Mickey

Mantle, Mickey (Mickey Charles Mantle), 1931-95, American baseball player, b. Spavinaw, Okla. In 1951, he joined the New York Yankees of the American League; eventually he replaced Joe DiMaggio in center field. A powerful and speedy switch-hitter, Mantle had a total of 536 regular-season home runs, and a lifetime batting average of .298. His 18 home runs in World Series play remains a record. He was voted the league's Most Valuable Player in 1956 (when he won the triple crown, leading the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in), in 1957 (when he hit a career-high .365), and in 1962. In 1961 he and teammate Roger Maris both threatened Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs; Mantle, slowed by an injury, finished with 54, while Maris hit 61. Retiring in 1968, Mantle entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. His career was hampered by osteomyelitis of his left leg and by various injuries. Another problem, his alcoholism, contributed to his death from liver cancer. In the last months of his life he received a liver transplant, and spurred efforts to increase public awareness of transplant therapy.

Spillane, Mickey (Frank Morrison Spillane), 1918-2006, American mystery writer, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. After contributing stories to comic books and pulp magazines, Spillane wrote his first novel, I, the Jury (1947), a best seller that introduced the ruthless detective Mike Hammer. A master of violence-filled hard-boiled mystery fiction, Spillane wrote a series of books featuring Hammer that, like the first, were fast-paced and filled with sex and sadism. They include My Gun Is Quick (1950), The Big Kill (1951), Kiss Me Deadly (1952), and The Girl Hunters (1962), and the books spawned several films and television series. Spillane also churned out more than 20 other books, e.g., The Deep (1961), The Last Cop Out (1973), The Killing Man (1989), and Black Alley (1996), wrote two childrens' books and several screen- and teleplays, and was a producer and an actor, specializing in tough-guy detective roles.

orig. Frank Morrison Spillane

(born March 9, 1918, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.—died July 17, 2006, Murrells Inlet, S.C.) U.S. writer of pulp detective fiction. His first novel, I, The Jury (1947), introduced the detective Mike Hammer, who later appeared in a series of works, including My Gun Is Quick (1950) and Black Alley (1996). Several of his Mike Hammer novels were adapted for film, most notably Kiss Me, Deadly (1952; film 1955). His other novels, all characterized by violence and sexual licentiousness, include The Deep (1961) and Day of the Guns (1964), which began a series centred on the international agent Tiger Mann. Spillane claimed to write solely for monetary gain and flouted literary taste with recurring elements of sadism that disturbed some readers, but the captivating vigour of his narrative and of his central characters brought him popular success.

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orig. Frank Morrison Spillane

(born March 9, 1918, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.—died July 17, 2006, Murrells Inlet, S.C.) U.S. writer of pulp detective fiction. His first novel, I, The Jury (1947), introduced the detective Mike Hammer, who later appeared in a series of works, including My Gun Is Quick (1950) and Black Alley (1996). Several of his Mike Hammer novels were adapted for film, most notably Kiss Me, Deadly (1952; film 1955). His other novels, all characterized by violence and sexual licentiousness, include The Deep (1961) and Day of the Guns (1964), which began a series centred on the international agent Tiger Mann. Spillane claimed to write solely for monetary gain and flouted literary taste with recurring elements of sadism that disturbed some readers, but the captivating vigour of his narrative and of his central characters brought him popular success.

Learn more about Spillane, Mickey with a free trial on Britannica.com.

in full Mickey Charles Mantle

(born Oct. 20, 1931, Spavinaw, Okla., U.S.—died Aug. 13, 1995, Dallas, Texas) U.S. baseball player. Mantle joined the New York Yankees in 1951 and became a powerful switch-hitting outfielder and first baseman. Between 1954 and 1961 “the Mick” led the American League four times in home runs, six times in runs, and once in RBIs, the latter occurring in the year (1956) that he won the triple crown for home runs, RBI, and batting average (.353). In 1961 he hit 54 home runs, finishing second in the home-run race behind his teammate Roger Maris, who broke Babe Ruth's season record that same year. Mantle had to play with his legs heavily taped for much of his career because of injuries to his ankles and knees. He retired in 1968 with a lifetime total of 536 home runs.

