Mr. Duck Steps Out
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJack King
Story byCarl Barks
Chuck Couch
Jack Hannah
Harry Reeves
Milt Schaffer
Frank Tashlin
Produced byWalt Disney
StarringClarence Nash
Music byCharles Wolcott
Animation byLes Clark
Larry Clemmons
Don Towsley
Lee Morehouse
Rex Cox
Volus Jones
Emery Hawkins
Ray Patin
Ken Muse
Dick Lundy
Eddie Strickland
Phil Duncan
Judge Whitaker
Jim Armstrong
Layouts byBill Herwig
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • June 7, 1940 (1940-06-07)
Running time
8 minutes 12 seconds
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Mr. Duck Steps Out is a Donald Duck cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions, which is released on June 7, 1940, and featured the debut of Daisy Duck.[1] The short was directed by Jack King and written by Carl Barks, Chuck Couch, Jack Hannah, Harry Reeves, Milt Schaffer, and Frank Tashlin.

Clarence Nash performs all the voices in the film—Donald, Daisy and Donald's nephews.

Plot

Donald visits the house of his new love interest, Daisy, for their first known date. Donald tried to woo her and hug her, but at first Daisy acts shy and has her back turned to her visitor. But Donald soon notices her tail feathers taking the form of a hand and signaling for him to come closer. But their time alone is soon interrupted by Huey, Dewey, and Louie who have just followed their uncle and clearly compete with him for the attention of Daisy.

Donald and the nephews take turns dancing the jitterbug with her while trying to get rid of each other. In their final effort the three younger ducks feed their uncle maize in the process of becoming popcorn. The process is completed within Donald himself who continues to move wildly around the house while maintaining the appearance of dancing. The short ends with an impressed Daisy showering her new lover with red kisses.

History

The short stands out among other Donald shorts of the period for its use of modern music and surreal situations throughout. After this short, the idea of a permanent love interest for Donald was well established, but Daisy did not appear as regularly as Donald himself.

Virginia Davis, who years earlier worked with Walt as the titular character in the Alice Comedies, served as the dance model for Daisy.[2]

In later versions of this short, Daisy's lines were re-dubbed by June Foray.

Releases

Home media

The short has been re-released on home media multiple times since its first distribution. These releases include:

Legacy

Daisy wears the same clothes from this short in the 2023 short film Once Upon a Studio.[4]

References

  1. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 74–76. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. Korkis, Jim (February 25, 2015). "In Her Own Words: Virginia Davis". Cartoon Research. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  3. "The Chronological Donald Volume 1 DVD Review". DVD Dizzy. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  4. Reif, Alex (October 16, 2023). "Disney's "Once Upon a Studio" – List of Characters in Order of Appearance". Laughing Place.
  • Douglas L. McCall, Film Cartoons: A Guide to 20th Century American Animated Features and Shorts, McFarland, 2015, p. 166.
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