Tag Archives: 1930s

October 10, 1936 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Mickey’s Elephant is Released to Theaters

“There goes his house! And there goes yours!”

On October 10, 1936, the Mickey Mouse short film Mickey’s Elephant was released to theaters. Although labeled a Mickey Mouse short, it primarily features Pluto as he interacts with the elephant. It was directed by Dave Hand.

Mickey receives from the Rajah of Ghaboon the present of a playmate for Pluto: an elephant named Bobo. Mickey sets to work creating a lovely new house for Bobo, and gives Bobo a ball to play with while he waits for Mickey to paint. Bobo has a lot of fun with the ball, especially when he hits it out of the yard through a hole in the fence, and sucks it back in with his trunk. Meanwhile, Pluto passes by the fence, and stops when he sees the ball roll out. He is surprised when the ball seems to roll right back on its own accord. The ball continues to go in and out of the fence, starling the poor dog, until he spies Bobo’s trunk coming out of the hole. Bobo accidentally sucks up Pluto’s face, and then grabs him by the tail, pulling him into the yard. Pluto is surprised, and immediately growls at the elephant. Bobo is amused by Pluto, and decides to follow him around the yard. Pluto is spooked by Bobo, and runs howling into his doghouse. The little devil Pluto makes an appearance, telling the scared dog that Bobo’s going to be Pluto’s replacement, pointing out the new house Mickey is making for Bobo versus the dilapidated shack Pluto lives in. Spurred by jealousy, Pluto decides to attack Bobo – except that he’s terrified. The devil gives Pluto the idea to take some red pepper and blow it in Bobo’s face, causing the poor elephant to sneeze wildly. Bobo ends up sneezing Mickey’s tools towards him, nearly decapitating him with an axe. Mickey tries to stop Bobo from sneezing by tying a knot in his nose, but Bobo continues to sneeze. One extraordinary sneeze breaks apart Bobo’s new house, and another one destroys Pluto. Angered, Pluto gets rid of his devil, and glares into the camera.

September 9, 1938 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Mickey’s Parrot is Released to Theaters

“Oh boy, pretty swell joint!”

On September 9, 1938, the Mickey Mouse short film Mickey’s Parrot was released to theaters. It was directed by Bill Roberts.

A furious storm is brewing outside, and a moving truck passes by Mickey’s house, accidentally dropping a parrot and his cage from the back when it passes over a pothole. The parrot decides to take shelter at Mickey’s, where inside, Mickey and Pluto are listening to a lovely little story on the radio. The story is interrupted with an urgent news flash: Machine Gun Butch has escaped from prison, and is armed and dangerous. Mickey quickly prepares for the possible intrusion, and grabs his shotgun at the same time that the parrot enters the house, and is sent flying into the non-working boiler. The gun goes off, and Mickey and Pluto head for the bed, where they break it in their haste to hide. Mickey decides to creep into the basement to catch the killer, with Pluto following closely behind him.

Mickey accidentally gets his gun caught on a pair of shoes, which follow him down the stairs

The two separate without knowing, and Mickey heads into the basement. A pair of shoes gets caught on the butt of his shotgun, giving the illusion that someone is walking right behind him. Mickey sees the shoes behind him, and thinking the killer is there, jumps into the boiler, shaking. The parrot leaves through a vent and explores the house, trapping himself within a cabinet. He talks to himself as he tries to open a can of fish food, startling Pluto, who thinks the fish is insulting him. Pluto attacks the fish, knocking over the cabinet and freeing the parrot, who flies into the kitchen and gets stuck inside a turkey. Pluto is about to eat the turkey, when it starts talking to him. Not one to lose to food, Pluto attempts to fight back, but is soon scared by the talking and walking turkey. Finally, the parrot’s identity is revealed, and Pluto and the parrot have a fair fight in the kitchen which ends with Pluto getting stuck in the piano. Mickey hears the commotion upstairs, and is surprised to find Pluto, and when the parrot accidentally pops some popcorn back in the kitchen, Mickey and Pluto take cover in the fireplace, and Mickey shoots at the “killer” in the kitchen. Mickey soon finds that the menace is really just a parrot, and Mickey offers the parrot some crackers, which he soon takes and places in Pluto’s mouth before the dog can bite him.