Learn more about Mantle, Mickey with a free trial on Britannica.com.

in full Mickey Charles Mantle

(born Oct. 20, 1931, Spavinaw, Okla., U.S.—died Aug. 13, 1995, Dallas, Texas) U.S. baseball player. Mantle joined the New York Yankees in 1951 and became a powerful switch-hitting outfielder and first baseman. Between 1954 and 1961 “the Mick” led the American League four times in home runs, six times in runs, and once in RBIs, the latter occurring in the year (1956) that he won the triple crown for home runs, RBI, and batting average (.353). In 1961 he hit 54 home runs, finishing second in the home-run race behind his teammate Roger Maris, who broke Babe Ruth's season record that same year. Mantle had to play with his legs heavily taped for much of his career because of injuries to his ankles and knees. He retired in 1968 with a lifetime total of 536 home runs.

Learn more about Mantle, Mickey with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Mickey's Christmas Carol is a twenty-four minute animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and originally released in the United Kingdom on October 20, 1983 by Buena Vista Distribution. The film was released in the United States on December 16, 1983 as an accompaniment to a re-release of The Rescuers.

It is an adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, featuring Scrooge McDuck as his namesake and inspiration Ebenezer Scrooge and Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit. This film was based on a 1972 audio musical entitled Disney's A Christmas Carol.

Mickey's Christmas Carol was the first new Mickey Mouse cartoon made in 30 years after The Simple Things. It was also broadcast on TV on NBC from 1984-1990, CBS from 1991-1998, and ABC in 2000 and 2003.

The short is also featured, without its opening credits, in the direct-to-home release, Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse. It is also available on the ninth volume of the Walt Disney Classic Cartoon Favorites DVD collection, as well as in the Walt Disney Treasures set Mickey Mouse in Living Color - Volume 2; however, the latter is the only DVD release to retain the film's widescreen aspect ratio.

Synopsis

While all of Victorian England is in the merry spirit of Christmas, along with collecting for the poor, all on the mind of Ebenezer Scrooge (Scrooge McDuck, voiced for the first time by Alan Young) is all his money he makes in the town counting house and making more of it for himself (apparently, Scrooge charges people 80% interest, compounded daily). While Scrooge's selfish and greedy thoughts cascade in his head, Bob Cratchit (Mickey Mouse, voiced for the first time by Wayne Allwine) continues to work long and hard for him, though he is overworked and underpaid (a mere two shillings and a hay penny a day), and collectors Ratty & Mole (from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad), along with other beggars on the streets, are kindly asking of a simple donation to the poor. Scrooge insists however, that he should not make a donation as he tries to convince them that if he does, the poor won't be poor anymore and they will be out of work.

Even his cheery nephew Fred (Donald Duck, voiced for the last time by Clarence Nash, making Donald the only character voiced by his original actor) invites him for a wonderful Christmas dinner, but Scrooge rejects the invitation. However, the night before Christmas, the ghost of Jacob Marley (Goofy), Scrooge's once-greedy-and-cruel counting house partner, enters Scrooge's home and warns him that if his greedy and selfish behaviour continues, he will be forced to carry heavy chains for all eternity when he dies, just as has happened to Jacob himself as punishment for the way he treated people when he was alive (In Scrooge's case they would be seven times heavier than Marley's chains!).

Horror-stricken, Scrooge pleads him for assistance, and he learns from the ghost that three spirits would visit him later that night and he must do everything they say, or his chains would be heavier than Jacob's. At the end, as Marley is still Goofy, he prevents himself from tripping on Scrooge's cane, which is on the floor, but falls down the stairs after going on a busted step.

That night, while Scrooge is asleep, the Ghost of Christmas Past (Jiminy Cricket) arrives in Scrooge's bedroom and takes him back in time to his early adult years, when he enjoyed Christmas, had many friends and a girlfriend named Isabelle (Daisy Duck). However, after ten years, Scrooge had become more caring towards his money than Isabelle. When she asks if he was still willing to marry her after waiting for many years in a honeymoon cottage, Scrooge's greed breaks her heart and her relationship with him with, "Your last payment on the honeymoon cottage was an hour late! I'm foreclosing the mortgage!" Shortly after, Jiminy Cricket takes Scrooge home, leaving him feeling dreadful for his actions after saying "Remember, Scrooge, you fashioned these memories yourself".

