#turkey in the straw

[disneyboot]

Title apparently references Steamboat Bill, Jr. Songs used in the short: Steamboat Bill and Turkey in the Straw

Addendum Mickey Mouse was created to replace Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and may have also been inspired by Van Beuren's Milton Mouse

Addendum II

Steamboat Willie was attached to the film Gang War, which is now unfortunately lost to time

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

I'm gonna be honest with you, I had never actually seen Steamboat Willie until just today. I knew the whistle from the Disney animation logo, and I've seen the goat victrola before, but I was not ready for Mickey Mouse to play a pig's nipples like an accordion...

[diet-poison]

To the tune of Turkey In The Straw:

'Cause I'm in too deep, and I'm tryin' to keep Up above in my head, instead of goin' under 'Cause I'm in too deep, and I'm tryin' to keep Up above in my head, instead of goin' under

[dannyreviews]

Steamboat Willie (1928)

2024 had opened with the greatest rejoicing among fans of Disney and old school animation. After 95 years, the earliest version of Mickey Mouse is now in the public domain and is owned by the public. Immediately after midnight, YouTube account "Corridor" uploaded the iconic Disney short "Steamboat Willie" and as of this writing, the video has 376,000 views and is sure to go up. I thought I would celebrate by reviewing this 7 minute masterpiece which shows the inception of an American icon.

The cartoon opens with the famous shot of Mickey commanding a steamboat down the river, although without the permission of his boss, the giant Peg-Leg Pete (although without the Peg-Leg). Mickey is forced to do his chores while Pete's parrot taunts him. The steamboat picks up a bunch of animals including a cow and a goat. Minnie is also picked up and the two have fun playing music when the goat eats sheet music of "Turkey In The Straw" that Minnie brought aboard. The fun continues as Mickey and Minnie play the animals like musical instruments, using a duck quack, the cow's teats and a bull's set of teeth. Pete discovers the jam and orders Mickey to peel potatoes, again with the parrot taunting over him, but Mickey throws one of the potatoes to shut the parrot up, ending the cartoon.

"Steamboat Willie" is every bit the piece of film that is found in every montage celebrating the cinema of the 20th century. Mickey at the helm of the Steamboat is as iconic as Charles Foster Kane whispering "Rosebud" or Rick Blaine saying "Here's looking at you kid". And yet, the animation is primitive, the music by future Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies composer Carl W. Stalling is generic and the dialogue is unintelligible. All of that can be excused due to the art of animation being in the developmental stages and that it was the first animated sound film. Taken for what it is, "Steamboat Willie" resonates with people of all ages just for the very idea that it was Mickey Mouse's debut to the world and that's what really matters. It's the same thing with "The Jazz Singer", despite being the first full length talkie, it is really a mediocre film, and had it not been for the history, no one would care for it. If anything, the flaws are actually the most fascinating part.

Back in 1928, "Steamboat Willie" was the warmup feature for a now lost film called "Gang War" starring Jack Pickford (brother of Mary) and Olive Borden. The audience were blown away by Mickey Mouse, for the sheer brilliance of the cartoon as if it was other worldly. Also, the fact that "Gang War" was another early talkie that most likely was devoid of a musical score and the dialogue tended to be bland and inaudible. The film was panned by critics calling it another cliche flick. The critics had all the kind words for the cartoon preceding the feature which was more revolutionary. The audience demanded "Steamboat Willie" be repeated and the rest is history. I wonder if a copy of "Gang War" will surface and if it will find a new audience who might be receptive due to its association with "Steamboat Willie". Maybe, maybe not.

What will come from this new public domain status for early Mickey Mouse? Much like the plays of Shakespeare or the art of Leonardo Da Vinci, there is an audience willing to put their interpretation of the classic character in their own art, literature or parody. 2024 and beyond should and will be filled with endless possibilities.

9/10

[riewiggles]

when you're working

AND TURKEY IN THE STRAW IS IN YOUR FUCKING HEAD AND YOU ACCIDENTALLY START HUMMING IT ON A CALL

[doomspaniels]

🎵Alfie in the straw, Alfie in the hay

Alfie in the straw, Alfie in the hay

Roll 'em up and twist 'em up, A high tuck a-haw

And hit 'em up a tune called Alfie in the Straw🎶

Alfie is quite happy to crash on a bed of straw while we work in the barn.

[heracleskarpusi]

look sadik and hassan are sitting near each other boom they are canon 🤯🤯🤯 (also look at how cute iceland is my god)

[patzweigz]

re: steamboat willie being everywhere... i finally watched it for the first time and uh yeah. people are not kidding about the connection of early animation to minstrelsy

[morganmerylhodgepodge]

Happy Public Domain!

[nexus-nebulae]

god sometimes i wish the whole "you wouldn't say/do that to a physically disabled person" lie that certain mentally ill people say was true bc i fucking WISH i could use "I'm in a wheelchair" as a gotcha for people being ableist against me. unfortunately,

[junkartie]

Im gonna go back to spiraling nvm im not cured everything is terrible and nothing ever gets better

Say it with me folks

Turkeys’s government is oppresive and run by a fascist dictator. They jailed this man for TWO YEARS for insulting a politician & calling him an idiot in retaliation to being called an idiot by the same man. Politicians spread misogynist, homophobic and harmful rhetoric daily and do not face these repercussions. They felt threatened and looked for any way to get rid of this man. We are legally not allowed to speak out against the government anymore as it results in us being thrown in jail unfairly, even this post is deemed illegal. The election is in a few months and with each passing day our circumstances get worse and worse.

[doctorghoti]

Once again, a TWST event has me both going “Aw, what a cute reference” and “Hey developers, did you know how deeply embedded in American history this element is and how maybe we shouldn’t use/do that?”

[pa-pa-plasma]

I think sirens exist, they just evolved to better blend in with the modern world (ice cream truck)

[themightythornicus]

I just heard the ice cream truck, I wonder if it’s the one from our old neighborhood, being that it’s completely seasonally inappropriate for ice cream trucks

[goldentangerines]

had a full blown mental breakdown with shaking and crying and all because i'm so lonely these days and idk who to reach out to without my therapist and without being annoying and i almost threw up out of sadness (and because not a single song is comforting me rn) and when i came back to my bedroom my spotify playlist with 1906 songs had shuffled and LONELY BY JONGHYUN came on should i just kill myself at this point