Donald Duck is certainly one of America's most beloved personalities — typifying our grit, determination and resilience.
Donald Duck — that marvel of movie and TV screen, Magic Kingdoms and more — has been profiled in the august pages of The New Yorker, been awarded an Oscar and had his web feet commemorated in the cement forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. This quarrelsome quackster has even been immortalized in Tinseltown’s unofficial anthem, “Hooray for Hollywood,” as the epitome of screen superstardom (“Come on and try your luck/You could be Donald Duck!”).
As if further proof is needed, The Autograph Hound (1939) provides concrete evidence of the Duck’s high-voltage star power. Movie-crazy Donald crashes Hollywood Studios in search of celebrity signatures, but once he’s recognized, every star on the lot— — from Greta Garbo and Clark Gable to Lionel Barrymore and the Marx Brothers — stampede the suddenly deluged Duck for his autograph.
This classic cartoon fully and openly acknowledges Donald’s superstar status, as does the 1939 Silly Symphony, Mother Goose Goes Hollywood in which Donald puts in a quacky cameo appearance, alongside caricatures of such screen greats as Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy and Edward G. Robinson. And how appropriate that Donald should appear as a full-fledged Hollywood top liner in a Silly Symphony, considering that’s exactly where he started: in The Wise Little Hen, a Silly Symphony introduced on June 9, 1934. This cartoon was something of a screen test for not only Donald but also for Peter Pig and the Wise Hen herself. As it turned out, poor Peter was put out to pasture, Mrs. Hen evolved into supporting player Clara Cluck — but Donald Duck waddled off with the show.
“We were glad to see this cocky little guy come along,” said Walt Disney, and as Donald showed his true colors (red and purple in the face, mostly) by throwing temper tantrums left and right, he began starring in his own cartoons, beginning with Don Donald (1937). But spotlight-seeker Donald also stole the limelight from other stars — notably the target of his one-sided rivalry, Mickey Mouse — turning the cartoon Modern Inventions, for example, from a planned-for-Mickey film to a Duck solo turn. According to story artist and director Jack Hannah, “The Duck had become more and more popular, and his temper made him easier to work with than Mickey Mouse. I remember many stories were started with Mickey; but as soon as the writers began to rough the Mouse up, somebody would say, ‘That’s more of a Donald Duck story.’” No wonder Donald starred in more theatrical cartoons than any other Disney character.
Whether in comics, cartoon shorts, feature films, or TV, all eyes are always on Donald.
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Like any star, Donald had a staff devoted to the production of his films. Fred Spencer, one of animators who established Donald’s definitive personality, wrote an analysis of this new screen sensation in 1935. “Donald has developed into one of the screen’s most interesting screen comic,” noted Fred. “His best features are his cocky, show-off boastful attitude that turns to anger as soon as he is crossed; his typical angry gestures with which the audience is familiar, especially his fighting pose and his peculiar quacking voice and threats when angry.” Think of it — only one year after Donald’s debut, and the same characteristics that still make him popular 75 years later were already in place.
It is of course Donald’s own personal take on the human condition that’s the secret of his super success. This movie star is actually an Everyduck, and his trials and tribulations making him a relatable anti-hero for the ages. During World War II this ultimate little guy suited up for World War II (according to his draft notice #13, it was on the somewhat suspect date of April 1, 1941) — and in 1984, the dutiful Duck was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and then given a belated honorable discharge from the United States Army.
Once a star always a star, however, and one way or another, movie stars often fudge the truth a bit about their birthdays. For years this plucky Duck’s birthday was celebrated, as at the beginning of The Three Caballeros, on Friday the 13th. But make no mistake: the maladjusted mallard’s actual anniversary is today, June 9. Of course, if such an auspicious occasion were to pass without celebration, we’d undoubtedly hear a squawky voice demanding, “What’s the big idea?!” That’s the unstoppable, improbable, ever-popular Donald Duck.
