12 Days of Watching (2024) #12: Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962)

I like to use this "12 Days of Watching" feature to spotlight videos I have not seen before, or at least not for a long time, but it's crunch time now, and my viewing of the old reliables has been way off pace this year. So I have but a few days to watch a lot of my favorites!

I watched Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol for the first time in a couple years, and I am glad I did. It's a true classic and a landmark in TV history as the first animated TV Christmas special--that is, the first created for TV. I can't post a link because the misers at the company that owns the special haven't seen to fit to make it available this year except for purchase or rental (I see it may be available on Sling), but here is a clip:

I watched my old DVD copy and had a blast. For me, Quincy Magoo is Ebeneezer Scrooge. Everyone talks about the 1951 Alistair Sim movie as the definitive adaptation of Dickens' classic story, but when I was a lad, Magoo was on each year. If Sim was, I wasn't aware of it, and, hey, where is that version shown nowadays?

Oh, wait, I took a minute to look it up, and Tubi and Plex and other streamers have it. Well, all right, then! That makes it all the more appalling that the Magoo version isn't there!

Anyways, I loved this as a kid, and I loved it now. It's a real shame Quincy Magoo didn't do more work in the legit theater. His Scrooge is a heartfelt performance, loaded with pathos and fire without being treacly. Magoo has issues getting to the theater, but once he is there, he is a master. How lucky we are to have such a faithful recording of the Broadway experience in the form of this special.

TV-related comics (sort of?) featuring (sort of) Bert Parks

On Free Comic Book Day, I got (not for free) some "funny animal" comics, including these two DC issues from 1952:

Fox and Crow are legit screen stars (I quite enjoy their old Columbia cartoons), but the addition of "Hollywood" to the title of Funny Folks is a bit of a misnomer because the characters that dominated that title, like headliner Nutsy Squirrel, weren't actually in cartoon shorts. 

The latter title also features Tito and his burrito (insert standard disclaimer about it being of its time) and Flippity and Flop (insert standard disclaimer about any resemblance to other cartoon cat/bird teams being purely intentional). All were indeed in 'toons of the era. I have seen Fox and Crow on TV but not the others, but I am sure they have been on the tube at some point, so let's count them!

Hollywood Funny Folks relies on Nutsy, Biggety bear, and Nip and Chip (Parrot and chipmunk who seem to have much the same dynamic of Fox and Crow). Both titles are filled out with colorful ads. What kid wouldn't be thrilled by a comic as for Ludden's cough drops? There are also text features and puzzles.

My favorite part of each issue is this ad with the future Miss America host Bert Parks, who was apparently hip enough in 1952 to be the star of this campaign:

Inside the Guide: Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends premieres in September 1981

Our podcast subject this week, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, premiered September 12, 1981, and that just happened to be the week of the TV Guide Fall preview issue. So we have a few references to the show in the magazine, but with an odd twist.

First up, in the Daytime section, the Guide mentions the newcomer and lists Spidey's friends as Iceman and "Fire-Star."

In the actual listings, though, we see her named...Heatwave?

Who the heck is Heatwave? And what about that extra hyphen in "Fire-Star"?

We know, of course, that the character's name is FIRESTAR, and I will prove it to you by showing you the display ad NBC paid for to showcase its Saturday morning lineup.

Wait, I can't do that. NBC DID NOT buy an ad in this issue to showcase its Saturday morning lineup!

I tell you, this is a real letdown. ABC and CBS come through, even though CBS' ad is actually in the Friday section of the mag, which is a bit confusing because that's the end of the mag. That in itself is odd because it's not like the shows debuted a week late; the likes of Blackstar and Trollkins already premiered the previous Saturday along with most of the new ABC and NBC shows.

I won't leave you hanging! Here are the ABC and CBS ads:

9-3: Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

A Christmas special in July?! Not just any Christmas in July special either. This 97-minute Rankin-Bass special might have it all...literally. Ancient history rears its head when an evil king wakes from a long slumber. If he succeeds, Rudolph could lose his shiny nose, Frosty and family could melt, Santa could lose Christmas, Ethel Merman could lose her circus, and the world could plunge into an eternal winter! Happy Christmas in July!

Check out this episode!

