Edith Head's Hollywood

This book documents an important milestone in American cultural history, the birth of the animated holiday special-Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carolaaa-and it's unsung creator, Lee Orgel. It tells the story of the artistically groundbreaking UPA animation studio, its decline and brief rebirth, which forever left its mark on television history. With the intersection of people like Walt Disney, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, Looney Tunes, Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, Woody Allen and of course, Mr. Magoo, it's a virtual who's who of mid-20th century pop culture. The book recounts the enormous tenacity and effort required to get the special sold and sponsored, let alone produced, and features rare production artwork and even rarer photos from the song recording sessions. Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol was the first animated Christmas special and paved the way for all future animated specials, like A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Darrell Van Citters is a well-known director and producer with over thirty years in animation. His career began at the Walt Disney Studios, as animator on The Fox and the Hound, director of the animated short (and cult classic) Fun with Mr. Future, and development on Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He moved to Warner Bros. Animation and Chuck Jones Productions, where he directed the Bugs Bunny short Box Office Bunny, a pair of memorable Super Bowl Nike ads starring Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan and, for Jones, the Foghorn Leghorn cartoon Pullet Surprise. He finally hung out his own shingle at Renegade Animation, where for the past seventeen years he has worked on or overseen numerous television commercials and such diverse projects as The Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi Show, Christmas Is Here Again and Funny Face, based on the 1960s Pillsbury characters. His experience as animator, director and business owner gives him a distinctive viewpoint for writing about animation. Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol has long been one of his favorites. He has occasionally written articles and editorials for animation and trade magazines. This is his first book.