tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202740811135382485.post68826459644327455..comments2023-12-29T13:22:41.098-08:00Comments on Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol: Lee Orgel, The Man Behind the Musical, part IIDarrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872914483836891531noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202740811135382485.post-35546511251129002742023-12-25T16:53:29.430-08:002023-12-25T16:53:29.430-08:00This is a wonderful tribute to Lee! I knew him whi...This is a wonderful tribute to Lee! I knew him while I worked at Crest National, and we liked each other immediately. Being a pretty humble guy, I only found out how deep his credits ran much later, but was always touched every time I'd show my classroom of 4th graders Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol and see his name. Thank you for this! Dean T Moodynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202740811135382485.post-50903266333598094332020-12-17T12:03:55.382-08:002020-12-17T12:03:55.382-08:00Henry, I'm glad you found the blog! Are you a...Henry, I'm glad you found the blog! Are you aware that the book on the making of the special is back in print? (Softcover this time, available online only at your favorite booksellers.) You should definitely get the blu-ray, too, the show was remastered from the original negative and elsewhere on this blog I show dramatic comparisons between the old transfer and the new one. There are also some nice bonus features including the lost overture and some of Styne and Merrill's original song demos.<br /><br />Although I've looked at Lee's copies of the various iterations of the Catwoman scripts, it's impossible to know who did what on the scripts. Suffice to say that he and his family were quite proud that those episodes are considered some of the best of the series. Darrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02872914483836891531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202740811135382485.post-22577417345811512322020-12-16T18:47:45.537-08:002020-12-16T18:47:45.537-08:00What a fascinating project, an entire blog devoted...What a fascinating project, an entire blog devoted to a SINGLE animated special. I probably saw "MR. MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL" when it was first-run, and several years after. Growing up in the 60s, I long considered there were 4 animated Christmas specials that were "the classics": "MR. MAGOO", "RUDOLPH", "A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS" and "HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS". Almost nothing that followed ever came close to them! And I recall seeing each one on their 1st run. But for whatever odd reason, "MR. MAGOO" at some point vanished from reruns, and I haven't seen it in decades. I look forward to getting it on DVD one of these days.<br /><br />Oddly enough... I found your blog looking for info about Lee Orgel. His IMDB bio had so little info, I wondered if he'd spent most of his time in live stage theatre. I'm currently on my 2nd run watching the Adam West "BATMAN" series since buying it on DVD. I knew Stanley Ralph Ross , who managed to neatly combine exciting adventure with OUTRAGIOUSLY INSANE COMEDY, did most of the Catwoman stories. But... WHO was Lee Orgel, who only worked on the 1st one, the only one played serious? In fact, of the entire 1st season, there's only a handful (the first 2 Riddler stories, the 1st Mr. Freeze story) that were played so straight, and "The Purr-Fect Crime" may be the single MOST SERIOUS story in the entire run. I wondered, how did this happen?<br /><br />If I had to guess... it seems most times, when 2 writers are listed, unless they're a regular team (or man-and-wife team), one does the "story" and the other the "screenplay". My suspicion is that Lee Orgel may have done the screenplay. There's virtually NOTHING funny in it, and only a couple of quirky bits like Jock Mahoney saying, "We didn't mean to step on your paws, Catwoman", or Neil Hamilton looking straight at the camera and saying, "Good luck, to all of us!" Suffice to say, as a kid, this episode was one of my favorites. Looking at it now, I'm STUNNED at how good it was, and part of me wishes more of the show had been played this intense. <br /><br />The 2 previous stories, by comparison-- The Mad Hatter & False Face-- are both mostly serious, except, in both cases, the dialogue is COMPLETELY insane. Jaw-droppingly so. NOBODY talks like that in real life, and in fact, almost never like that on the "BATMAN" show. Far more than Lorenzo Semple Jr. or even Stanley Ralph Ross tended to do. If I'm right, those writers went completely in the opposite direction I suspect Lee Orgel did. Could this be why Orgel never did any more? If so, SHAME on the producers! In my opinion, when the show fell right off a cliff into outright silliness, it hurt the ratings. That show required a very special mix, and too many writers-- ESPECIALLY the guy they promoted to story editor with season 2, Charles Hoffman-- didn't know the difference between "funny" and "just plain STUPID".<br /><br />Thanks for filling in so many gaps on someone that, until tonight, I knew virtually NOTHING about!Henry R. Kujawahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01607373491331529952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202740811135382485.post-25537462295594587632014-02-03T10:23:08.473-08:002014-02-03T10:23:08.473-08:00Matt,
I didn't find much on that series in Le...Matt,<br /><br />I didn't find much on that series in Lee's papers. Have you checked out The New Three Stooges DVD put out by Rhino? Lee is interviewed there. I tried to track down the raw interview tapes but was unsuccessful to see what else he had to say about any other parts of his career. I'm sure the tapes still exist...somewhere. The best info I could get on that show was from Lee's widow, which wasn't too much.<br /><br />DarrellDarrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02872914483836891531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202740811135382485.post-59467799605798449622014-02-01T23:26:47.402-08:002014-02-01T23:26:47.402-08:00Hi Darrell,
Thanks for the great article! I'...Hi Darrell,<br /><br />Thanks for the great article! I'm writing a graduate research paper on The New 3 Stooges and was curious if you still had any info gathered from Orgel's papers on that series? Any help or words of wisdom you could provide would be most appreciated!<br /><br />-mattMatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16169750716541065992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202740811135382485.post-55818142898203663592014-02-01T23:25:19.303-08:002014-02-01T23:25:19.303-08:00Hi Darrell,
Thanks for the great article! I'...Hi Darrell,<br /><br />Thanks for the great article! I'm writing a graduate research paper on The New 3 Stooges and was curious if you still had any info gathered from Orgel's papers on that series? Any help or words of wisdom you could provide would be most appreciated!<br /><br />-mattMatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16169750716541065992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202740811135382485.post-9553483232927908312011-09-16T11:08:54.102-07:002011-09-16T11:08:54.102-07:00Great stuff Darrell. Thanks. If you do any more on...Great stuff Darrell. Thanks. If you do any more on Abe Levitow, maybe you can dig up some info about his stint doing Dick Tracy.Joe R. Frinzinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2202740811135382485.post-90763000743132447322011-09-12T17:13:19.588-07:002011-09-12T17:13:19.588-07:00Thank you Darrell for this amazing tribute to Lee ...Thank you Darrell for this amazing tribute to Lee Orgel. <br /><br />I knew Lee - but not in relation to any of the above. When I had my own film distribution company, Streamline Pictures (distributing 35mm prints of Japanese anime, from 1989-1993), I met Lee at Crest Labs and I became a regular client. What a great guy he was. He was always ready to help me accomplish whatever it was I was trying to accomplish in those days. <br /><br />I stayed in touch with Lee at Crest throughout the years after Streamline. Whenever I needed some film duplicated, or a 35mm print transferred to video, I called Lee. I was such an idiot - for ten years I did not put two and two together and realize that Lee Orgel at Crest was "Lee Orgel" from UPA and Batman (I love that Catwoman episode - and got to know Stanley Ralph Ross, but I digress). At one late point in the early 2000s, I had a formal lunch with Lee to ask him about working in animation... I was blown away when I found out what he had done. One lunch was simply not enough time to dig into his life. He passed away shortly afterward. <br /><br />So again, I thank you for doing this. He was truly a great person and, as we say, a real mensch.Jerry Beckhttp://www.cartoonbrew.comnoreply@blogger.com