March 8, 1946 – The Goofy Short, A Knight for a Day, is Released to Theaters
“Stand by, everybody, as we turn the calendar back 500 years and bring you the 123rd running of the Canterbury tournament at Blunderstone Castle.”
Directed by Jack Hannah, A Knight for a Day was released on March 8, 1946. This short continues the trend of having Goofy play a part in the story, rather than being the regular Goofy audiences were used to from earlier Mickey Mouse shorts. Also, all the characters in Knight for a Day are designed to look like Goofy. The story was written by Bill Peet, with music by in-house composer Oliver Wallace.
Knight for a Day relies on clever puns woven throughout the story, such as the names of the knights: Sir Loinsteak and Sir Cumference. Modern day sports-casting and a medieval setting mix as the audience is taken back in time to attend, the announcer says, the 123rd annual Canterbury jousting tournament. Everyone in town flocks to the castle for this event, and it sells out fast. The winner is to receive honor, glory, and the hand of the beautiful Princess Esmeralda, who is seen watching from her tower.
The squire Cedric, dreaming of the day he can win the favor of the princess through jousting as a knight
We then head to the dressing room of Sir Loinsteak, whose squire, Cedric, is busy polishing the knight’s suit of armor and preparing him for the fight. Cedric dreams that one day he shall be a knight “and face death for the smile of a lovely princess.” He takes a moment to daydream, but quickly sets back to work preparing the knight.
As the trumpet sounds, Cedric races to help Sir Loinsteak mount his horse, breaking the knight’s sword in his haste. He hides the pieces and continues to prep, but as he tries to shove the knight onto his horse, he pushes the Sir Loinsteak out of his armor (and Cedric into it) and the knight is knocked out cold when he lands on an anvil. Cedric can’t believe that Sir Loinsteak is unable to fight, and then realizes that he is wearing the armor. The narrator tells Cedric that this is his big chance—he can win the honor and glory, not to mention the hand of the fair princess.
The tournament begins with the champion, Sir Cumference (“Old Iron Pants, they call him”), entering the arena. His horse has hash marks for all the gallant knights who have fallen in battle against him. Cedric enters from the other gate, and is blown a kiss by Princess Esmeralda; the narrator comments that it must be love at first sight. Cedric’s dreamy-eyed gaze is cut short when he notices that the knights are prepared to joust, with shields made of bricks and sharp points at the end of their lances. He quakes in his armor.
Although nervous, Cedric charges with all of his might
The umpire checks his wrist-sundial, and the crowd waits anxiously for his signal to begin. The umpire waves his flag, the trumpet sounds, and off they go into the joust! Cedric charges gallantly forward, but it’s no use again Sir Cumference – Cedric and his horse are pushed out through the castle wall into the moat. Sir Cumference is still the champion, but this does not please the princess, who lets out a loud shout of discontent at this outcome.
Suddenly, Cedric is seen climbing through the hole in the castle wall, still on his horse, ready to try again. The champion puts on his helmet again, charges, and sends Cedric flying into the air and landing in the bleachers. The crowd lifts him back to his horse, infuriating Sir Cumference, who pulls out his sword and charges. Cedric pulls out his sword, too—forgetting that he had destroyed it earlier. Thinking fast, he attaches the arm from his armor to the end of the broken sword and goes full speed ahead, using it to knock the champion out of his seat. He then uses the armor arm to push the challenger back as he tries in vain to hack away at Cedric.
Cedric is able to hide comfortably inside the armor as Sir Cumference beats it relentlessly with a mace
Cedric begins to throw pieces of his armor at Sir Cumfrence, and the fight becomes a no-holds-barred scuffle. Sir Cumference takes out a mace and begins to smash the Cedric’s armor, with Cedric hiding inside. Cedric, however, being a lot smaller than the armor would suggest he is, is able to hide away without being injured. The champion is exhausted from his angry work, and Cedric becomes the new champion when “Old Iron Pants” falls from his horse. The princess leaps from her balcony and begins to shower Cedric with kisses. “What a day for a knight,” the narrator ends, “and what a knight for a day.”
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