Mr Magoo

Starring: Jerry Hausner, Jim Backus Director: Pete Burness Original UK Premiere: 1997 Dvd Release: 22nd January, 2001 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: PAL, Widescreen, Region 2 Encoding

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Mr. Magoo is a cartoon character created by United Productions of America. Voiced by Jim Backus, he is a little old man who gets into a series of sticky situations as a result of being extremely short-sighted. He first appeared in the theatrical short cartoon The Ragtime Bear. It was a box-office hit & produced a string of sequels. As one of the few human cartoon characters in a Hollywood full of talking mice, rabbits & bears, as well as having a unique, simplistic drawing style that contrasted greatly with other cartoons of the day, the Mr. Magoo series won accolades for UPA & made the competing animation studios sit up & take notice. When Magoo Flew in 1953 & Mr. Magoos Puddle Jumper in 1955. In 1959, Mr. Magoo starred in 1001 Arabian Nights, directed by Jack Kinney, UPAs first feature-length production. In the 1960s, UPA transferred its attention to television & began producing Mr. Magoo television series. UPA was forced to churn out cartoons at a far greater quantity than the studio had done for theatrical release; this caused the Mr. Posters Of Mr Magoo

Someone got the rather inspired idea to match Hong Kong action director Stanley Tong with comedy stalwart Leslie Nielsen in this dim-witted live-action Disney version of the vintage cartoon, in which the very near-sighted tycoon bumbles his way into the heist of a giant, priceless ruby known as the Star of Kuristan. The result is an abundance of slapstick humour related to Mr. Magoos visual impairment & a tired plot involving a lovely jewel thief wholl stop at nothing to get her stolen jewel back. Of course, Magoo manages to foil the thieves at every turn, even though hes frequently unaware of his unintentional heroics. This standard family fare from Disney will probably play better on home video, but youll have to watch & listen closely for the few jokes that really pay off.

Jim Backus was a radio, television & movie actor & voice actor. Among his most famous roles are the voice of Mr. Magoo, the rich Herbert Updike of the Alan Young radio show, Joan Davis husband on TVs I Married Joan, James Dean s father in Rebel Without A Cause & Thurston J Howell III on Gilligans Island. Backus had an extensive career & worked steadily in Hollywood over five decades. For example, he appeared in Father was a Fullback in 1949, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm & Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World back to back in 1962 & 1963 & in Prince Jack in 1984. In 1989 Backus died from complications of pneumonia, after suffering from Parkinsons Disease for many years. He was survived by his wife of 46 years, Henny Backus, a former Broadway showgirl in the 1920s, where she performed with Earl Carroll s Vanities. Henny Backus co-starred with Jim Backus in televisions Blondie sitcom of the 1960s. The Backuss co-wrote several humorous books, including Only When I Laugh. Posters Of Mr Magoo

Editors Choice: Mr Magoo, There Goes The Bride, View DVDology

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