December 4, 1942 – The Goofy Short Film How to Fish is Released to Theaters
“This desire becomes acute only through bodily contact with the cosmic undulations of Pisces, or fishes. This creates a mental malady known as ‘Fishus Febris,’ or ‘fishing fever.’”
On December 4, 1942, the Goody short film How to Fish was released to theaters. It is technically the third in Goofy’s “How To” series. The short was directed by Jack Kinney, and narrated by John McLeish.
The short, presented as a book, opens as an instructional text all about fishing, including when to fish, which is determined by the zodiac. We then move to Goofy in his study, when he suddenly he has the overwhelming urge to go fishing. On the next page, Goofy is at a lake, having spent an uncomfortable night on the beach, ready to get on the water. The narrator then introduces a trout, who is afraid of his own shadow.
Goofy uses one of his lures to bring the fish to him in a conga line
Goofy tries to sneak up on the fish, only to fall from a tree and land in the water, with the fish jumping up and attacking his hat, leaving it a tattered mess. The next lesson in the book is about fly-fishing and its many lures, including one that looks like a hula girl and leads the fish in a conga line. Goofy tries to let his line fly, but it hooks around a tree; as he tries to reel his catch in, he ends up in a tangled mess. He then tries to go out with a motorboat, and accidentally hooks his motor. The motor takes off, slicing the boat into pieces, and dragging Goofy all across the lake. However, Goofy is still impressed that he caught something, much to the exhaustion of the narrator.
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