAROL special which in my opinion, is the most incredible hand drawn animated Christmas special I have ever seen!! It's hand drawn animation is a spectacular version of the detailed illustrations that illustrated early books of Dicken's CHRISTMAS CAROL! The characters look like Daumier caracatures in exquisite detail! Check out this video on You Tube to see what I mean! I want this special on DVD so much!!! Are you listening CLASSIC MEDIA?!! Interesting that Mr. Magoo's portrayal of Scrooge brings him back full circle to his being a crotchety old coot in his first short RAGTIME BEAR! So if you want this special as it was originally shown get the "Bah Humbug!" expression Magoo Scrooge cover DVD NOT the smiling Magoo Scrooge cover! I got mine for $19.00 plus $ 7.00 expedited shipping from seller california books! I LOVE the ending of the special with Magoo taking a bow with his back to the audience and when he brought out the play directer his foot got tangled in the backdrop ropes which caused the backrounds to fall CRASH on the directer as the directer said, " OH NO!!!" Mr. Magoo got the last word as he said,"Oh Magoo ! You've DONE IT AGAIN! You've brought the house down!!" This part IS MISSING from the 2011 release!!

I rarely see this broadcast on TV if ever at all, this is a good way to watch. This is one of the best animated specials along with Rudolph, Frosty and Santa Clause is Coming to Town. Has several memorable songs. I was happy to find this on Amazon

I loved this movie when I was a kid and still like it today. That was over sixty years ago

Who does not like Mr. Magoo! I remember this as a kid and watched it every year on television. When I got older I bought the VHS and now have the DVD. Fun movie to watch.

I am one of 5 siblings who absolutely LOVE this cartoon version of Dickens' classic; we watched it on Dec 18th, 1962 (Network premiere) and have followed it ever since. Yes, it's mostly due to the MUSIC...not only the great songs written by one of Broadway's best teams at the height of their fame, but the FABULOUS BACKGROUND SCORE by Walter Scharf as well....it is beautifully shaped to the emotional flow of the drama and exquisite in it's orchestral textures and sounds (check the moment when Magoo/Scrooge's bed curtains flash with light to reveal the Ghost of Christmas Past----we hear (in quick succession) tympani and xylophone, a metallic rattle of the sistrum, and a luminous "ahh" from the chorus, with a repeated glockenspiel note, as the chorus recedes into a tranquil hum. Superb stuff, which Mr. Scharf had to create in a big hurry to meet the production deadline! The high, divided string writing during the second verse of "I'm All Alone in the World" and the touching harmonies and colorings of "The Lord's Bright Blessing" are but a few of the brilliant highlights of this (almost continuous) score--a real feast for the ear (and heart!) Incidentally, "The Lord's Bright Blessing" was released on a Nick at Nite CD entitled "A Classic Cartoon Christmas Too" in 1997 with OK sound. Why, oh Why has the full soundtrack NEVER been released???? The endlessly overused term "CLASSIC" really applies to this one! Regarding the casting of the voices---what's all of this "June Foray" stuff??? She's NOT in the cast---it's a mistake that's being perpetuated via the internet. Her name is NOT listed in the credits, and the voice which she supposedly does (Ghost of Christmas Past) is OBVIOUSLY read by the same actress who does Tiny Tim--Joan Gardner. Then there's the over-hype of Morey Amsterdam, who was very popular at the time---- but he has exactly TWO BRIEF LINES in the entire show (as Brady, the businessman-in-the-middle during the Future scene). Regarding Royal Dano, the impressive actor whose superb rendering of Jacob Marley's lines is one of the highlights of this version----I had the pleasure of spending THREE HOURS with Mr. Dano in his Santa Monica living room in September of 1988. He had an incredibly VIVID memory of his 40 year career in stage, TV and movie production, and could recall the tiniest detail about anything he had appeared in. His comments on "Magoo's Christmas Carol" were quite fascinating. FYI-- he also does the SINGING voice ( not the speaking voice) of the Pawn-Shop owner in the bizarre "We're Despicable" number. The more time passes, the greater this version of Dickens' classic becomes, The producers, writers, composers, and artists all wanted a simple, warm, and intimate version of the story, and boy--are we lucky they did! LR

great Xmas classic, especially for those born in the 50's , early 60's. Mr. Magoo, he's done it again

Molto bello peccato non sia in italiano

What a pleasure to watch this again after so long - and before I give to my nephew for Christmas - my childhood cane flooding back

Lang, lang ists her, dass ich diese besondere Version des Weihnachts-Klassikers von Charles Dickens im amerikanischen Fernsehen gesehen habe - damals noch mit geringen Englisch-Kenntnissen. Den deutschen Zeichentrick-Fans ist der kurzsichtige Mr.Magoo allerdings nur aus seinen Kurzfilmen bekannt. Hier übernimmt er also als Schauspieler die Rolle des hartherzigen Ebenezer Scrooge, der die Bedeutung des Weihnachtsfestes erst durch den Besuch von drei Geistern lernen muss. Ein netter, kleiner Cartoon für alle Freunde von Trickfiguren - es muss ja nicht immer Disney sein... Allerdings sollte man schon etwas (amerikanisches) Englisch verstehen. Ansonsten, eine Reise in die kindliche Weihnachtswelt - immer wieder gerne.

I bought this as a gift for my mom, who saw it’s original run back in 1962 at the age of 8. It came in great condition, with out a spec of dust or fingerprints. Thank you

This was my first introduction to this classic Dickens story, It's reasonably faithful to the book, & apart from the happy memories it evokes it cost next to nothing. I can't ask for more than that!