COUNTERPUNCH LETTERS : ‘Mr. Magoo’ Is a Winner Despite His Myopia

We, at UPA, are the creators and owners of “Mr. Magoo.”

Rob Wishart (“A Word to Disney: Pass Up Rights to ‘Mr. Magoo,’ ” Calendar, Oct. 16) totally misses the point that in more than 200 films, Mr. Magoo, despite his nearsightedness, is courageous, heroic, dignified and always emerges a winner over the 20/20-vision opponents who try to take advantage of his myopia.

Yes, Mr. Magoo is myopic, but so is 52% of the U.S. Wishart “sees” Magoo as a pathetic buffoon. Yet, Magoo films have been honored by the motion picture academy, the New York Museum of Modern Art, the Kennedy Center, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and many others. He’s been a very successful spokesman for GE, RCA, Timex, Blue Shield, NutraSweet, the U.S. Treasury, the U.S. Navy, the American Cancer Society, the National Safety Council and the American Heart Assn.

Not all of us are born 100% perfect, physically, mentally, emotionally. If we allow Wishart’s self-righteous censorship, then we “rob” the audience of the opportunity to experience Walter Brennan’s hard-of-hearing, Billy Gilbert’s eye twitch, Michael Palin’s (“A Fish Called Wanda”) stuttering, Linda Hunt’s tininess, Fred Gwynne’s height, John Goodman’s fatness, Sissy Spacek’s skinniness, anything on bulimia or anorexia, no disfigured “Phantom of the Opera,” “Elephant Man” or “Man Without a Face.” No mentally impaired “Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Snakepit” or “Misery,” no crippled Daniel Day-Lewis in “My Left Foot” or Chester’s limp in “Gunsmoke” or Marlee Matlin in “Children of a Lesser God.”

I’ll take my chances on the abilities of Joe Roth and David Vogel of Disney rather than risk the “do-gooders” who would have us make only white-bread movies that didn’t touch touchy subjects. In the end, the public will decide, as always.

HENRY G. SAPERSTEIN

President, UPA Pictures Inc.