Back in 1939, when Donald Duck tried to get into fictional “Hollywood Studios” in the cartoon short The Autograph Hound, he was met by a cruel and unreasonable security guard, whom he consistently had to outwit during his hunt for autographs of the biggest stars of the day. Amongst the Hollywood stars and starlets he encountered were Mickey Rooney and young Shirley Temple, both of whom went on to have greater associations with Disney in future years. Shirley Temple Black was involved in several Disney events and actually served on the Disney Board of Directors in the mid-’70s. Mickey Rooney appeared in a number of big-screen and TV movies for Disney, including a starring role in 1977’s Pete’s Dragon and providing a voice in the 1981 animated feature The Fox and the Hound. At the conclusion of The Autograph Hound, all the stars realize that the web-footed signature seeker is a big star himself… Donald Duck, and quickly he is bombarded with those wanting his autograph. And now, years later, fiction becomes reality . . . Donald signs countless autographs daily at Disney theme parks.
