"A Donald Duck Cartoon"

Release Date May 1, 1942

Running Time 8:53

Synopsis

Donald does his patriotic duty when he recieves his draft notice and enlists in the army. The first of Donald's "Army" pictures follows him though his induction medical exam and boot camp.

Characters

Donald Duck

Pete

Credits

Director : Jack King

Story

Jack Hannah

Carl Barks

Animation : Paul Allen

Videos

United States

Cartoon Classics : Limited Gold Editions 2 : An Officer and a Duck

France

Donald Vendette et Television

Italy

La Storia de Paperino

Paperino Marmittone

Laserdiscs

United States

An Officer and a Duck

Japan

This is Your Life, Donald Duck

DVD

United States

Disney Treasures : On the Front Lines

Disney Treasures : The Chronological Donald Duck Volume 2

Television

The Ink and Paint Club : #31 : The Unseen Disney

Technical Specifications

Color Type : Technicolor

Animation type : Standard

Sound mix : Mono

Aspect ration : 1.37 : 1

Negative format : 35mm

Print format : 35mm

Cinematographic process : Spherical

Original language : English

Released by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.

Comments

In this short we learn Donald's middle name, printed on his draft notice, "Fauntelroy."

From Jerry Edwards : A fun early Disney World War II cartoon. I always have enjoyed the incongruity of Donald reporting to an army induction in his typical sailor suit! I much enjoyed the fun bits in the physical showing that the army would accept almost anyone during the war. Such as when the tester holds up a red card, asking "What's the color of this red card?" Donald spells out the name on the card and replies, "Red." The tester then holds up a green card, asking "What's the color of this green card?" Donald spells out the name on the card, then says "Blue." To which the tester replies, "Close enough!" I've always enjoyed the scenes in various cartoons in which Donald, who doesn't wear pants, covers his bottom half when his shirt is removed, as during this physical. That has always been very odd! Another fun bit is when the tester holds a spirit level to Donald's foot and says, "Flat feet." It was very appropriate that the first war entertainment cartoon would showcase Donald. He was very popular at that time. In fact, Donald Duck cartoons comprise over half of the war entertainment cartoons.

From Ryan : If I had to pick favorites with Donald's army shorts, this one would be it. I love the song "The Army's Not the Army Anymore," which is sung at the opening title and the beginning of the short as well as the ending. Donald is so excited about joining the army he wants to fly. I laugh at the part where Donald is getting his physical. The doctor asks him "What color is this red card?" as he shows Donald a card with the word RED printed on it. Donald reads it and gives the correct answer. Then the doctor says "And how about this green one?" Donald reads it and shouts "Blue!" (the doctor gave it away and Donald still got it wrong). The scene where he is marching at the commnad of drill seargent Pete is hilarious. Poor Donald has to stand still and not move a muscle while Pete gets a drink of some good 'ol H20. Unfortunately for Donald, ants crawl up his uniform and cause him to itch like the dickens. Poor Donald goes crazy and starts shooting his gun unintentionally. Well it looks like Donald has gotten his first taste of army life--and not a very good one at that. He's peeling potatoes in the mess hall. He's probably thinking "What the hell was I thinking when I wanted to join the army?"

From Daz : One of best Donald Duck cartoons of all. Donald's first war cartoon, it really captures what he is all about; bad tempered but still likeable and everything going wrong for him. This is especialy true of his encounters with ants and bees.

In this short, Donald enters boot camp as he joins the army with the hope of flying. It starts with a catchy and ironic army song, as he enters the building to have his medical exam. In the exam he is tested to see whether he is suitable. Despite being colour blind and too short, he gets the OK.

Donald has his first marching lesson, as he follows the other soldiers and Sgt Pete. Immediately we get the idea Donald isn't very disciplined. When Pete shouts 'halt', Donald carries on marching right into other soldiers. Pete tries to correct Donald, but to no avail. Donald even cuts Pete's tie off with his gun. Pete then gives Donald some 'Special Training' on his own. Pete gives Donald several orders, all of which he messes up. Some funny moves here. Eventualy, Pete loses his cool and spins Donald like a top and in turn Donald loses his cool too. Donald yells 'I quit'. Pete threatens him with brass knuckles and so Donald takes it back and decides to comply with Pete's commands.

The next scene is where we realy get to see Donald at his best. Pete shouts 'Attention', Donald does so. Pete specificly tells him not to move a muscle. Donald thinks everything is finaly going right, then ants start coming out of the ground and crawling onto Donald's legs. Donald feels them walking on him and shakes his rear. Pete shouts 'attention!' again and Donald realises that he still has to stand still even with the itch. It is hilarious (in a cruel kind of way) watching Donald desperatly trying not to move, while the ants, now on his bare lower body, crawl on him. Pete turns his back, and Donald takes the opprotunity to scratch off some ants. Pete hears him, turns around, and shouts 'I said don't move!'. Donald sweats as he tries to keep still with an ever increasing number of itchy ants crawling all over him. I'm guessing Pete can see the ants, and is just being sadistic. Donald attempts to flick off some ants with his tail was one ant climbs on his beak and gets hit by a ball of sweat. Donald fails to stop the ants from becoming so numerous that he loses control and runs around with his gun firing in all directions, but Pete's in particular.

