Mr I. Magination

1 9 4 9 – 1 9 5 2 (USA)
30 minute episodes

This CBS Sunday evening show for kids featured a warm and gentle train engineer called Mr I. Magination (Paul Tripp), who made trips to visit various figures from history or classic fiction – Abraham Lincoln, Ben Franklin or George Washington, for example, or perhaps a reenactment of scenes from Tom Sawyer or Treasure Island – on a miniature magical train.

Each trip began with a child uttering the words “I wish I were . . .” before the tiny train chugged off to Imagination Town.

Tripp wrote most of the scripts and all of the song lyrics (which were set to music by his piano-playing colleague, Ray Carter), and his pretty wife, Ruth Enders, appeared each week in various roles.

In a biographical sketch about PT Barnum, for example, Enders appeared as Tom Thumb’s mother, Queen Victoria, a tattooed lady, Jenny Lind and a tightrope walker.

Joe Silver and Ted Tiller provided all the other supporting roles, with quick changes being the order of the day. Tiller played the kings of Portugal, Spain and France in a show devoted to the life of Christopher Columbus.

In addition, he appeared as a mutinous sailor on the Santa Maria and a United States senator (complete with Southern accent) who anachronistically greeted Chris and crew when they first touched the American shore.

Silver, meanwhile, led two opposing armies to battle as the King of Austria and Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, in a piece about Richard the Lionheart.

The show – which won accolades from educators and parents’ groups from the very beginning – had no sponsor during its first 80 weeks and ran only public service announcements in place of commercials. Later, Nestlé sponsored the show.

During its lifetime, Mr I. Magination won many honours, including the Look Award, the Peabody Award, the Ohio State University Award, the Variety Showmanship Award and an Emmy.

Meet me, Mr I. Magination
The man with the magic reputation
Did I hear you wish to go
Where you think you cannot go?
Just ask me, Mr I. Magination
Can do whatever you
Would never dream that you could do
I’m quite a treasure
So it’s a pleasure
To introduce to you
Just guess who
Mr I. Magination
The man with the magic reputation

Mr I. Magination
Paul Tripp
Various
Ruth Enders
Joe Silver
Ted Tiller