| Scrooge McDuck and Money | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Hamilton Luske |
| Written by | Bill Berg |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
| Starring | Bill Thompson The Mellomen |
| Music by | Songs: Mel Leven Score: Franklyn Marks |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 16 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Scrooge McDuck and Money is an Americananimatedshort film produced byWalt Disney Productions, directed byHamilton Luske, and featuring the charactersScrooge McDuck andHuey, Dewey, and Louie. The short was released on March 23, 1967.[1] It is notable for being the first major animated debut of Scrooge McDuck after his brief appearance in the Mickey Mouse Club Theme song.
The cartoon begins asHuey, Dewey, and Louie visit their wealthy UncleScrooge McDuck in his bank vault and explain that they want to deposit their money, which totals a considerable $1.95. Scrooge discusses the history of money, explaining that ancient Roman soldiers were paid in salt that was called "salarium", which led to the phrase "worth his salt" and where the word "salary" came from. He then adds that a Spanishpiece of eight is made up of smaller "bits", and that ancient Greekobols were tiny enough to be carried in the mouth. Scrooge also shows his nephews a large stonewheel from theIsland of Yap.
Going even further back in time, he explains that earliest cavemen attempted to trade goods with one another but soon realized that they "needed money" or a stable standard of value at which to price different items. Many different objects ofsilver,copper,bronze andgold were used as currency until eventuallycoins andpaper bills were invented, andcheques andcredit cards came along when it became impractical to carry one's cash around at all times.
When the nephews suggest simply printing "a few billion more dollars", Scrooge explains that a billion is actually far more than they think and that making more money would lead to dangerousinflation. He describes that it is what people can buy with what they've got is what counts, and that it is a question ofeconomics, and how one must balance one'sbudget like the pieces of a pie to live comfortably, adding thatincome tax pays for everything from schools to roads and must be factored in as well. He clarifies that his enormous vault holds only "petty cash" and that money must circulate "like ocean currents" to keep the world moving, and advises his nephews toinvest their money very wisely to make it grow. He then agrees to deposit it for them—for a 3¢ fee. Scrooge concludes that investing wisely is an art.
Scrooge McDuck and Money is Scrooge McDuck's first animated appearance (apart from a brief cameo appearance on theMickey Mouse Club television series), and the only time he would appear with Huey, Dewey, and Louie untilSport Goofy in Soccermania andDuckTales twenty years later. It was also one of the first cartoons that the studio released after Walt Disney's death.
This short is often believed to have been attached to theatrical screenings ofThe Jungle Book, but the animation historianJerry Beck has disputed this due to that film's October release date (Scrooge McDuck and Money was released in March 1967), instead suggesting that the short was likely attached and released theatrically with eitherThe Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin orThe Gnome-Mobile earlier that year.[2]