Mr. Magoo

Last updated

Mr. Magoo
MagooAndDog.jpg
Mr. Magoo and McBarker from
What's New, Mr. Magoo?
First appearance"The Ragtime Bear" (1949)
Created by
Adapted by
Portrayed by Leslie Nielsen
Voiced by
In-universe information
Full nameJ. Quincy Magoo
Family
  • Linda (mother)
  • Granny (grandmother)
  • Tycoon (uncle)
  • Waldo (nephew)
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Rutgers University

J. Quincy Magoo, better known as Mr. Magoo, is a fictional cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Mr. Magoo is an elderly, wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comical situations as a result of his extreme near-sightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem. However, through uncanny streaks of luck, the situation always seems to work itself out for him, leaving him no worse than before. Bystanders consequently tend to think that he is a lunatic, rather than just being near-sighted. In later cartoons, he is also an actor, and generally a competent one, except for his visual impairment.

Contents

Magoo episodes were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film three times, and received the award twice, for When Magoo Flew (1954) and Magoo's Puddle Jumper (1956).

In 2002, TV Guide ranked Mr. Magoo number 29 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list. [2]

History

Mr. Magoo's first appearance was in the theatrical short cartoon "The Ragtime Bear" (1949), scripted by Millard Kaufman. His creation was a collaborative effort; animation director John Hubley is said to have partly based the character on his uncle Harry Woodruff, [3] and W. C. Fields was another source of inspiration.[ citation needed ] Columbia was reluctant to release the short, but did so, only because it included a bear.[ citation needed ] However, audiences quickly realized that the real star was Magoo, one of the few "human" cartoon characters ever produced in Hollywood at the time.[ citation needed ] The short became a box-office success.

The Magoo character was originally conceived as a mean-spirited reactionary. [4] Hubley, who had created Magoo, handed the series completely over to creative director Pete Burness. Under Burness, Magoo won two Academy Awards for the studio with When Magoo Flew (1954) and Magoo's Puddle Jumper (1956). [5] Burness scrubbed Magoo of his meanness and left only a few strange comments that made him appear senile or somewhat mad. At the same time, art director Sterling Sturtevant, one of the few women working in animation at the time, redesigned the character's appearance. [6] Magoo was frequently accompanied in his on-screen escapades with his nephew Waldo, voiced at various times by either Jerry Hausner or Daws Butler.

In 1957, the record album Magoo in Hi-Fi was released. Side 1 consisted of a dialogue between Magoo and Waldo taking place while Magoo was attempting to set up his new sound system. Music on the album was composed and conducted by Dennis Farnon and his orchestra. Side 2, "The Mother Magoo Suite", was a series of musical pieces which included two solos by Marni Nixon.

In 1959, Mr. Magoo starred in 1001 Arabian Nights , directed by Jack Kinney, UPA's first feature-length production. [7]

In 1994, a Sega Mega Drive game starring Mr. Magoo was in development and planned to be published by Millennium Interactive but never released. [8]

In 1997, the live-action comedy film Mr. Magoo , produced by Walt Disney Pictures and starring Leslie Nielsen as the title character, [9] was released in December, earning bad reviews from critics. [10]

In 2010, a direct-to-video action-comedy film based on the character, Kung Fu Magoo , was released on DVD on May 11, 2010. It features the voices of Jim Conroy, Chris Parnell, Dylan and Cole Sprouse, and Alyson Stoner. [11] The film is a Mexican–American co-production, produced by Classic Media, Ánima Estudios, and Santo Domingo Films. [12] The film was directed by Andrés Couturier. His most recent appearance was in DreamWorks Animation's The Boss Baby , where he briefly appears on the cover of a comic book.

In the 1960s, UPA turned its attention to television, and began producing the series Mister Magoo for the character. Because UPA had shut down its animation studio in 1959, the animation for these cartoons was done by Jack Kinney Productions and Larry Harmon Pictures. The cartoons suffered from varying character designs and choppier animation, due to rushed production schedules. Magoo's nephew Waldo (voiced, as in most of the theatrical cartoons, by Jerry Hausner) was seldom seen with his uncle, now appearing in his own episodes, introduced by a brief phone conversation from Magoo's point of view, which acted as a teaser. The Waldo episodes also featured a slick-talking con man named Prezly, and always ended with a return to Magoo saying, "Oh, that Waldo and Prezly. What'll they be up to next? Hee hee hee!"

