Orphan's Benefit

Orphan's Benefit Background information Director: Burt Gillett Writer: Song writer: Frank Churchill Animator(s): Release date(s): August 11, 1934 (Original) August 22, 1941 (Remake) Running time: 9 minutes Budget: Gross revenue: Country:

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Orphan's Benefit is an animated short film staring Mickey Mouse that was made in 1934 and remade in 1941.

Plot

The mice orphans arrive at a theater for a free show entitled "Mickey's Big Show: Orphan's Benefit." As they file into the building they are given free lollipops, ice cream, and balloons.

Donald Duck begins the show by reciting "Mary Had a Little Lamb", and then reciting "Little Boy Blue." But when he says "come blow your horn," an orphan loudly blows his nose to disrupt Donald's performance. He recites it a second time, but this time the orphans blow their noses. Donald loses his temper over his performance being interrupted and challenges them to fight, but is pulled backstage by an off-screen stagehand.

The next act is Goofy, Horace Horsecollar, and Clarabelle Cow performing an acrobatic dance. Horace dances with Clarabelle and Goofy attempts to pick him up but gets his head stuck. Goofy then throws Clarabelle back to Horace. Horace spins Clarabelle around and throws him in Goofy's direction. Goofy catches her dress and Clarabelle closes out the act by hitting Goofy on the head. Donald decides to exact his revenge by reciting "Little Boy Blue" again and blows his own horn before the orphans can respond. An orphan blows ice cream at him to provoke Donald and the orphans punch Donald into a daze with their boxing gloves. Then, Donald is once again pulled backstage.

For the next act, Mickey introduces Clara Cluck, who clucks "Chi mi frena in tal momento" from Act II of Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, accompanied by Mickey on piano. When she is unable to reach a high B-Flat note, an orphan fires a slingshot to help finish the song.

During the final act, Donald returns to the stage and quickly recites one line – "Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn" – and waits for the orphans to interrupt him. Yet as they seem well-behaved this time, Donald continues the recitation. But when he says "Where is that boy who looks after the sheep?" the orphans answer in unison "Under the haystack fast asleep, you dope," causing Donald to lose his temper again. The orphans tie bricks, a plant, a fire extinguisher and eggs onto their balloons, float them over his head, and fire their slingshots. After being laughed by the orphans, Donald closes out the show and finally accepts defeat.

Characters

• Mickey Mouse (voiced by Walt Disney)
• Donald Duck (voiced by Clarence Nash)
• Goofy
• Clarabelle Cow
• Clara Cluck (voiced by Florence Gill)
• Horace Horsecollar
• The Orphans

Gallery

Trivia

• Orphan's Benefit was the first appearance of Donald Duck in a Mickey Mouse series film, marking the characters' first joint appearance. Donald had previously appeared only in a Silly Symphonies film.
• The film was also the debut of Clara Cluck who would go on to appear in six other cartoon shorts.
• The orphans strongly resemble Mickey and Minnie's "dream babies" from Mickey's Nightmare. They even have the same rambuctiousness
• Although Orphan's Benefit was Donald's second appearance, the film was the first to significantly develop his character. Many of Donald's personality traits first seen in Orphan's Benefit would become permanently associated with him, such as his love of showmanship, his fierce determination, belligerence, and most famously his easily provoked temper. The film also introduced some of Donald's physical antics, such as his signature temper tantrum of hopping on one foot while holding out one fist and swinging the other. This was the creation of animator Dick Lundy who termed this Donald's "fighting pose."
• The soundtrack and voice clips for the 1941 version were taken straight from the original 1934 animated short of the same name. One minor difference at the end is where Donald says "Aw, phooey!" instead of "Aw, nuts!"
• In the 1941 version, Donald's beak doesn't morph into Jimmy Durante's nose when he says "Am I mortified! Am I mortified!"
• This color remake is a sequence by sequence remake, the character models were updated to match the characters' designs as of 1941.
  • However, Mickey's model is his 1941 design is in the poster, he is actually in his 1940 design in the 1941 version of the short.

Short Films

Trolley Troubles, Oh Teacher, All Wet, Steamboat Willie, The Gallopin' Gaucho, Plane Crazy, The Karnival Kid, Mickey's Follies, Mickey's Choo-Choo, The Haunted House, The Chain Gang, The Birthday Party, The Hunter, Mickey's Orphans, Mickey's Revue, Just Dogs, Mickey's Good Deed, The Mad Doctor, Ye Olden Days, The Mail Pilot, The Wise Little Hen, Mickey's Steamroller, Orphan's Benefit, The Band Concert, Mickey's Service Station, Mickey's Fire Brigade, Pluto's Judgment Day, On Ice, Orphan's Picnic, Mickey's Grand Opera, Thru the Mirror, Mickey's Rival, Donald and Pluto, Mother Pluto, The Worm Turns, Don Donald, Magician Mickey, Moose Hunters, Hawaiian Holiday, Clock Cleaners, Pluto's Quin-Puplets, Lonesome Ghosts, Donald's Nephews, Good Scouts, The Whalers, Brave Little Tailor, Donald's Golf Game, Society Dog Show, Goofy and Wilbur, The Hockey Champ, Donald's Cousin Gus, The Pointer, The Autograph Hound, The Riveter, Tugboat Mickey, Mr. Duck Steps Out, Bone Trouble, Put-Put Troubles, Pluto's Dream House, Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip, The Little Whirlwind, A Good Time for a Dime, How to Ride a Horse, Canine Caddy, The Nifty Nineties, The Art of Skiing, The Art of Self Defense, The Sleepwalker, How to Play Baseball, The Olympic Champ, How to Swim, Pluto at the Zoo, How to Fish, Donald's Tire Trouble, The Flying Jalopy, Private Pluto, How to Play Golf, How to Play Football, First Aiders, Tiger Trouble, The Clock Watcher, Duck Pimples, The Legend of Coyote Rock, Cured Duck, Pluto's Kid Brother, In Dutch, Donald's Double Trouble, Dumbell of the Yukon, Lighthouse Keeping, Bath Day, Double Dribble, Sleepy Time Donald, Figaro and Frankie, Donald's Dilemma, Mickey's Delayed Date, Foul Hunting, Chip an' Dale, Pluto's Blue Note, Drip Dippy Donald, Donald's Dream Voice, Pluto's Fledgling, Soup's On, Three for Breakfast, Mickey and the Seal, Donald's Happy Birthday, Winter Storage, Pluto's Sweater, Bubble Bee, Goofy Gymnastics, Toy Tinkers, Pluto's Heart Throb, Pluto and the Gopher, Crazy Over Daisy, Motor Mania, Hook, Lion and Sinker, Camp Dog, Chicken in the Rough, Dude Duck, Lucky Number, Fathers Are People, Father's Lion, Donald Applecore, Two Chips and a Miss, Two Gun Goofy, Trick or Treat, Two Weeks Vacation, Pluto's Christmas Tree, The Simple Things, Don's Fountain of Youth, Father's Week-End, The New Neighbor, Rugged Bear, Canvas Back Duck, Donald's Diary, The Lone Chipmunks, Dragon Around, Beezy Bear, Up a Tree, Chips Ahoy, Hooked Bear, In the Bag, Donald in Mathmagic Land, Aquamania, Scrooge McDuck and Money, Mickey's Christmas Carol, Sport Goofy in Soccermania, The Prince and the Pauper, Runaway Brain, How to Hook Up Your Home Theater, Get a Horse!