Henry G. Saperstein

The owner of a chain of movie theaters in his native Chicago, Henry G Saperstein moved to Hollywood and eventually became president of Television Personalities in the mid-1950s. A pioneer in the field, he handled merchandising for popular television shows including "Lassie," "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp," "The Roy Rogers Show" and "The Lone Ranger." Saperstein also worked with Colonel Tom Parker as a licensing agent for Elvis Presley. In 1960, he acquired UPA Pictures, a company that previously specialized in theatrical shorts and commercials and was failing financially. Shifting the focus to producing television programs, he introduced such successful syndicated cartoons as "Mr. Magoo," "Gerald McBoing Boing" and "Dick Tracy." After the run of "The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo" (NBC, 1964), the animated character frequently appeared as an advertising spokesman. When the American Federation of the Blind protested Disney's 1997 live-action adaptation of "Mr. Magoo" on the grounds that it was demeaning to the blind, Saperstein countered by listing Magoo's heroic qualities, and pointing out that despite the character's nearsightedness, he always triumphs.