Donald Duck is the consummate movie star and one of Hollywood's greatest character actors. Though it is easy to simply classify him as a duck with a temper problem, there is more than his character than this. He may be an adult duck, but he is in many ways an overgrown child. Like a child, when he is happy, he is extremely happy and when he is angry you better watch out. And he can transition from being very happy to throwing one of his famous tantrums in a heartbeat. This is something about this childlike approach to life that is very appealing and relatable. Because of this despite Donald not being exactly a role model, it is hard not to like him. He is easily one of Disney's most appeal cartoon characters and whether he is on the big screen, the small screen or in comic books he will never stop entertaining cartoon fans the world over.
Despite Donald's birthday being accepted as June 9th today (due to the release of his first film, The Wise Little Hen (1934)), this day was not always accepted as his birthday. Like many classic cartoon characters, back in the 1940's, Donald's birthday was constantly changing. However the most common birthday he was given was Friday the 13th (of any month of course), due to him getting stuck with all the bad luck. This is evidenced by the articles from movie magazines below. If you have trouble reading any of them click on the pages and use your touch screen to zoom in.
Motion Picture Herald, 1946
Showman's Trade Review, 1942
Motion Picture Herald, 1938
Showman's Trade Review, 1943
Now for some highlights from Donald's long career.
So if you see Donald today, be sure to wish him a happy birthday.
Movieland 1949
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