Donald's Dilemma

Donald's Dilemma serves as important short to my Disney fandom as this was my introduction to the character of Daisy Duck.   I recall seeing this short on Disney Channel as a young boy for the first time and while I had known about Daisy, this was the first short that I'd seen her in outside of Mickey's Christmas Carol.  As for the plot, it's simple but enjoyable.  Daisy was the main star of this short even though this short was labeled as a Donald Duck short in the same way, Pluto was the true star in some Mickey shorts until he started headlining his own shorts and yet, it wasn't until the '00s in Mickey Mouse Works that Daisy got to headline her own shorts.  To be fair she wasn't an original member of the Fab 5,  which consisted of Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Pluto & Minnie but apparently once Daisy became more prominent the name was changed to The Sensational Six.     It's nice to see her get some inclusion but I liked the old name better. Anyways sorry about getting offtrack there but I think that's a nice little piece of trivia for Daisy.

The Plot

Now I'll admit that the plot for this short is a bit cliche as it has been done in other cartoons  but who's to say that it wasn't cliche at the time of this short's release.  We open on Daisy who is talking to an offscreen psychologist about her recent problems, which all started one spring day when along with Donald, they were out walking and all of the sudden a flower pot fell and hit Donald on the head changing not only his personality but his voice as well to that of a crooner a la Frank Sinatra.   He starts to sing When You Wish Upon a Star and suddenly he is snatched up by a talent agency and the world is enamored with this new Donald.   Most of the story is told through flashbacks as we see Daisy's plight to try and win Donald back but because of his amnesia, he doesn't remember her and looks down on her as a lowly second class citizen.   The only way for Daisy to get her Donald   back is by dropping another another flower pot with the same flower on Donald.  Which again is a bit cliched but it works and it's cute.     

Plot Device

Flower

The flower that Daisy is holding in her hands is part of how this problem began and she kept it as a reminder of her old flame as Donald now rejects her and it's the only thing that she has to remember the true Donald by.   It's a sweet and simple touch and I feel really bad for Daisy in this short but I'll get to more of that when I talk about the characters.

Characters

Daisy  voiced by Gloria Blondell 

I felt really bad for Daisy in this short,  her world had come crushing down and she just wanted the old Donald back.  She would to great lengths to try and talk to him  such as trying to get his concert but ti was sold out.

Not being with Donald had driven her mad and even at one point, she thought about committing suicide.  Yes, you read that right, Daisy almost committed suicide over losing Donald and had gone mad.   Now most TV edits of this short take that part out as it had deemed too dark for a Disney short.  Which I really hate that but I do understand where they're coming from with saying that.  Which leads me to believe that the version I watched on Disney Channel back on the day must've been the edited version and I must say watching the full version, it was pretty cool. 

Donald voiced by Clarence "Ducky" Nash

As unlikable as Donald can be with his short-temper, I'll take him over what happened to Donald after the flower pot fell on his head as he became a big jerk.   Now it served the story well but god, he was just so unlikable although I must say I loved hearing Donald having a different voice and being a great crooner.   I have to say that I also really like that his look changed after he became the crooner.

With this new look, he looks more dapper and refined which works well for the new Donald. This only lasts until Daisy drops the pot on his head again and we get the old Donald that we've all come to love over the years and with his old voice back, he is get out if his own concert. Y'know in many ways, this version of Donald reminds me of his Uncle Scrooge, in how they both are in high position and can at times look down on people.    

My Final Thoughts

This short for what it was, is rather enjoyable and I would suggest it to anyone, that likes Daisy.  In some aspects though this short is rather tragic in watching Daisy's plight to try and get Donald back.   I will say I was a bit cut off guard by Daisy's suicide attempt.  Still, it was a lot of fun and the inclusion of When You Wish Upon a Star was a nice addition and I truly enjoyed this.