Mr. I-Magination

Country: United States
Elsewhere: IMDb

The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A host dressed as a train engineer takes children on a weekly imaginary train ride to a land where they meet professionals like a lion tamer or a test pilot. The show uses simple special effects like a tunnel made of smoke to enter this imaginative place.

whimsicaleducationalgentleold-fashionedcuriousplayfulimaginativeuplifting

What happens

Mr. I. Magination is one of the earliest American television shows for children. It ran live as a half-hour weekly show on CBS from 1949 to 1952 and was broadcast from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. It debuted on May 29, 1949, and ended on June 38, 1952. The host, Mr. I. Magination (Paul Tripp), dressed as a train engineer, gathered a group of children each week. The same child actors appeared on a rotating basis. Two would be selected to ask about a career, occupation, activity, and such. Tripp would then play a "magic" slide flute, then he and the children would board a train and travel to Imagination Land, where they would meet a professional from each of the two areas for that week's show. Guests were as diverse as Damu, a lion tamer from Ringling Brothers Circus, and test pilot Scott Crossfield. Ruth Enders, Ted Tiller, and Joe Silver also acted in the show. The show was also a pioneer in using simple, early special effects, such as making it appear as if the opening train ride went through a tunnel to enter Imagination Land, emerging from the smoke from its engine. Yul Brynner served as the director of the show at times, but did not appear as a performer. The show also featured performances by Walter Matthau, Richard Boone, Joe Silver, Ted Tiller, and Simon Oakland. Mr. I. Magination also was featured on several RCA records for children, including Billy On A Bike and Mr. I. Magination Meets Rip Van Winkle; there are at least two versions on LP (long playing) record. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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