"This is Your Life, Donald Duck" is a television special originally aired as the 148th episode of the Walt Disney Presents. It was later adapted into a comic book story of the same name, released on the same year.
Production[]
The title and format of this TV special are based on the reality documentary series This Is Your Life, broadcast on NBC radio from 1948 to 1952, and on NBC television from 1952 to 1961.
This TV special briefly shows Donald's nephews dress up as Zorro. (additionally, only in the comic book version, the three ducklings get the idea to wear that costume specifically because they see a portrait of Zorro on the wall) This coincides with the fact that Disney's Zorro (1957–1959) had ended the previous year.
Synopsis[]
Jiminy Cricket is hosting a television show and is set to interview Donald Duck with the story of his life. But alas, Donald is laying watching Jiminy on TV at home, enjoying Jiminy's on-air breakdown as he worries about Donald's whereabouts. Jiminy sends Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie to fetch Donald and bring him to the studio. When Donald arrives at the studio, he is stunned about appearing on television and is put in a chair as Jiminy tells Donald's story, telling how he was a hot-tempered duckling from the day he was hatched. Jiminy then invites his first guest to the stand, Donald's grandmother, who tells a story about how Donald was tempted into playing hooky when he was a boy, followed by a story of Donald's first job as a delivery boy.
Jiminy then begins to tell about Donald's service in the military and invites his next guest, Donald's old sergeant Pete, who tells how Donald wanted to be a paratrooper. After that, Jiminy invites Chip and Dale up to tell about Donald's first civilian job as a zookeeper and how the two chipmunks' antics annoyed Donald, after which Donald is able to extract a little revenge on the pests.
Jiminy goes on about Donald's life and how he crashed an amateur show to perform. While he did get yanked off the stage, he got discovered by a talent scout and got a motion picture contract at the Walt Disney Studios. We then see a filming of one of Donald's old movies in which he co-starred with Spike the Bee. Finally, when Jiminy asks why Donald never got married, Daisy Duck enters and gives Jiminy Donald's diary to explain. The show closes when Jiminy invites over Mickey Mouse and a parade of dozens and dozens of Disney cartoon characters to pay tribute to Donald. Donald is extremely touched as his nephews ask "Isn't this nice, Uncle Donald?" and he responds "Oh, yes."
Cartoons shown[]
- Donald's Better Self
- Donald's Lucky Day
- Donald Gets Drafted
- Sky Trooper
- Working for Peanuts
- Mickey's Amateurs
- Bee at the Beach
- Donald's Diary
Characters[]
- Donald Duck (voiced by Clarence Nash)
- Grandma Duck (voiced by June Foray)
- Pete (voiced by Billy Bletcher)
- Jiminy Cricket (voiced by Cliff Edwards)
- Spike the Bee
- Chip and Dale (voiced by Norma Swank and Dessie Flynn)
- Mickey Mouse
- Minnie Mouse
- Goofy
- Pluto
- Humphrey the Bear
- Clara Cluck
- Huey, Dewey, and Louie (voiced by Clarence Nash)
- Zorro (cameo)
- Dolores the Elephant (cameo)
- J. Audubon Woodlore (cameo)
- Johnny Appleseed (cameo)
- Captain Hook (cameo)
- J. Thaddeus Toad (cameo)
- Dumbo (cameo)
- Mad Hatter (cameo)
- March Hare (cameo)
- Cyril Proudbottom (cameo)
- Pecos Bill (cameo)
- Widowmaker (cameo)
- Peter (cameo)
- Ivan the Cat (cameo)
- Cinderella (cameo)
- Peter Pan (cameo)
- John Darling (cameo)
- The Reluctant Dragon (cameo)
- Lady (cameo)
- Tramp (cameo)
- Scamp (cameo)
- Annette, Collette, and Danielle (cameo)
- Snow White (cameo)
- Dopey (cameo)
- Sleepy (cameo)
- Grumpy (cameo)
- Bashful (cameo)
- Happy (cameo)
- Sneezy (cameo)
- Doc (cameo)
- The Three Little Pigs (cameo)
- Bongo the Bear (cameo)
- Br'er Fox (cameo)
- Br'er Rabbit (cameo)
- Clarabelle Cow
- Big Bad Wolf (cameo)
- Misha, Yasha, and Vladimir (cameo)
- Ichabod Crane (cameo)
- Lost Boys (cameo)
- Bruno (cameo)
- Major (cameo)
- Br'er Bear (cameo)
- Wolf (cameo)
- Daisy Duck (voiced by June Foray)
- Brownstone National Park Bears
Trivia[]
- This episode marks Grandma Duck's animated debut.
- The Mickey's Amateurs sequence was cut from syndicated TV showings in the 1980s, while the scene with Pete and the Sky Trooper sequence was sometimes cut from TV showings in the late 1990s.
- A few clips from this episode were used (with some of the dialogue redubbed) for the bridging sequences on Jiminy Cricket: Storyteller, DTV Valentine, the Walt Disney Cartoon Classics videos "Starring Donald & Daisy" and "Starring Chip 'n' Dale", the Walt Disney Mini Classics release "Mickey's Magical World", and several of the Disney's Sing-Along Songs videos in which Jiminy was the host.
- Some footage of Donald was used (with redubbed dialogue) in Down and Out with Donald Duck.
- The ending segment where all the Disney characters come together to pay tribute to Donald is re-used during the reprise of Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah from the Disney Sing Along Songs video of the same name. The ending segment is also used to close out Donald Duck's 50th Birthday.
- The scene of Donald watching television at home is used to open the videotape The Importance of Being Donald.
- Captain Hook's hook is on the wrong hand, most likely due to an animation error.
- Pecos Bill and the longhorn steer riding Widowmaker make their entrance twice.
- Sneezy mistakenly resembles Bashful due to an animation error.
- Dopey is seen singing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" with the rest of the gang, even though he is famously mute.
- The Japanese laserdisc release of this program (which was released on July 28, 1987) features several additional cartoons: Sleepy Time Donald, Donald's Happy Birthday, Donald's Penguin, Frank Duck Brings 'em Back Alive, and Put-Put Troubles.
Gallery[]
