Hiya, folks! Today is a milestone in the history of The Walt Disney Company, because it is the birthday of Mickey Mouse. It was on this day in 1928 that the first Mickey Mouse cartoon short was released at the Colony Theatre in New York. This first synchronized sound cartoon is actually a parody, loosely based on Steamboat Bill, Jr., a silent movie starring Buster Keaton that was released that same year. In that film, the good-hearted Willie, similar to Mickey Mouse’s role, is the son of the rough-and-tumble Steamboat Bill, parodied in the Disney version by Pete. While Willie’s father wants to teach him how to be a great steamboat captain, Willie is more interested in winning the hand of Kitty King. The music you hear at the beginning of Steamboat Willie is actually a song from 1910 entitled “Steamboat Bill,” which tells the story of a steamboat captain who is given orders to beat the record of another steamboat, the Robert E. Lee. Sadly, the boiler exploded and Steamboat Bill was killed in the accident. Bill’s wife promises the children, “The next papa you have will be a railroad man.” And now, so you true Disney fans can impress your friends by singing along with Mickey Mouse’s whistling, here are the lyrics to the chorus of “Steamboat Bill”:
Steamboat Bill, steaming down the Mississippi
Steamboat Bill, a mighty man was he
Steamboat Bill, steaming down the Mississippi
Trying to beat the record of the Robert E. Lee