New Book on Magoo's Christmas Carol..And an appreciation..

Cover of "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol:The making of the First Animated Christmas Special" by Darrell Van Citters


TV Guide Timex ad for the first showing of Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol


TV Guide Closeup



Cover For The Akron Beacon Journal's "TV Preview" dated Sunday, December 16, 1962 featuring Jim Backus, the Voice of Magoo..The Cleveland Press and Plain Dealer were in the midst of a long Newspaper strike and were not publishing..The strike would last until Spring 1963.



TV Preview "Program Highlights" for Tuesday, December 18, 1962. As I mention every so often, you can click on pictures to make them readable..

In Our first Christmas season post, I would like to do two things..First call your attention to a brand new book by Darrell Van Citters, Animation Producer and historian on one of the more beloved Christmas TV Specials of the 1960's..And second share a little historical background about the time this special premiered and some personal thoughts on the production..

The book, self-published by Mr. Van Citters and released October 1, 2009, is titled "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol:The Making of the First Animated Christmas Special"..This is a coffee-table sized book that one can tell is a labor of love for Darrell..He spent the last several years talking to surviving cast and crew about the making of the special, and also gathered hundreds of photographs, drawings and animation cels to illustrate the book..He examines the History behind the making of the special, going back to Magoo's beginnings at UPA Productions in 1949. He also goes into the circumstances behind the decline of UPA theatrical animation leading to the early 1960's TV Magoo's (aired in Cleveland on WEWS-5)..He shares Producer Lee Orgel's hitting on the idea of Magoo as Scrooge in Spring 1961 and struggling to sell the special to sponsors and networks..This is all done in a very readable style..If you are a Magoo fan I heartily recommend this book..What may be an indication of its value..copies are already becoming "Collectible" on some online store sites..For a first effort, Mr. Van Citters has done very well indeed..

As good as the book is, I will admit to being biased, as I very much have loved the Magoo special from the time I first saw it as a child of 8 in 1965..possibly earlier then that..The UPA-style simplicity of the animation, along with superb voice acting and wonderful songs by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill should have made this a classic along the lines of Rudolph, Frosty, etc..Sadly, NBC only aired the special from 1962-67 and subsequent cable airings badly edited the special, to the point of cutting one of the most important songs out of the special..Just to put more commercials in..Very sad indeed..There have been a couple of DVD releases of Magoo's Carol, though I am hoping that through the book, enough interest would be shown that an ultimate DVD set would be done..



"Its Great To Be Back on Broadway" The Opening of Mr, Magoo's Christmas Carol..Also cut from some syndication prints..



"The Lord's Bright Blessing" (Reprise) Leading to the end of the special (Not shown here) where Magoo "brings down the house"-Literally!



As noted above, both Cleveland Newspapers were on strike, so there were extra newscasts on the Cleveland Stations..Mike Douglas had just finished his first year on KYW-TV 3..Romper Room was featured weekdays at 9:30 followed by Paige Palmer at 10AM on WEWS-TV 5..WJW-TV 8 had B'Wana Don at 9AM and Jack LaLanne at 9:30..

TV Guide Listings:
Tuesday, December 18, 1962

Cleveland
3-KYW-NBC
5-WEWS-ABC
8-WJW-CBS

Akron
49-WAKR-ABC

Youngstown
21-WFMJ-NBC
27-WKBN-CBS
33-WKST-ABC

C=Color Program

5:50
3 News

5:55
3 Farm Fare

6AM
3 Columbia Lectures
21 Continental Classroom

6:30
3-21 Continental Classroom-C

6:50
8 Meditation

6:55
8 News

7AM
3-21 Today
8 College Of The Air

7:25
27 College Of The Air

7:30
8 Rex Humbard

7:45
8 Clutch Cargo

7:55
8 News

8AM
8-27 Captain Kangaroo

8:55
5 News

9AM
3 Woodrow-Clay Conroy
5 Western Reserve Univ. Telecourse-French
8 B'wana Don
21 People Are Funny
27 Romper Room
33 Kartoon Showtime

9:30
3 Best Of Groucho
5 Romper Room
8 Jack LaLanne
21 Leave It To The Girls


10AM
3 Felix The Cat
5 Paige Palmer
8 As The World Turns
21 Say When-Art James
27 Calendar-Harry Reasoner

10:25
21 NBC News-Edwin Newman

10:30
3-21 Play Your Hunch-Robert Q. Lewis-C-Guest:Agnes Moorehead
8-27 I Love Lucy
33 Yoga For Health

10:45
5 Cleveland TV Classroom

10:55
49 News

11AM
3-21 Price Is Right-Bill Cullen-C
5-33-49 Jane Wyman
8 Dale Young Time-Variety
27 McCoys (Real McCoys)

11:30
3-21 Concentration-Hugh Downs
5-33-49 Yours For A Song-Bert Parks
27 Pete And Gladys-Just off CBS Primetime

Noon
3 News
5 News-Randy Culver
8-27 Love Of Life
21 Your First Impression-Bill Leyden-C Morey Amsterdam (One of the voices in Magoo's Carol), Joyce Jameson and Robert Horton
33-49 Tennessee Ernie Ford

12:10
5 Noon Show-Capt. Penny

12:25
8-27 CBS News-Harry Reasoner

12:30
3 Mike Douglas
8 Search For Tomorrow
21 Truth Or Consequences-Bob Barker
27 News-Al DePetro
33-49 Father Knows Best

