April 8, 1933 – The Mickey Mouse Short, Ye Olden Days, Premieres in Theaters
“I know you’ll learn to love me.”
On April 8, 1933, the Mickey Mouse short film, Ye Olden Days, premiered in theaters. It was directed by Burt Gillett, and starred Walt Disney as Mickey Mouse, Marcellite Garner as Minnie Mouse, and Pinto Colvig as Dippy Dawg. This is one of the few instances where the character of Dippy Dawg is referred to by that name. He grew to be an international star in his own right, but with a different moniker: Goofy.
Mickey as The Wandering Minstrel, traveling from far away
The short opens with a cast list, with Mickey playing “Ye Wandering Minstrel,” Minnie as “Ye Princess,” and Dippy Dawg as “Ye Prince.” The name of the person playing “Ye Old King” is covered up by the end roll of parchment. We then see Mickey, riding on the back of a very tired-looking donkey, holding a lute and signing a song, introducing himself as a wandering minstrel from afar.
Inside the castle, all the members of the court are raising their glasses and cheering for the king. The king informs his subjects that his daughter, the Princess of Lalapazoo, will marry the Prince of Pupupadoo. Trumpets sound, and at the doorway stands Dippy Dawg, who gives his famous laugh. Minnie appears at the other doorway after the trumpets similarly announce her arrival.
Minnie emphatically slaps Dippy Dawg across the face, refusing to marry him
Mickey arrives at the castle, in time to see the wedding between the Prince and the Princess. The king demands that Minnie marry the prince, and Dippy Dawg grabs one of Minnie’s hands and begins kissing up and down her arm. She swears she will not marry the prince, and slaps him three times. The king, angered by his daughter’s behavior, sends her to be locked in the attic.
Seeing all this, Mickey decides to rescue the princess from her fate. He spots the tower where Minnie and her handmaiden (who appears to be played by Clarabelle Cow) are locked away. Inside the tower, Minnie and Clarabelle begin to cry at their fate, until interrupted by a song at the window. Mickey sings to her:
“Cheer up, oh lovely princess
For you’ll be rescued soon
I’ll take thee away
So ye won’t have to stay
And marry that silly baboon.”
Impressed, Minnie sends Mickey a flower from her hat with a kiss, and he jumps up from a tree branch to the window. He tells her that he’ll save her.
The king spies Mickey and Minnie trying escape through the window
The king continues the festivities, which includes a giant feast that everyone happily prepares and eats. Mickey and Minnie, however, using the handmaiden’s clothes as a crudely constructed rope, begin to rappel down the side of the tower. They are spotted by the king after the clips on the corset begin to tap against the window, and Mickey and Minnie are captured. Infuriated, the king orders Mickey’s head chopped off. As it looks like the end for Mickey, Minnie steps in front and declares her love for the minstrel. She suggests that there be a duel between Mickey and the prince instead.
Excited by this, the king agrees, and everyone busily prepares for the duel. With a loud clang, the duel begins. As Micky and the prince speed toward each other, both are thrown off their horses. Dippy Dawg chases Mickey around the room with his lance, but the mouse finds cunning ways to stay one step in front of him. Finally, Mickey chases the prince out the window, and is held by the crowd in victory, where he and Minnie share a kiss.
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