Donald gets Potato Duty. End.

From Lars Andersen : A little inside knowledge: I am fairly sure that the officer in the drafting office is Carl Barks. We dont see his face, but Barks always drew himself with red hair, and big ears.

From Baruch Weiss : "The Army's not the army anymore, it's better than it's been before!" Don't believe everything ya hear Donald! The Army is about much more than flying!

"The Army's not the Army anymore...It's better than it's ever been before..."

In the days before the worldwide slogan "be all you can be" became the Army's commercialized slogan, Donald decides to give the Army a shot so that he could help destroy Der Fuerher and his forces. His full name, Donald Fauntelroy Duck, is shown on the title screen. Donald gazes at all the signs promoting positive patriotism and fighting the war - however, just as anyone else, there is a process you have to go through before you can put on a uniform, as Donald is about to find out.

Donald comes marching into the draft board wanting to fly and shows the army general his intentions physically. He is extremely hesistant to do anything - so he asks Donald to sign his name on a form and then tells him he needs to have a physical examination. So, Donald proceeds through the back door for his physical. Donald is then measured and checked up from head to toe, even though he could not tell the difference between the colors green and blue (even though the questions were a complete joke). He then gets measured for his uniform and hat size - the doctors use an oversized uniform, throw water on it, and the uniform consequently shrinks. As soon as he gets his stamp of approval (on his rear), you would think Donald would get a chance to fly. Not quite.

Donald looks up at the planes in the sky and mumbles in frustration how much he wants to fly. So, as he is marching, we hear Sergeant Peg Leg (Pete) tell Donald to get back in formation. He yells "halt", but Donald ignroes the commands and ends up halting (after the second command) at the front of the line. The comedy starts here, and this would make even Hitler laugh ... sort of.

Donald is given an "about face" command and slices the tie off of Sergeant Peg Leg with his weapon. Peg Leg then dismisses the company and keeps Donald for so-called special training. He then shouts out more commands - and Donald clumsily is twisted the entire time ... tearing off part of his hat and progressively frustrating Pete in the process. Pete then says to Donald that "you're no soldier" and slaps him around a bit, causing Donald to bark back, "I quit!" The only problem is, you're not allowed to quit once you're in the army. So, Peg leg takes off his uniform and threatens to knock Donald out with a pair of brass knuckles. Donald obviously takes back what he says.

Peg Leg tells him that he has to learn discipline, so he yells the "attention" command to Donald and he complies, so Peg Leg tells him not to move a muscle. The only problem is, Donald is standing over an antfarm so it would be next to impossible to stay still with the number of ants that were about to land on him. One ant crawls to Donald's beak but gets knocked off by his sweat. After several attempts by Peg Leg to keep Donald at attention, the ants become too numerous for Donald to handle, and Donald goes ballistic and starts firing away at anything and everything in its path, hitting Peg Leg several times as he was running for cover up a tree. Peg Leg used his whistle hoping for Donald to stop, but resistance was simply futile at this point.

In the end, Donald gets his first discipline lesson from Sergeant Peg Leg ... he had to peel a room filled with potatos. In frustration, Donald carves the word "phooey" out of one of the potato skins as the cartoon closes.

For Donald, it could have been worse. In one of Donald's later war cartoons "Fall Out, Fall In", he had to march 50 miles to camp! What poison would you rather choose?

--- Tom Wilkins

Lyrics

"The song "The Army's Not the Arny Anymore" became sort of an unofficial anthem for Donald's wartime pictures. He can also be heard whistling it while he works in "The Vanishing Private."

The Army's not the Army anymore
It's better than it's ever been before
The bugler blows
I can't get 'em up at quarter after seven
But if you're tired stay right there
Sleep until eleven
Oh, the Army's not the Army anymore

The Army's not the Army anymore
It's better than it's every been before
You used to walk a mile for beans
But now they bring them to ya
And all the Generals say "Hello!"
As though they really knew ya
Oh, the Army's not the Army anymore

They've got a lot of hostesses
The gals are really cuties
And entertaining these co-eds is part of your regular duties
Oh, the Army's not the Army anymore

The Army's not the Army anymore
It's better than it's ever been before
The Sargent isn't tough anymore
He's careful not to bore you
Just tell him when you're peelin' spuds
And he will peel them for you
Oh, the Army's not the Army anymore
No, the Army's not the Army anymore.

Character model of Pete from "Donald Gets Drafted." Gremlin Animation Art Gallery

Click on the thumbnail for the full-sized picture

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