12:35
27-Movie-Odette-English 1951

12:45
8 Guiding Light

12:55
21 NBC News-Ray Scherer

1PM
5 One O Clock Club-Bill Gordon, Dorothy Fuldheim
8 Adentures In Paradise
21 News
33 Susie (Private Secretary)
49 Movie-Two Girls and A Sailor Pt. 2-1944

1:15
21 Kitchen Corner-Marjorie Mariner

1:30
33 Our Miss Brooks

2PM
3-21 Merv Griffin-C
8-27 Password-Allen Ludden-Guests:Teresa Brewer, Darren McGavin
33-49 Day In Court

2:25
33-49 ABC News-Alex Drier

2:30
5-33-49 Seven Keys
8-27 House Party-Art Linkletter

2:55
3-21 NBC News-Floyd Kalber

3PM
3-21 Loretta Young
5-33-49 Queen For A Day-Jack Bailey
8-27 Millionaire

3:30
3-21 Young Dr. Malone
5-33-49 Who Do You Trust?-Woody Woodbury
8-27 To Tell The Truth-Bud Collyer-Guests:Skitch Henderson, Joan Fontaine, Phyllis Newman, Sam Levenson

3:55
8-27 CBS News-Douglas Edwards

4PM
3-21 Make Room For Daddy
5 Love That Bob!(Bob Cummings Show)
8-27 Secret Storm
33-49 American Bandstand-Dick Clark

4:30
3 Barnaby, Popeye and Friends-Linn Sheldon
5-33-49 Discovery '62
8 Edge Of Night
21 Here's Hollywood
27 Club 27-David Allan

4:45
27 Stanley

4:55
5-49 American Newsstand-Bill Lord
21 NBC News-Sander Vanocur
33 Casper and Company

5PM
5 Five O Clock Show-Capt. Penny
8 Mickey Mouse Club
21 Movie-King Dinosaur-1955
49 Movie-The Secret Six-1951

5:05
3 Movie-The Kid From Texas-1939

5:15
33 Double Three Ranch

5:30
8 Movie-Six-Day Bike Rider-1934

6PM
8 News-Ken Armstrong
27 Quick Draw McGraw
33 Hopalong Cassidy

6:05
8 Movie Continues

6:15
21 Century Milestones

6:20
5 Mr. Jingeling

6:25
21 Weather

6:30
3 News-Bill Jorgensen
5 Dorothy Fuldheim
21-27-33 News
49 Sheriff's Report-Akron

6:40
3 Weather-Dick Goddard-Still at WJW-8, where he has been over 43 years
49 Sports-Bob Wylie

6:45
3-21 NBC News-Huntley/Brinkley
5 News-Tom Field
27 CBS News-Walter Cronkite
33-49 ABC News-Ron Cochran

6:55
5 Weather-Carloyn Johnson
8 Weather-Howard Hoffman

7PM
3 Wyatt Earp
5-21 Hennesey (syndication-different episodes)
8 City Camera-Doug Adair
27 Peter Gunn
33 Broken Arrow
49 News-Jack Fitzgibbons

7:10
8 Sports-John Fitzgerald

7:15
8 CBS News-Walter Cronkite
49 Weather-Bill McKay

7:20
49 Talk Of The Town

7:30
3-21 Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol-C-SPECIAL
5-33-49 Combat!
8 New Loretta Young Show-CBS
27 Phil Silvers-Bilko

8PM
8-27 Lloyd Bridges Show

8:30
3-21 Empire-C
5-33 Hawaiian Eye
8-27 Red Skelton-Guests:Gordon, Sheila MacRae
49 TV Hour Of Stars (The Akron Beacon Journal Listings showed The Bach Christmas Oratorio, with the Akron University Orchestra and Chorus and The University of Akron Singers-This is likely what was aired)

9:30
3-21 Dick Powell
5 Expedition!
8-27 Jack Benny
33-49 Untouchables

10PM
5 Stump The Stars-CBS Monday 10:30-Mike Stokey
Regulars:Sebastian Cabot, Diana Dors, Beverly Garland, Ross Martin
guests:Ruta Lee and Rawhide stars Eric Fleming, Clint Eastwood and Paul Brinegar

Note:Interesting that 5 is carrying a CBS program being an ABC affiliate..and the show,to some point is basically a promo for Rawhide on CBS.

8-27 Garry Moore-Variety

10:30
3-21 Chet Huntley
5-33-49 Bell and Howell Closeup-SPECIAL

11PM
3 News-Bill Jorgenson
5 News-Tom Field, Joel Daly
8-27 News-Warren Guthrie (Sohio Reporter)
21 News
33-49 ABC News-Bill Shadel

11:10
3 Weather-Dick Goddard
8 City Report-Doug Adair
27 News-Ken Thomas
33 News-Don Parcher
49 News-Akron

11:15
3 Steve Allen
5 Tonight-Johnny Carson-C
8 TV Editorial-Norman Wagy
27 Sports-Don Gardner
49 Movie-Live, Love And Learn-1937

11:18
8 Sports-John Fitzgerald

11:23
8 Movie-The Crusades-1935

11:25
27 Movie-Seminole Uprising-1955
33 Movie-The Importance of Being Earnest-English-1952

11:30
21 Tonight-Johnny Carson-C

12:45
3 Movie-The Bachelor Father-1930

1AM
5 News

1:43
8 Movie-Gambling On The High Seas-1940