FERNANDO LLERA 'TOONS

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

The Mr. Magoo Cameos

I love the cartoon character of Mister Magoo. I remember watching his antics at the movie theater and later on television. He's not the usual cartoon type of character. For one thing, he's a human. Not many human beings were featured as stars in those old classic animation shorts so it was kind of a departure.

WIKIPEDIA describes him like this: "Mr. Magoo is an elderly, wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comical situations as a result of his extreme near-sightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem".

Mr. Magoo was also featured in a series of comic books throughout the 50s and 60s,

and for a while, was even published as a syndicated comic strip. The strips were then compiled into a paperback which has been the only source I have relied upon to read them.

Quincy Magoo was also prominently displayed in several General Electric ads:

So for me, it was only natural to include him as a cameo figure in several of my newspaper cartoons:

Even his nephew Waldo made an appearance!

Oh, Magoo! You've done it again!

Monday, January 30, 2023

COLUMBO: The End of the Series

COLUMBO was an American TV series starring Peter Falk, which had its premiere as a TV Movie of the Week on February 20, 1968 under the title PRESCRIPTION MURDER and also starring Gene Barry as Dr. Ray Flemming, a psychiatrist who murders his wife when she discovers he's having an affair with one of his patients. The movie pretty much establishes the character of Lt. Columbo of the LAPD. Here, Columbo establishes two of his most famous trademarks by needing to borrow a pencil and, just before leaving the psychiatrist's office, by saying, "There's one more thing . . . ".

With Gene Barry

Three years later, on March 1st, 1971, the second COLUMBO TV Movie was telecast, starring Lee Grant as attorney Leslie Williams, who is so bored with her husband, she decides to fake his kidnapping after killing him and then plans to keep the ransom.

Lee Grant

Finally, COLUMBO became one of three rotating programs of The NBC MYSTERY MOVIE and the first episode titled MURDER BY THE BOOK with guest star Jack Cassidy premiered on September 15, 1971. The rest, as the cliché goes, is history.

Jack Cassidy

Robert Culp

Robert Vaughn

Dick Van Dyke

John Cassavetes

Kim Hunter, Don Ameche and Ross Martin

Susan Clark and Leslie Nielsen

Robert Vaughn

Martin Landau

Jackie Cooper

Patrick O'Neal

Donald Pleasence

Patrick McGoohan

Sally Kellerman, Patrick McGoohan and Rue McClanahan

And eventually, after some 69 episodes, COLUMBO appeared solving his last case, exactly twenty years ago, on January 30, 2003 in the episode COLUMBO LIKES THE NIGHTLIFE.

Peter Falk passed away on June 23rd, 2011 at 83.

After so many years it is understandable that some episodes were not as good as others but for me, the first seven seasons, from 1971 to 1978, were all winners. Peter Falk had a long and distinguished career playing all sorts of roles, in comedy and drama but his ultimate legacy will always be as Lt. Columbo, the classic and unforgettable lieutenant who solved murders by sheer ingenuity, logic, lots of luck, and his uncanny powers of observation.