Mickey's Good Deed was a shockingly huge departure from what most earlier Mickey Mouse cartoons have been . Most of the earlier cartoons had been non-stop gag fests. There was little to no room for sentimentality as the cartoons tried to cram in as many jokes as possible. In fact The Moose Hunt (1931) unsubtly mocked such sentimentality as seen in this film. In that cartoon Mickey believes he shot Pluto and is crying. Pluto, when Mickey is not looking, literally winks at the audience and then continues to play dead when Mickey looks at him again. Mickey's Good Deed marks the first Mickey cartoon in which we are supposed to take any sentimentality seriously. This was a bold move on the part of the Disney studio. We were now supposed to feel actually sympathy with a character who previously was only meant to be laughed with or at. To ask an audience to emotionally connect with any cartoon character was not a popular thought at the time. It is not only something the Disney studio was not doing at this time, but something no American cartoon studio was trying. The idea that one could emotionally connect with a moving drawing was something animation studios were warry about. It was well known that audiences could laugh at a cartoon character, but the idea of them accepting such a character as real seemed unbelievable.
Around this time many critics referred to Charlie Chaplin and Walt Disney as the two true geniuses of the cinema. This cartoon is probably one of the closet connections that can be found between their films. This came not only from this cartoon's use of sentimentality but also from the depiction of Mickey Mouse here. Mickey like Charlie Chaplin's tramp is an outsider who doesn't truly belong in the world around him. The world of the rich pigs in this movie is completely separate from the world of Mickey and Pluto. Despite this Mickey is a wise character who has his own outlook on life that is much more rich and beautiful than that of those who are finically better off, again this is something that is very similar to Chaplin's little tramp.
In this film, Mickey is poor and happy, while the rich characters are unhappy. With this film being made during the Great Depression, this probably helped audiences of the day relate to and root for Mickey. Audiences of this time did not want to see rich characters go through life on easy street. They wanted to see a poor character make it not by using money but instead by good old American optimism and a can do spirit. This gave them hope and a feeling of pride in who they were.
The following is an exhibitors review from the Motion Picture Herald (dated January 6, 1934).
"Mickey's Good Deed: Mickey Mouse - Christmas cartoon. Kids like Mickey. That's why they come. One Mickey Mouse cartoon on your Saturday's program brings the kiddes out to the matinee. Running time eight minutes. - Edmund M. Burke, Fort Plain Theatre , Fort Plain, N.Y. General Patronage."
The following is another exhibitors review from the Motion Picture Herald (dated December 23, 1933).
"Mickey's Good Deed: Mickey Mouse - This is another good cartoon comedy, if you can play this on Christmas day, it will go over good. This one is not as good as the last one but will please the kiddes. Running time, eight minutes. -JJ Medford, Orpheum Theatre, Oxford, N.C. General Patronage."
The following is yet another exhibitors review from the Motion Picture Herald (dated January 13, 1934).
"Good Deed: Mickey Mouse - One of the best Mickey Mouse cartoons Walt ever made. Running Time eight minutes. Louis Perretta, Crescent Theatre, Maboningtown, Pa. Town and city patronage."
The following is another exhibitors review for the Motion Picture Herald (dated December 2, 1933).
"Mickey's Good Deed: Mickey Mouse - Got a lot of laughs and pleased generally. Something for the kids when the feature isn't too their liking. Mayme P. Musselmann, Princess Theatre, Lincoln, Ka. Small Town Patronage. "
The working title for this film was Mickey's X-mas Picture. This cartoon was directed by Burt Gillett, who was directing most of the Mickey Mouse cartoons of this time as well as a few of the Silly Symphonies. From 1934 to 1936 he would head the Van Bueren animation studio. Afterwards he would work at the Walter Lantz studio. This film featured a great team of animators as well. Les Clark would go on to become one of Walt's Nine Old Men. Norm Ferguson was one of the great personality animators for the studio and helped define the character of Pluto. Ben Sharpsteen would be the supervising director for the Disney features, Pinocchio and Dumbo. Dick Lundy would later join the Walter Lantz studio and become one of Woody Woodpeckers best directors. Tom Palmer would later direct cartoons for both Warner Brothers and Van Bueren.
