# Overthinking Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 23, 2014, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063 "2014-12-23T23:16:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/1 "2014-12-23T23:16:57Z")
I watched Magoo’s Christmas Carol (the first animated Christmas special - 1962), which was broadcast this week without cuts, leaving in therefore all the bits that make it clear that Mr. Magoo is an actor playing the part of Scrooge on stage (on Broadway, Broadway, Broadway), so this time I was very aware of the stage framing of the story - so much so that when Magoo/Scrooge is visiting the Cratchits with one of the ghosts and sees a vision of Tiny Tim absent, and the screen shows the face of the earlier Scrooge behind Scrooge mouthing off about “decreasing the surplus population” I wondered how that could be staged. Fortunately, a few moments later I realized that it would be easily done with Magoo’s understudy appearing in costume on stage with dark clothing and a spotlight on his face. Whew… that was close - I nearly doubted the verisimilitude of a classic holiday special… ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/2 "2014-12-23T23:36:05Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > I watched Magoo’s Christmas Carol (the first animated Christmas special - 1962), which was broadcast this week without cuts, leaving in therefore all the bits that make it clear that Mr. Magoo is an actor playing the part of Scrooge on stage (on Broadway, Broadway, Broadway), so this time I was very aware of the stage framing of the story - so much so that when Magoo/Scrooge is visiting the Cratchits with one of the ghosts and sees a vision of Tiny Tim absent, and the screen shows the face of the earlier Scrooge behind Scrooge mouthing off about “decreasing the surplus population” I wondered how that could be staged. Fortunately, a few moments later I realized that it would be easily done with Magoo’s understudy appearing in costume on stage with dark clothing and a spotlight on his face. Whew… that was close - I nearly doubted the verisimilitude of a classic holiday special… Or a high-tech solution, using video projection of a previously recorded Scrooge. Yeah, that was close. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/3 "2014-12-23T23:37:39Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Or a high-tech solution, using video projection of a previously recorded Scrooge. > > Yeah, that was close. 🙂 I wanted a 1962-style fan-fix… ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/4 "2014-12-23T23:49:16Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > I wanted a 1962-style fan-fix… the technology was available in 1962, so I stand by my response. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/5 "2014-12-23T23:55:41Z")
Oh, yeah? How is it he finds his marks, doesn’t get tangled in the bed curtains, doesn’t address his lines to an empty doorway, doesn’t trip over Tiny Tim’s three-legged stool, etc.? How is it that Mr. Magoo is competent for the duration of the play-within-a-play, while he is absolutely incapable of so much as taking a bow without destroying the theater in the course of the framing play? And how is it that Gerald McBoing Boing, as Tiny Tim, is able to speak, when we know he only makes sproinging noises! And who is the actor playing the Ghost of Christmas Past, with the “Sean Connery” accent? That’s not a regular UPA character! And… Aw, who am I kidding? My life, I love that show, and am so glad it’s being aired again, and properly, without cuts. I love the songs, I love the characters, I love the whole shebang. (“We’re reprehensible. We’ll steal your pen and pencible!”) Joy to the World! (Shakes hands with an empty coat on a coat-tree.) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/6 "2014-12-24T00:37:47Z")
Where the hell is Chollie during all this? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/7 "2014-12-24T02:06:57Z")
Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come turns into a wisp of smoke, but I imagine that could be accomplished with dry ice and a trap door. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/8 "2014-12-24T03:45:55Z")
Who the hell would be Mr. Magoo’s understudy, anyway, Morocco Mole? ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/9 "2014-12-24T05:21:45Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Who the hell would be Mr. Magoo’s understudy, anyway, Morocco Mole? [Hans Moleman.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Moleman) ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/10 "2014-12-24T07:02:32Z")
One of my favorite Christmas Carols. I used to show it to my kids in school. I was entranced, and although they enjoyed it, I don’t think they liked it as much as I. Of course no one likes it as much as I. It takes me back to being a kid, with parents and grandparents still alive, and I young enough to just be concerned with Christmas and not what the future will bring. Time to get the Kleenex and listen to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Idilia\_Dubb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c2a13f/32.png) [@Idilia\_Dubb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idilia_Dubb)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/11 "2014-12-24T15:24:19Z")
Is the version that has the song “Jingle, jingle, coins when they mingle”? I like that song. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/12 "2014-12-24T15:26:56Z")
> [@Idilia\_Dubb](#): > > Is the version that has the song “Jingle, jingle, coins when they mingle”? I like that song. Yes. And the Razzleberry Dressing song. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/13 "2014-12-24T15:42:53Z")
My favorite was the thieves singing. ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/14 "2014-12-24T17:00:41Z")
[We’re Despicable (Plunderer’s March)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOJBU95pVmw) La! La! Laaaa-Laaaa-Laaa-La-La! ---
**Author:** ![Idilia\_Dubb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c2a13f/32.png) [@Idilia\_Dubb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idilia_Dubb)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/15 "2014-12-24T19:45:55Z")
It’s interesting that Scrooge eventually became Thurston Howell the Third. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/16 "2014-12-24T20:05:54Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > the technology was available in 1962, so I stand by my response. 🙂 Fair enough - and that would explain some of the other effects (flying through London). ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/17 "2014-12-24T20:07:14Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come turns into a wisp of smoke, but I imagine that could be accomplished with dry ice and a trap door. It’s amazing how scary ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is, even in this production. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/18 "2014-12-25T01:50:45Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > It’s amazing how scary ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is, even in this production. :eek: Isn’t the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come flat out supposed to be the Angel of Death (a.k.a., the Grim Reaper)? Or is that an element that’s been invented and enhanced by the post-Dickens adaptations? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/19 "2014-12-25T14:33:52Z")
The spirit of Christmas future did take that form in the Dickens book. I think there’s an argument to be made however, that this merely symbolized the fact that Scrooge would be dead next year. ---
**Author:** ![Zorkmid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e68b1a/32.png) [@Zorkmid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zorkmid)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063/20 "2014-12-26T14:11:55Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Or a high-tech solution, using video projection of a previously recorded Scrooge. > > Yeah, that was close. 🙂 After all, projected video footage of the ghost or flying saucer or monster or whatever was used in just about every Scooby-Doo cartoon ever 😃 This version of Tiny Tim is my favorite because he’s an impish scene stealing kid who gets all up in the razzleberry dressing instead of some pure innocent tragic waif. I know Dickens meant him as a symbol of innocence and goodness, but I like kids to be kids. I made wooflejelly cake cookies for Christmas one year (just sugar cookies cut into random shapes then frosted pink with a blob of razzleberry jam in the middle) and they were a hit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overthinking-mr-magoos-christmas-carol/708063.md?page=2)