"A Donald Duck Cartoon"

Release Date November 5, 1943

Synopsis

The old shell game gets a new face as Donald stays off-base past "Taps" and has to try to sneak back in with out alerting Pete.

Characters

Donald Duck

Pete

Credits

Director : Jack King

Story

Jack Hannah

Carl Barks

Animation

Paul Allen

Bob Carlson

Cut Scenes

A scene where Donald considers suicide thinking that he has been cut in half has been snipped out.

Videos

United States

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

Italy

Paperino Marmittone

Laserdiscs

United States

An Officer and a 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

From Jerry Edwards : Private Donald Duck sneaks into the barracks after a night on the town, but is caught by Pete, his sergeant. Donald hides under one of three crates when Pete chases him. Pete, frustrated when he cannot find which crate Donald is under, kicks the crate in anger - which the sharp top of a fence slices in half. Donald lands in a hole and, seeing the crate, assumes he has been cut in two. Pete also assumes so when he sees only the top half of Donald and feathers scattered around the other half of the crate. Donald takes Pete's pistol to put himself out of his misery, but Pete begs Donald to crawl behind the bushes. As Donald crawls, first Pete and then Donald realizes that Donald is not injured. Pete loses his temper and chases Donald with his bayonet rifle.

A fun Pete versus Donald wartime short, which makes no sense when the suicide attempt is censored.

From Ryan : This is one of Donald's greatest hits. I enjoyed the part where Pete is keeping watch at night to make sure the soldiers are all in their bunkers. He sees a fake Donald Duck (made out of flour bags, clothespins, etc.)and a sound effects record of repeated snoring recordings. Donald has actually snuck out of the army camp. I also liked the part at the end of the short where Pete is chasing Donald and there is a speed zone sign that says to go slow. They slowly move off into the distance.

From George M. Peters : What really gave me a bellyful of laughts was the sound effect record, "Assorted Snores". I wonder if there is such a sound effects CD available today.

From Baruch Weiss : This short is okay, but it is not anything to write home about. In fact, the most dramatic moment in the cartoon was when Donald thought he had been cut in half, so he attempts suicide!

From j.p.hope : I like this short a lot! I like the beginning in which Pete is walking thru the camp and saying "hmm, the camp sure is peaceful tonight." I also like it when Pete hears the phonograph skipping and asks "hmm,who's the wise guy?" and notices every "DUMMY" including the one that looks like Donald Duck. Donald then returns to the camp and thanks his friends for the ride. I also like it when Donald looks like a rabbit in order to get past the guard. Pete spots Donald Duck coming and hides in Donald's bed when Donald enters and gets ready for bed, and Pete sarcastically asks " we sure put one over the sarge, didn't we pal?" and Donald replies with a " yes we sure did." Donald also realizes that he's been tricked and runs from Pete before Pete grabs him. Donald hides in various boxes and Pete tries eenie, meenie, miney, mo, but it fails and Pete goes insane and kicks the box Donald was hiding in. Donald thinks he's been cut in half and cries "woe is me! woe is me!". Pete hears Donald's tears of sadness and confronts Donald, but is shocked to see Donald's bottom half missing and asks "your--your--, where-- where is it?!" Donald then points at the other half of the box surrounded by feathers. Pete blames himself for Donald's "almost" death, and Donald is tempted to kill himself with Pete's gun, Donald refuses, but Pete tells him to do it behind the bushes, and Donald crawls out of the hole to reveal his OTHER half and enrages Pete into thinking it was all a trick, but it wasn't, and Donald is happy he's not dead, but realizes he angered Pete and Pete gets back on the war path and chases Donald with a rifle, but the both of them stop at a sign and reads "speed limit: 35 miles". Donald also says "yeah. 35 miles". and they continue the chase in SLOW motion, literally!

I have seen "The Old Army Game" and would like to
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