''The Shindig'' is a
Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on July 11, 1930, as part of the ''
Mickey Mouse'' film series.
It was the twentieth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the fifth of that year.
The cartoon's cast includes Mickey Mouse,
Minnie Mouse
Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasiona ...
,
Clarabelle Cow,
Horace Horsecollar
Horace Horsecollar is a cartoon character created in 1928 at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Horace is a tall anthropomorphic black horse and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. Characterized as a boastful show-off, Horace served as Mickey’s s ...
and
Patricia Pigg.
Plot
Mickey and Minnie are in the back of a long car packed with animals, singing "
A-Hunting We Will Go
"A-Hunting We Will Go" is a popular folk song and nursery rhyme composed in 1777 by English composer Thomas Arne. Arne had composed the song for a 1777 production of ''The Beggar's Opera'' in London.
The '' a-'' is an archaic intensifying ...
" as they travel to the big Barn Dance. Horace picks up Clarabelle in his rickety motorcycle, and she rides in the wheelbarrow used as a sidecar.
At the dance, Mickey and Minnie play "
Turkey in the Straw
"Turkey in the Straw" is an American folk song that first gained popularity in the 19th century. Early versions of the song were titled "Zip Coon", which were first published around 1834 and performed in minstrel shows, with different people c ...
" on piano and violin for an appreciative crowd of farm animals. The audience applauds, and the mice play "
Pop Goes the Weasel
"Pop! Goes the Weasel" (Roud 5249) is a traditional English and American song, a country dance, nursery rhyme, and singing game that emerged in the mid-19th century. It is commonly used in Jack-in-the-box toys and for ice cream trucks. The song ...
". Mickey imaginatively uses a pail, a washtub and even Minnie's tail to play the song, but she does not appreciate his creativity and slaps his hand away. He then plays "
Old Folks at Home
"Old Folks at Home" (also known as " Swanee River") is a minstrel song written by Stephen Foster in 1851. Since 1935, it has been the official state song of Florida, although in 2008 the original lyrics were revised. It is Roud Folk Song Ind ...
" on harmonica, and tap dances. Minnie continues the song on piano, and Clarabelle does an energetic solo dance. Mickey dances with Clarabelle, a dachsund, and Patricia Pigg. At the end of the number, Patricia jumps and lands on Mickey, accidentally squashing him flat.
Production
Early in the short, Clarabelle is seen reading the 1907 erotic romance novel ''
Three Weeks''. When Horace pulls her tail to indicate that he has come to visit, she hides it under her bed of straw, and puts on a dress to cover her udders. ''Three Weeks'' was so controversial that ''The Shindig'' was banned in Ohio.
This is the first time that Clarabelle is seen wearing the costume that would become her characteristic outfit. Horace, now completely anthropomorphized, is also seen for the first time in his characteristic outfit of a bowler hat and yoke around his neck; he is no longer ridden like a horse, and instead drives a motorcycle to take Clarabelle to the dance.
[
Mickey's harmonica solo was animated by ]Wilfred Jackson
Wilfred Jackson (January 24, 1906 – August 7, 1988) was an American animator, arranger, composer and director best known for his work on the ''Mickey Mouse'' and '' Silly Symphonies'' series of cartoons and the ''Night on Bald Mountain''/''Ave ...
, who also performs the song on the soundtrack.[
The scene with Mickey dancing with Patricia would appear again in the 1932 cartoon '']The Whoopee Party
''The Whoopee Party'' is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on September 17, 1932. It was the 46th Mickey Mouse short, and the tenth of that year.
Plot
Mickey Mouse and friends have a party in which Minnie Mouse is playing the p ...
''.[
]
Voice cast
* Mickey Mouse: Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
* Minnie Mouse: Marcellite Garner
* Clarabelle Cow: Marcellite Garner
* Horace Horsecollar: Walt Disney
Reception
''The Film Daily
''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...
'' (September 14, 1930): "Okay. A barnyard setting supplies the locale for this Mickey Mouse performance, which consists of the animals conducting a hoofing spree, with Minnie Mouse doing honors at the piano. Right up to the usual standard of the Mickey Mouse cartoon series."
''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' (January 7, 1931): "Average cartoon comedy revealing no unusual features. It's a barn involving all the animals in the yard. Customary antics and flippancies for smiles rather than laughs. Always okay for the youngsters."
Home media
The short was released on December 7, 2004 on '' Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Volume Two: 1929-1935''.
Television
The short was shown on ''The Mickey Mouse Club
''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised ...
'' (Season 1, Episode 54).
See also
*Mickey Mouse (film series)
''Mickey Mouse'' (originally known as ''Mickey Mouse Sound Cartoons'') is a series of American animated comedy short films produced by Walt Disney Productions. The series started in 1928 with Steamboat Willie and ended in 1953 with '' The Simp ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shindig
Mickey Mouse short films
1930s Disney animated short films
1930 short films
1930s dance films
American black-and-white films
1930 animated films
1930 films
Films produced by Walt Disney
American comedy films
Films directed by Burt Gillett
Columbia Pictures short films
Columbia Pictures animated short films
1930s English-language films
1930s American films