November 18
STEAMBOAT WILLIE DAY
On this day in 1928, Walt Disney debuted his talking, animated cartoon, Steamboat Willie, at the Colony Theatre in New York. The short film featured a character who had been named Mortimer. Walt changed the name to Mickey Mouse.
Steamboat Willie was the first cartoon with synchronized sound. And, for those of you who don’t remember, Steamboat Willie was in black and white. Disney’s first color cartoon wasn’t released for another four years.
The star of the film has changed somewhat over the years; but Mickey Mouse is still with us, in cartoons, on TV, in books and even in his own stores. What a great success story, especially for a mouse!
Those Were the Days, the Today in History service from 440 International
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