14 Shades of Disney, Shade 7: Nifty Nineties

Shade #7: The Nifty Nineties (1941)
Starring: Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse
Costarring: Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Huey, Dewey and Louie
Setting: Springtime in a Public Park during the 1890s

Plot: Mickey and Minnie enjoy a musical stroll through the park, take in a matinee and go for a joyride through the countryside.  

Box of Chocolates:
Mickey passes and tips his cap to a billboard for an all girl’s baseball team called the Bloomer Girls.

The show the mice see in the theatre is called “Father, Dear Father” and features and little girl trying to get her father to stop drinking and come home.

In the theatre there’s an advertisement for “Walter D.’s Hats” – an obvious nod to Walt Disney.

Before the show, ladies are asked to remove their hats as not to block the view of those sitting behind them.  Minnie, however, does NOT remove her hat.

The comedians, Fred and Ward, are caricatures of famous Disney animators, Fred More and Ward Kimble.

Goofy makes the best of his short appearance by flipping over the handlebars of his old-timey bicycle.

This is the only classic short where Mickey appears with Daisy and Huey, Dewey and Louie.

That horse at the livery looks an awful lot like Cyril Proudbottom, Mr. Toad’s loyal steed from The Wind and the Willows.

Mickey fires his jalopy up to 15 MPH just to impress Minnie.

The Morning After:
Everything about this short reminds me of Disneyland’s turn-of-the-century Main Street, USA - the music, the cars, the clothes and just the overall happy, devil-may-care disposition of everyone involved.  Heck, even Donald looks at ease!  The use of music also harkens back to the Mickey Mouse shorts of the 20s and 30s.  On another note, the current series of Mickey Mouse cartoons brilliantly parodies the saccharine sweetness of this short in The Adorable Couple.