July 1, 1933 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Mickey’s Gala Premiere is Released to Theaters
“Tonight’s the night of Mickey Mouse’s premiere, and every star in Hollywood will be here.”
On July 1, 1933, the Mickey Mouse short film Mickey’s Gala Premiere was released to theaters. Although Disney has officially called the short Mickey’s Gala Premiere, the original title card has it called Mickey’s Gala Premier; this could be seen as a play on words. The short features caricatures of several well-known stars of the day. It was directed by Burt Gillett.
It’s a big night in Hollywood, with celebrations taking place at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, and the stars arrive quickly. First to arrive are the stars of the film Rasputin and the Empress, in their costumes: Wallace Beery, Marie Dressler, Lionel, John, and Ethel Barrymore. Laurel and Hardy trail after them, with the Marx Brothers popping out of the window of the car for a cameo. Next, Maurice Chevalier stops at the microphone and sings about Mickey’s new film, joined by Eddie Cantor and Jimmy Durante. Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, and Constance Bennett sing in an “Andrews Sisters” style; soon after, Clark Gable, Harold Lloyd, Edward G. Robinson, and Adolphe Menjou close out the song as if a barbershop quartet. The celebrities flock to the theater, with Mae West causing Sid Grauman to nearly melt in embarrassment.
Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto arrive at their premiere, dressed to the nines
Soon, the star and his girl Minnie arrive in style, along with Pluto, Horace Horsecollar, and Clarabelle Cow. They enter the theater, and everyone is ready to see the new Mickey short, Galloping Romance. The short has Mickey playing a xylophone, and the audience sways along with the music. In the short, Pete kidnaps Minnie, and the audience laughs as Pete pins Mickey comically to the wall. They soon cheer when Mickey chases after Pete, but laugh again once Mickey’s chase grows increasingly comical, with many patrons rolling in the aisles. In the end, Mickey is able to save Minnie, while Pete meets a rather unfortunate end. Mickey is roped out onto the stage to shake hands with all the celebrities, with Greta Garbo coming up to give him a kiss. As she kisses him, Mickey wakes up to find that it’s not Greta Garbo, but Pluto, that’s been kissing him. Annoyed, Mickey pushes Pluto off the bed and tries to resume his happy dream.
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