Mr Magoo
 Mr. Magoo was a snooty, incredibly near-sighted character who
was constantly getting himself into comedic trouble due to his
intense myopia and chronic stubborness.
Despite his lack of vision, Magoo had been entrusted as the
caretaker of his little nephew Waldo, who was always drawn in to
his uncle’s mishaps.
Jim Backus, best known as millionaire Thurston Howell III from Gilligan’s
Island, provided the voice for Magoo before, during, and after
the actor’s island stay.
Although first seen as a regular series in 1960, the character
of Mr. Magoo actually dates back to 1949, when he starred in a
series of UPA theatrical animated shorts. In 1956, Quincy Magoo
could be seen on four 60-second spots, hawking beer.
While a near-blind, bumbling man probably wasn’t the best
choice to represent an alcoholic product, at least it kept the
curmudgeonly guy in the spotlight.
Four years later, Magoo finally got his own syndicated show, Mr.
Magoo. The program added a new roster of supporting
characters, including free-spirited Mother Magoo, rich uncle
Tycoon Magoo, Tycoon's butler Worcestershire, Chinese houseboy
Charlie, and Magoo's pets, a dog named Casear and a hamster named
Hamlet.
Produced with corner-cutting animation, the series won
audiences over with its silly sight gags and jokes geared as much
for parents as for their children. The show also scored points for
being broadcast in colour, one of the few syndicated colour
programs available at the time.
In all, 130 five-minute shorts were produced and shipped out in
syndicated packages between 1960 and 1962.
In 1964, Magoo returned to TV for UPA's The Famous
Adventures of Mr. Magoo. The new show ran for only one year,
after which the character was relegated to repeats and the
occasional special.
In 1977, DePatie-Freleng delivered What's New, Mr. Magoo?
to CBS' Saturday morning schedule, with Backus still performing
the old coot's voice.
After two seasons, Magoo faded into pop culture limbo until a
1997 live-action feature, starring Leslie Nielsen in the title
role.
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