Scrooge (Mr. Magoo) with Tiny Tim (Gerald McBoing-Boing).
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.
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.
Songs
Music by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill; orchestrations and instrumental music by Walter Scharf
- It's Great to be Back on Broadway
- Ringle, Ringle
- The Lord's Bright Blessing
- Alone in the World
- Winter Was Warm
- We're Descipible (The Plunderer's March)
Cast
| Voice actor | Character |
| 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 (Gerald McBoing-Boing) Ghost of Christmas Past |
| John Hart | Billings Stage Manager Milkman |
| Jane Kean | Belle |
| Marie Matthews | Young Scrooge |
| Laura Olsher | Mrs. Cratchit |
| Les Tremayne | Ghost of Christmas Present |
The Making Of...
Darrell Van Citters, owner of Renegade Animation, wrote a book released in 2010 that takes a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the first prime time animated Christmas Special.
Rights
The program was originally held by United Producers Associates, along with the rest of the "Mr. Magoo" library. As of 2010, Classic Media, formerly known as Entertainment Rights, are the rights holders.
External Links
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