Magoo's houseboy Cholly (i.e., "Charlie") took up a lot of Waldo's slack. Cholly was an Asian stereotype with huge buck teeth and comically fractured English pronunciation. Despite his stereotyped appearance and voice, he nonetheless usually plays straight man to Magoo's shenanigans, rather than being a source of humor on his own. He is the "sane" one of the pair. His resourcefulness often saves Magoo from danger.

Still other cartoons featured Tycoon Magoo, voiced by Mel Blanc, and his bumbling assistant Worcestershire.

During the UPA television era came Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol , an abbreviated but largely faithful retelling of Charles Dickens' tale. It was the first ever animated Christmas special made for television and the first hour-long animated TV special and is considered to be a holiday classic of the 1960s, ranking alongside A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! . [13] The special inspired the production of an animated TV series titled The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo , which placed Magoo as an actor in other well-known stories. After an introduction in Magoo's backstage dressing room, Magoo was depicted in such roles as The Count of Monte Cristo , Merlin in an upbeat retelling of the story of King Arthur, Friar Tuck in Robin Hood , and Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream .

In 1970, Mr. Magoo starred as Uncle Sam in the TV special Uncle Sam Magoo .

In the late 1970s, Mr. Magoo appeared in a new Saturday morning CBS television series called What's New, Mr. Magoo? This series was made under license by the DePatie–Freleng studio, as UPA had by this time ceased in-house cartoon production.

Mr. Magoo was planned to have a cameo in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit , but was later dropped for unknown reasons.

Nickelodeon's Weinerville anthologizes most of his shorts.

In 1997, Mr. Magoo was portrayed by Leslie Nielsen in a live-action Mr. Magoo feature film. It failed to find critical or popular success, and some support groups for the disabled, including the National Federation of the Blind, protested it on behalf of the blind and sight-impaired. [14]

A Mexican-U.S. animated feature, Kung-Fu Magoo , was released as a direct-to-DVD release in 2010 and made its TV debut on Disney XD in 2011.

Mr. Magoo helped advertise the General Electric line of products throughout the 1950s and 1960s, [15] sometimes under the name J. Quincy Magoo. [16] In 2005, Mr. Magoo became the spokesman of the optical retail store Sterling Optical. Magoo also was featured in a series of commercials for Stag Beer in the 1960s. Also in the 1960s, the Polaner company sold its line of preserves in jars decorated with images of Mr. Magoo which, when empty, could then be used as drinking glasses.

ASI Entertainment [17] has used Mr. Magoo cartoons to "warm up" audiences when testing television comedy pilots. [18] [19]

Mr. Magoo is an alumnus of Rutgers University, Class of 1928. The reason behind this is that his creators wanted him to be "a college alumnus who was still fired up with the old school spirit [and they felt] Rutgers was the embodiment of the 'old school tie' in America.". [20] He was definitely in a fraternity, since he would often shout out, "Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Rho – Rutgers, Rutgers, Go – Go – Go!"

In 2012, Mr. Magoo appeared in MetLife's "Everyone" commercial during Super Bowl XLVI.

Another television series, simply titled Mr. Magoo , began airing in 2018. [21] Produced by the company Xilam, this series depicts a younger looking Magoo and his pet dog named Mr. Cat (because it meows), who replaces McBarker, the dog depicted in earlier cartoons. [22]

Characters

Theatrical cartoon shorts

The following Mr. Magoo cartoons were either nominees for, or recipients of, the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons):

Home media

On February 8, 2005, Sony BMG Music Entertainment’s former kids and family entertainment division, Sony Wonder (under license from Classic Media) released The Mr. Magoo Show: Complete DVD Collection. [24] This four-disc set featured all 26 uncut episodes of the 1960 series, digitally remastered from original film prints and presented in its original broadcast presentation and order, as well as bonus features. This release has been discontinued and is now out of print.

