Simply Perfect

Brilliant and touching

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Mickey is a gaucho--an Argentinian cowboy. He rides an ostrich for some reason. He goes to a cantina where Minnie is a dancer. They hook up, but it isn't long before she is kidnapped by Pete, the giant cat. There are all sorts of interesting implausibles, mostly involving mouse tails. Anyway, it's a decent little film. Mickey starts to gain a little personality.

One of the earliest Mickey and Minnie cartoons, about Mickey trying to save Minnie from a mean cat who stole her after they two mice were doing the tango. The tango was the most funniest part in the cartoon short, with their eyes furiously gazing at each other. The rest of the story is just the usual rescue-the-damsel-in-distress plot, not much to laugh about. Grade C

IT WOULS SEEM that the big items of the day were very important in formulating the themes of these variously plotted cartoons. The current events and those who made the news were the central to the body of these cartoon shorts. The thread bare plot lines and the gags were all modified to fit into the subject of the day.IN THE CASE of this honored review's subject matter, being THE GALLOPIN' GAUCHO, incorporates three Hollywood successes from three very different sources and on-screen personalities of Movie Stars.FIRST OF ALL, this title and character's Argentine locale seem to suggest that of Rudolph Valentino's portrayals. Mickey even does a brief Tango when entering the Cantina. His partner was most seductive and rodent-oriented sexy Minnie.OUR NEXT CONTRIBUTOR to this characterization and storyline is Douglas Fairbanks. The super-athletic stunts and daring do of the hero here (Mickey, of course) are obviously inspired by Fairbanks on screen vim and heroic demeanor. Zorro, the Black Pirate and other characters created and performed by Doug, himself.THIRDLY, AND THIS one may strike some as coming in from left field, we can see a little of Warner Baxter's Cisco Kid from IN OLD ARIZONA. This was the only "ancestor" film to be included that was a Talkie, but it was released that year, was surely fresh in the minds of all and featured Cisco with his name and likeness plastered all around on Wanted posters.MUCH THE SAME as previous production, PLANE CRAZY, this was conceived and filmed as a silent; but later updated as a sound comedy via the process of "Post-synchronization"* NOTE * Even STEAMBOAT WILLIE was made to talk and sing in this manner, although it was planned for Mickey as a sound film from the get-go.

The first two Mickey cartoons show us a very different mouse than the wholesome everyman we know today. In Plane Crazy (1928) he's a rogue who's not below forcing a kiss upon an unwilling Minnie Mouse while she's trapped in the air with him. In Gallopin' Gaucho (1928), he plays the rogue again: this time he's a wanted outlaw who smokes, drinks, and flirts with Minnie, who's a dancer in a cantina. They share an intense tango before Pete comes in and abducts her. What follows is a funny chase featuring a drunk rhea (or ostrich, I cannot tell) and ending in a sword fight.This is probably my favorite of the first three Mickey cartoons. It's a delightful romp with lots of good gags, plus it's so surreal to see Mickey acting so differently. It's fascinating to wonder what would have happened had Walt kept using this version of the character rather than his later persona. One can only wonder.