Show Notes: Bonus Episode: 1971 Saturday Morning TV

*Thanks for listening to this bonus episode looking at the Spring 1971 Saturday morning lineup, and get ready for Season 9 coming soon!

*Since we recorded this episode, as members of our Facebook group know, I have obtained a copy of Harry and Wally's excellent The TV Schedule Book, which we use as our main resource for this episode.

(I did not pay $1,080 for it)

*Fred Silverman was head of Programming at CBS at this point in time and was involved in Saturday morning. Notably, when he was running Saturday mornings before his promotion, he developed Scooby-Doo for CBS.

*Laugh-In aired on NBC from January 1968 to March 1973.

*We will have an In the Know segment (audio) with Josie in this week's YouTube playlist for the show thanks to the upload of animation historian Greg Ehrbar. If you can't wait to see it:

*Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space premiered in the 1972-73 season on CBS.

*The Super Globetrotters cartoon we refer to premiered on NBC in 1979.

*Check out RetroFan #2 for a history of The Groovie Ghoulies in all its formats.

*Edward Lear is no relation to Norman, just for the record.

*I was mistaken on the 1971 Heckle and Jeckle on NBC being the Filmation ones, as Mike points out, but we will include the newer intro in the playlist since it's a little more unique.

*Lancelot Link dubbed human voices over the chimp actors. TV Party reports it was the highest-budgeted Saturday morning show of all time as of 1971. The sets cost money, and they developed new ways of lighting to be able to shoot the chimps' faces. Synchronizing the voices to the footage was a painstaking process. I did start looking into how they "trained" the "performers," and...you don't want to know.

50 Saturday Mornings Ago

In this extra-sized bonus episode, we look at the Saturday morning schedule from spring 1971. How did the networks compare? Did Saturday morning '71 look much like '81? What show had a character named Doughnut, and how on earth does Phil Collins fit into all of this? Pour some cereal and sit close to the speakers because we have the answers!

Check out this episode!

This Day in TV History: Bugs Bunny All-American Hero

 40 years ago tonight, according to most sources*, CBS premiered the animated special Bugs Bunny All-American Hero. It featured Bugs and a panel of historians and political scientists talking about the nature of patriotism and his own role in advancing official government-approved narratives in his films.

Nah, just kidding! Like other Looney Tunes specials of the era, it features footage from classic cartoons linked by a newly created framing sequence. In this case Bugs helps his nephew study for a history test

*Vincent Terrace's book on TV specials gives an airdate of Thursday, May 14, which I believe is incorrect. It's a disappointing strike against print media in my ongoing effort to prove print is more reliable than online!

Happy (early) birthday, Daffy Duck!

Multiple sources cite April 17 as Daffy Duck's birthday, but were gonna celebrate a day early!  The character debuted in Porky's Duck Hunt on this date in 1937 and went on to a great run in films and TV...sullied somewhat, IMHO, by his relegation to a stooge for Bugs Bunny after many of the most famous Chuck Jones Looney Tunes.

Let's celebrate this day with a look at Duck's underappreciated work as a spokesman for public service causes:

Daffy was a fixture on Saturday mornings for years and even had his own program for a while on NBC. Is that theme song inspired by the Wing and a Payer Drum Fife Corps version of "Baby Face"?

On International Polar Bear Day, we salute the great Breezly

He's still my favorite polar bear: Breezly Bruin from Breezly and Sneezly, the segment on The Peter Potamus Show and The Magilla Gorilla Show featuring some elements that may remind you of Sgt. Bilko.

There really ought to be more of these guys on YouTube!

Inside the Guide #5: The Nutty Squirrels Present (June 22-28 1975)

Welcome to a new feature here on the site, "Inside the Guide," in which we explore a vintage edition of TV Guide from the BOTNS archives.  Let's look at a cartoon that aired on WSBK 38 (Boston) according to the June 22-28 1975 edition of the mag:

As you may have guessed from all the religious programming, this listing is actually from Sunday morning, not Saturday.  It still has cartoons, though!

(Any interest in an episode about Nature World of Captain Bob?)

I confess I had no idea about Nutty Squirrels, and I have watched a lot of TV and a lot of cartoons.  Turns out they are a Chipmunks ripoff, only jazzier, using the sped-up-vocals gimmick to create music.

