Dumb Bell of the Yukon

Dumb Bell of the Yukon (1946)

*** (out of 4)

I'm sure you can but Donald is the dumb bell the title refers to. Basically he decides to steal a bear cub from its mother but his plans for it don't go as he expected.

If you're a fan of Disney shorts then you'll certainly find this one entertaining as it contains some pretty good laughs as well as some nice action throughout. It "product of its time" humor is also on full display and especially when you consider one of the jokes deals with how to kill the cub and we get a hanging sequence. This sequence is actually quite funny as Donald takes a beating for his effort. Another highlight happens towards the end when mommy bear shows up and Donald must pretend that he's the cub.

Canadian landscaped Clarence Nash solo voice-over Donald Duck 7 minuter, with noteworthy/unique/memoria scenes.

1* Love Letter from Daisy.

Gloria Blondell must have penned this; it has that lover female tone in the handwriting. How lovely it's viewed on the letter sheet, and how lovely Donald Duck reads it.

I had always wondered how did Dennis Hopper in David Lynch's Blue Velvet(1987) come up with those strong punchlines. Dumb Bell of the Yukon is a reminder to Dennis Hopper too in a sense.

2* Bugs Bunny kissing prank done by D. D. Donald Duck does that kissing the Nemesis in the lips prank twice in this 7 minuter. For reasons beyond why Bugs Bunny does so; D. D. now also has a foolish but more genuine motivation.

3* Political Stymies in the post-WorldWar-II era cartoons This is definitely why Dumb Bell of the Yukon is the lowest rated Donald Duck cartoon ever. It's 'cos audiences in the post-modern era cannot view anything that goes against their beliefs.

But to me, you cannot judge Art & Entertainment with Politics.

I don't support Fur Trade and neither I am against it; but even if I was against the Fur Trade strictly in a foolish mind I would still watch and rewatch this cartoon unbiased.

In World War II era, racism against Japanese citizens was a normal idea. Same with the Fur Trade; it was normal to hunt down bears for their furs during this era. The Global politics did not develop humane justification by banning and stymieing all these and alikes. This is not suitable for Freedom Of Will and Human Rights in any case. At least one thing the TV networks and studios could have done:

Just keep the critiques and censorships not affected by Globalism politics. You see since 1940s ; the World did not become a better place for humans to live subsequently.

Donald Duck is traveling through the forest during snowy weather and reads a postcard from Daisy, suggesting that she would like him to bring back to her a fur coat. So, Donald sneaks into a bear's cave and takes a baby cub away from his sleeping mother. But, the cub gets every little chance of slipping away from Donald, and when his mother awakens and finds out her cub was gone, it's bear vs. Donald.

There's quite a handful of slapstick stuff. I especially liked the parts where Donald gives a sly face when he takes he got the fur for the coat. Overall, it's not a terribly exciting or funny cartoon, but still laughable at some moments.

Grade B-

Donald Duck is one of Disney's greatest creations, and this is an enormously enjoyable short with him in. He, helped by priceless facial expressions and witty asides, himself is on top form with the simple but crisply paced story playing strongly to his personality as well as making his motivations crystal clear. Clarence Nash's vocals are impeccable as per usual. The animation is vibrantly coloured and fluid, and there is some lushly orchestrated and very characterful-of the action, gags, story and characters and their expressions- music. The gags manage to be hilarious, Donald's attempts to shoot the baby bear and to keep the mother's rage at bay are fun to watch without being too cruel or creepy(so there isn't really anything to be upset over, or at me in my view). I also liked how the adorable baby bear didn't seem to understand that Donald was trying to kill him, shown clearly through his eyes and face, giving us a somewhat psychological portrait of someone innocent against someone dastardly. And as sweet as the baby bear is, at the end of the day Donald is the one we root for in a sense. In conclusion, a beautifully produced and very funny short, recommended highly. 10/10 Bethany Cox

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

Hunting for the raw materials to make Daisy a fur coat, Donald becomes the DUMB BELL OF THE YUKON when he separates a bear cub from its enraged mama.

This is a standard little Duck film, but Donald is always fun to watch. Daisy makes a very brief cameo appearance as a figment of Donald's imagination. Clarence "Ducky" Nash supplies Donald's unique voice.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.