On November 8, 2011, Shout! Factory (under license from Classic Media) released Mr. Magoo: The Television Collection 1960–1977 on DVD in Region 1. [25] This 11-disc collection contains all the episodes from all three Mr. Magoo television series, including all 26 episodes of The Mister Magoo Show, all 26 episodes of The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, all 16 episodes of What's New, Mister Magoo?, and the prime-time TV special Uncle Sam Magoo, as well as several bonus features.

On December 6, 2011, Sony released the feature film 1001 Arabian Nights on DVD through their Screen Classics manufactured-on-demand (MOD) program, now available through a licensing deal through the Warner Archive Collection.

In 2011, animation historian Jerry Beck announced the release of a Shout! Factory boxed set of the Mr. Magoo theatrical (UPA) shorts, under license from Sony. [26] Originally scheduled for release in 2012, the set was pushed back for two years as Sony remastered some of the cartoons from higher quality sources, including newly discovered elements. [27] The four-disc Mr. Magoo Theatrical Collection, containing all 53 of the Mr. Magoo theatrical shorts distributed by Columbia through 1959, and the 1959 theatrical film 1001 Arabian Nights, was released on April 22, 2014. [28]

Related Research Articles

<i>Gerald McBoing-Boing</i> 1950 short film

Gerald McBoing-Boing is an animated short film about a little boy who speaks through sound effects instead of spoken words. It was produced by United Productions of America (UPA) and given wide release by Columbia Pictures on November 2, 1950. It was adapted by Phil Eastman and Bill Scott from a story by Dr. Seuss, directed by Robert Cannon, and produced by John Hubley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Productions of America</span> American film production company

United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American animation studio and later distribution company founded in 1941 as Industrial Film and Poster Service by former Walt Disney Productions employees. Beginning with industrial and World War II training films, UPA eventually produced theatrical shorts for Columbia Pictures such as the Mr. Magoo series. In 1956, UPA produced a television series for CBS, The Boing-Boing Show, hosted by Gerald McBoing Boing. In the 1960s, UPA produced syndicated Mr. Magoo and Dick Tracy television series and other series and specials, including Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol. UPA also produced two animated features, 1001 Arabian Nights and Gay Purr-ee, and distributed Japanese films from Toho Studios in the 1970s and 1980s.

<i>Mister Magoos Christmas Carol</i> 1962 animated musical holiday television special

Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol is a 1962 animated musical holiday television special produced by UPA. It is an adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol, and it features UPA's character Mr. Magoo as Ebenezer Scrooge. The special first aired on December 18, 1962, on NBC and was the first animated Christmas special to be produced specifically for television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden age of American animation</span> Period of animation where theatrical sound cartoons were common and popular

The golden age of American animation was a period in the history of U.S. animation that began with the popularization of sound synchronized cartoons in 1928 and gradually ended in the 1960s when theatrical animated shorts started to lose popularity to the newer medium of television. Animated media from after the golden age, especially on television, were produced on cheaper budgets and with more limited techniques between the 1960s and 1980s.

Animation in the United States in the television era was a period in the history of American animation that slowly set in with the decline of theatrical animated shorts and the popularization of television animation that started in the late 1950s, reached its peak during the 1970s, and ended around the mid-1980s. This era is characterized by low budgets, limited animation, an emphasis on television over the theater, and the general perception of cartoons being primarily for children. Due to the perceived cheap production values, poor animation, and mixed critical and commercial reception, the era is generally looked back upon negatively by critics and animation historians. The television animation of this period is often referred to as the dark age of American animation, while the theatrical animation from the time is sometimes referred as the bronze age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Backus</span> American actor (1913–1989)

James Gilmore Backus was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island, the father of James Dean's character in Rebel Without a Cause, the voice of the near-sighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo, the rich Hubert Updike III on the radio version of The Alan Young Show, and Joan Davis' character's husband on TV's I Married Joan. He also starred in his own show of one season, The Jim Backus Show, also known as Hot Off the Wire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daws Butler</span> American voice actor (1916–1988)

