Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
Television's first animated Christmas special
Today’s hed gif is a segment from “Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol,” the cartoon adaption of Charles’ Dickens’ 1843 “A Christmas Carol.” It was the first animated Christmas special to be produced specifically for television and aired originally in 1962 on NBC. The plot follows “play within a play” conventions, wherein the ever accident-prone Mr. Magoo has been cast as Ebeneezer Scrooge on a Broadway musical adaption of “A Christmas Carol.” On the way there are mishaps, singing and injuries to the unfortunate director. The re-telling of the story is of course also charming, with a selection of wonderful songs that frame a fairly faithful retelling of Dickens’ original tale. The crowd in attendance loves it, and at the end, Magoo brings down the house (both literally and figuratively).
The animated movie is available to watch at the Dailymotion page linked below, and on several streaming options.
Dailymotion, Mary Raines Reynolds: Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol
Such a charming production.
My family was stationed in Honduras in 1962 but I know we saw it when we came home in 1963. I was 3 years old then. Watched it every year and know every song by heart. It must be a weird thing for kids to watch the first time now because Mr Magoo is an unknown to them. But he had his own cartoon in those days and was voiced by Jim Backus aka Thurston Howell III from Gilligan's Island. Thanks for the nostalgia, Martini.