The Nifty Nineties
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The Nifty Nineties is a Disney cartoon, starring Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The film was released on June 20, 1941.
[edit] Plot summary
The scenery and outfits in this film are to look like the 1890s. Mickey takes Minnie to a Vaudeville show after they meet in a park near a water fountain.
When they get to the theater, they first see a slideshow presentation called "Father, Dear, Father", which features Henry Clay Work's song of the same title. In this slideshow, a little girl attempts to get her father to leave a local tavern because he hadn't come right home from work as promised and got drunk at the tavern. In the fouth picture in the slideshow, we see the clock tower, which reads 1:00 am. With mother home watching since tea and her son very sick in her arms, there can only be hope that the father comes home. The slideshow causes Minnie to cry her eyes out. As Minnie bursts out in tears, Mickey tries to comfort her by telling her, "Don't take it so hard. It's only a show". After "Father, Dear, Father" is over, the audience bursts into applause and Minnie finally calms down. Next, they see "Fred & Ward, Two Clever Boys From Illinois". This performance caricatures Disney animators Fred Moore and Ward Kimball.
After the show is over, Mickey and Minnie cruise the roads of the countryside in a Brass Era car. Goofy rides by on a penny-farthing bicycle, and Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey and Louie ride on a bicycle built for five. Romance is in the air as Mickey and Minnie go along, until they run into a cow.
[edit] Songs
With the exception of one song, "The Gay Nineties" (the opening song), this short featured mostly authentic songs from the 1890s, most of which were performed by the vocal quartet, The Sportsmen, which featured Thurl Ravenscroft in one of his earliest projects for Disney.
The songs include:
- "While Strolling Through the Park"
- "Father, Dear Father"
- "There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight"
- "Old Folks at Home"
- "In the Good Old Summertime"
