Tag Archives: Short film

November 24, 1950 – The Special Short Film Morris the Midget Moose Premieres in Theaters

“Now, Morris was four years old and should have been full-grown. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t grow an inch.”

On November 24, 1950, the special short film Morris the Midget Moose premiered in theaters. The short was based on an original story by Frank Owen. It also brings back the character of the “boodle beetle,” who was known more often than not for being an antagonist of Donald Duck. It was directed by Charles Nichols, with story by Eric Gurney and Bill de la Torre.

The short begins with two young bootle beetles fighting over a berry. Their grandfather decides to teach them a lesson through telling them a story: the story of Morris the Midget Moose. Morris was unable to grow any bigger than a puppy. He wished to play with the bigger moose, but he couldn’t keep up with them due to his size, and became the laughingstock of his tribe.

The Mighty Thunderclap, the leader of the tribe, stands ready for the day when the other moose challenge him for leadership

The day came where each moose would challenge the mighty Thunderclap, the largest moose of them all, for leadership of the tribe. All the moose lined up for the challenge, except Morris, until he realized that his antlers were as big as the others. But when it came time to battle Thunderclap, he only reduced the mighty moose to laughter. Poor Morris was devastated, and unaware that he was being watched nearby by a moose named Balsam. Balsam gets Morris’ attention and explains that he is just as sad, if not more so, than Morris, for although he was a full grown moose, his antlers never grew in. The two become the best of friends, with the two helping each other out.

One day, they realized by working together, the two appeared to be the biggest moose in the tribe. This gets Thunderclap’s attention, and there is soon a battle between Morris and Balsam versus Thunderclap. The pair is able to scare Thunderclap away, never to be heard from again, and the grandfather explains that the moral is “two heads are better than one.”

November 6, 1956 – The Special Short Film A Cowboy Needs a Horse Premieres in Theaters

“If he wants to keep riding, riding along…”

On November 6, 1956, the special short film A Cowboy Needs a Horse premiered in theaters before the True-Life Adventure film Secrets of Life. The short’s song of the same name was written by Paul Mason Howard and Billy Mills. The short was directed by Bill Justice, with story by Dick Kinney and Roy Williams.

A little boy is sleeping in his bed, and dreams of being a cowboy. In his dreams, his bed turns into a horse, and the little boy magically gets a rope, a song, a hat, boots, and spurs, to become a cowboy. As he travels the desert with his horse, they are caught by an Indian tribe. He uses his pistols to fire back, until his pistols run out of bullets. Using his trusty rope, he captures the tribe, but makes peace with the chief, who offers him a peace pipe. The boy takes it and blows bubbles with it, to the chief’s delight. The chief gives the boy his headdress in gratitude.

Upon the sound of danger, the boy mounts his horse and chases after the villains in his dream

The boy suddenly hears gunshots, and looks to see some varmints trying to rob a stagecoach. He and his horse take off, just as the robber grabs the money. They give chase, and the boy and varmint roll down a hill, fighting, with the boy winning. He throws back the money, with the stagehand pointing to a reward sign for the criminal. The boy refuses the reward, happy just to help. Just as he and his horse are about to go on their way, they spy two other criminals attempting to blow up the railroad tracks. Although he is unable to remove the dynamite before it explodes, the boy throws himself on the tracks, and the train runs over him.

Work isn’t done for the boy: he hears a loud scream below, and spies a girl being tied to a cactus and being threatened by a villain. Jumping on his horse, he runs to her rescue, saving her just in time. The girl offers to kiss him, but he refuses, instead offering her a ride home instead. As the dream comes to an end, the boy relinquishes all of the things that make him a cowboy, and drifts out of his dream.