Modern Inventions

Your hat, sir.

Directed byJack King
Story byCarl Barks
Produced byWalt Disney
StarringClarence Nash
Billy Bletcher
Elvia Allman
Don Brodie[1]
Music byOliver Wallace
Animation byJack Hannah
Paul Allen
Johnny Cannon[2]
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • May 29, 1937 (1937-05-29)
[3]
Running time
8 minutes 30 seconds
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Modern Inventions is a 1937 American comic science fiction animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists.[4] The cartoon follows Donald Duck as he tours the fictional Museum of Modern Marvels. It was directed by Jack King, his Directional debut at Disney, and features original music by Oliver Wallace. The voice cast includes Clarence Nash as Donald, Billy Bletcher as the Robot Butler, Elvia Allman as the Robot Baby Carriage and Don Brodie as the Robot Barber.

Modern Inventions pokes fun at modern conveniences. The scene of Donald in the barber's chair was submitted by Carl Barks as his first story contribution at Disney.[5] It is also the final Disney short to be released by United Artists.

Plot

Donald visits the "Museum of Modern Marvels" which showcases various futuristic electronic appliances and inventions. He uses a quarter on a line to get in (this allows him to keep his money and get in as well). Once inside, he is confronted with the "Robot Butler", a robotic golden cyclops. In a recurring gag, after Donald's hat is taken away from him by the Robot Butler, (saying "Your hat, sir." every time this happens), Donald uses a magic trick to produce another hat (similar to the way he produces flutes in The Band Concert). He says, "So!" and continues on his way. He first encounters a robotic hitchhiker, which activates when he makes driving noises. However, when he laughs at it, it pokes him in the eyes. Next he goes to a bundle wrapper, with a warning sign which says "Hands off! Do not touch!" but Donald kicks the sign away and hops on. When he pulls a lever, the machine proceeds to grab him in two robotic arms, put transparent wrapping paper around him, and put him in ribbons, like a package. He manages to break out by vigorously shaking, and continues exploring.

All the time, Donald has been losing hat after hat to the Robot Butler, making Donald angrier and angrier. Eventually, the Butler chases him through the museum to an automated baby carriage, which Donald hides inside. Donald changes his current hat to a baby bonnet to wear as he is rocked as the song "Rock-a-bye Baby" is played. Donald then begins acting like a baby, sucking his feet, playing with toys offered to him, getting tickled under the chin, and having his toes counted to "This Little Piggy went to market." Donald then starts crying about not getting his milk. The machine gets out a bottle of milk, but it hits him in the face instead of going into his mouth, making Donald agitated. The machine begins torturing him with toys and more milk in the face. The machine again squirts more milk in the face, after which it powders his bottom and pins him in a diaper.

The Robot Butler is again attracted by Donald's laughing and yanks the baby bonnet off his head. Donald produces one last hat and goes to one exhibit he has not yet seen: a self-operating barber chair. Using his "cheat" coin, Donald pays to get the works. However, the machine ends up flipping him over; the result is that the machine cuts off his tail feathers, cleans his bill, coats his face with shoe polish, sifts through his bottom feathers, applies a wet hot towel to it, slaps his blackened face with a cloth, combs his bottom with a comb, makes a gap through it, smooths it out and finally, gives him a pigtail design. The Robot Butler appears yet again, and he then removes Donald's last hat, which causes Donald to eventually enter an explosive tantrum.

Voice cast

Uncredited

Releases[2]

Home media

The short was released on May 18, 2004, on Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume One: 1934-1941.[7]

It was also released on VHS is 1985 on Cartoon Classics: The Continuing Adventures of Chip 'n' Dale Featuring Donald Duck.

Legacy

The cartoon would later serve as inspiration for suicide booths, fictional contraptions appearing in the American adult animated sitcom Futurama.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Scott, Keith (October 3, 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media.
  2. 1 2 Modern Inventions Archived March 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts
  3. ↑ Kaufman, J.B.; Gerstein, David (2018). Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History. Cologne: Taschen. ISBN 978-3-8365-5284-4.
  4. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 74–76. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  5. ↑ Trivia from Modern Inventions at the Internet Movie Database.
  6. ↑ Movie connections for "Ink & Paint Club" at the Internet Movie Database
  7. ↑ "The Chronological Donald Volume 1 DVD Review". DVD Dizzy. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  8. ↑ Groening, Matt (2003). Futurama season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Space Pilot 3000" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
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