Animation
Johnny Cannon (Mickey playing on street - passers by drop coins in cup; Pluto howling - bites fleas, etc.; Mickey and dog cont. Dog finishes howl - exit)
Ben Sharpsteen (Café - both hungry - Mickey empties cup in hand - surprised expression; Mickey's hand - nuts, blots, screws, etc., instead of money; Mickey and Pluto walk away - feel sad; See rich man's house - they start to play; Mickey running - slips on ice - drops fiddle - it slides cut to R; Fiddle lands in street - gets smashed by sleigh. Mickey in - sees wreckage; Crowd in sleigh yells "Merry Xmas!"; Mickey sad - hears off-stage sobbing - looks around; Poor house - Mickey and dog look thru the window; Interior of poor house; Mickey outside watching - gets idea - grabs Pluto and runs on pan; Flash of mother sleeping - repeat; Exterior - kids yelling off-stage - Mickey peeks in window to watch them; Fireplace scene kids playing with toys; Pluto with turkey, etc. on tail. kids hits father and dog with fruit, dishes, etc.; Butler on ladder fixing star on Xmas tree - dog knocks, ladder from under him; kid on table throws cake; Butler sees cake, ducks - pan over to father - he gets it in face; Pluto climbs tree - kid runs in, pulls on tinsel; Pluto knock father down - ornaments fly thru - star sticks him in fanny; Father tells butler to throw dog out - turkey still on tail; Interior - kid gets spanked)
Les Clark (Inside - kid breaks toys, cries; Kid hears dog - goes to window; Flash Mickey and dog playing; Father sends butler out of house to buy Pluto)
Frenchy de Tr'emaudan (Exterior of front door - butler comes out with money in hand - yells at Mickey; Mickey and dog scared - run with fiddle; Butler catches Mickey - tries to buy dog - Mickey refuses - dog bites butler - dog and Mickey exit to R)
Tom Palmer (Outside house - Mickey sells dog - runs off with money in his hand)
Dick Lundy (Mickey takes presents to poor house - puts on Santa makeup; Mickey enters; Kids asleep - Mickey in - raises cover to see another row of kids under covers; Fireplace - Mickey tries put toys in sox quietly - makes lots of noise; Jack-in-box; Flash of kids asleep; Front door - Mickey exits - trips on toy train - big noise going out; Kids wake up - start to pile out of bed, very excited when they see gifts)
Gerry Geronimi (Dog lands in snow - comes up - looks around; Dog starts off to look for Mickey - turkey still tied to tail)
Norm Ferguson (Dog finds Mickey all alone - they eat the turkey - "Merry Xmas" with mouth full of food. Iris Out.)
Story: It is a snowy Christmas Eve night and Mickey is playing bass fiddle on the street to make some extra money. When Mickey checks what is in his change jar he finds nuts and blots leaving him and Pluto no money to eat. Meanwhile in a rich house a father and a butler are trying to keep a crying kid entertained with all sorts of toys, but the kid keeps on crying. The kids hears Pluto outside and wants him. The father sends the butler out to buy Pluto, but Mickey refuses to sell. Running away Mickey's bass fiddle gets broken. Mickey is sad for a moment but is distracted when he hears a noise. He goes up to a poor house and sees a crying mother with nothing to give her kids for Christmas. As the kids' heads are filled with thoughts of Santa Claus and presents, Mickey knows come Christmas morning they will be disappointed. He goes back to the rich house and sells Pluto. Pluto is miserable in this new house as the little rich kid tortures him. Mickey uses his new money to buy toys for the kids. He visits their house late at night dressed as Santa Claus. He tries to deliver the toys quietly but his clumsiness makes more and more noise. The kids wake up and Mickey barely escapes without being seen. The kids are playing with their new toys as happy as can be. As Pluto is running away from the little kid who keeps chasing him. The father becomes the brunt of this slapstick chase, he demands the butler to throw the dog out. While the father himself spanks the little kid. Pluto still has a turkey the kid threw at him attached to his tail and when him and Mickey have their happy reunion the two have a nice Christmas dinner.
In 1991, the Disney studio made a colorized version of this cartoon short.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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