Jack Kinney Movies

This animated spoof of the popular TV series This Is Your Life (the creator of which, Ralph Edwards, is given special acknowledgement in the closing credits) first aired on the Walt Disney Presents TV anthology. Jiminy Cricket is all set to give a testimonial to his cartoon comrade Donald Duck -- but alas, Donald is relaxing at home and has no intention of leaving. Literally dragged to the Disney studios by his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, an outraged Donald relaxes a bit when he realizes that he's the guest of honor. The rest of the episode combines newly animated footage with clips from vintage theatrical cartoons, as Donald's life is recounted by such colleagues as Daisy Duck (who explains why she and Donald never married), Chip 'n' Dale, Mickey Mouse, Pluto, and even a few guest stars who never made a picture with the Duck, including The Three Little Pigs, Lady and the Tramp, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. "This Is Your Life, Donald Duck was rebroadcast as a separate Disney special on February 22, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

1001 Arabian Nights was the first animated feature film produced by the "progressive" UPA cartoon firm. The studio had originally planned to feature its star attraction, the nearsighted Mr. Magoo, in an adaptation of Don Quixote scripted by no less than Aldous Huxley. But Columbia, UPA's distributor, didn't think that a Quixote film would sell to the kiddie trade, so the studio settled on the oft-used "Aladdin's Lamp" story. It might have worked better had Magoo portrayed a bumbling genie; instead, the Myopic One is cast as Aladdin's uncle, a wholly extraneous character who has no bearing on the plot or its outcome. Beyond its script shortcomings, 1001 Arabian Nights boasts an attractive production design and color scheme, as well as some pleasant voicework by Dwayne Hickman, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Hans Conried and Herschel Bernardi. Many of the character designs seen in Arabian Nights were reused on UPA's weekly 1964 TV series The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

If Donald Duck had hoped to take it easy during the weekend, his hopes are dashed when his three mischievous neighbors Huey, Dewey and Louie pay him a visit. As a means of keeping the kids out of his hair (or feathers), Donald purchases some circus tickets, offering to give them to the nephews if they do some chores around the house. Alas, the kids' woodchopping session does not keep them from drifting off to play pirates, wreaking all manner of havoc on their irascible Unca Donald. Poised to give the kids a spanking, Donald is dissuaded by his conscience, who suggests that our hero apply a bit of child psychology. Guess what happens next. Just guess. This Disneyland episode cleverly links together several Disney theatrical cartoons into a single continuity with the use of some newly animated footage. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally titled "The Adventure Story", this is one of several Disneyland episodes which splices together vintage theatrical cartoon shorts into a single, cohesive storyline. In the framing sequences, Papa Goofy ("uh-hyuk") tells his young son the story of their illustrious family. In flashback, we see Goofy's various forebears as they go through their paces as gladiators, knights, seafarers, hunters, artists and scientists--and none too competently. As Goofy would put it, "YAAAH hoohoohoohoooooo." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This episode of Disneyland consists primarily of four lengthy excerpts from two of Disney's animated features of the 1940s. The Kings' Men Quartet musically narrate the story of those famous feudin' families, the Martins and the Coys, in a sequence originally seen in Make Mine Music (1946). Also from the same source, Jerry Colonna delivers a spirited narration to the cartoon version of "Casey at the Bat", by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. And Dennis Day doubles as the voice of the narrator and the title character of "Johnny Appleseed", a segment lifted from Melody Time (1948). Rounding out the episode is a newly animated musical adaption of "Casey Jones, the Brave Engineer", again featuring the considerable talents of Jerry Colonna. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

That inimitable "Everydog" Goofy appears in several guises in this Disneyland compilation of theatrical cartoons. It is explained at the outset that the concept of athletic training was born of necessity, to prepare Early Man to hunt for food and fight wars. It was the Greeks who organized sports into games with the original Olympics, and this tradition persists thousands of years later. Of course, with Goofy participating in such strenuous enterprises as horse racing, baseball and hockey, the "educational" aspect of this episode takes second place to its laugh content. Portions of Goofy's Cavalcade of Sports were later excerpted in the 1972 theatrical release Superstar Goofy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Disneyland host Walt Disney turns over the narration of this mostly animated episode to a new cartoon character, Greek historian Spyros Olympopolus. The factual history of sports is depicted in a semi-comic fashion through clips of vintage Disney cartoons starring the eminent "Everydog" Goofy, along with new footage specially animated for this episode (best new sequence: The "invention" of basketball). Among the cartoons excerpted herein are The Olympic Champ, Goofy Gymnastics, The Art of Skiing, and How to Play Football. Rebroadcast several times on Walt Disney's various TV anthologies, The Goofy Sports Story was released theatrically in 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

One of the cleverest of Walt Disney's TV "clip shows", "The Goofy Success Story" originally aired as an episode of the weekly Disneyland anthology. Narrated by Jack Bailey of Queen for a Day fame, the program begins as a cheerful, chuckling vagrant named Dippy Dawg meets a Hollywood talent scout. Tested out as a bit player in a 1931 Mickey Mouse cartoon, Dippy is signed to an exclusive contract with Disney studios--but first, his name is changed to Goofy. Thanks to a high-pressure studio buildup, Goofy gains popularity as a supporting player, then is awarded his own starring series. Alas, a professional reversal sends Goofy right back to the bottom, whereupon he briefly considers ending it all. But in 1950, the Goof enjoys a spectacular comeback as star of the Oscar-winning cartoon Motor Mania. "The Goofy Success Story" was later released theatrically overseas. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bachelor Donald Duck recounts his recent romantic misadventures in his diary (amusingly, Donald's "narrative" voice sounds just like Ronald Colman). As the beauteous Daisy mounts an elaborate campaign to ensnare Donald as her husband, our hero can only remember that "I knew I was winning her over." Even a visit to Daisy's somewhat fearsome family--three disreputable looking younger brothers, a mother who checks Donald's financial status in Dun and Bradstreet, and an addle-pated father who spends his day cutting out paper dolls--will not dissuade Donald from his marital plans. Only a surrealistic nightmare on the eve of Donald's proposal convinces him that he's better off remaining single. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi