Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol

Right now I am trying to figure out what to do this Christmas, since the family tradition is a-tremor. The thought of being alone on Christmas deeply saddens me, and I think it goes back to seeing little Ebenezar Scrooge left behind in boarding school while all the other kids had families to go home to for Christmas.

I cried just like Mr. Magoo's older Scrooge did when he saw himself as a kid singing:

When you're alone, alone in the world When you're alone in the world Blown-away leaves get blown in the world Swirled-away leaves get swirled

A hand for each hand was planned for the world Why don't my fingers reach? Millions of grains of sand in the world Why's mine a lonely beach?

Where are the heels to click to my clack? Where is the voice to answer mine back? I'm all alone in the WOOOOORLD!!!

None of the other versions caught this scene the way this one does. Not Bugs Bunny, Bill Murray, Albert Finney, Mickey Mouse. Maybe Alistair Sim, sort of.

Simplistic, yes, but it's the scene that still sticks in my throat as I choke back an adult tear. It's the scene that makes this version, truly unique, all alone in the world.

All these years later, this is very likely the best animated version of the Dickens classic you'll ever see. It has just the right combination of laughter and tears, and Jule Styne and Bob Merrill's songs, written concurrently with their work for "Funny Girl," are the icing on the cake.

Jim Backus left the world an indelible legacy of laughter when he created Quincy Magoo, but proved here that he could wring more than a few tears with him, as well. The late, great Jack Cassidy brought his customary grace and class to Bob Cratchit, and talented and pretty Jane Kean, of "Honeymooners" fame, is as touching a Belle as you will ever see. Her song, the bittersweet "Winter was Warm," is one of Jule Styne's best and has become something of a semi-standard over the years.

Again, this is a great Christmas treat, and a perfect introduction to Dickens classic for the youngsters, as it was for me.

I just watched the new DVD of `Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol,' and it seems as good a representation of the program as we're ever likely to see. I doubt it looked much better when it originally aired in 1962, but considering the video technology of that time, no home viewers would have seen it at its best then. There may have been some very infrequent white specs on the image, but if you're not consciously seeking them, you're not likely to see them. They are so few, they're barely noticeable. The colors may seem washed-out at first, but I simply turned the color intensity up on my TV, and the colors looked solid and well-balanced throughout the program. I directly compared this DVD to a copy of the laserdisc edition, which has been much sought-after by collectors since going out of print years ago. They are almost identical, except for a slightly sharper image on the DVD. An audio re-mix, maybe even in stereo, would have been great, but certainly costly. I wonder if the original studio tracks are even available for this anymore. In any case, the mono soundtrack works fine, and is practically distortion-free.

If you watched this as a kid, and haven't seen it since then (like me), I can only say: Wow, what a strong jolt of nostalgia it is! I find it hard to agree with the editorial reviewer at Amazon, who characterizes the songs in this production as `forgettable.' That may be because I first heard them in 1962 at around the age of nine, and haven't quite forgotten them since. I suspect I'm not alone in this, either. This program isn't high art, and an adult who doesn't have that nostalgic connection to it may not be able to embrace it, but for those who remember, it leaves you with that warm, fuzzy feeling. I'm very happy to have become re-acquainted with it.

I just recently saw again this old beloved (for us baby boomer generation) Mr. Magoo cartoon version of "A Christmas Carol". The moment when Mr. Magoo sings "and on the tree a star of shining Christmas gold...", well I just felt this lump in my throat, and the tears well up....what a beautiful, beautiful version of this fable....improbable as it seems...it is the best version of "A Christmas Carol" ever made! The Alisdair Sim version is also great, dark and chilling, the early MGM version a treacly joyful delight--and this version combines the best elements of both--with the added bonus of one of the best original television scores ever written. There are even some acting and dramatic details that outshine the previous classic versions...This is the only Scrooge that in the beginning shows his rapturous love of money- -in the very catchy song celebrating the jingle/jangle of coins. Mr. Scrooge is still a miserable miser--but that glee is positively revelatory, positively addicting--and the viewer even has a little bit of affection for this Scrooge right away--and this doesn't show up in the other versions where Scrooge is simply a Scrooge until the end. So many others have commented on the poignancy of the heartbreaking song of loneliness sung by the young Scrooge left alone at the boarding school. The simple touch of the old Scrooge turning the song into a duet is simply masterful...showing Scrooge's turn-around simply, effectively and powerfully. "Winter was Warm" deserves to be a standard song (as other commentators have aptly described it!) It is quite simply, haunting. Used as an instrumental interlude--sometimes full and rich, as it appears during the opening titles, sometimes hauntingly mysterious as it appears between acts setting up the ghostly encounters on that mysterious Christmas Eve, it is always beautiful, always so very memorable. And that glorious song celebrating the joy of Christmas, sung by the Cratchit family at the beginning and end of the show--what a perfect song! It resonates long after the show has ended. This all adds up to an adaptation of the Dickens story that is joyful, heartbreaking and surprising real: the cartoon characters--including the simple/poignant depiction of the Cratchit family seems somehow more real and affecting than the other adaptations portrayed by Real people!!) In the versions with real people portraying these Dickens characters--they often come across as cartoonish, artificial and over-the-top. On the other hand, in this Mr. Magoo version, because they are already cartoon figures, they come across as almost more human, which makes their situations all the more poignant, all the more powerful. How cool is that? This film is one to treasure. If you have never seen it, you will immediately take it to your heart. If you have already seen it, I'm sure it has become a staple of your holiday viewing and will remain so forever!

This has always been one of my favorite Christmas specials; however, one of the scenes that makes it so memorable has been cut out of the newest release.

When I watched this growing up in the late 70's and early 80's, I never saw the opening and closing "Broadway" scenes. Users on IMDb and other websites have commented that they were delighted to have these missing scenes in the latest version. Unfortunately, I do not share their enthusiasm. I find these book ending scenes annoying and darn-near un-watchable. The "Back, back, back on Broadway" number that opens the special makes me want to leave the room. The slapstick is completely unrelated to the tone of the play and distracting. I must come clean that I have never been a big fan of Mr. Magoo cartoons ... except this one. That is only because he isn't acting like Mr. Magoo for the vast majority of the show. I half-joked to my wife that they should just call it Jim Backus's Christmas Carol.

In any case, the one scene that I looking forward to seeing has been cut out of this version. After the "Winter Was Warm" number, the Ghost of Christmas Past tells Scrooge that there "is one shadow more." And then we get this strange wavey cut to the scene where the Ghost leaves him and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appears. Within that wavey cut is the missing scene I am referring to.

In the scene, the Ghost takes Scrooge to a large country home. In it we see an older Belle. Her husband and children come home, and it is obvious that they are a happy family getting ready for Christmas. Belle's husband remarks to Belle that he "saw an old friend of yours in town today." He saw Scrooge and tells Belle how mean and unhappy he looked. Belle turns and stares at the snow falling outside the window and you can hear the tune from "Winter is Warm" being reprised. This scene always struck me as a child. Not only does it show the happiness that Scrooge missed out on ... which is obvious. But it also demonstrates the loss that Belle still feels even though she lives such a good life.

The fact that no one has mentioned this scene in all the user reviews for this special had me half-believing I had imagined it. However, I have verified that the scene is in the Dickens's original story (I have never read the original all the way through and only discovered this scene when I was searching for it in connection to this "Magoo problem"). Furthermore, before the wavey cut, the Ghost states he has "one shadow more." I do not believe he is referring to the Ghost of Christmas Future. The "shadows" are not the ghosts, they are the shadows of the past.

Is there anyone out there who also remembers this scene or am I completely mad!?!