Charles Dawson Butler, professionally known as Daws Butler, was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company and the Walter Lantz cartoon studio. He originated the voices of many familiar Hanna-Barbera characters, including Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Auggie Doggie, Loopy De Loop, Wally Gator, Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey, Snooper and Blabber, Dixie and Mr. Jinks, Hokey Wolf, Elroy Jetson, Peter Potamus, The Funky Phantom and Hair Bear. While at Walter Lantz, he did the voices of Chilly Willy, Smedley, Maxie the Polar Bear, Gooney, and Sam in the Maggie and Sam series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Frees</span> American actor (1920–1986)

Solomon Hersh Frees, better known as Paul Frees, was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during the Golden Age of Animation, and for providing the voice of Boris Badenov in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Frees was known as "The Man of a Thousand Voices", though the appellation was more commonly bestowed on Mel Blanc.

The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo is an American animated television series produced by United Productions of America that aired for one season on NBC from September 19, 1964 to April 24, 1965. The television series was based on the original cartoon of the same name, with Jim Backus reprising the voiceover of the role he did on TV: while doing this show, he continued with the prime time TV show Gilligan's Island. This was a follow-up to the original Mister Magoo series which aired from 1960-1961.

Mister Magoo is an American animated television series which was produced from November 7, 1960 to February 2, 1962. A single episode included five four-minute shorts and could either be aired together with bumpers as a single half-hour show, or it could be split up with one short aired each weekday, along with other cartoons. It was produced by United Productions of America. The series' voices were Jim Backus, Mel Blanc, Jerry Hausner, Benny Rubin, Paul Frees, and Frank Nelson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink Panther (character)</span> Fictional animated character

The Pink Panther is a fictional animated character who appears in the opening and/or closing credit sequences of every film in The Pink Panther series except for A Shot in the Dark and Inspector Clouseau. In the storyline of the original film, the "Pink Panther" is the name of a valuable pink diamond named for a flaw that shows a "figure of a springing panther" when held up to the light in a certain way; in the credits this was translated to an animated pink panther. Only the first Pink Panther film and the second sequel, The Return of the Pink Panther, featured the diamond.

Darrell Van Citters is an American director, animator, and author, whose credits include directing the animated television series Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi and directing popular Looney Tunes cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety, and Foghorn Leghorn. He partnered with Ashley Postelwaite in 1992 to form Renegade Animation. He studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts.

Abraham Levitow was an American animator who worked at Warner Bros. Cartoons, UPA and MGM Animation/Visual Arts. He is best known for his work under Chuck Jones' direction.

The Dick Tracy Show is an American animated television series based on Chester Gould's comic strip crime fighter. The series was produced from 1961 to 1962 by UPA.

Totally Tooned In is an American syndicated television animated cartoon compilation series consisting of theatrical cartoons from Screen Gems and UPA animation studios. The series was produced in 1999 until 2000 by Columbia TriStar International Television and broadcast in several international markets before making its American television debut on Antenna TV on January 8, 2011. The series was created by executive producer Rob Word.

Robert Jarvis Bentley was an American animator who worked for Warner Bros. Cartoons, Fleischer Studios, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, Tex Avery, Walter Lantz Productions, UPA, Hanna-Barbera and Filmation among others.

<i>1001 Arabian Nights</i> (1959 film) 1959 film

1001 Arabian Nights is a 1959 American animated comedy film produced by United Productions of America (UPA) and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Released to theaters on December 1, 1959, the film is a loose adaptation of the Arab folktale of "Aladdin" from One Thousand and One Nights, albeit with the addition of UPA's star cartoon character, Mr. Magoo, to the story as Aladdin's uncle, "Abdul Azziz Magoo". It is the first animated feature to be released by Columbia Pictures.

What's New, Mr. Magoo? is an American animated television series which aired on Saturday mornings from September 10 to December 24, 1977, on CBS. It was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and United Productions of America. The series has the voices of Jim Backus, Bob Ogle, Casey Kasem, Hal Smith and Frank Welker.

