Poster

Hockey Homicide

A Goofy Cartoon

Release Date : September 21, 1945

Running Time : 7:42

Synopsis

A hockey game concentrating on the finer points of "sportsmanship" as both players and spectators get into the fight.

Characters

Goofy

Credits

Director
Jack Kinney
Animation
Jack Boyd
John Sibley
Hal King
Milt Kahl
Backgrounds
Art Riley
Layout
Don da Gradi
Story
Bill Berg
Dick Kinney
Music
Paul J. Smith

Inside Jokes

In the lineup and scorecard pictured, all the players have names of Disney people. The table that follows is from the scorecard that appears early in the short. I've deciphered as much of it as I can make out and added the most probable reference in parenthesis. Also mentioned in the next scene are (Andy) Engman, (Carl) Stalling, (Don) DaGradi, (Bill) Berg and someone named McCormick.

One nickname, that of Roy "Moose" Williams reflects the real-life nickname of the person involved, but it's unclear how many of the others may have been actual nicknames.

Referee : Clean Game (Jack) Kinney Scorer : Myron Nelson Timer : Flash Selck
Moose Roster Pelican Roster
Kewpie (Charles) Nichols Zip (Al) Zinnen
Slugger (Jack) Hannah Tiger Adelquist
Swede (Eric) Larson Bullet Sebern
Catfish (Lance) Nolley Lightning (Dick) Shaw
Ice Box (Al) Bertino Fearless (Norm) Ferguson
Moose (Roy) Williams Wildcat (Karl) Karpe
Killer (Milt) Kahl Iron Pants Dunham
Hurricane (Paul) Smith Butch (Hal) King
Terror (Jack) Sibley Bomber (Cliff) Nordberg
Bustem (Jack) Boyd Speed (Bill) Peed
Spike (Art) Riley Dippy Dyson

The characters of Bertino and Ferguson are part of a running gag throughout the short as they are continually getting into a fight, getting sent to the penalty box, then getting right back into a fight once they are released. I am still wondering if there was any real animosity between these two real people that inspired this gag.

Video

United States
Cartoon Classics : First Series : Volume 4 : Sport Goofy
France
Sport Goofy Joue et Gagne
Italy
Le Vacanze Di Pippo

CED

United States
Cartoon Classics - Sport Goofy

Laserdiscs

Cartoon Classics : Sport Goofy
Japan
Sport Goofy's Vacation

DVD

United States
Disney Treasures : Wave 2 : The Complete Goofy
Germany
Disney Treasures : Wave 2 : The Complete Goofy
Sweden
Disney Treasures : Wave 2 : The Complete Goofy
United Kingdom
Disney Treasures : Wave 2 : The Complete Goofy

Television

The Ink and Paint Club: Episode 3: Sport Goofy
Mickey's Mouse Tracks: Episode 32
Donald's Quack Attack: Episode 33
Walt Disney Presents: How to Relax

Technical Specification

Color Type: Technicolor
Animation Type: Standard animation
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 1.37 : 1
Negative Format: 35mm
Print Format: 35mm
Cinematographic Process: Spherical
Original Language: English

Released by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.

Comments

From Ryan Kilpatrick at The Disney Film Project : Of all the Goofy sports cartoons, Hockey Homicide may be the most famous, or infamous depending on how you look at it. It combines all the great assets of a Goofy short – narration, madcap action, multiple Goofys and a frantic, crazed ending. It makes for a short that never lets up, delivering laughs from start to finish.

Goofy had already been through plenty of sports at this point, and ice hockey was a natural next step. I wonder after seeing this if the caricature that many people have of hockey as a fight with a little bit of play attached to it comes from this short. After all, the first part of the hockey game shows the star players from each team fighting and being sent to the penalty box, a spot they will occupy for the rest of the short.

Usually, I am a fan of storytelling and plot, and the role that those things have in pushing forward a short. In this case, though, it’s all about the manic energy of the back and forth on the ice, between the various Goofys all crashing into each other, the fans punching each other in the stands, and the ref trying to avoid getting hurt.

This short has the most energy of any short I’ve watched so far in 1945. It almost feels like a Looney Tunes style short because of the rapid fire gags and quick back and forth action. The brilliant animation staff brings things to a fever pitch, then blows a whistle for intermission, freezing everyone on the ice. It gives the audience a second to breathe before the frenzied climax.

That climactic sequence is hard to describe. It moves from the frantic nature of the hockey game as it was before the break to an all out chaos. The ref drops all the pucks, which means there are pucks flying everywhere. Fans storm the ice and start getting into the action, and we get quick cuts flying all over the place, bringing in scenes from the other Goofy sports cartoons!

The fast paced ending builds and builds and builds to the slow pan up to the stands, where we see the hockey team sitting and relaxing, rather than getting caught up in the craziness. It’s a slow reveal that hammers home the end of the short. Hockey Homicide leaves the viewer breathless up to that point, then slows it down for one last belly laugh. This is a short not to be missed.

