The intersection of Disney comics and American naturalism
Beginning to read the Gottfredson book, I came across this, from "Mickey Mouse in Death Valley:"
Look familiar? Aside from the fact that (obviously) no one dies, it's pretty much exactly the ending to Frank Norris's McTeague, down to the fact that both take place in Death Valley. There is no way this can be a coincidence. A very cool little homage.
Look familiar? Aside from the fact that (obviously) no one dies, it's pretty much exactly the ending to Frank Norris's McTeague, down to the fact that both take place in Death Valley. There is no way this can be a coincidence. A very cool little homage.
posted by GeoX, one of the GeoX boys. at
8:56 PM
7 Comments:
Sob! (Or is that just plain old "S.O.B.!") I don't have mine yet... even though I got the "Your order has shipped" e-mail on Monday!
I only have it because I got free amazon prime for having an .edu email address. But hey; cheer up--you ARE in the book's acknowledgments, after all.
"A very cool little homage..."
And one I'd have *killed* to have known about sooner, for obvious reasons! (Even if the guy I killed was then handcuffed to me until I passed out from the stench... well, maybe not.)
I am reminded of a great line from the LOST IN SPACE episode “Fugitives in Space” (1968), which was a superb send-up of the film “I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang” (1932).
Dr. Zachary Smith and Major Don West are falsely convicted, sent to a tough “prison planet”, and are chained to a violent prisoner.
The chained trio manages to escape, but remain “iron-bound” to one another as they trek through the blistering heat. West and the prisoner have a confrontation, leading Smith to say:
“Don’t argue with him, Major, he’ll KILL YOU…” (pauses a beat) “…And it’s MUCH TO HOT to be dragging your body around after us!”
Walt Disney was writing the strip at this time, correct? Since GREED (von Stroheim's movie adaptation of McTEAGUE) had been made just a few years before, for Disney to lift this scene as an homage would make perfect sense. Not only would it resonate with the readers, but it would save some time in scripting!
Chris
No, Chris—Walt had stopped a few months prior, so this was all Gottfredson. But Gottfredson had worked as a projectionist and had been a film fan for years, so it makes sense that he'd have remembered the GREED scene as well.
David,
Thanks for clarifying.
Chris
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