The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo — Season 1, Episode 28: Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

Episode synopsis

Mr. Magoo plays an actor who has auditioned for the part of 'Scrooge' in Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol'. This play within a movie was the inspiration for the popular 'Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo' series and is considered by some to be an unofficial Pilot. Includes a magical soundtrack from Jules Styne and Bob Merrill ('Funny Girl' Soundtrack), and features Jim Backus, as everyone's favorite near-sighted grump, Mr. Magoo. Backus is probably best recognized by non-'Magoo' fans for his work on one of the most popular sitcoms in television history, 'Gilligan's Island'. Backus played the snobby, yet likable millionaire, Thurston Howell III, and although the series lasted only 3 seasons on CBS, it lives on forever in syndication, and every day it is being introduced to new audiences all around the world. Yes, Jim Backus was one of the few actors to do it all, radio, Broadway, movies, television and cartoons, and everything he did, he excelled at. He has his own star on the Hollywood

About The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo

The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo is an animated television series, produced by United Productions of America, which aired for one season. The television series was based on the original cartoon of the same name, with Jim Backus reprising the voice over of the role he did on TV: while doing this show, he continued with the prime time show Gilligan's Island. Unlike the theatrical cartoons, which focused on the extremely nearsighted Quincy Magoo's bumbling, the show featured the Magoo character as an actor in adaptations of such literary classics as Don Quixote and Gunga Din. Each of these roles was played seriously, with few if any references to Magoo's nearsightedness; however, introductory segments in each program featured Magoo backstage stumbling into scenery and talking to props, thus connecting the older cartoons to this series. Some stories were contained in a single half-hour episode, but others ran to two and even four episodes. As UPA did not have its own studio facility the production was farmed out to the Grantray-Lawrence and Format Films studios. Among the most ambitious adaptations mounted in this format were the four-part Robin Hood, in which he took the role of Friar Tuck; Treasure Island, in which he played the villainous Long John Silver; and a version of Snow White in which he portrayed all seven dwarves.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Mr. Magoo's Wlliam Tell
• E2Mr. Magoo's Treasure Island Part 1
• E3Mr. Magoo's Treasure Island Part 2
• E4Mr. Magoo's Gunga Din
• E5Mr. Magoo's Moby Dick
• E6Mr. Magoo's The Three Musketeers Part 1
• E7Mr. Magoo's The Three Musketeers Part 2
• E8Mr. Magoo's Robin Hood Part 1
• E9Mr. Magoo's Robin Hood Part 2
• E10Mr. Magoo's Robin Hood Part 3
• E11Mr. Magoo's Robin Hood Part 4
• E12Mr. Magoo's Don Quixote de la Mancha Part 1