August 1, 1958 – The Special Short Film Paul Bunyan is Released to Theaters
“A job that needed a great big man, Paul Bunyan was the one.”
On August 1, 1958, the special short film Paul Bunyan was released to theaters. The short was directed by Les Clark, with the story adapted by Lance Nolley and Ted Berman, and voices provided by the Mellomen. The short was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoon) at the 31st Academy Awards.
The story of Paul Bunyan begins with his arrival in a small town on the coast of Maine, when lumberjack Cal McNab looks inside a cradle that has been left in right on the edge of town and sees a giant baby inside. The whole town adopts the baby and names him Paul Bunyan, and everyone pitches in to make his clothes and feed him. Paul quickly grows up in the town, attending school and playing with the boys of the town at the swimming hole. One Christmas, the town gave Paul a giant axe, and he took to cutting timber “like a duck takes to water.” Paul provides his town with enough timber to last a lifetime, and the town grows quickly, becoming too crowded for Paul. One morning, he leaves a note for the town, thanking them for everything, and letting them know he was looking for more room. Cal ends his part of the tale stating that the whole town was going to miss Paul.
Paul saves Babe, who is so grateful, he remains as Paul’s pet and best friend
The next part of the story is told by straw boss Chris Crosshaul, who meets Paul in the Midwest. Paul is seen cutting timber as fast as he can, and stomps the stumps back into the ground before leaving for more room and more trees to cut. As Paul leaves, he runs into the worst blizzard the country had ever seen, with the flames freezing when he tries to light a fire. In the middle of his task, he hears a sound in the distance, and sees a large ox frozen in the snow. The ox has turned blue from the cold. He thaws the ox out, and the ox, grateful for Paul’s help, becomes Paul’s pet, “Babe.” The two continue their travels in the storm, leaving behind them many tracks that filled with water and became the land of 10,000 lakes. They continue to chop down trees, dig the Missouri River to send the logs down to the sawmill, and build Pike’s Peak to view other parts of the country left to chop down. According to Crosshaul, Paul and Babe also created the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone Falls through their roughhousing.
The last chapter of the story is told by river foreman Shot Gunderson. The day Paul arrived at his camp, the camp was in trouble: they could get timber in the river, but the river was too windy and the logs couldn’t get to the mill. With Paul and Babe’s help, the river is pulled straight, and the logs go directly to the sawmill. One day, a traveling salesman comes to town, demonstrating a steam-powered chainsaw, which promises to chop down trees faster than regular chopping. A competition is set between the man versus machine, and the two set to work on the day. Unfortunately for Paul, the machine beats Paul by 1/4th inch, and discouraged, walks away from town. Gunderson tells the audience, however, not to feel sorry for Paul and Babe, as they’re in Alaska, creating the Northern Lights thanks to their roughhousing.
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