Officer Duck (1939) - The Internet Animation Database

Cumulative rating:	(2 ratings submitted)

Synopsis

Donald plays a police officer, but could he possibly have any tougher job than having to serve Pete with an eviction notice?

Characters

Pete
(Voice: Billy Bletcher)

Donald Duck
(Voice: Clarence "Ducky" Nash)

Credits

Cut Scenes

Some smoking and machine gun fire scenes were cut at one time.

Television

Mickey Mouse Tracks (Season 1, Episode 4)

Donald's Quack Attack (Season 1, Episode 57)

VHS

Germany

Alle Enten Fertig ... Los!

France

Donald Se Fache!

Italy

Vita da Paperi

Laserdisc (CLV)

Japan

Mickey's Family Album

Goin' Quackers

DVD

United States

The Chronological Donald: Volume 1: 1934-1941

Germany

Disney Treasures : Wave 3 : The Chronological Donald Volume 1

Italy

Disney Treasures : Wave 3 : The Chronological Donald Volume 1

United Kingdom

Disney Treasures : Wave 3 : The Chronological Donald Volume 1

Sweden

Disney Treasures : Wave 3 : The Chronological Donald Volume 1

Netherlands / Belgium

The Chronological Donald: Volume Eén: 1934-1941

Technical Specifications

Running Time: 7:34

Animation Type: Standard (Hand-drawn-Cel) Animation

Aspect Ratio: 1.37 : 1

Color Type: Technicolor

Sound Type: Mono: RCA Sound Recording

Print Type: 35mm

Negative Type: 35mm

Cinematographic Format: Spherical

Original Language: English

Original Country: United States

Reviews and Comments

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From Ryan :

One of my favorite Donald Duck shorts. Donald portrays a police officer in this short and is ordered to arrest Tiny Tom (Pete). After an unsuccessful attempt at arrest, Donald disguises himself as a baby. Soon big, tough Tiny Tom becomes a nice guy. This is another short where Pete has a different name. One of my favorite parts was at the end where a handcuffed (and legcuffed) Pete chases Donald down town and runs into a police parade. Pete has no choice but to go along quietly to prison.

From Ross :

This is the greatest Donald Duck cartoon I have ever seen! I have the uncut copy on DVD, and it's extremely funny to watch. Donald as a police officer was well thought of for this masterpiece. In the cartoon, Donald is ordered to pick up Tiny Tom, dead or alive. When Donald arrives at Tiny Tom's place, Tiny Tom is really big, mean Pete who hates coppers! After an unsuccessful attempt at arrest, Donald disguises himself as a baby so he can arrest Pete. The scenes of Donald disguised as a baby were so hilarious to watch, I couldn't stop laughing! My favorite part was when Pete played "This Little Piggy," and then he said, "this little piggy tried to muscle in! So Tiny went..." and he imitated machine gun sounds. Man, that scene was extremely funny! The ending was wonderful too. Donald finally arrested Tiny Tom, but then the gun slipped out of Donald's hand, Pete chased Donald into the town and they ran into a police parade. So Donald decided to let Pete march along to prison. This is the best Donald Duck cartoon of all time! I just love it! Officer Duck, you are a credit to our community.

From Baruch Weiss :

This is one of the few DD cartoons directed by someone at the studio other than Jack King. Clyde Geronomi direct this one. This little piggy was funny and the ending was great.

From Ryan Kilpatrick at The Disney Film Project :

1939 has to be known as the year of Donald Duck. The former sidekick to Mickey Mouse truly made his move to the biggest of the Disney stars in 1939, with the vast majority of the shorts made by the studio featuring Donald. The last of these is Officer Duck, which introduces Pete and Donald as adversaries.

We’ve seen Pete in shorts with Donald before, but never with the two of them matching wits. So it’s interesting to see this set up. Donald is a police officer, which lends itself immediately to great comedy. He is asked to go take in a crook, Tiny Tom, who turns out to be Pete.

What’s interesting to me is seeing the conflict set up between the two, and what would eventually become the rivalry between Donald/Scrooge and the Beagle Boys. Pete is dressed in the same striped shirt that we would eventually know as the Beagle Boys’ costume in the Disney comics and Duck Tales TV show. It seems as though this is the first step towards that ultimate end.

The short as a whole is a one note joke. Donald’s plan to take down Pete is to dress up like a baby and pretend that he was left on Pete’s doorstep. Once inside, the action involves Donald trying to slap the cuffs on and/or steal Pete’s gun. He tries a variety of tactics, with limited success.

The fun of this one is seeing Donald try to keep his cool. Though Pete often frustrates his attempts, Donald doesn’t get frustrated and angry like he normally does in these shorts. Instead, Donald keeps at it, showing persistence with good acting. It’s fun to see that from him, because it’s not normal.

That said, the majority of the short doesn’t resonate for me. It’s the same thing over and over again, and while it’s not bad, it’s also not as funny as some of the other Donald stuff we have seen so far. Donald’s not at his best, because he can’t go crazy and get angry. It’s more what you would expect from Mickey, to be honest.

The ending seems a little contrived, as Donald finally gets the cuffs on Pete and then is chased outside, only to meet up with a parade of policemen. It’s a funny gag, but resolves the conflict a little too quickly and cleanly. But hey, it’s a cartoon, not a Scorsese movie.