Uncle Sam Magoo

Last updated
Uncle Sam Magoo
Uncle Sam Magoo.jpg
DVD cover
Written by Larry Markes
Henry G. Saperstein
Sam Rosen
Directed by Abe Levitow
Starring Jim Backus
Lennie Weinrib
Bob Holt
Patti Gilbert
Sid Grossfeld
Barney Phillips
Theme music composer Walter Scharf
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerLee Orgel
Running time53 minutes [1]
Production company United Productions of America
Budget$400,000 [2]
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseFebruary 15, 1970 (1970-02-15) [3]

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. [4]

Contents

Plot

Mr. Magoo goes to Hollywood to get a part in a film, but instead witnesses the history of the United States firsthand in a series of adventures that take place in different time periods.

Cast

Reception

DVD Verdict gave the special a positive review, saying, "Eschewing rah-rah jingoism in favor of explosive color, unforced humor, and majestic choral arrangements of American musical standards, this patriotic tribute to the U.S.A. was clearly a labor of love for all involved, and the feeling is infectious. A veritable cornucopia of sight and sound sensations, Uncle Sam Magoo is this collection's crowning achievement." [3] DVD Talk called it a "bizarre bit of Nixon-era patriotism". [5]

Related Research Articles

<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.

The Skatebirds is an American live-action/animated package program produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and broadcast on CBS from September 10, 1977, to January 21, 1978.

<i>H.R. Pufnstuf</i> 1969 American childrens television series

H. R. Pufnstuf is an American children's television series created by Sid and Marty Krofft. It was the first independent live-action, life-sized-puppet program, following on from their work with Hanna-Barbera's program The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. The seventeen episodes were originally broadcast Saturday from September 6, 1969, to December 27, 1969. The broadcasts were successful enough that NBC kept it on the schedule as reruns until September 4, 1971. The show was shot at Paramount Studios and its opening was shot at Big Bear Lake, California. Reruns of the show returned on ABC Saturday morning from September 2, 1972, to September 8, 1973, and on Sunday mornings in some markets from September 16, 1973, to September 8, 1974. It was syndicated by itself from September 1974 to June 1978 and in a package with six other Krofft series under the banner Krofft Superstars from 1978 to 1985. Reruns of the show were featured on TV Land in 1999 as part of its Super Retrovision Saturdaze Saturday morning-related overnight prime programming block and in the summer of 2004 as part of its TV Land Kitschen weekend late-night prime programming block, and it was later shown on MeTV from 2014 until 2016.

<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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Magoo</span> Fictional cartoon character

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.

<i>Lidsville</i> Television series

Lidsville is an American television show created by brothers Sid and Marty Krofft. It was their third series, following H.R. Pufnstuf (1969) and The Bugaloos (1970). As did its predecessors, Lidsville combined two types of characters: conventional actors in makeup taped alongside performers in full mascot costumes, whose voices were dubbed in post-production. Seventeen episodes aired on Saturday mornings on ABC during 1971–1973. The show was rebroadcast on NBC Saturday mornings the following season.

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.

The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone is a 1979 animated Halloween television special featuring The Flintstones. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and first aired on Tuesday, October 30, 1979 on NBC.

<i>Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo</i> (1979 TV series) Television series

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo is an American animated television series and the fourth incarnation of the Scooby-Doo franchise. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for ABC. It premiered on September 22, 1979, and ran for one season on ABC as a half-hour animated program. A total of sixteen episodes were produced. It aired internationally on BBC One in the UK from 1981 to 1984. It was the last Hanna-Barbera cartoon series to use the studio's laugh track.

<i>The Kwicky Koala Show</i> American Saturday-morning cartoon

The Kwicky Koala Show is a 30-minute Saturday-morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Hanna Barbera Pty, Ltd. that aired on CBS from September 12 to December 26, 1981. This series is notable for being among cartoon director Tex Avery's final works; he died during production in 1980. As it was produced in Australia, the Cartoon Network and later Boomerang broadcasts were sourced from PAL masters, rather than NTSC masters like many other Hanna-Barbera productions. Each segment has also been shown separately as filler between shows on Boomerang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennie Weinrib</span> American actor (1935–2006)

Leonard Weinrib was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show H.R. Pufnstuf, Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in Inch High, Private Eye, the original voice of Scrappy-Doo on Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, Hunk and Prince Lotor on Voltron, and Bigmouth on The Smurfs. He also was the voice for Timer in the "Time for Timer" ABC public service announcements in the early 1970s.

Doctor Dolittle is a 1970–1971 Saturday morning animated series produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises in association with 20th Century Fox Television. The series is loosely based on the books by Hugh Lofting, as well as the 1967 film of the same title which center around Doctor Dolittle, an animal doctor who has the ability to talk to animals.

<i>The Addams Family</i> (1973 TV series) American TV series or program

The Addams Family is an American animated sitcom adaptation of the Charles Addams single-panel comic for The New Yorker. The show was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Saturday mornings in 1973, and was later rebroadcast the following season. Jackie Coogan and Ted Cassidy, who played Uncle Fester and Lurch, respectively, in the 1960s television series, returned in voice-over roles. The cast also included 10-year-old Jodie Foster, who performed the voice of Pugsley Addams. The show's theme music was completely different and had no lyrics or finger snapping, but retained a recognizable part of the four-note score from the live-action series.

<i>CB Bears</i> American TV series or program

CB Bears is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on NBC from September 10 to December 3, 1977.

<i>The All New Popeye Hour</i> American animated television series

The All New Popeye Hour is an American animated television series produced by King Features Entertainment In association with Hanna Barbera Productions. Starring the comic strip character Popeye, the series aired from 1978 to 1983 Saturday mornings on CBS. Despite the series' mixed reception, it was a hit for King Features Entertainment.

<i>Kung-Fu Magoo</i> 2010 film

Kung-Fu Magoo is a 2010 animated action comedy film based on the Mr. Magoo character, created by Millard Kaufman and John Hubley. This film was produced by Classic Media, Ánima Estudios, and Santo Domingo Films. It was also produced by Motion Toons, a new, short-lived animation studio created in conjunction with Ánima Estudios, and Santo Domingo Films. English voice-cast stars Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Alyson Stoner and voice actors Tom Kenny, Rodger Bumpass, Jim Conroy, Chris Parnell, and Maile Flanagan.

<i>The Flintstone Comedy Hour</i> U.S. animated television series (1972–74)

The Flintstone Comedy Hour is an American animated television series and a spin-off of The Flintstones and The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, produced by Hanna-Barbera, which aired on CBS from September 9, 1972, to September 1, 1973. It was re-titled The Flintstone Comedy Show for a second season of reruns as a half-hour show from September 8, 1973, to January 26, 1974.

<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.

Events in 1913 in animation.

References

  1. "Mr. Magoo: Uncle Sam Magoo". DVDEmpire. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  2. Abraham, Adam (2012). When Magoo Flew: The Rise and Fall of Animation Studio UPA. Wesleyan University Press. p. 221. ISBN   9780819572707.
  3. 1 2 Colbert, P. S. (9 November 2011). "Mr. Magoo: The Television Collection 1960-1977". DVD Verdict . Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  4. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 340. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  5. "Mr. Magoo On TV Collection". DVD Talk. Retrieved 5 January 2015.