Tag Archives: 1940s

August 27, 1948 – The Donald Duck Short Film Inferior Decorator is Released to Theaters

“Stick around, bud. Stick around.”

On August 27, 1948, the Donald Duck short film Inferior Decorator was released to theaters. It was directed by Jack Hannah, with story by Lee Morehouse and Bob Moore.

Spike the Bee is buzzing happily amongst the flowers, when he hears a horrible singing inside the huse. He sees Donald plastering some flower wallpaper and, thinking that these are real flowers, he runs into the wall. Donald, observing Spike, plays a cruel prank on the bee, capturing him in a bucket of wallpaper paste. Spike tries to escape, and Donald cuts the paste that is attached to Spike, sending him hurtling into the ceiling. Donald sends the dizzy bee outside, but Spike angrily makes his way back in tries to sting Donald’s tail, but gets caught on the sticky wallpaper. As Donald tries to shake Spike off, he gets the wallpaper and himself stuck on the ceiling, leaving himself open for Spike’s attack. Donald is able to dodge the attack with a well-placed cork, but Spike is able to free himself and once again ready himself for a sting. Spike calls in reinforcements from his hive, and they all go sting Donald one by one.

August 22, 1947 – The Donald Duck Short Film Bootle Beetle is Released to Theaters

“Just think of it: the famous Professor Duck!”

On August 22, 1947, the Donald Duck short film Bootle Beetle was released to theaters. It was directed by Jack Hannah, with story by Bill Berg and Milt Banta.

The narrator opens the short with an introduction of the “Bootle Beetle,” a once plentiful bug whose numbers diminished due to their love of travel. One beetle is seen getting ready to travel, when he is stopped by an older bug. He warns the kid that so many beetles before him traveled across the stream and never came back, then starts telling him a story of when he was a younger bug, setting out for adventure. At first, the journey is enjoyable, until he comes Donald, an entomologist. Donald, who has been looking for the elusive Bootle Beetle, celebrates his good fortune, but the poor beetle manages to escape. Donald continues to chase after the beetle, and finally manages to trap it in a jar, taking it home. However, when Donald takes another look at the beetle, he thinks it has disappeared. The beetle manages another escape, and makes his way back home, determined to stay. The kid beetle is convinced to stay home, and it is revealed that Donald is still searching for the beetle all those years later.

August 9, 1946 – The Donald Duck Short Film Wet Paint is Released to Theaters

“Why, that dirty…”

On August 9, 1946, the Donald Duck short film Wet Paint was released to theaters. It was directed by Jack King, with story by Roy Williams.

A beautiful day finds Donald painting his car a nice red color. As he turns to get more paint, a bird flies by, accidentally catching her string on the car’s hood ornament. She flies down to retrieve it, and gets her feet stuck on the paint of the car. As she walks away, she leaves a trail of footprints behind. Donald notices and irritably paints over the prints, accidentally painting his windshield and not realizing he’s leaving his own marks. The bird watches Donald curiously, and Donald chases after it before angrily realizing that he’s left hand prints all over the new paint job. The bird gets her string caught in the car’s antenna, which hits Donald and ends up with him tied on the car. Donald gets out and throws a paintbrush fill of paint at the bird, who cleans herself off in the paint remover before shaking herself dry over the car, ruining the new paint job. She grabs a string from a hole in the front seat and flies off, but pulls out all of the stuffing in the process when Donald tries to grab the string back, giving the car a final “sheepdog” look.

Donald manages to remove the stuffing from the car, but finds the bird in the tailpipe. The bird spies another string, but Donald prevents her from taking it. The string, however, is an exposed wire, which shocks Donald and sends him bouncing among the paint cans. His tail covered in paint, he ends up giving the car a splotchy tie-dye paint job. Fed up, he chases after the bird once more, and accidentally sends the car zooming across the yard, where it crashes and loses its paint job. The bird finally takes a string from Donald’s hat, unraveling it. Angered, he chases after her with an axe and begins to chop down her tree, when she sees her nest and babies. Softened, he lets her keep the string, and the birds congregate on his head.