Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. Let's parse that. Mr. Magoo - unfunny, obnoxious, blind graduate of my alma mater, Rutgers, and voiced by Jim Backus who I associate almost exclusively with Thurston Howell III. Christmas Carol - enduring yuletide classic, familiar almost to the point of unbearable, the subject of part of Tony Robbins's seminars, best non-animated version stars Alistair Sim if you ask me.

So on the face of it, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol is an unlikely choice to be one of my favorite holiday movies ever. But it is. And the credit goes to a remarkable, memorable score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill that charmingly complements a faithful adaptation of a classic story. Great music, great performances, no-frills presentation. I don't love Scrooge, the musical version with Albert Finney. But I love me some Magoo. Originally aired in 1962, it is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month.

If this title is new to you, be warned that the animation is crudely basic - it shares the same kind of low budget look that Charlie Brown's Christmas has. Personally, the low-art style is a big part of its enduring charm - the work went into the storytelling not generating whizbang effects designed to numb my senses. And it comes from a time before tie-ins, product placement, action figures, and Under-roos.

Since it's the music that hooks me, let's take it song by song.

"Back on Broadway" sets the scene that Magoo is an actor playing Scrooge on the Broadway stage. Pleasant, but filler. And I can't wait for the real Magoo - who I don't find funny - to lose the schtick and get on with it. C

"Ringle, Ringle (Coins When They Jingle") introduces Scrooge, who sings about the wonder of his favorite things while poor Bob Cratchit (Jack Cassidy) harmonizes about his miserably cold working conditions. B

"Lord's Bright Blessing" (AKA the "razzleberry dressing" song) is one of my favorite parts. The Cratchit children dream of Christmas goodies including razzleberry dressing ("which would be nice") and wolfeljelly cakes ("perhaps a slice") while Bob gently reminds them that although he hates that they are poor in material things, they are rich in love -- and that is what Christmas is all about ("a Christmas far more glorious than grand.") A little too white and uptight to be gospel, but close. A

"I'm All Alone in the World" is set in the past. Old Scrooge sees himself as the lonely boy he was, banished to boarding school. Together they sing about the love that eludes them. "A hand for each hand was planned for the world / Why don't my fingers reach / Millions of grains of sand in the world / Why such a lonely beach?" Poignant, effective. A

"Christmas was Warm" is a simple but hauntingly sad song sung by Belle, who realizes that love is not enough - she and Scrooge don't have a future together. The most adult song in the show and one that I didn't appreciate as a kid. A

"We're Despicable" is a showstopper by Scooge's graverobbers, who sing about their general unpleasantness. "We're reprehensible / We'll steal your pen and pencilable / "We'll sneer at you, leer at you naughtily / I really think we ought to be in jail." Hands down, my favorite part. Long live "La la la la la la la" chorus, the teeth and the shower of daisies. A+

"I'm All Alone in the World" is a vision of the future in which old Scrooge mourns Tiny Tim. Scrooge is on the verge of repentence as he learns to pity someone other than himself. A

"Lord's Bright Blessing" (reprise) concludes the play as Scrooge unites with the Cratchits and the children's wish for a grand feast comes true; their celebration turns into a sing-along finale with the theatre audience. A+

If you aren't in the Christmas spirit by the end of this, you should declare that "every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' upon his lips should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart."

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol is available from Amazon. Click here to add it to your craptastic movie collection.

God bless us, everyone.