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"SOLLY, CHOLLY"
Original Post Date, August 28, 2009
I made a remark to my co-worker, Lori, the other day that one of our doctors reminded me of Mr. Magoo. I haven't watched Mr. Magoo in years but I remember what fun it was to watch crotchety, near-sighted Mr. Magoo bumbling through his days in ignorant bliss.
The colorful characters in the show added to the fun.
Bowser: Quincy Magoo's dog that is really a Siamese cat
Waldo: his dimwitted nephew
Mother Magoo: the self-sufficient mother that Quincy sees as delicate and fragile
Tycoon Magoo: Quincy's rich uncle
Worcestershire: Tycoon Magoo's butler
McBarker: his bulldog who shared his myopia affliction (added in the later 70's series)
and my personal favorite:
Charley: Mr. Magoo's Chinese houseboy who referred to himself in third person as "Cholly"
Lori came to work the next day telling me that she looked up some episodes of Mr. Magoo to show her kids (8 and 10 years old) and how she laughed way more than they did. As she was explaining an episode where Mr. Magoo thought he was taking someone to an amusement park, she had to stop talking because she was laughing so hard as she told of how Mr. Magoo walked up to worker standing at a cart in the salt mine and said, "Two, please" as he entered the "ride".
Right then, I went on Amazon and ordered the full DVD collection that I'm watching tonight. Now I know when the character of Cholly was introduced, there was some controversy about the stereotype but I was shocked that he no longer referred to himself as Cholly but as Charlie instead.
WHAT?!?!
Is this what we've come to in our politically correct society? Can we no longer watch the classics and see a Chinese man refer to himself as Cholly and his boss as bloss?
Television is our time capsule that takes us back to simpler times when blue collar, uneducated Archie Bunker was able to spout off about his meathead, liberal son-in-law Mike while he was arguing with his black neighbor George Jefferson's brother, Henry, about the difference between honkeys and spades.
Look how far we've come. Let's not let this uber PC world keep us from laughing at the lunacy of stereotypes, too.
Enjoy!
Chrissy, I must have missed this first time around because I don't remember it. And what a GREAT post it is!
ReplyDeleteI loved Mr. Magoo too! I remember watching it when I came home from school in the 60's.
"Is this what we've come to in our politically correct society? Can we no longer watch the classics and see a Chinese man refer to himself as Cholly and his boss as bloss?"
THANK YOU! What is it with all this politically correct stuff we have to deal with now-a-day? If we say even ONE thing that even remotely refers to a stereotype, we're sued.
Great post. And I enjoyed watching the clip!
"Mr. Magloo, Mr. Magloo!"
LOVED it!
Hell-o Chrissy,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Mr. Magloo too. Wasn't there a dog Hamlet?
In defence of Mr. Bonkers. This was par of longer essay i posted:
...Archie was the main character in "All in the Family". This show made a raucous debut on american television of Nixon's America in 1971. Norman Lear was a Hollywood 'leftist' that adapted an english programme. Lear did not create Bunker to be loved, but to be ridiculed. He did not get what he wanted out of Carroll O'Connor and the writers. Archie received his imposed bigotry from the America around him. Archie was not malicious, nor vicious; he was the product of his environment.
Archie was grumpy, cantankerous and beleaguered. He lost and lost again. He grew up in a rough America. The urban working class did not live in luxury. The US was not a land of milk and honey, it was a gritty scramble to survive.
The bigotry was provided for him. Instance after instance, Archie's internal humanity was released when he came to really know people, rather than to know their roles. He became friends with people that he would never have chosen to be with, of course at the introduction, he had no intention to do so...
@Ron,
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it! I know, the whole PC mentality is out of control. It's a said world when we can't laugh at ourselves.
@S,
Well said! I agree.
I remember Mr. Magoo but I dont remember liking him to much. I was more Buggs Bunny.
ReplyDelete@Simply Suthern,
ReplyDeleteI never got into the whole Warner Brothers bunch. I had a friend who spent hundreds of dollars on those cartoon cells they used to cell at the WB stores. They probably aren't worth anything now.