Short Subject: How to Have an Accident in the Home (1956)

Goofy isn’t the only one who can show us how to do things.  

First off I love the title animation of the little outline of Donald lighting up each section of the credits with a flashlight, and how the how to have an accident text crashes together and their letters form the words in the home.  The familiar song for Donald is one I’ve always enjoyed but the end line of “who gets stuck with all the bad luck?  No one, but Donald Duck” is especially appropriate here given the appearance of Jinx Jonah Fate.

JJ Fate is a wonderful curmudgeon and really makes this short work.  I love his commentary as Donald acts carelessly around his home.  Cleaning fluid on a stove is indeed a sure-fire way to remove spots when you’ve burnt your shirt to ashes.  As well as his exasperated “here we go again” as he follows Donald into the bathroom where he immediately walks into the clothesline.    

My favourite parts are the slow motion accident of Donald on the throw rug.  One for it’s great use of squash and stretch as Donald hits the wall at the end and Fate’s stopping the picture when Donald misses the soap on the stairs so he can go back and trip on it; and also the section on falling down stairs.  First I love the worm’s eye view used when Donald falls down the stairs with the barrel, and I love all the variations like how the man on the TV screen goes wide eyed in shock and tries to hide as Donald knocks it down the stairs, climbing Mount Everest, and riding a roller coaster.       

This is a very nice short from the fun animation in the opening credits to the slapstick of Donald finding various ways to injury himself with common household items.  It’s great at showcasing a variety of ways accidents occur from electrical to gas, to simply leaving things out where they can be tripped on.  It’s a tongue in cheek way of informing the audience of how to they can be safer at home through comedy.