Studio: Walt Disney Productions
Distributor: United Artists
Produced by: Walt Disney
Short Synopsis
Mickey, Donald and Goofy run a roadside garage. Pete roars up and demands they fix a squeak in his car, or else. The three tear into the job. They hunt for the squeak through the whole car, and Mickey finally traces it to a grasshopper stuck inside. In the process of evicting it, they smash and dismantle half the car with hammers. Now they have to put it back together. Donald is hit in the face by flying parts and fights a losing battle with an inner tube; Mickey wrestles with a tyre; Goofy gets his foot stuck in a bucket and slides around helplessly on a pool of oil. They finish just as Pete returns, but the car won't start. While Pete is distracted, the three tiptoe away and watch from cover as the car comes to life, attacks Pete, and shakes itself to pieces around him, leaving him sitting on the wreckage.
Why It Matters
- The film is a showcase for the three characters' different comic styles: Mickey's determination, Donald's explosive temper, and Goofy's slow, rubbery helplessness. The car that finally takes its revenge on Pete is the kind of mechanical slapstick Disney would refine for years.
- It was the first time Mickey, Donald and Goofy worked together as a trio, a formula that produced many of Disney's best shorts, including Clock Cleaners, Lonesome Ghosts and The Whalers. It was also the last black-and-white appearance of Donald, Goofy and Pete, and the penultimate black-and-white Disney cartoon.
Notes and Trivia
- A colorised version has been released on DVD; the original is black and white.
- The film was released in 2002 on Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White.
- See also: The Band Concert (1935).