January 2, 1937 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film The Worm Turns is Released to Theaters
“Hot dog! It works! It works!”
On January 2, 1937, the Mickey Mouse short film The Worm Turns was released to theaters. Although the short’s title card features a worm and a bird – creatures not featured in this short – the title itself is an old expression from Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 3, meaning that even the weakest of creatures will fight back if pushed too far. The short was directed by Ben Sharpsteen, and stars Walt Disney as Mickey, and Billy Bletcher as Pete.
Mickey, dressed like a mad scientist, is hard at work in his lab, creating a special concoction of “courage builder” from a book of ancient formulas. The potion sputters and spins around on the table, making various noises. Once the potion is mixed, Mickey pulls some away for a test. He spies a fly caught in a spider’s web, and applies the formula to the fly. Immediately, the fly is pure courage, beating up the spider and trapping the villain in his own web. Mickey is overjoyed at the results.
Dosed with Mickey’s courage-builder potion, the mouse takes revenge on the cat
In another room, Mickey hears the frightened squeaks of a mouse being chased by a cat, and decides that the mouse will be the next test subject. Once the mouse is sprayed with the formula, he roars like a lion and charges at the cat, sending the feline flying out the window and into Pluto’s milk bowl. Pluto charges the cat, with the cat hiding in fear in the tool shed, his nine lives deserting him. When Mickey sees the cat in trouble, he decides to give some of the courage-builder to the cat. As with the fly and the mouse, the cat is instantly more powerful, and torments his tormentor, sending Pluto flying through a brick wall.
Once away from the cat, Pluto sighs with relief, only to be immediately captured in Pete the Dogcatcher’s net. Pete attempts to throw Pluto in the back of the cart, but Pluto is able to evade him and accidentally free all the other dogs in the dogcatcher’s wagon. Pete then grabs his shotgun and chases after Pluto, screaming that he’ll murder the pup. Mickey spies this scene from his window and scrambles to his lab, grabbing the rest of the potion and spraying it on Pluto. Immediately, Pluto is filled with courage and gives Pete the scare of his life. Then Pluto sends Pete flying into the back of the dogcatcher’s wagon, and the wagon flies off the edge of a cliff. Satisfied, Pluto walks away triumphantly, stopping to smell a fire hydrant. Not quite done experimenting, Mickey sprays some formula on the hydrant, which then sprays water all over Pluto.
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