June 16, 1934 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Mickey’s Steam Roller is Released to Theaters
“Oh, lookee! There’s Uncle Mickey! Yoo-hoo!”
On June 16, 1934, the Mickey Mouse short film Mickey’s Steam Roller was released to theaters. The short was directed by David Hand, and stars Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse and Marcellite Garner as the voice of Minnie Mouse.
A construction crew is working on a main street, and all the workers wave at the steam roller as it passes by. As it turns a corner, Mickey is seen driving the steam roller, waving back at the crew as he chugs along. Coming the other direction is Minnie Mouse, pushing a stroller that contains Mickey’s two nephews playing patty cake. The two begin punching each other, but when Minnie chastises them, they kiss each other on the cheek and make up, but attempt to fight again when Minnie’s back is turned. She then spots their Uncle Mickey, and all three give a little wave.
Mickey and Minnie flirt with a game involving the phrases written on candy hearts
Mickey pulls up beside them, and the kids cry out that they want “to ride choo-choo,” so Mickey attaches a hook to their stroller, pulls Minnie into the steam roller cab, and takes the kids for a ride, pretending they’ve become part of a train. After a short ride, he pulls the train to a stop and asks Minnie if she would like some candy. When she says yes, he pulls out a candy heart that has “I love you” written on it. He then pulls out another one that says “Kiss me” and asks her to read it out loud. When she does, he moves in on her, but she escapes his clutches, and their flirting continues, with Mickey chasing her down the street.
The nephews, seeing an opportunity, decide to climb into the steam roller and take it for a joyride. The steam roller runs faster than they thought, however, and they cling to the inside, while Mickey and Minnie run after them. The two nephews begin to have fun with it, with one bouncing on clouds from the stovepipe. Mickey attempts to rescue them by tying a rope to the steam roller, with the other end attached to a lamppost. Unfortunately, the lamppost isn’t strong enough, and Mickey is taken with it while it starts to drag the string of lamps down the street.
Mickey runs for his life as he is suddenly pursued by the steamroller
One of the nephews cuts the rope with a heated rod, and Mickey scrambles to stop them, ending up being chased by the steam roller down a steep hill. He finally takes refuge in a hotel, and the steam roller ends up crashing into it, knocking the building into oblivion. In the end, Mickey is just relieved to see that his nephews are all right, as they begin to see-saw on a plank of wood that landed on Mickey’s head.
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