Good Scouts
Encyclopedia
Good Scouts is a 1938
American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures
. The cartoon follows Donald Duck
leading his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie on a scouting
trip through the wilderness. It was directed by Jack King
and features Clarence Nash
as Donald and the three nephews.
Good Scouts was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1939
, but lost to Disney's own Ferdinand the Bull
. Also nominated that year from Disney were Brave Little Tailor
and Mother Goose Goes Hollywood
, setting the record for most nominations in the category for one studio. Good Scouts was the first Academy Award nomination for the Donald Duck series.
and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie are on a scouting
expedition at Yellowstone National Park
with Donald acting as the Scoutmaster
. The ducks march along in military style singing "Polly Wolly Doodle
." Arriving at their camp site, Donald unsuccessfully tries to teach the boys wilderness skills. He tries to chop down a petrified
tree and pitch a tent with bad knots causing the nephews to laugh.
Frustrated at the nephews' lack of gratitude for his efforts, Donald decides to make them sorry by pretending to have been injured, pouring ketchup over himself. The dutiful nephews spring into action and quickly bandage Donald from head to toe. Donald is then unable to see and wanders aimlessly, eventually falling into a honey jar.
A large grizzly bear soon arrives having been attracted by the smell of food. Trying to escape the bear, Donald runs off a cliff and falls onto "Old Reliable Geyser" (a reference to Old Faithful) and gets his rear end stuck in the opening of the geyser. The water shoots Donald into the air, bringing him closer to the bear who is still above at the cliff's edge.
The nephews try to save Donald by plugging the geyser. They finally roll a large boulder over it, but the geyser is only stopped momentarily. Donald is seen later that night, still running from the bear on top of the boulder rotating under their feet, perfectly balanced on top of the continuous stream of water from the geyser. The nephews, having exhausted their means of rescuing their uncle, bed down for the night in their tent, wishing him "good night."
, and marked a significant change in their behavior. In their earlier appearances, the triplets were mischievous and caused a lot of trouble for Donald. But in Good Scouts the boys seem to have matured a great deal. They are shown as being resourceful, using teamwork, and generally trying to help Donald out of trouble. Although the boys are seen as mischievous in several later appearance, it was this more helpful characterization which would become more characteristic of them.
The film was also the first to show Donald in a leadership role. In earlier appearances he was "someone just trying to go about his business and getting interrupted and irritated by others."
1938 in film
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
. The cartoon follows Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
leading his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie on a scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
trip through the wilderness. It was directed by Jack King
Jack King (animator)
James Patton "Jack" King was an American comics artist and animator best known for his work at Walt Disney Productions.Born in Alabama, King began his animation career in the silent era in 1920 working at Bray Productions animation studio...
and features Clarence Nash
Clarence Nash
Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash was an American voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Donald Duck for the Walt Disney Studios...
as Donald and the three nephews.
Good Scouts was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1939
11th Academy Awards
The 11th Academy Awards were held on February 23, 1939 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. It was the first Academy Awards show without any official host, as well as the first to have a foreign language film nominated for Best Picture.This was the first of only two times in Oscar...
, but lost to Disney's own Ferdinand the Bull
Ferdinand the Bull (film)
Ferdinand the Bull is a Walt Disney cartoon released on November 25, 1938 by R.K.O. Radio Pictures, directed by Dick Rickard. Based on the book, The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf and illustrations by Robert Lawson...
. Also nominated that year from Disney were Brave Little Tailor
Brave Little Tailor
Brave Little Tailor is a 1938 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon is an adaptation of the fairy tale The Valiant Little Tailor with Mickey Mouse in the title role. The film was directed by Bill Roberts and features...
and Mother Goose Goes Hollywood
Mother Goose Goes Hollywood
Mother Goose Goes Hollywood is an 1938 Walt Disney animated short featuring parodies of Mother Goose nursery rhymes and caricatures of Hollywood celebrities from the 1930s. It is the 73rd of the series....
, setting the record for most nominations in the category for one studio. Good Scouts was the first Academy Award nomination for the Donald Duck series.
Plot
Donald DuckDonald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie are on a scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
expedition at Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
with Donald acting as the Scoutmaster
Scout Leader
A Scout Leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit.-Roles:...
. The ducks march along in military style singing "Polly Wolly Doodle
Polly Wolly Doodle
"Polly Wolly Doodle" is a song first published in a Harvard student songbook in 1880."Polly Wolly Doodle" appears in the existing manuscript for Laura Ingalls Wilder's These Happy Golden Years exactly as it is used in the published version. It was not mentioned in any of the Pioneer Girl...
." Arriving at their camp site, Donald unsuccessfully tries to teach the boys wilderness skills. He tries to chop down a petrified
Petrified wood
Petrified wood is the name given to a special type of fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. It is the result of a tree having turned completely into stone by the process of permineralization...
tree and pitch a tent with bad knots causing the nephews to laugh.
Frustrated at the nephews' lack of gratitude for his efforts, Donald decides to make them sorry by pretending to have been injured, pouring ketchup over himself. The dutiful nephews spring into action and quickly bandage Donald from head to toe. Donald is then unable to see and wanders aimlessly, eventually falling into a honey jar.
A large grizzly bear soon arrives having been attracted by the smell of food. Trying to escape the bear, Donald runs off a cliff and falls onto "Old Reliable Geyser" (a reference to Old Faithful) and gets his rear end stuck in the opening of the geyser. The water shoots Donald into the air, bringing him closer to the bear who is still above at the cliff's edge.
The nephews try to save Donald by plugging the geyser. They finally roll a large boulder over it, but the geyser is only stopped momentarily. Donald is seen later that night, still running from the bear on top of the boulder rotating under their feet, perfectly balanced on top of the continuous stream of water from the geyser. The nephews, having exhausted their means of rescuing their uncle, bed down for the night in their tent, wishing him "good night."
Character development
Good Scouts was the second animated appearance of Huey, Dewey, and Louie, who had first appeared in the Donald Duck comicsDonald Duck in comics
Donald Duck, a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company, is today the star of dozens of comic-book and comic-strip stories published each month around the world.-Early debut:...
, and marked a significant change in their behavior. In their earlier appearances, the triplets were mischievous and caused a lot of trouble for Donald. But in Good Scouts the boys seem to have matured a great deal. They are shown as being resourceful, using teamwork, and generally trying to help Donald out of trouble. Although the boys are seen as mischievous in several later appearance, it was this more helpful characterization which would become more characteristic of them.
The film was also the first to show Donald in a leadership role. In earlier appearances he was "someone just trying to go about his business and getting interrupted and irritated by others."
Releases
- 1981 – "Kids is Kids Starring Donald Duck" (VHS)
- 1992 – Donald's Quack AttackDonald's Quack AttackDonald's Quack Attack was a television series on the Disney Channel which featured Disney animated short films, especially those with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy...
" episode #61 (TV) - 1997 – Ink & Paint Club, episode #1.20 "Huey, Dewey, and Louie" (TV)
- 2005 – "Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald" (DVD)
- 2005 – "Extreme Adventure Fun" (DVD)
- 2011 – iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
(digital download)
External links
- Good Scouts at The Encyclopedia of Animated Disney Shorts