What's interesting to me is they actually beat Alvin and the Chipmunks to television, debuting in 1960 in first-run syndication with The Nutty Squirrels Present. The characters served as hosts for an anthology of European-made (intended for theaters) cartoons that distributor Transfilm bought and redubbed, then added bumpers for:

Unfortunately, that intro is almost all I can find from the Squirrels TV program.  This cartoon from the series is the only one I can see on YT:

The Alvin Show, apparently inspired by this show, premiered on CBS in Fall 1961.

Anyone remember The Nutty Squirrels Present?  I don't think reruns of the program made it to my area when I was growing up.

For more on this rarity, check out this excellent article by Tralfaz, which is my primary source for this post!  The author writes: Someone still had ownership of the squirrels cartoons in 1975 because they aired on WSBK-TV in Boston in a half hour slot between Popeye and Wally Gator. When the squirrels were last seen on the small screen is your guess.

(NOTE: We are retconning a few recent posts that looked at this same issue, so this is technically not #1, but #3 in this ongoing series!)

Happy Birthday, Donald Duck!

June 9 is the official birthday of Donald Duck according to Disney. On this date in 1934, The Wise Little Hen marked the character's screen debut.

Let's celebrate by watching this clip of Elton John singing Your Song in Donald Duck regalia in Central Park.  The concert aired on HBO.





Wait, wait, wait. We can't celebrate one of our finest screen stars without watching one of the greatest TV cartoon show theme songs ever. Let's enjoy the opening of Donald Duck Presents:



My favorite part is when Donald promises "crazy stuff!"  That's right, ANYTHING GOES when Duck presents!

RetroFan magazine looks at Saturday morning!

I give my strongest recommendation to RetroFan magazine, now a bi-monthly publication that offers a great blast of nostalgia in a visually appealing package.  Originally I wanted to spotlight the latest issue's cover story this week, but since it's Saturday morning, let me highlight a different piece: Part 1 of a look at network Saturday morning preview shows!

Andy Mangels is a prolific writer, producer, and historian whose Retro Saturday Morning column appears in each issue. This time, he covers those half-hour or hour specials the networks used to spotlight the new and returning programs kids would see on the Fall network Saturday schedule. Often airing on Friday nights, these extravaganzas might combine animation with live action, Saturday stars with special guest stars, music with comedy--in short, all kinds of goofy stuff might happen, as Mangels shows in his article.


(Remember that Mike looked in depth at one of these specials right here on the website!)

The only frustrating thing about reading the story is how little of the subject matter is readily available, or even available, period. Mangels states at the beginning most of these programs are rare and that they are licensing nightmares that will never see legit home video release. Therefore we have to rely on clips for most of these (some are intact online), and Mangels' excellent research uncovers a lot of cool details.

I won't give away those details here, but I think my biggest takeaway is the awesomeness of the year 1977. Not only did ABC, CBS, and NBC all have preview specials. but Darth Vader appeared in two of them.  On ABC he apparently introduces some clips from shows like Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels. On CBS, however, he force-strangles Jim Backus!

Not to be outdone, NBC's C'mon, Saturday! features the gimmick of a kid (the then-star of Annie on Broadway) programming the network's weekend mornings. Her special advisor is Mister Wister, played by Leonard Nimoy, who, Mangels reports, sings "Turn, turn, turn your dial, right to NBC," to the tune of Row Your Boat!

There are tons of fun tidbits like that in this lengthy story, and it's illustrated with vintage ads, screenshots, and promo pics. So if you want to go back in time and see how the networks promoted their Saturday morning lineups--and why wouldn't you--and want to revisit Kaptain Kool and the Kongs, Jimmy Osmond, and the Banana Splits, pick up this issue of RetroFan.

Does Lucy Van Pelt play the TV Guide Game?

One of my favorite Halloween traditions is watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and though I now have it on DVD, I still pretend I'm seeing it on CBS.  I've been watching this special for decades, and I never noticed until this year that in this scene Lucy Van Pelt is reading a TV Guide with herself on the cover!

I'm just thankful Mike has never called me a blockhead or threatened to slug me during an installment of the TV Guide game...yet.