Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

A blog dedicated to the making of the first animated Christmas special, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Gift Giving Guide

Take a cue from Mr. Magoo, the surest way to warm the heart of that special someone is with a gift of heat lamps from General Electric!  However, if you’re looking for something a little less exotic, try one of the suggestions below.

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol Special Edition DVD-A two disc set featuring the groundbreaking special in both standard and Blu-ray formats.  The show has been remastered from the original negative and looks better than it ever has before.  Bonus features include commentary by actresses Jane Kean, Marie Matthews and Laura Olsher, layout artist Bob Singer, Lea Orgel, wife of producer Lee Orgel and myself; a montage of production art; a rare song demo of “Ringle, Ringle” sung by Styne and Merrill; and two storyboard sequences synced to the final soundtrack.  It also comes with a 12 page illustrated booklet and a reproduction movie still signed by Jim Backus.  Order here.

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, The Making of the First Animated Christmas Special-The definitive book on the making of the Christmas classic, featuring dozens of images of rare art and behind the scenes photos of the song recording session.  Available in three editions-signed by the author, signed by Marie Matthews and Bob Singer and the deluxe edition signed by nine of the original cast and crew.  Order here.

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol song folio-The long awaited sheet music of Styne and Merrill’s classic songs, collected in one book with images from the film.  Now you can play and sing the songs at home!  Order here.

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, songs from the original soundtrack-Unfortunately only available for download but finally available after almost 50 years.  Includes complete versions of “It’s Great to Be Back on Broadway” and “Winter Was Warm”.  Order here.

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol-Limited edition cels based on scenes from the film are available, including some signed by the artist.  Order here.

Mr. Magoo TV boxed set-A jaw dropping 11 disc set covering Magoo’s career on television.  Bonus features include a documentary on Magoo and the UPA studio during its TV days, a commemorative booklet and audio commentary by a number of artists who worked on the various films-Bob Singer, Don Morgan and Paul Carlson.  Order here.

There’s plenty to choose from, enough to please any fan of Mr. Magoo.  Be a hero and get the complete collection!  However, if your intended recipient already has all of the above, here are some other suggestions.

The Whimsical Work of David Weidman-I profiled David in a previous post and this book on his life and career is one of the art world's best kept secrets.  As an option, you can even get a miniature silk screen print with a signed copy of the book or one of his full size prints, which are very reasonably priced.  Order here.

Funny Face Kooky Kushions-You can't go wrong with large stuffed images of your favorite fruit soft drink mix characters from the 60s and 70s!  Funny Face merchandise is rare so get Goofy Grape, Lefty Lemon and Jolly Olly Orange and be a part of the new wave of Funny Face fans.  Spice up that dreary living room or bedroom.




Handcrafted pens-If you haven't clicked through on that flashing pens logo on the right, now is the time to do it.  There are dozens of handcrafted designer pens there, made from various exotic materials that just might make the perfect gift.  Order here.

1 comment:

robert alvarez said...

Darrell,
I love this blog. I check it everyday hoping that new material will posted. I'm hoping that in the future you may find more photos of the studio and post them. I have Amids book on the studio but I think there must be more photos out there. Tony Benedict might be a source for some. We must get together soon so you can copy more of my Magoo artwork from the UPA.

Thanks again, Robert Alvarez