13 Nights of Happy Haunts: Donald Duck and the Gorilla

Night 7: Donald Duck and the Gorilla (1944)
Starring: Donald Duck
Co-starring: Huey, Dewey and Louie
Setting: Donald’s House
Plot: Donald and his nephews prank each other while an escaped gorilla is on the prowl.

Tricks and/or Treats:
As I watch this cartoon on my laptop via my high-speed internets and the youtube.com, it’s quaint to think there was a time when families would sit quietly in their living room, listening to the radio.

Disney likes the name “Ajax.”  First, it was the name of Mickey, Donald and Goofy’s ghost hunting company in The Lonesome Ghosts (1937) and now it’s the name of the escaped gorilla here.

This is the second time an escaped gorilla has terrorized Mickey and his pals.  It first happened in The Gorilla Mystery (1930).

Was “gorillas escaping from zoos” just a common fear back in the 30s and 40s or was it an actual epidemic? 

Where did the boys find that gorilla costume?  Was is just lying around the house? 

The nephews also got their hands on a grenade.  Was this from Donald’s tour in WWII?

It ends with Donald and Ajax sharing a cry from the tear gas… then what??? 
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RIP:      
This one ends so abruptly and with absolutely nothing resolved.  Seriously, what happens when the tear gas wears off???  Still, it was fun to see Donald and his nephews screwing around in that humungous house on the lake.  I especially love how the relationship between nephews and uncle seems to be based solely on antagonism and pranks.  Here’s hoping for more of that… maybe tomorrow!