From Tom Wilkins : The fire marshal would love to break up the capacity crowd for this hockey game. I think they modeled the arena like the Montreal Forum. Obviously the goalies were nowhere close to Dominik Hasek of Buffalo, but there were lots of penalty minutes accumulated in the first period. It was hysterical to see a human zamboni scoop up a player as it cleaned up the ice. As soon as it hailed pucks from the sky, the referee was the only one praying for a SWAT team and some tear gas. Other snippets used were from How To Play Football (1944) and How To Play Baseball (1942) besides the Pinocchio scene. One word of caution, however...there may be an edit following the first time a player shovels pucks into the net. By the way, what was the final score?
From D.J. Robinson : This is probably the funniest cartoon I have ever seen in my life. My brother and I were visiting our grandparents one day and it happened to come on the TV. I had tears in my eyes from laughter and I couldn't stop laughing if I tried. I would definitely rate this cartoon a 10.
From Mike Smith : This is one of the zaniest Disney shorts ever! When I seen the Pinocchio clip, I'm wondering why they rarely reused footage like it!
From Brad Bethel : It's irresistibly funny! There's millions of scenes in which team fans clobber each other while rooting for their favorite hockey teams. The hockey game itself was wild as expected, but things got out of hand at the ending. There were some clips of Goofy playing football, and baseball, and another clip from Pinocchio, in which Monstro the Whale emerges from the sea. That was EXTREMELY FUNNY!!! Enough to make you cry, and who's ever brilliant idea those were made this cartoon worth the watch. This proves that even Disney can make cartoon viewing fun for the whole family.
From Ted : Great to watch, great to listen to. What more could one want? Laugh-out-loud from start to finish!
From Per Nilsson : It's really interesting to read the other reviewers comments on this short, since mine differs so much. I never liked this short at all. I think it's a really boring short. This might have something to do with that I not a big fan of 'team' sports, including ice hockey, so I might miss many of the jokes. I enjoy most of the other Goofy cartoons, but this one was really a drag. I tried to analyze why this one failed to catch my attention, and I think it might have something to do with the more the narrator has to talk or explain the action happening the less I enjoy the short.
From Mike Osterholm : I saw this in our hotel, on vacation in Puerto Rico five years ago. What a treat! The excellent production quality, and the hilarious story line make this a must-see for anyone who ever played hockey.
From Sam : I'm not a big fan of hockey, but maybe I would be if Goofy played it more often. Hilarious from start to finish, the gags never seem to slow down. The use of recycled clips at the end is particularly inspired. Also, I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but Goofy, dressed in his traditional outfit, can clearly be seen in the top right portion of the screen during one of the crowd shots near the end of the short.
From Lee Glover : I'm not a huge fan of hockey myself, but Hockey Homicide is, without a doubt, my all-time favourite Disney cartoon. Wonderful gags, brilliant timing, and Goofy just being funnier than ever. This cartoon is absolutely hilarious. Well worthy of 10 points!
From Ryan : I feel that this is one of the best Goofy cartoons produced. The fast-paced gags of the cartoon make it look like it was directed by Tex Avery. One fun gag I enjoy is when one hockey player hits one of the spectators' hot dogs and it lands in the goalie's mouth. One can also spot footage from various other Disney shorts such as How To Play Football and How To Play Baseball as well as two Disney movies "Victory Through Air Power" and "Pinocchio."
From Gregg Thorsteinson : This is, bar none, the most non-stop manic insanity in the best possible way. I couldn't catch my breath and could hardly see the screen near the end from tears I was laughing so hard. I wasn't a hockey fan at the time I first saw it, but that didn't matter at all.
From Bob : Our entire family has enjoyed watching this over and over. We're all hockey players and coaches, and sometimes we think that the sport has gotten out of control in our era. The fact that this was made in 1945 demonstrates that this is NOT true! Hockey had a "bad" reputation even then, and the Disney studios must have understood this. I'd be interested as to who researches the sports for the sake of cartooning them believably.

I think Donald's Crime is the Disney studio's funniest-ever cartoon, but this rates close to the top.

From Ajisai : As someone who generally dislikes most of the cartoons made between '41 and '45 (propaganda/war-related shorts just don't interest me) I was surprised to find out this cartoon came out in 1945, because I find it's closer in spirit to the later Goofy cartoons I enjoy the most. Totally crazy, incredibly funny, this is a great cartoon. The reused animation always makes me laugh, it almost feels like self-parody at times!
From Trae Robinson : This Goofy short is absolutely hysterical. The ending is so funny when the audience starts a riot and the hockey players just watch them and some hockey players are eating and drinking and asleep.
From Dino Cencia : Oh my God, this Goofy cartoon is really hilarious! My favorite part is when the Goofy goalie hit the referee and a lot of pucks came out flying and all the hockey teams are going madness! And everybody is going berserk! And there was some clips of Goofy playing football and baseball. And also Monstro the whale from Pinocchio. That was really hilarious! If I could play hockey and if my hockey team or friends were fooling around and playing hockey like the Goofy cartoon, I would be cracking up and really laughing out loud! I would join in and hitting a lot of pucks and goofing around like Goofy! Hockey Homicide is the best Goofy cartoon ever! I give it 900 out 900!
From Joyshree Nath : I liked this short because its a great comic relief. Like Disney's other shorts it has a jovial and funny attitude. I liked it very much not only because I am a hardcore Disney Fan but also this short is one of the best shorts I have ever seen. I think the shorts of Disney having Goofy or Donald are the best of all.
From Baruch Weiss : This is one of the craziest Goofy cartoons of all time. There's no music in it at all except when the janitor sweeps up the ice rink with "Clean Game Kinney" on it!
From Mike : This is without a doubt Goofy's funniest cartoon. I could never stop laughing at the best players from both teams spend the whole game in the penalty box. Definitely a 10.
From Jason Breslin : If I'm not mistaken, I believe the narrator is none other than Doodles Weaver, who was made famous by doing mock sports commentaries over Spike Jones' versions of the "William Tell Overture" and "Dance of the Hours". And I do believe this is by far the funniest of the Goofy sports cartoons!

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