"A Mickey Mouse Cartoon"

Release Date (March 20, 1929)

Running Time 7:25

Synopsis

Mickey owns and performs at his own theatre, going in drag as a harem girl, in a derby as a Hasidic Jew, and finally in a wig as a fancy pianist.

Characters

Mickey Mouse

Minnie Mouse (cameo)

Kat Nipp

Credits

Director : Walt Disney

Music : Carl Stalling

DVD

Disney Treasures : Mickey Mouse in Black and White Volume 2

Technical Specifications

Color Type : Black and White

Animation type : Standard

Sound mix : Cinephone; mono

Aspect ration : 1.33 : 1

Negative format : 35mm

Print format : 35mm

Cinematographic process : Spherical

Original language : English

Released by Celebrity Productions, Inc.

Gallery

Click on the thumbnail for the full-sized picture

Comments

From Jesus Daprice : I love the scene with the piano and the stool where they kicked Mickey off the stage. Typical humor of the time.

From Calvin Daprice : This is the first short in which Mickey obtains his gloves. In the beginning, he isn't wearing any, but when he plays the piano, that is when we first see them.

From Jerry Edwards : Mickey puts on a vaudeville show, which includes him doing impersonations of a snake charmer, belly dancer, and a Jewish dancer. In the closing scene, Mickey plays a concert pianist, including having "long hair." He plays the piano so roughly that the piano and piano stool retaliate, kicking him out of the scene. The piano and stool then take their bows with Mickey at the curtain call. The curtain falls on Mickey as he takes his bow. One fun gag sequence has Mickey sweeping the entrance, then playing with the broom. The broom then dances alongside Mickey and, when Mickey plays "horsey" with the broom, the broom bucks Mickey off. Although some reference works state that Minnie appeared in this cartoon, the only appearance in copies that I have seen have Minnie's appearance on a poster ad for "Yankee Doodle Girls." Enjoyable effort for a very early Mickey cartoon.

From Ryan : As Mr. Calvin Daprice pointed out, this is the first cartoon in which Mickey gets his famous gloves. I liked this cartoon quite a bit, except that the humanized piano and stool were a bit too weird for me. The song that Mickey plays on the piano is the same one that is played by Donald and Daffy Duck in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." It does not say that this short is on any certain TV program, but I do remember when I first saw it, it was on "Mickey's Mouse Tracks."

From Lee Suggs : This short is another example of the evolution of Mickey's character. Here we mostly see changes in his physical appearance. Of course, he gets his gloves, leading to almost all Disney cartoon characters wearing them. I've seen a few references to the ridiculous nature of the gloves on "MouseWorks" and in "A Very Goofy Movie". One does wonder why Disney kept the gloves after they weren't necessary. My understanding is that gloves were put on black and white cartoon characters to make their hands more visible. The advent of color made this technique obsolete, but the gloves stayed. The animators also play with Mickey's hair, something they stopped doing not too long after this. All in all a primitive short, but interesting as a step in Mickey's development.

From Bill : Again, this short is filled with music, a trademark of most of Mickey's shorts. As I stated in other reviews, I think that the music is just a great compliment to the action of Mickey's toons. I agree with Jerry Edwards; the scene with Mickey and the broom was well animated and funny. I think that the earlier shorts had more imaginative sight gags than the later ones. The piano and stool ganging up on Mickey was just funny. That's why the Mickey shorts were so enormously popular; because of just this style of humor. Another note; I thought that the tuba player looked a lot like Oswald The Rabbit. As for Mickey's gloves, I'm glad they were kept. It would'nt seem like Mickey without them!

From Gijs Grob : Unlike "The Barn Dance" this cartoon relies heavily on sound and music. Mickey is the sole performer in a theater where he dances and plays music. He even dresses up as a female belly dancer, dancing the hoochie coochie dance. With its many musical jokes, this cartoon is the first step in the development of the "concert cartoon". It contains an orchestra that plays Bizet’s Carmen way out of tune and Mickey performing the Hungarian Rhapsody by Liszt on the piano. This sequence is particularly important for two reasons: first, Mickey here gains his famous gloves, and second, this is the first time that Liszt’s famous work is featured in an animated cartoon. It would remain a cartoon classic and many years later, Bugs Bunny would perform the same piece on the piano in Rhapsody Rabbit (1946), and Tom and Jerry in The Cat Concerto (1947).

Referenced Comments

Just Mickey (1930)

The Prince and the Pauper (1990)