DISNEY GIVES `MR. MAGOO' A CHRISTMAS BONUS.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Leslie Nielsen, in Vancouver, British Columbia, making ``Mr. Magoo,'' reports that Disney has already slated the film as its major Christmas release. And, he says, if it lives up to expectations, he'll be playing the cartoon character again next year in a second ``Magoo.''

``I guess the box office wouldn't have to be that good if merchandising is successful,'' he says. ``It's astounding how much studios make from merchandising these days.''

Asked if his ``Magoo'' deal calls for a piece of the merchandising profits, the funny man responds, ``The usual fraction that's permissible by Disney standards. But I don't pay attention to things like that at this stage of the game. I'm not amassing a huge amount of money for my so-called old age. I'm just having myself a good time.''

A good time is what the 71-year-old actor says he's having making the movie, which recently had his nearsighted character find a folded ironing board, mistake it for a snow board and go roaring down a hill on it. ``I did quite a bit of the stunt myself, with a snow vehicle pulling me,'' he says. ``Hey, it's not every day you get to do something like that.''

Nielsen co-stars in the big-screen comedy with Kelly Lynch and Malcolm McDowell. Both of them play villains. ``There's a third villain in the story we still have to cast,'' says Nielsen. ``There's time. We don't finish shooting until the beginning of July.''

The inside track

It's a hot time for Melissa Manchester. The songstress has an ``In Concert'' special coming up on AMC on Mother's Day - at the same time her ``Essence of Melissa Manchester'' anthology album is due out on Arista. According to Manchester, the album was in the works when AMC called, ``and from then on, we went into the compilation full-tilt boogie so that everything could come out at the same time. We said, `Man, this is a gift from God.' '' The special features Manchester performing at New York's Rainbow Room, including encores of songs she's performed on Academy Awards shows and a duet with Peabo Bryson on ``Whenever I Call You Friend.''

As for the compilation, she says, ``It was interesting going down that particular memory lane. ... It brought up a lot of stuff, disappointments as well as great moments.''

She and the record label figuratively arm-wrestled over the content. They wanted only hits. She wanted a textured musical journey. They ended up ``striking a good compromise,'' she says. That ought to please her legions of fans, many of whom go back with her two decades. Manchester tells us, ``My fans send me letters. ... People say they've named children after you, decided not to commit suicide while listening to your music, or gotten through jail terms, or decided to make a baby. ... I don't necessarily keep them all, but I never forget them.''

Best face forward

Teri Garr reports she's been waiting for plastic surgeons to descend upon her, offering her cut-rate services, since her NBC ``Nightscream'' telepic aired Monday night. Says the actress, who's in her mid-40s, ``I knew I was in trouble when they were doing a lot of shots with the cameras near the floor. They said they wanted that kind of angle because the film was a mystery, but I looked at what they were doing and said, 'I'm dead.' Oh, well, I'll just have to get over it.''

Teri recalls the time long ago when Shirley MacLaine taught her the ropes about camera angles. ``She learned them from Marlene Dietrich - never let them put the camera below your eye level. The higher the better, but never below your chin.'' For the record, Teri looks terrific, as you'll be able to note when she pops up May 15 on ``Friends'' playing the mother of Lisa Kudrow.

The big-screen scene

There's been speculation ... now it's set. Robert De Niro will team with Samuel Jackson in Quentin Tarantino's ``Jackie Brown'' for Miramax, which is slated for shooting this summer.

Casting is under way for supporting players in the Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau ``Travelin' Light,'' a k a the film sequel to ``The Odd Couple.'' The story has Oscar's son and Felix's daughter ready to wed, and the former roommates about to become in-laws - with many a complication, of course. A few of the characters among those Neil Simon has plotted along the way will be Esther, Wanda, Flossie, Hattie and Millie, all senior citizen ladies who regularly play poker with Oscar - and who find Felix verrrrrry interesting.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Melissa Manchester

``A gift from God''

(2) Teri Garr

Not camera-shy