Not long after the first visit, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Willie the Giant) pulls Scrooge in his hand. He arrives with wonderful things to eat, like Turkey, Mince Pies, and Suckling Pigs. Willie visits scrooge to show him all the misery Scrooge has caused. That is, Scrooge sees that Bob and his family are living in poverty, and that Bob's young son, Tiny Tim, is ill and that if this hapless life of the Cratchit family does not change, Tiny Tim will not live to see another Christmas. However, just when Scrooge is desperate to know the truth, the Ghost of Christmas Present leaves him alone, and Cratchit's house vanishes.

Within seconds, however, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Black Pete) appears and takes Scrooge to a cemetery, revealing that Tiny Tim has died. Scrooge then realizes he can no longer treat others around him with a heartless disposition. Along with Tim's death, the ghost also reveals Scrooge's grave, which has just been dug and is soon to be filled. When it seems Scrooge is already about to die by being thrown in his soon-to-be-grave (at that moment the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come reveals himself to the viewers as Pete), he pleads for his life, and promises he will change his ways while hanging on the rope that is on the edge of the grave and looking down into his soon-to-be-coffin that looks like the gateway to Hell. Then as the rope snapped, he apparently falls into the coffin.

The next thing he knows, he's back in his house, opens the windows and sees that it is Christmas morning, believing the spirits have given him another chance. He hugs a pigeon that was at the window, gets dressed (with his pajamas underneath) and cheerfully goes about town generously donating money to the collectors for the poor (100 gold pieces to be exact after twice thinking what he just donated was not enough), and greeting all with a friendly disposition. As well as telling Fred that he will go to his Christmas Dinner after all. At first, when he visits the Cratchits, he tries to psych them out that he hadn't changed at all, but then offers toys for Bob's children, and gives Bob a raise and a promotion in the counting house. The entire Cratchit family is overjoyed, "God bless us, everyone!" (Famous quote from Tiny Tim), including Scrooge. At that rate, Scrooge becomes Tiny Tim's second father and treats him well.

Characters and roles

• Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge
• Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit
• Donald Duck as Fred Honeywell (Ebenezer's nephew)
• Ratty and Mole as Collectors for the Poor
• Goofy as Jacob Marley
• Jiminy Cricket as Ghost of Christmas Past
• Daisy Duck as Isabelle
• Willie the Giant as Ghost of Christmas Present
• Minnie Mouse as Mrs. Cratchit
• Morty Fieldmouse as Tiny Tim
• Ferdie Fieldmouse as Peter Cratchit
• Minnie Mouse as Martha Cratchit
• Black Pete as Ghost of Christmas Future
• Mr. Toad as Mr. Fezziwig
• Extra Characters
• Huey Dewey and Louie
• Horace Horsecollar
• Clarabelle Cow
• Grandma Duck
• Chip 'n Dale
• Gus Goose
• the Weasels (as the gravediggers)
• Clara Cluck
• Big Bad Wolf
• Three Little Pigs
• Skippy, Sis,and Mother Rabbit (from Robin Hood)*
• Toby Turtle (from Robin Hood)*
• Lady Cluck*
• Angus MacBadger
• Naboombu secretary bird (from Bedknobs and Broomsticks)
• Toby Tortoise
• Tod & Copper (from The Fox and the Hound)*
• Max Hare
• Peter Pig
• Paddy Pig
• Uncle Waldo (from The Aristocats)
• Cyril Proudbottom (from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)

Many Disney characters from past films can be seen in small, non-speaking roles. For instance, the Three Little Pigs can be seen singing carols in the beginning of the film. Cyril Proudbottom, who was J. Thaddeus Toad's horse, is owned by Donald Duck in the film. The Robin Hood characters depicted in the special are possibly their descendants because the film Robin Hood takes place in 12th century England, and this special takes place in Victorian England.

Reception

Mickey's Christmas Carol was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Animated Short Subject of 1983.

Other References

A clip of this film in Swedish was shown on Donald Duck's 50th Birthday to illustrate Donald's international appeal.

See also

• List of A Christmas Carol adaptations

References

External links