{"id":75925,"date":"2023-10-31T08:36:31","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T13:36:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=75925"},"modified":"2023-10-31T08:36:32","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T13:36:32","slug":"golden-age-cartoon-spotlight-the-mad-doctor-1933","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=75925","title":{"rendered":"Golden Age Cartoon Spotlight: &#8216;The Mad Doctor&#8217; (1933)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By JOHN BILLINGER<\/strong><br><em>Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you like Mickey Mouse? Do you also like Halloween? Then today\u2019s film is for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite Disney\u2019s legal efforts over the years to keep Mickey Mouse\u2019s copyright, he will finally become public domain on January 1, 2024. However, it\u2019s important to note there is one short featuring him that is already public domain &#8211; 1933\u2019s \u201cThe Mad Doctor\u201d, also known as the Banned Mickey Mouse Cartoon. By the way, I know that it seems like I\u2019ve been spotlighting 1933 a lot with \u201cSon of Kong\u201d, \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d, and this but I swear this wasn\u2019t intentional. I forgot that this short was made in 1933.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Mad Doctor - Mickey Mouse -1933\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/W-eVtjh-_Es?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Directed by David Hand (who would later helm \u201cSnow White\u201d and \u201cBambi\u201d), the short follows Mickey Mouse, who is trying to save Pluto from an evil mad scientist. He goes to the scientist\u2019s castle, and comical hijinks ensue. That\u2019s really about it. It\u2019s seven minutes long and is a pretty good time around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During this time, Disney was on a roll. Five years prior, they released \u201cSteamboat Willie\u201d which introduced the world to Mickey Mouse and quickly became the most popular cartoon star. In 1932, they released the short \u201cFlowers and Trees\u201d, a technical innovation as it was the first film of any kind to use three-strip Technicolor. Later on, in 1933 Disney released \u201cThe Three Little Pigs\u201d, which became a smash hit and was influential to further works. \u201cThe Mad Doctor\u201d was not a technical innovation in any way, but it still was pretty good in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike \u201cFlowers and Trees\u201d and \u201cThe Three Little Pigs\u201d, this short is in black and white (the Mickey Mouse series wouldn\u2019t go full color until 1935) but regardless it\u2019s still a very nice looking short. Its black-and-white look isn\u2019t too out of place compared to what everyone else was making at the time. The animation is really smooth, and there are some really good gags. It\u2019s pretty much a parody of the horror and monster movies of the era, in particular those being made by Universal Studios. The horror aesthetic of the piece might turn off some people (especially when it goes pretty hard for a cartoon from back then) because it\u2019s not your usual Mickey Mouse stuff but for me anyway, that\u2019s what makes it fun and unique.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Something else that makes it unique is that it was banned in certain territories. Some theater owners felt it had too many more scares than laughs, thus they refused to show it at their venues. Some countries banned it from release entirely, such as England (who later in 1938 tried to give \u201cSnow White\u201d the 1930s British equivalent of an R rating) and Nazi Germany (who pretty much banned most things during that time). Because of the controversy, it never saw a re-release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m not sure as to why and how it ended up being public domain. I\u2019m going to assume that it was probably a mistake, but this actually helped the short in the long run. As a result of its status as copyright-free, it saw many rerelease on low-budget VHS and DVD compilations as well as internet uploads. This helped it gain something of a cult following. The titular Mad Doctor has even made appearances in other Disney properties, most notably in the \u201cEpic Mickey\u201d video game series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, \u201cThe Mad Doctor\u201d is a fun cartoon. It\u2019s not great, but it wasn\u2019t intended to be. It was intended to just be a fun cartoon but ended up gathering controversy and much later cult status. I am sure though that some of it could probably be scary to children, but in my opinion there\u2019s far scarier Disney content out there. For anyone else, this is a good cartoon to watch for the Halloween season. A review of the short from 1933 published by \u201cThe Film Daily\u201d described it best, saying it was \u201cone of the liveliest animated cartoons to come along, and plenty comical.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I agree with them. It\u2019s good spooky fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Happy Halloween!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Side Note:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" data-attachment-id=\"75928\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=75928\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-46.png?fit=1366%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1366,768\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"The Mad Doctor Screenshot (46)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-46.png?fit=370%2C208&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-46.png?fit=790%2C444&amp;ssl=1\" data-id=\"75928\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-46.png?resize=790%2C444\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75928\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-46.png?w=1366&amp;ssl=1 1366w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-46.png?resize=370%2C208&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-46.png?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-46.png?resize=150%2C84&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-46.png?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"1176\" data-attachment-id=\"75927\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=75927\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/theorgianldrx-scaled.jpg?fit=1719%2C2560&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1719,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"theorgianldrx\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/theorgianldrx-scaled.jpg?fit=175%2C260&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/theorgianldrx-scaled.jpg?fit=687%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" data-id=\"75927\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/theorgianldrx-scaled.jpg?resize=790%2C1176\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75927\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/theorgianldrx-scaled.jpg?w=1719&amp;ssl=1 1719w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/theorgianldrx-scaled.jpg?resize=175%2C260&amp;ssl=1 175w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/theorgianldrx-scaled.jpg?resize=687%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 687w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/theorgianldrx-scaled.jpg?resize=101%2C150&amp;ssl=1 101w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/theorgianldrx-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1144&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/theorgianldrx-scaled.jpg?resize=1031%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1031w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/theorgianldrx-scaled.jpg?resize=1375%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1375w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/theorgianldrx-scaled.jpg?w=1580 1580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong>According to a sign, the mad scientist in the short is named \u201cDr. XXX\u201d. Contrary to what you\u2019re probably thinking, this name was not intended to be an adult joke. The name is actually a reference\/parody of a 1932 film called \u201cDr. X&#8221;. These days, they just call him The Mad Doctor.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By JOHN BILLINGERTiger Media Network Do you like Mickey Mouse? Do you also like Halloween? Then today\u2019s film is for you. Despite Disney\u2019s legal efforts&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":75926,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,3391,3505,55],"tags":[2565,3431,14808,14981,8947,15440],"class_list":["post-75925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-movie-reviews","category-local-movies","category-opinion","tag-disney","tag-halloween","tag-have-you-seen","tag-john-billinger","tag-mickey-mouse","tag-the-mad-doctor"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Night-To-Remember-Feature-1.0-1.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75925"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75929,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75925\/revisions\/75929"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/75926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=75925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=75925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}