It may have started with a mouse… but it all ended with Scrooge McDuck and Money. Released roughly three months after Disney’s death, in March 1967, it would in theory be the last cartoon short personally supervised by Walt Disney – if he were still personally supervising this sort of thing. I kinda doubt it.
Uncle Scrooge McDuck was, of course, created by Donald Duck comic book writer/artist Carl Barks in 1947. The character was Disney’s most popular original comic book character, and this appearance twenty years after his creation was his first animated “story” on screen.
Unfortunately the film itself is one of those thinly disguised Hamilton Luske educational films the studio would justify producing because they knew they’d make back its production costs with showings on TV and in rentals to schools. It’s said (on Wikipedia) that the film originally was released with The Jungle Book; however that film was released in October. It was more likely paired with the live action The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (also March 1967) or The Gnome Mobile (released in July 1967). Disney usually put animated shorts with its live pics and live nature shorts with its animated features back then… but I welcome more information.
Here’s the original pressbook for the film (click to enlarge pages) with everything you need to know about it – the actual entire film is embed below that. Isn’t the internet wonderful?
Jerry Beck is a writer, animation producer, college professor and author of more than 15 books on animation history. He is a former studio exec with Nickelodeon Movies and Disney, and has written for The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He has curated cartoons for DVD and Blu-ray compilations and has lent his expertise to dozens of bonus documentaries and audio commentaries on such. Beck is currently on the faculty of CalArts in Valencia, UCLA in Westwood and Woodbury University in Burbank – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [
I might mention a bit of trivia that everyone seems to forget; namely, that Uncle Scrooge’s FIRST animated appearance was in the 1955 opening titles of the Mickey Mouse Club. That, of course, was merely a cameo and nowhere near the status of this film….
“Scrooge McDuck and Money” marked the sole occasion wherein Filmation background artist and supervisor Ervin L. Kaplan provided his distinctive, red and purple and green heavy palette for a theatrical Disney production. His work would go on to virtually identify Filmation’s limited background spectrum for years in its aftermath. Whether it was good or bad is irrelevant. What “Scrooge” was is different for the staid Disney organization.
Kaplan was credited for backgrounds on the Von Drake special “A Square Peg in a Round Hole”.
Disney archivist David Smith was a guest at one of the first San Diego Comic-Cons and by my request — since I was then and still am such a huge fan of Carl Barks — he brought a copy of UNCLE SCROOGE AND MONEY to screen. I was almost as disappointed as when I learned that Disney’s film THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK wasn’t an animated Scrooge McDuck adventure. (Frankly, neither was DUCK TALES, which I once described as “GI JOE with ducks”.)
I wish DIsney had released this as part of the WDT sets.
As well as the educational film about steel that Donald is in. It would have made more sense to put that, “Scrooge McDuck and Money”, and the 3 Chip & Dale solo shorts on Chronological Donald Volume 4 instead of padding it out with modern “Mickey Mouse Works” shorts.
That film on the Disney channel many years ago when the were showing the great stuff for adults viewers at night (Disneyland TV show etc.). It’s almost impossible to find it know on VHS/DVD. I was lucky to record all the shows including this one and many other shorts.
Films like this often got exposure in schools as educational material that was offered through Disney’s educational film division. I recall seeing many in my childhood this way. It is a shame none of it in later years like the “What Should I Do?” series showed up on DVD at all.
Pretty sure I saw this with “The Happiest Millionaire” (1967), Disney’s attempt at an old-school, MGM musical long after MGM gave up.I also keep hoping Disney will round up and release this and the remaining oddities (“Tough to be a Bird”, “Disco Mickey”, the theatrical “Dad, Can I Borrow the Car”, and the Goofy driver’s ed stuff).
wow! that’s the earliest I’ve ever seen the modern Disney-signature, I thought they didn’t use that until the mid-70s. When did they start using it?
Good catch, Matt. I don’t know the answer, but it would be very interesting footnote if the modern Disney logo originated on an ad for Disney’s last animated short. I did a quick scan over my Disney press books (and other advertising resources I have) and this would seem to be the earliest public use of that logo-signature in a movie ad – at least as far as I can find.
I thought that Winnie the Pooh and the Blusterey Day was the last animated short produced by Walt?
Actually, the earliest use of the “modern” Disney logo I know of was in 1964, on the signage for the General Electric “Progressland” exhibit at the New York World’s Fair. See here:
I’ve been trying to find this out for a while and actually the earliest use of this logo that I’ve tracked down so far is on a 1956 (!) Mickey Mouse Club record album for “Westward Ho! The Wagons.” I was surprised myself as it was so little used for decades after that.
Jeffery and David – great research! Thank you. That’s the kind of thing I want this site to foster.
Now if anyone finds this Disney logo before 1956 – let us know!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Z002-Walt-Disney-Disneyland-Postcard-Issued-1956-to-1966-PC-A-1-NT-0228-/171028801553?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27d21c6811
^ Just found a postcard also from ’56, that was sold in the parks, that uses the logo as Walt’s Autograph.
Another appearance of the logo is on the 1958 album soundtrack to “Saludos Amigos”, I noticed it on i-tunes yesterday. Makes me wonder if the logo was created for Disneyland Records in mind? save for the postcard they are the ones with the earliest use of the logo so far:
http://d2oz5j6ef5tbf6.cloudfront.net/cd/large/Saludos_Amigos_WDL3039.jpg
Someone should remind the Big Banks that “It needs to circulate”. (Sorry to get political)
“It was more likely paired with the live action The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (also March 1967) or The Gnome Mobile (released in July 1967). … but I welcome more information. ”
Newspaper ads from the spring of 1967 show it to be paired with “Bullwhip Griffin”. “The Jungle Book” seems to have been paired with “Charlie the Lonesome Cougar”, and “Gnome Mobile” with “The Legend of the Boy and the Eagle”.
Thanks for confirming that, Bill.
I’ve corrected the Wikipedia article.
Could there be different pairings in Canada? A July 13, 1968 Montreal Gazette lists the film as running with “Blackbeard’s Ghost” at multiple theatres.
I remember that TV ads said that “Charlie the Lonesome Cougar” would play with “Jungle Book,” but when I went to see “Jungle Book,” they showed “The Boy and the Eagle” instead. (This was in Connecticut.) So Disney didn’t always show the same short with a particular feature.
Ah I remember seeing this several times in my life. It was actually a great course to teach you the basics on what money is and the best way to use it, along with my copy of The Kid’s Money Book I read when i was a boy!