Modern Inventions

Modern Inventions is a 1937 American comic science fiction animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists.^[4] The cartoon follows Donald Duck as he tours the fictional Museum of Modern Marvels. Jack King directed it in his first directing role at Disney, and Oliver Wallace composed the original music. The voice cast includes Clarence Nash as Donald, Billy Bletcher as the Robot Butler, Adriana Caselotti as the Robot Baby Carriage, and Don Brodie as the Robot Barber.

Modern Inventions
"Your hat, sir."
Directed by	Jack King
Story by	Carl Barks
Produced by	Walt Disney
Starring	Clarence Nash Billy Bletcher Adriana Caselotti Don Brodie[1]
Music by	Oliver Wallace
Animation by	Jack Hannah Paul Allen Johnny Cannon[2]
Color process	Technicolor
Production company	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	May 29, 1937 (1937-05-29) [3]
Running time	8:30
Country	United States
Language	English

Modern Inventions pokes fun at modern conveniences. The scene of Donald in the barber's chair was submitted by Carl Barks as his first story contribution at Disney.^[5] It is also the final Disney short to be released by United Artists.

Plot

Donald visits the Museum of Modern Marvels, which showcases various futuristic electronic appliances and inventions. He drops a coin on a string in the admission box and then yanks it out before entering. Once inside, he meets the Robot Butler, a robotic golden cyclops. The butler takes Donald's hat over his protest and walks away, but Donald produces a top hat from his sleeve. He encounters a robotic hitchhiker who thumbs a ride when he imitates a passing car, then pokes him in the eye for not stopping. The butler appears again and takes Donald's hat. Donald shouts angrily, then produces a bicorne and continues exploring.

Next, Donald comes across a bundle wrapping machine. He ignores the warning not to touch and pulls the lever, causing the machine to wrap him with cellophane and a ribbon. After Donald frees himself, the butler dutifully takes his hat. Donald produces a kepi and taunts the butler, who chases after him. He hides in a robotic baby carriage and swaps his kepi for a bonnet. The carriage coddles him and offers a milk bottle, which squirts in his face. As Donald tries to escape, the carriage thrashes him with a puppet toy, squirts more milk, and puts a diaper on him. He finally gets free, and the butler takes his bonnet.

Donald produces a bowler hat and walks over to an automatic barber chair. He uses the coin trick again to activate the chair, which tosses him upside-down and trims his tail while giving his face a shoe-polish. Once released from the chair, Donald takes the hat off his combed tail and puts it on his well-polished head. However, the butler snatches it away, provoking him into an explosive tantrum.

Production

The story was originally conceived as Mickey's Inventions, a vehicle for Donald's co-star Mickey Mouse. As Donald's star began to rise in 1936, the short was reworked as a duck cartoon.^[6]

Voice cast

Uncredited

• Clarence Nash as Donald Duck
• Billy Bletcher as Robot Butler
• Adriana Caselotti as Robot Baby Carriage
• Don Brodie as Robot Barber Chair^[1]

Releases

Source:^[2]

• May 29, 1937 - original release (theatrical)
• c. 1992 - Mickey's Mouse Tracks, episode 7 (TV)
• c. 1992 - Donald's Quack Attack, episode 30 (TV)
• December 24, 1997 - Ink & Paint Club, episode 26: "Classic Donald" (TV)^[7]

Home media

The short was released on May 18, 2004, on Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume One: 1934-1941.^[8]

It was also released on VHS in 1985 on Cartoon Classics: The Continuing Adventures of Chip 'n' Dale Featuring Donald Duck.

Legacy

The cartoon would later serve as inspiration for suicide booths, fictional contraptions appearing in the American adult animated sitcom Futurama.^[9]

In an episode of the series House of Mouse, the cartoon is mentioned when Goofy and Minnie Mouse try to figure out the name of the cartoon where Donald's tail is given a haircut by the mechanical barber chair. Donald mistakenly tells them that it was from a short called Donald's Haircut, made in 1945, only for Mickey Mouse to mention the correct name and year that it was made.

See also

• Mickey Mouse (film series)