Mickey's Amateurs

Mickey's Amateurs
Mickey Mouse series
Mickey Mouse invites Donald Duck to recite "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
Directed by	Pinto Colvig Erdman Penner Walt Pfeiffer
Produced by	Walt Disney
Voices by	Walt Disney Florence Gill Clarence Nash Pinto Colvig
Music by	Oliver Wallace
Animation by	Art Babbitt Les Clark Al Eugster Ed Love Stan Quackenbush Ralph J. Sommerville Marvin Woodward Tom Palmer
Studio	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	April 27, 1937 (1937-04-27) (USA)
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	7:54 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Preceded by	Moose Hunters
Followed by	Hawaiian Holiday

Mickey's Amateurs is an animated short film produced in Technicolor by Walt Disney Productions and released to theaters on April 17, 1937 by United Artists. Originally entitled Mickey's Amateur Concert during production, the film depicts a live radio show hosted by Mickey Mouse. The format of the show is an amateur talent show in which acts can be terminated at any time by Mickey.

Mickey's Amateurs was directed by Pinto Colvig, Erdman Penner, and Walt Pfeiffer, and features original and adapted music by Oliver Wallace. The voice cast includes Walt Disney as Mickey, Clarence Nash as Donald Duck, Florence Gill as Clara Cluck, and Pinto Colvig as Pete and Goofy.^[1][2][3]

Synopsis

Mickey Mouse is hosting a radio talent show in front of a live audience. The film opens with Pete singing an ungraceful version of "Asleep in the Deep," but Mickey rings a gong signaling the end of the performance. Despite Pete's determination to finish the song, a pair of robotic hands remove him forcefully.

Mickey then introduces the next act, Donald Duck. Donald first presents an apple to Mickey in an attempt to win him over prematurely. But Donald's act, a recitation of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", ends badly as he forgets the words. Mickey rings the gong and Donald is removed from stage. Just as Mickey is announcing the next act, a disgruntled Donald returns to take back the apple.

The next act, as introduced by Mickey, are "the two Claras: Cluck and Belle." Clara Cluck sings a clucking version of the "Il Bacio" waltz by Luigi Arditi accompanied by Clarabelle Cow on piano. Although Clara struggles with the swinging microphone, the performance is the first to avoid being "gonged."

After this Donald Duck returns to stage with a submachine gun and, holding Mickey and the audience at gunpoint, determines to complete "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" again. But he again forgets the words, and when the audience laughs at him, he opens fire. The robotic hands grab Donald and takes him off stage in a hurry.^[4]

Mickey emerges from behind the podium and introduces the final act: Goofy and his "50-piece band" which turns out to be a multi-instrumental contraption/vehicle from which he can play many instruments at once. Goofy begins by playing "In the Good Old Summer Time," and then "There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight." (His cue is "Okay fellers, let's get hot!") But the tempo and intensity of the song is too much for the machine which eventually self-desctructs. Goofy emerges from the wreckage and humorously admits "It busted!" But just then Donald Duck breaks out of Goofy's bandmaster hat and very quickly recites a word perfect recitation of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." As Donald finishes, the "iris out" effect which ends the cartoon closes on his neck. He struggles to force it open but it finally closes. This is a rare instance of a Disney cartoon breaking the fourth wall.

History

Mickey's Amateurs pokes fun at "amateur hour" radio shows which were popular entertainment in the 1930s and '40s. Perhaps the most famous example is the Major Bowes Amateur Hour in which the host, Edward Bowes, was known to strike a gong to stop an amateur performance. Mickey Mouse's repeating of the words "Okay, okay" in the film was recognized by audiences at the time as a parody of Bowes.^[5]

Reception

The Motion Picture Herald published a review of Mickey's Amateurs on June 19, 1937 saying in part "The subject must be seen to be appreciated and enjoyed. The fun it offers defies description."

Notes

1. ^ Mickey's Amateurs at the Internet Movie Database
2. ^ Mickey's Amateurs at the Big Cartoon DataBase
3. ^ Mickey's Amateurs at The Encyclopedia of Animated Disney Shorts
4. ^ Some released versions of the film omitted this scene which was determined too violent. The most recent release however is of the film in it's original version.
5. ^ Motion Picture Herald. June 19, 1937.