Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol is about the least special Christmas special I've ever seen. Bah humbug!
I swear to God, if I hear "razzleberry dressing" once more I'm going to scream.…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol is about the least special Christmas special I've ever seen. Bah humbug!
I swear to God, if I hear "razzleberry dressing" once more I'm going to scream.…
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Article comments
26 - fannie2620
I especially liked the gypsies.
27 - Frank Provasek
Gotta look at this in context...Mr Magoo was known to most kids of that era only through the cheap made-for-TV cartoons. But using that hook to get kids to sit through a fairly straight version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is a pretty good trick. I was 5 when this first aired in 1962, and framing it as a PLAY muted some of the scary stuff, and also cleared up in my mind what ACTING was. Now at age 50, I sent a DVD to my 6 year old granddaughter and heard back that she responded similarly, even though she had never seen a Magoo cartoon.
28 - Pam Bredeson
Just reading these blogs for the first time while looking for the DVD version of Magoo's Christmas. It's my favorite and I'm approaching 58 years old. When young Ebenezer sings "I'm All Alone in the World" it still brings tears to my eyes. Clever lyrics, i.e., "Where are two shoes to click to my clack . . . " Can't beat it. Will always be a favorite of mine, but to each his own. God bless us, everyone!
29 - John Geary
I can see where an adult watching this for the first time might feel the way Mr. Anderson feels about it. To his credit, he points out he did not see this as a child, only an adult, and his comments are based on it. I don't know him personally, but I get the feeling he doesn't like anything "schmaltzy" or "feel-good" anyway, especially when you see the type of humor portrayed in his cartoons and take into account that it's probably a reflection of his personality and the way he views the world. To each his own. For me, this was the first version I ever saw of A Christmas Carol, I saw it when I was six, and I loved it. I still love it! Even after not seeing it for decades, I could still remember all the songs, like "Hand for a Hand" and "We're Despicable." Who cares if Magoo is not "Magoo-ish"? This cartoon turned me into a real Christmas Carol fan. I've seen and own just about every movie and animated version of A Christmas Carol (including one version put on by an amateur community theatre group in which I played Marley and Old Joe!). If Mr. Anderson wants to see a REALLY bad version of A Christmas Carol, he should watch Scrooge - the musical version starring Albert Finney (give it half a star out of five! UGH!). Horrible adaptation! The message contained in almost every version of the story is uplifting, heart-warming and inspiring and can remind us all how good the world can be if we all care.
30 - nanc
Being a child of the 60's, Magoo's Christmas Carol is one of my all time favorites. I'm with Pam -- the lyrics are great and the sad ones bring tears to my eyes and the funny ones make me laugh and smile. I love them all! When's the last time any of you had a "Christmas far more glorious than grand"? Happy holidays to one and all.
31 - Rob
We watched this show as kids and I still watch it and love it just as much. Yeah, it isn't a computer generated action packed show, it was the what they had at the time, at least give it credit for that. BUT I believe its the story and the songs that make it so good, not how hi tech it is. Any one who reviews it and has seen it since they were kids seem to agree its a great classic.
32 - Muriel Swanson-Anderson
OK, enough already !
Time Out...
Let's move on people, everyone has a right to their opinion.
amen
33 - Isolde Jane Holland
Out of curiosity, which version of A Christmas Carol do you like best? My favourite is the George C Scott one, with David Warner as an edgy Bob Crachit.
34 - Lil
I was just hunting for a recipe for Razzleberry Dressing, when I came across this review. I'd consider myself lucky, if I could write a review as thoughtful, detailed and elegantly worded as the reviews and comments I've read here, but alas (I hope I used that word correctly), I can only compliment you all.
As far as the opinion of the reviewer goes, I'm sorry for you that you missed out on the pleasure of growing up with Mr. Magoo's A Christmas Carol, and all of the warm memories that it brings back to those of us who had the pleasure of growing up with this Christmas classic, each time we watch it. For me, just thinking about that show, gives me a warm-fuzzy feeling inside. I look forward to seeing Mr. Magoo each year, and I'm sad if I miss it. It is certainly one of my favorites. I can't explain to you why I like it so much, I just do. The only other versions of A Christmas Carol that I like, are the Alister Simms version, and The Muppets version. That probably says a lot about me, but it is what it is. So to you Mr. Anderson, I can only give you a big fat razzleberry. I hope that somewhere down the road, you'll give Mr. Magoo's Scrooge another chance. Take off your reviewer had and just watch it with an open mind and an open heart, and just maybe, it will find a little soft-spot in your heart, and become one of your Christmas favorites too. If not, sadly, it's your loss.
