| The Delivery Boy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Burt Gillett |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
| Animation by | Tom Palmer Dick Lundy |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 8:11 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Delivery Boy is a 1931 Mickey Mouse animated short film directed by Burt Gillett, produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures. [1] It was the twenty-ninth short in the Mickey Mouse film series, and the fifth of that year. [2]
Mickey Mouse is driving a rickety donkey cart piled high with musical instruments, with his dog Pluto running alongside. They stop when they reach Minnie's house, and spy on her while she is washing and hanging up clothes. She is singing "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree", and her enthusiasm is so infectious that even the laundry is dancing along. Mickey mischievously hides in a large pair of bloomers hanging on the line, teasing her by singing along and twanging her tail. Catching on to his trick, she drops him into the washtub, which breaks.
That puts a stop to Minnie's laundry chores, so the mice break into a jazzy Charleston dance number. Excited by the dance, Mickey punches a hornet's nest off a branch, and it lands on the donkey's tail. In his panic, the donkey smashes the cart to pieces, and the musical instruments land all over the barnyard.
Undaunted by this disaster, Minnie asks Mickey to play the piano for her, and they break into a spirited duet of "The Stars and Stripes Forever". The animals all play along, and everything is jolly until Pluto investigates a nearby road crew's work, and picks up a lit stick of dynamite. Thinking that he is fetching a stick, Pluto brings the dynamite back to Mickey and Minnie, and it blows the mice into the sky. Even that fails to dampen their spirits, and they conclude the number with a flourish.
The Charleston sequence was animated by Dick Lundy, the studio's dance specialist. [1]
Peg-leg Pete makes a brief cameo, as one of the road crew.
A contemporary review in Motion Picture Herald said: "One of the secrets of the immense popularity of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon comedies is the fact that the audience is given a series of surprises. The Delivery Boy is no exception, as evidenced by the reaction of the audience at the Tobias Vanderbilt in New York. The unexpected sources discovered for music extraction brought a succession of chortling." [3]
In Mickey's Movies: The Theatrical Films of Mickey Mouse, Gijs Grob writes: "This short is as joyous as it is boring. After three years of song-and-dance routines, one grows tired of it. Morever, cartoons like Traffic Troubles and The Moose Hunt had proven that Mickey could do very well without them... Pluto's storyline, however brief, is the most interesting aspect of the cartoon, as it contains the germinal idea of a grand finale. Indeed, Pluto would cause havoc again in subsequent films, like Mickey Steps Out (1931), Mickey Cuts Up (1931), and The Grocery Boy (1932). In these films the song-and-dance routine would give way to well-built gag-filled finales, of which the one in The Delivery Boy is only an embryonic version." [2]
The short was released on December 7, 2004 on Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Volume Two: 1929-1935 , [4] in the "From The Vault" bonus section.
The Delivery Boy was included in the TV show The Mickey Mouse Club (season 1, episode 31). [5]
Mickey's Revue is a 1932 Walt Disney cartoon, directed by Wilfred Jackson, which features Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow performing a song and dance show. The film was delivered to Columbia Pictures on May 12 and released on May 27, 1932. It was the 41st Mickey Mouse film, and the fifth of that year.
Wild Waves is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on December 18, 1929, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the fifteenth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the twelfth of that year, as well as the last to be released by Celebrity Productions before Columbia Pictures took over distribution.
The Barn Dance is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on March 15, 1929, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series; it was the first of twelve shorts released during that year. It was directed by Walt Disney with Ub Iwerks as the head animator. The title is written as Barn Dance on the poster, while the full title is used on the title screen.
The Karnival Kid is a 1929 Mickey Mouse short animated film released by Celebrity Productions, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was directed by Walt Disney and animated by Ub Iwerks with music by Carl W. Stalling. It was the ninth Mickey Mouse short to be produced; the sixth of that year.
When the Cat's Away is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on May 3, 1929, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was directed by Walt Disney and animated by Ub Iwerks and Ben Sharpsteen. It was the sixth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the third of that year. In this cartoon, Mickey and Minnie are the size of regular mice, and Tom Cat is the size of a person.
Blue Rhythm is a 1931 Mickey Mouse animated short film directed by Burt Gillett, produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was the 31st short in the Mickey Mouse film series, and the seventh of that year. The plot focuses on a multifaceted performance of W. C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues". The film features the voices of Walt Disney as Mickey and Marcellite Garner as Minnie Mouse.
Pluto's Christmas Tree is a 1952 Mickey Mouse cartoon in which Pluto and Mickey cut down a Christmas tree that Chip n' Dale live in. It was the 125th short in the Mickey Mouse film series to be released, and the second for that year. While the chipmunks are usually antagonists of Donald Duck, they have pestered Pluto before, in Private Pluto (1943), Squatter's Rights (1946) and Food for Feudin' (1950).
The Gorilla Mystery is a 1930 Mickey Mouse animated film produced by Walt Disney for Columbia Pictures, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twenty-second Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the seventh of that year.
The Cactus Kid is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on May 10, 1930, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the eighteenth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the third of that year.
The Jazz Fool is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on December 21, 1929, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twelfth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the ninth of that year.
The Beach Party is a 1931 Mickey Mouse animated short film directed by Burt Gillett, produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was the thirty-fourth short in the Mickey Mouse film series, and the tenth produced that year.
The Moose Hunt is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on April 30, 1931, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twenty-eighth Mickey Mouse short to be produced and the fourth of that year.
The Picnic is a 1930 American animated short film directed by Burt Gillett and produced by Walt Disney. It was first released on October 9, 1930, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twenty-third Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the eighth of that year.
Mickey Steps Out is a 1931 Mickey Mouse animated short film directed by Burt Gillett, produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was the thirtieth short in the Mickey Mouse film series, and the sixth of that year.
Fishin' Around is a 1931 American animated short film directed by Burt Gillett, produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was the thirty-second short in the Mickey Mouse film series, and the eighth produced that year.
The Birthday Party is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on January 2, 1931, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twenty-fifth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the first of that year.
The Fire Fighters is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on June 20, 1930, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the nineteenth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the fourth of that year.
The Shindig is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on July 11, 1930, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twentieth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the fifth of that year.
Pioneer Days is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on November 20, 1930, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twenty-fourth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the ninth of that year.
Milton Mouse is an animated character created at Fables Studios for Paul Terry's cartoon series Aesop's Fables. The character was introduced in 1921, and appeared in dozens of cartoon shorts through 1931. Milton often appeared alongside a girlfriend mouse, usually named Rita.
