1937 INTERIOR DECORATORS

Synopsis: Donald and his helper Gus Goose (initially named Golly Goose) renovate a mansion.

Comments: Barks wrote the story and made storyboard sketches. At first Mickey was part of the team, but he was rather quickly abandoned. Instead Barks made a second storyboard introducing a nameless Gyro Gearloose-like character. But Gus prevailed, and Barks honed his character as he was later seen in Donald's Cousin Gus from 1939 complete with him eating anything within reach as well as flaunting a special pocket watch. Barks also introduced one of Donald's famous sayings, which he used in later stories: I'll take vanilla!

1938 YUKON DONALD

Synopsis: Donald is up north chasing a baby walrus who is stealing fish from him. A grownup walrus intervenes.

Comments: Barks made the storyboard (and not the sketches) but the story as such was deemed too weak. Then a backup team sketched it all over with Mickey as the star (new work title Yukon Mickey), but Walt Disney disagreed as he could not see Mickey in such a choleric, pacing role. So another storyboard was launched featuring Donald, until the whole project was finally scrapped, officially because it was remindful of the newly released cartoon Polar Trappers from 1938.

1938 LOST PROSPECTORS

Synopsis: Donald and Gus star as prospectors in Desert Valley, but they soon begin hallucinating out of thirst and see mirages.

Comments: The story was initially written by Barks in 1936 and called Desert Prospectors (see more HERE), and now he tried his luck again furnishing it with the work title Death Valley Donald. Gags of Gus unendingly finding and drinking water, while Donald finds and drinks nothing, are piled up in the storyline. One of the mirages depicts a swimming pool flanked by several Daisy Duck look-alikes, which is quite interesting as the character had not even been officially introduced at the time!

1938 DONALD MUNCHAUSEN

Synopsis: An undaunted Donald brags frenetically to his nephews about his supposed former feats in Africa where he came across dinosaurs, saber tooth tigers, and a big gorilla. In the end the heroic Donald is spooked by a simple shadow image of a monstrous animal projected on the wall by the nephews.

Comments: The initial idea came from Walt Disney himself, who suggested that Donald should visit a prehistoric valley and battle all sorts of fierce animals. Barks was the Story Director but made only minor contributions such as a few of the sketches. At a later date he remembered scenes from the scrapped project when making DD54 Forbidden Valley in 1957.