Original upload date: Wed, 26 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT
Archive date: Fri, 03 Dec 2021 11:25:17 GMT
In February 1938, Pathéscope UK issued this one-minute (30ft) silent film for home use. It consists entirely of outtakes from Donald’s Ostrich, released theatrically in the US just a couple of months
...
earlier.
I have no idea how Pathéscope got hold of these scenes, or why the British company was given the go-ahead to release them. My best guess is that it was some kind of bonus from Disney, shipped along with other (older and previously released) material.
Could the scenes have been part of the original theatrical version? No, I don’t believe so; mainly because Donald’s very light shirt and cap here do not match their dark blue tone in the other scenes.
The main part involves Donald dressing up as Frankenstein’s monster and scaring Hortense. One reason for cutting this out of the official version might have been that the design of the monster was copyrighted by Universal (but maybe only in the US?), and that this was discovered at the last minute. The rest of the scenes are very short and possibly taken out just to improve the tempo.
So where would they fit into the storyline? I have a few suggestions:
-- The first scene, which is only 5 seconds, shows Hortense before her hiccups. This would fit between the scene of Donald trying to pull his head out of the milk can and Hortense swallowing the accordion.
-- The second scene, Hortense hiding her head in a pile of luggage and then running away, would fit between the scene of her running in a circle after swallowing the balloons and the scene where she hides her head in the water hose. (The hose is seen briefly at the end of this scene before the cut to Donald.)
-- Then follows the “disguise” part. These scenes might fit between Donald getting stuck in the tuba and Hortense swallowing the radio. This would require some additional scene to bridge over – either of Donald getting loose and running back inside, or of Hortense doing something.
-- The last scene, a few seconds of Hortense running frantically, might be from the final “car race” sequence, before she enters the station.
I have added a little soundtrack to make it more enjoyable. It’s mostly music and effects from Donald’s Ostrich, but also from a few other Disney shorts of the era.