Tag Archives: 1940s

February 11, 1949 – The Donald Duck Short Film Donald’s Happy Birthday is Released to Theaters

“Take my advice, do as I say, save a little money for a rainy day.”

On February 11, 1949, the Donald Duck short film Donald’s Happy Birthday was released to theaters. It was directed by Jack Hannah, with story by Nick George and Bill Berg.

It’s March 13^th – Donald’s birthday – and the nephews are squirreled away in their treehouse, trying to figure out what to get their uncle. Finally, they agree on getting Donald a box of cigars, only to realize they don’t have any money. They then decide to do all the yard work, hoping that Donald will give them some money, and end up waking him from his nap in their zeal to clean up his garden. Donald is shocked to see his nephews working, and the boys present him with a bill for $2.98 – the amount for the cigars. The boys are excited and are ready to leave the house, but Donald demands that they put the money in a bank. As Donald heads back to his nap, the nephews sneak in to take the bank, unaware that Donald was awake the entire time.

The boys go to extreme lengths to get their money for Donald’s present

The boys head back to the treehouse, and Donald spies on them, suspicious. He sneaks inside and catches them in the act of taking money from the bank, and chews them out before taking the bank back inside. The nephews refuse to give up, and decide to try and take it using a fishing rod to lift it out of Donald’s grasp. They manage to get the money after bungling the job, and Donald spies the boys walking out of the cigar store. He catches them in the act, and decides to teach them a lesson about the dangers of smoking by making them smoke the cigars. Unfortunately, after Donald has cleared out the box, he finds the birthday card from the boys. Donald has totally forgotten it’s his birthday, and is so embarrassed at his antics that he shrinks down in shame and jumps out a hole in the treehouse floor.

December 13, 1940 – The Donald Duck Short Film Fire Chief Premieres in Theaters

“So, they was trying to get something over on me.”

On December 13, 1940, the Donald Duck short film Fire Chief premiered in theaters. It was directed by Jack King.

Donald is sound asleep at his fire station, with his snoring waking his nephews. Irritated, they use their slingshots to hit the alarm, waking Donald and sending him flying to his fire truck. He almost starts the engine when he hears his nephews laughing, and realizes he’s been tricked. When he rushes back upstairs to reprimand them, he finds that they’re already asleep. Knowing that they’re just faking it, he decides to get them back, and blows a trumpet to call them to attention, and having them march in step. Unfortunately, as Donald is marching backwards, he falls right through the hole for the fireman’s pole. One of the nephews, not paying attention, crashes into the other two, and all three fall down the hole on top of Donald. He soon sends them to their posts, although he is very critical of the way one of them places coal in the fire. When Donald dumps all the coal in the boiler, the fire becomes intense to the point where the ceiling catches fire, and the alarm sounds. Unaware that it is his own building that it on fire, Donald readies his team. The nephews try to tell Donald that the fire house is on fire, but Donald doesn’t notices until he’s already halfway down the street.

Donald rushes back to the fire at his own station, only to get stuck in the horn after he comes to a sudden stop

When Donald makes it back, he gets stuck in the horn, until his nephews get him out. He gets on the ladder and tells the boys to send him up, and they send him up so fast that the ladder disconnects, and Donald is sent high into the sky. He falls to the ground, and the boys are ready with the net, but Donald falls through the chimney of the fire station and into the stove. Donald continues to sound the alarm, and the boys work to put out the fire while Donald stays stuck in the stove. Donald finally manages to break free, but runs into more trouble with the fire house, which ends up knotted and building up behind him. The hose bursts from the water and the pressure, sending Donald flying into a bicycle store. He makes his way back and attempts to take over, although he mistakenly attaches the fire hose to a gasoline pump rather than the fire hydrant. The boys make a run for it, and Donald burns the firehouse, his fire truck, and his helmet to the ground.