Camera-ready comic art drawing for Mr. Magoo

This pen-and-ink drawing prepared for the Mr. Magoo comic strip shows the title character during his weekly visit with nephew Waldo. Waldo appears behind a barred window and Magoo thinks he’s in jail. Magoo asks if he can help break Waldo out. The last panel reveals the two in a post office where Magoo addresses a passing postman by saying “Good day, officer.”

Peter J. Alvarado, Jr. (1920-2003) drew the Mr. Magoo newspaper comic strip between 1964 and 1966. Alvarado’s other work includes collaborations on Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and other strips for which he drew under the pen name Al McKimson. Alvarado, well known for his animation work, provided artwork for Disney, Warner Brothers, and Hanna-Barbera between the late 1930s and the early 1990s.

Mr. Magoo (1964-1966) was based on the animated film short cartoon of the same name, originally developed by the United Productions of America studios in 1949. The central figure, Quincy Magoo, is a wealthy retiree who spends much of his time with his nephew Waldo. The storyline humor is mainly the result of the title character’s extreme nearsightedness. The Mr. Magoo character is said to have been based on film actor W.C. Fields. Some of the strip's messages are also said to represent protests against McCarthy-era activities.

Currently not on view