Mr. Magoo (Jim Backus) mistakes an animal preserve for his alma mater, Rutgers University, in this episode of What's New Mr. Magoo. Casey Kasem is heard as Magoo's nephew, Waldo, and a tourist, as we conclude our tribute to the radio legend.
Here's "Magoo in the Zoo":
DePatie-Freleng thought that giving Magoo a dog that was as near-sighted as he was would help things out. Uh, no, it didn't, not when the series aired opposite Scooby-Doo's All-Star Laff-a-Lympics on ABC. Today, any attempt at reviving Magoo would be met with greater opposition from advocates for the disabled.
Rating: B-.
2 comments:
Magoo was a alumnus of the class of '28? Sheesh! That would make him almost 72 years old in 1977!
I agree that him having the dog was unnecessary. If anything, the dog should have been more like a seeing eye dog that would have prevented (or tried to!) Magoo's potentially dangerous forays.
I agree Magoo's shows were always based on the concept of nearsightedness, but I think it's time to retire it should he be revived. These days with laser surgery and improved eyewear, it's almost unnecessary for him to be as comically nearsighted. It's rather like the world of comics and superheroes in which you have such superscience which can fix and cure anything - except cancer or paralysis (pre-52 Barbara Gordon anyone?)
I remember the older shorts in which Magoo had a cat named Cicero (why he was left out in favor of McBarker the dog, I have no idea), and Waldo was depicted as having been older and less hip (this version seems like a teenager - with Shaggy's voice!).
I think the folks at DFE forgot Cicero, and thought that a dog with the same vision issue as Magoo made more sense. Oh, were they wrong!
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