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Donald Duck: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Donald Duck
On the 29th of April 1934, five days before The Wise Little Hen's first theatrical release, bandleader Raymond Paige performed the score to the cartoon on his California Melodies program for the Los Angeles AM radio station KHJ. Clarence Nash and Florence Gill performed the character voices for this radio treatment, with Nash performing both Donald Duck and Peter Pig, making it the first time the public heard Nash's duck voice. Walt Disney Studios had been looking for people to create animal sounds when Nash auditioned. Disney was particularly impressed with Nash's duck imitation and chose him to voice the new character. Disney came up with Donald's iconic attributes including his short temper and his sailor suit based on ducks and sailors both being associated with water. Dick Huemer and Art Babbit were the first to animate Donald, while Dick Lundy is credited for developing him as a character. Donald's first film appearance was in the 1934 cartoon The Wise Little Hen, which was part of the Silly Symphonies series of theatrical cartoon shorts. The film's given release date of June 9 is officially recognized by the Walt Disney Company as Donald's birthday, though historian J.B. Kaufman discovered that The Wise Little Hen was first shown on the 3rd of May 1934, at the Carthay Circle Theater for a benefit program.
Wartime Propaganda Role
During World War II, Donald was the most prominent character in Disney's war efforts used for propaganda and morale, appearing in several animated propaganda films, including the 1943 Der Fuehrer's Face. In this cartoon, Donald plays a worker in an artillery factory in Nutzi Land, struggling with long working hours and very small food rations. He has to salute every time he sees a picture of Adolf Hitler, which appears in many places such as on the assembly line where he screws in detonators of various sizes of shells. At the end, he becomes little more than a small part in a faceless machine until he falls, suffering a nervous breakdown before waking up to find his experience was a dream. Der Fuehrer's Face won the 1942 Academy Award for Animated Short Film. Other shorts from this period include a six film mini-series that follows Donald's life in the U.S. Army from his drafting to his experiences in basic training under Sergeant Pete to his first actual mission as a commando having to sabotage a Japanese air base. Titles in the series include Donald Gets Drafted on the 1st of May 1942, The Vanishing Private on the 25th of September 1942, Sky Trooper on the 8th of November 1942, Fall Out Fall In on the 23rd of April 1943, The Old Army Game on the 5th of November 1943, and Commando Duck on the 2nd of June 1944. Thanks in part to these films, Donald graced the nose artwork of virtually every type of World War II Allied combat aircraft, from the L-4 Grasshopper to the B-29 Superfortress.
When was Donald Duck first heard by the public on radio?
The public first heard Donald Duck's voice on the 29th of April 1934 during a California Melodies program broadcast by the Los Angeles AM radio station KHJ. Bandleader Raymond Paige performed the score while Clarence Nash and Florence Gill provided the character voices for this specific radio treatment.
What is the official release date recognized as Donald Duck's birthday?
Walt Disney Company officially recognizes the 9th of June 1934, as Donald Duck's birthday based on the film The Wise Little Hen. Historian J.B. Kaufman discovered that the cartoon actually premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater on the 3rd of May 1934 for a benefit program.
Which animated short won an Academy Award featuring Donald Duck during World War II?
Der Fuehrer's Face won the 1942 Academy Award for Animated Short Film and depicted Donald working in an artillery factory in Nutzi Land. This propaganda film showed Donald struggling with long hours and small food rations before suffering a nervous breakdown.
Who created the supporting characters for Donald Duck in the comics starting in 1947?
Carl Barks took over major development of the duck as both writer and illustrator to place him in the city of Duckburg. He created Uncle Scrooge McDuck in 1947 followed by Gladstone Gander in 1948 and the Beagle Boys in 1951.
When did Tony Anselmo first perform the voice of Donald Duck after Clarence Nash died?
Tony Anselmo performed Donald's voice for the first time in a 1986 D-TV special called D-TV Valentine on The Disney Channel. His first feature film appearance as the character occurred in Who Framed Roger Rabbit released in 1988.
What honor did Donald Duck receive from the University of Oregon in 1984?
Donald Duck was named an honorary alumnus of the University of Oregon during his 50th birthday celebration in 1984. A licensing agreement allows the school's sports teams to use Donald's image as its Fighting Duck mascot.
Donald Duck is known worldwide for his appearances in comics, with weekly and monthly comic books enjoying their highest profile in many European countries, especially Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland. Most are produced and published by the Italian branch of the Walt Disney Company in Italy and by Egmont in Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden. In Germany, the comics are published by Ehapa which has since become part of the Egmont empire. Donald comics have also been produced in The Netherlands and France. According to the Inducks database, American, Italian and Danish stories have been reprinted in numerous countries including Australia, Austria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the former Yugoslavia. Carl Barks took over major development of the duck as both writer and illustrator, placing Donald in the city of Duckburg and creating a host of supporting players including Uncle Scrooge McDuck in 1947, Gladstone Gander in 1948, the Beagle Boys in 1951, Gyro Gearloose in 1952, April May and June in 1953, Flintheart Glomgold in 1956, Magica de Spell in 1961, and John D. Rockerduck in 1961.
Voice Evolution And Performance
Donald's first voice was performed by Clarence Nash, who voiced him for 50 years. As long as Nash was alive no one else was permitted to do Donald's voice. Nash voiced Donald for the last time in Mickey's Christmas Carol in 1983, making him the only character in the film to be voiced by his original voice actor. He continued to provide Donald's voice for commercials, promos, and other miscellaneous material until his death in 1985. Jack Wagner voiced Donald and other Disney characters in the 1980s, primarily for live entertainment offerings in the theme parks, Disney on Ice shows, and live-action clips for television. Since Nash died, Donald's voice has been performed by Disney animator Tony Anselmo, who was mentored by Nash for the role. Anselmo's first performance as Donald is heard in a 1986 D-TV special, D-TV Valentine on The Disney Channel, and in his first feature film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1988. Walt Disney insisted on character consistency and integrity. Continuing that tradition, in 1988 Roy E. Disney created the department of Disney Character Voices to ensure continuation of character integrity, consistency, and quality in recording methods. Roy named one official voice for all Walt Disney legacy characters. Tony Anselmo was approved by Roy E. Disney as Disney's official voice of Donald Duck.
Cultural Impact And Recognition
In 2005, Donald received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6840 Hollywood Blvd joining other fictional characters such as Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, The Simpsons, Winnie the Pooh, Kermit the Frog, Big Bird, Godzilla and Snow White. Donald Duck is the only significant film and television cartoon character to appear as a mascot for a major American university: a licensing agreement between Disney and the University of Oregon allows the school's sports teams to use Donald's image as its Fighting Duck mascot. In 1984, Donald Duck was named an honorary alumnus of the University of Oregon during his 50th birthday celebration. During a visit to the Eugene Airport, 3,000 to 4,000 fans gathered for the presentation of an academic cap and gown to Donald. Thousands of area residents signed a congratulatory scroll for Donald, and that document is now part of Disney's corporate archives. Donald's name and image are used on numerous commercial products, one example being Donald Duck brand orange juice introduced by Citrus World in 1940. Donald Duck was temporarily listed as a hired employee in the database of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development as late as 1978 with a $99,999 salary more than double the $47,500 take federal civil servants were legally limited to be paid at the time.