<i>Uncle Sam Magoo</i> American TV series or program

Uncle Sam Magoo is a 1970 television special directed by Abe Levitow, written by Larry Markes, Henry G. Saperstein and Sam Rosen, and musical score by Walter Scharf. The special stars Jim Backus as Mr. Magoo, Lennie Weinrib, Bob Holt, Patti Gilbert, Sid Grossfeld and Barney Phillips. The special aired on February 15, 1970, on NBC.

Events in 1913 in animation.

References

  1. ↑ Barnes, Mike (June 8, 2016). "Willis Pyle, Famed Animator on 'Pinocchio' and 'Mr. Magoo,' Dies at 101". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  2. ↑ TV Guide Book of Lists . Running Press. 2007. p. 158. ISBN   978-0-7624-3007-9.
  3. ↑ Letter from Hubley. Kaufman claimed in a 2007 interview that the character was based on his uncle.
  4. ↑ Arnold, Mark (2015). Think Pink: The Story of DePatie-Freleng. BearManor Media. p. 441. ISBN   978-1593931698.
  5. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 111–112. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  6. ↑ Abraham, Adam (2012). When Magoo Flew: The Rise And Fall Of Animation Studio UPA, Wesleyan University Press. ISBN   978-0819569141. Retrieved 28 Aug 2022.
  7. ↑ Maltin, Leonard (1987). Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons. New American Library. p. 341. ISBN   0-452-25993-2.
  8. ↑ "GameSpy - PreViews: Mr Magoo". Mega Zone . No. 36. Elwood, Vic.: Megazone Publications. February 1994. p. 15.
  9. ↑ "'Mr. Magoo' Blunders Into Live-Action". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 3, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Mr. Magoo (film)". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
  11. ↑ DeMott, Rick (October 12, 2010). "Disney XD Picks Up 'Kung Fu Magoo' Feature". Animation World Network. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  12. ↑ O'Boyle, Michael (February 12, 2008). "Anima, Classic to do 'Magoo'". Variety . Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  13. ↑ Hill, Jim (November 28, 2006). "Scrooge U: Part VI – Magoo's a musical miser". JimHillMedia.com. Retrieved December 25, 2006.
  14. ↑ Anderson, John (December 24, 1997). "'Mr. Magoo' Blunders Into Live-Action". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  15. ↑ General Electric advertisement featuring Mr. Magoo Archived April 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine . Life Magazine December 14, 1959
  16. ↑ James A. Cox, A Century of Light, 1979, p. 122, 126
  17. ↑ "Retrieved October 6, 2011". Asientertainment.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Retrieved October 6, 2011". August 13, 1985. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  19. ↑ Twitchell, James B. (1993). Retrieved October 6, 2011. ISBN   9780231078313 . Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  20. ↑ Rutgers timeline Archived January 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Rutgers University. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  21. ↑ Sobre Miguel. "Conheça algumas estreias para dezembro de 2018 no canal SIC K (sicgold.blogspot.com)".
  22. ↑ "Mr Magoo returns in France | News | C21Media". www.c21media.net.
  23. ↑ "A Mr. Magoo Biography by Josh and Ed Shapiro" (PDF). Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Mr. Magoo Show: The Complete Collection: Jim Backus, Joan Gardner, Marvin Miller, Paul Frees, Dal McKennon, Howard Morris, Julie Bennett, Everett Sloane, Shepard Menken, Robie Lester, Morey Amsterdam, Dick Beals: Movies & TV". Amazon. February 8, 2005. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Mr. Magoo DVD news: Box Art and Contents for Mr. Magoo on TV Collection: 1960–1977". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  26. ↑ Shostak, Stu (08-11-2011). "Interview with Jerry Beck". Stu's Show. Retrieved 06-30-2014.
  27. ↑ Shostak, Stu (03-20-2014). "Interview with Jerry Beck". Stu's Show. Retrieved 06-30-2014.
  28. ↑ Galbraith, Stewart IV (April 22, 2014). "Review of "'Mr. Magoo- The Theatrical Collection: 1949–1959"". DVD Talk. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.