35 - Lil
Sorry for the typo, that was supposed to say: take off your reviewer "hat" (not had)
36 - TishTash
The Paley Center in NYC just ran a retrospective on Magoo's Christmas Special. At the screening, people audibly sniffed during "All Alone." Afterwards the audience gave a rousing standing ovation. Just an amazing evening.
37 - mikki
For those of you who are looking: the Razzleberry Dressing Recipe
1 cup vegetable oil (almost any kind will do)
1 cup raspberry vinegar (no other kind will do)
1 t. black pepper (a little will do)
2-3 Tbs raspberry mustard (yum!)
Fresh raspberries & blackberries
Mix first 4 ingredients in bowl or blender. Fold in fresh berries. Serve cold on salad or warm on meat.
38 - Lisa
Surprised by the author's take on this. Obviously, a very literal-minded person. Mr. Magoo can't step out of his blindness to do a good turn as Scrooge and heaven forbid someone engage in a little word play by turning "pencil" into "pencible" (which I found one of the most charming lyrics in the most charming song of the production.
I'm not saying this is a masterpiece. It gets a little gooey sweet, much as I imagine razzleberry dressing to be, but it's accessible, fun and injects several notes of humor into a story that, until the end, has a gloomy feel throughout. I loved it as a kid, got the vido, and my kids loved it, too.
39 - Melissa
I think it's funny that I'm not the only person here who found this forum while searching for a Razzleberry dressing recipe! ;-) If I can't find one, I'll create my own, using raspberries, cranberries, orange flavor, maybe a little appple, cinnamon, etc.
Anyway, I love Mr. Magoo's Christmas carol! One of my favorite things to watch at Christmas time.
40 - Joe Phillips
Oh, lighten up! This is a charming cartoon classic, the songs are great, and the forced rhymes (reprehensible/pencible, anibule/cannibule) are fun. You probably hated Mary Poppins and "supercalifragil-"whatever too. Grow a sense of humor!
41 - Joe Phillips
Didn't you ever have a childhood?
42 - Mark but not the Mark
Unfortunately I am now more with Mr. Anderson. When I was a kid I loved this special it was my favorite but now not so much. Though I don’t hate it as completely as he apparently does.
I do feel that making Mr. Magoo be Mr. Magoo in the play would have destroyed the story, and of course the explanation for why he isn't could be that they rehearsed the play so thoroughly that he didn't need to see he just knew where everything was.
Though I will have to point out there were a few Mr. Magoo-isms. 1 set is when he pokes the man's belly, shakes the turkey's wing, and slaps the turkey, when sending the turkey to the Cratchits. There was at least one other place also near the end but now I can’t remember it.
43 - Mark but not the Mark
One other comment I forgot to add. This is really not a very close telling of the story. It has huge gaps and many changes. It is closer than some but really way off the book. Read the book if you haven't. If you don't want to read the book then watch the George C. Scott version it is the one that to me is the closest to the original, though I don't like Mr. Scott's portrayal of Scrooge.
It never ceases to amaze me that the people in Hollywood are always convinced they know better than the original author how a story should go.
44 - Mark but not the Mark
I agree with John Geary the 1970 musical version with Albert Finney was horrible.
45 - Brian
I liked the Magoo version of A Christmas Carol. It is a child's introduction to a classic tale. Mr. Magoo is not Mr. Magoo in this cartoon. It is Mr. Magoo playing the part of Scrooge. Therefore, it would get him out of character if he suddenly became Magoo in the middle of the performance.
It is not supposed to be funny. One does not expect the the Dickens Classic to be funny. If they turned it into a funny spoof on A Christmas Carol, that would really be screwed up and worthless.
I do understand, though, that one can be really peeved by something that is popular that really isn't that good. You don't have to worry much about Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol being popular. They haven't shown it for years. In fact, I found this site when I was reminiscing about the show and did a search with the words "razzleberry dressing" (the very phrase you hated to the point of wanting to beat a cripple) because I remembered that phrase from the show.
If you want to rag on a show that really isn't very good but is considered a classic, how about 'A Charlie Brown Christmas"? What's funny on that one? I never really understood how telling stories about severely depressed children ("Peanuts") was somehow entertaining. If someone out there thinks it is funny, please describe the funny scene.
Magoo is a very dumbed down version of A Christmas Carol that introduces children to a classic tale. I like it, but it appears few others did because they never show it on network TV any more.