Safety Magoo
- Studio
- UPA Productions
- Animation studio
- Jack Kinney Productions, Larry Harmon Studios
- Distributor
- Columbia Pictures Television
Synopsis
Our hero is planning on taking his driving test. At the same time, the "Broiler, Bake and Fry" advertising agency has selected him as Mr. Safety, having picked him randomly from a phone directory for its "Safety Society Campaign"! The driving test is a riotous disaster, and Magoo is immortalized as Mr. Safety in cement, having gotten stuck in a bag of the stuff.
Characters
Mr. Magoo, Waldo, Prezley, Millie, Mother Magoo, Hamlet the Hamster, Bowser the Cat, Tycoon Magoo, J.R., Mayor
Credits
Directing
- Director
- Grant Simmons
Producing
- Producer
- Henry G. Saperstein
Writing
- Writer
- George Atkins
Voices
- Voice
- Jim Backus (Mr. Magoo, Mother Magoo), Paul Frees (Tycoon Magoo, Prezley), Jerry Hausner (Waldo, Prezley), Daws Butler (Waldo, Prezley), Julie Bennett (Millie), Mel Blanc (J.R., Mayor)
Music
- Music
- Shorty Rogers, Carl Brandt, George Steiner
Animation
- Animator
- Irv Spence
- Layouts
- Gene Hazelton
Art Department
- Production Design
- Lew Keller
- Art Director
- Vic Haboush
- Backgrounds
- Tony Rizzo
- Color Styling
- Barbara Begg
Editing
- Editor
- Ted Baker
Casting
- Dialogue Director
- Jerry Hausner
Production Management
- Production Manager
- Earl Jonas
Crew
- Production Planning
- Bill Perez, Marty Murphy
Production notes
This series was a low-budget version of the Magoo theatrical cartoons, made specifically for television.
UPA and Kellogg's Cereals had signed a distribution agreement for the televised Mister Magoo series, with Kellogg's thinking it would have the last word on program content. At the last minute, however, UPA decided against any sponsor's veto and backed out of the deal.
UPA managed to sell the series by itself to 150 markets, some of which scheduled episodes in prime time. The popularity of Mister Magoo enabled UPA to sell Dick Tracy, its next series, without making a pilot episode.
UPA ending up setting up a production agreement with Henry Saperstein. Saperstein discarded UPA's reputation for quality and actively entered the made-for-TV cartoon market. Saperstein produced 130 cheaply made Mr. Magoo cartoons which premiered in syndication on November 7, 1960.
From September 18, 1989 to September 16, 1990, episodes from this series and DePatie-Freleng's "What's New, Mr. Magoo?" were rebroadcast (along with UPA cartoons from "The Gerald McBoing Boing Show") on the USA Network under the title of "Mr. Magoo & Friends" as part of "Cartoon Express."
UPA and Kellogg's Cereals had signed a distribution agreement for the televised Mister Magoo series, with Kellogg's thinking it would have the last word on program content. At the last minute, however, UPA decided against any sponsor's veto and backed out of the deal.
UPA managed to sell the series by itself to 150 markets, some of which scheduled episodes in prime time. The popularity of Mister Magoo enabled UPA to sell Dick Tracy, its next series, without making a pilot episode.
UPA ending up setting up a production agreement with Henry Saperstein. Saperstein discarded UPA's reputation for quality and actively entered the made-for-TV cartoon market. Saperstein produced 130 cheaply made Mr. Magoo cartoons which premiered in syndication on November 7, 1960.
From September 18, 1989 to September 16, 1990, episodes from this series and DePatie-Freleng's "What's New, Mr. Magoo?" were rebroadcast (along with UPA cartoons from "The Gerald McBoing Boing Show") on the USA Network under the title of "Mr. Magoo & Friends" as part of "Cartoon Express."
