Friday, November 19, 2010

Happy Birthday Mickey!

Steamboat Willie was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released, and the first cartoon with synchronized sound. As a mischievous deckhand on a riverboat, Mickey, to Minnie's delight, plays "Turkey in the Straw" utilizing an animal menagerie as his instruments. However, the tyrannical Captain Pete is not amused, and Mickey ends up peeling potatoes in the galley.

After unsuccessfully trying to make a deal to record through RCA or Western Electric, Walt contracted with the bootleg Powers Cinephone process and, after a disastrous initial recording session, finally recorded the soundtrack with a 15-piece band and his own squeaks for Mickey.

Directed by Walt Disney. Released at the Colony Theater in New York on November 18, 1928, the date used for the birth of Mickey Mouse.

No comments:

Post a Comment