Clara Cluck
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| Clara Cluck | |
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| First appearance | The Orphan's Benefit, 1934 |
| Created by | |
| Voiced by | Florence Gill, Russi Taylor |
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| Notable aliases | Clara Hen |
Clara Cluck is a fictional character made by The Walt Disney Company in 1934 when she debuted in the Mickey Mouse cartoon Orphan's Benefit. Since then she has appeared as a semi regular character in the Mickey Mouse cartoons. In the comic books she is shown in The Donald Duck/Scrooge McDuck Universe as Daisy Duck's best friend.
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[edit] Clara in Animation
Every acting troupe needs a prima donna, and in the Disney ensemble of the 1930s, the prima donna was Clara Cluck. Starting with her very first appearance, Clara was the one most at home on the stage, the one who enjoyed the spotlight more than any of the others. Every time Mickey Mouse and his friends put on a show, Clara would be sure to get in on it.
Clara was a chicken, as far as her general body type went, but not a scrawny-looking wattle like Gyro Gearloose or Super Chicken. She was built like one of those middle-aged female opera singers with huge lung capacity, and her singing voice (provided by actress and singer Florence Gill) was every bit as strong as you'd expect from looking at her. She also dressed for show-biz success. Her plumage was eye-catching, yet tasteful, and she usually wore an out-sized hat topped by an even more out-sized feather.
She may have been inspired by the mother hen in The Wise Little Hen (June 9, 1934), the Silly Symphony that introduced Donald Duck, as both characters were voiced by the same person, Florence Gill. And there is more than just a passing physical resemblance. However, by the time she made her big debut in The Orphan's Benefit she had changed into an oversized operatic diva; a role that she would continue right up to the end. But her stage presence far surpassed that of the earlier barnyard fowl.
Though she appeared in Mickey's Grand Opera as the lead female singer, for all her thespian ambition and her obvious joy in performing, Clara was only moderately talented. This, of course, accounts for her limited choice of venues, i.e., the fact that she was always available for Mickey's rinkydink neighborhood productions. She also wasn't a very prominent Disney character, appearing in about as many cartoons as The Big Bad Wolf.
Clara's final appearance during the classic era of Disney shorts was in 1942, when she turned up briefly in Symphony Hour — which, by the way, also contained the last appearance of Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow, other Disney supporting characters who never became big stars. She did appear in a few minor roles in comic books published by Dell and Gold Key, usually as a friend of Daisy Duck, and lasted much longer in that venue. She's also said by some to have partly inspired Lady Kluck, a supporting character in the 1973 feature Robin Hood, but the resemblance isn't overwhelmingly strong. Other than that, Clara wasn't seen again until 1983, when she played a minor role in Mickey's Christmas Carol, where many of the old characters made walk-ons. Five years later, she was spotted in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but then, practically everybody Disney owned had at least a cameo there. Nowadays, she had some appearances in Mickey Mouse Works and turns up occasionally in a crowd scene on Disney's House of Mouse but again, isn't exactly a star. She makes a cameo in Kingdom Hearts II in the Timeless River world as one of its citizens. In these latter-day animated appearances, her voice is provided by Russi Taylor (who also voices Minnie Mouse).
[edit] Classic Cartoon Appearances
- 1933 - Mickey's Mellerdrammer She had a brief appearance as part of the audience.
- 1934 - The Orphan's Benefit (1934)
- 1936 - Mickey's Grand Opera
- 1937 - Mickey's Amateurs
- 1938 - The Fox Hunt
- 1941 - The Orphan's Benefit (1934)
- 1942 - Mickey's Birthday Party
- 1942 - Symphony Hour
- 1983 - Mickey's Christmas Carol
- 1988 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit
- 1999 - Gift of the Magi (cameo)
- 2004 - Donald's Gift (cameo)
Mickey Mouse Works 1999/2000
- Locksmiths (cameo)
- Minnie Visits Daisy
House of Mouse 2001/2004
- Double Date Donald
- Daisy's Big Sale
[edit] Clara in Comics
The full bosomed Madam Cluck fancies herself a professional actress, Opera singer and cellist. Aside from her involvement in many civic causes, she is also a teacher at the school Huey, Dewey and Louie attend. At least two stories have Gus Goose and Clara Cluck dating each other. A previous boyfriend of hers was Rockhead Rooster, who may have been a version of Mickey Mouse's farmyard companion "Robert Rooster" who disappeared very early in his career.
Clara is a member of Mickey's original farmyard gang and has been around since the beginning of his career, though her visible presence has been even less than that of Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar's, but more than Percy & Patricia Pigg's. Her first comic strip tale featured her employed as a Sitting Hen (WDC&S #34). Frustrated with her occupation she decides to leave. Jiminy Cricket, worried about her rash choice, decides to act as her conscience, and follows her to town. Upon arriving she tries out at a local talent show and supposedly earns a contract as a singer. Her agent, a wiley fox, invites her to dinner, only "she" turns out to be his intended meal. With Jiminy's help she flees back to the farm and resumes her role as a sitting hen.
Later, the suave and handsome Panchito visits her farm and she becomes enamored in "Panchito" (WDC&S #38). He talks her into visiting his home town in Mexico where she decides he's not the man for her, but she loves Mexican food. Later, she helps out when "Thumper Plays Easter Rabbit" (WDC&S #55) by letting him borrow six of her eggs to deliver to Morty & Ferdie. Her most active role since then has been as a friend to Daisy Duck and a member of her "Chit Chat Society.
[edit] Trivia
- Clara Cluck nephew is Clarence in "No Kid!" 1936.
- The Adventures of Mickey Mouse" (1931) tells about Mickey's life "in the old barn and the barnyard", his many friends are listed Minnie Mouse, Henry Horse, Carolyn Cow, Patricia Pig, Clara Cluck, and Robert Rooster, the name Donald Duck is mentioned.
- Clara Cluck now appears in Walt Disney World's Disney-MGM Studios for meet-and-greets sometimes.
