December 18, 1962 –
Mr. Magoo starred as Ebenezer Scrooge in a musical version of Charles Dickens’ Christmas tale, Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol, music by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill and voiced by Jim Backus, Jack Cassidy, Paul Frees, Joan Gardner, Morey Amsterdam, and Royal Dano, which aired on NBC TV, on this date.
There is a popular rumor that the song People was written for – and rejected by – this TV special. This is not true. The special’s composer Jule Styne and lyricist Bob Merrill were working on the song for the Broadway musical Funny Girl at the same time that they were writing this score. The producers of this project heard them playing it and were thrilled, until they learned that it was not for them. Obviously, it went on to become a hit for the star of Funny Girl, Barbra Streisand.
The Haus of Dcaligari 