Al Bertino

Park ranger Donald sends his bears off to hibernate, but Humphrey would rather stay in his hammock, run out for a glass of water, etc., than sleep; when he does get to sleep, his snoring gets him thrown out. His search for a new bed leads him right into the ranger's house.

This generous collection includes 46 of the 48 shorts that starred Goofy between 1939 and 1961 (but none of the great Mickey-Donald-Goofy films from the mid-'30s). The "How to Ride a Horse" sequence in The Reluctant Dragon (1941) set the pattern for many of these cartoons. An elegant narrator (artist John Ployardt) explains a sport that Goofy attempts to demonstrate. The character that animator Art Babbitt described in a 1935 lecture (quoted in the DVD bonus material) as an easygoing dimbulb gave way to an enthusiastic but spectacularly maladroit figure. One of the funniest entries in the series, "Hockey Homicide," contains several studio in-jokes: dueling stars Icebox Bertino and Fearless Ferguson, and referee Clean-Game Kinney are named for artists Al Bertino, Norm Ferguson, and director Jack Kinney.

Humphrey the bear isn't having much luck with his fishing; every time he catches some nice fish, he gets distracted and drops them. So he goes after the catches of the local anglers instead. But ranger Woodlore frowns on this, insisting the bear fish like one.

In 1869, Justin Eagle lives on his ranch called "The Eagle's Nest" near the town of Button Willow, California. In addition to being a rancher, Juston is a trouble-shooter for the U. S. Government which calls for him to act as an undercover operative and thwart the forces of evil in the rapidly-growing West. He is sent to San Franciso to find missing U. S. Senaator Freeman, who has disappeared while fighting the efforts of Montgomery Blaine, a villain who has been, with the aid of his henchman, "The Whip," forcing settlers to sell their land to him, not knowing that the land is in the path of a proposed railroad, from Utah, that will link the western United States to the East. Senator Freeman is the leader of an effort to veer the railroad southward to bypass Blaine's land and, for his efforts, is kidnapped by Bliane's henchmen and shanghaied from the San Francisco waterfront. Justin Eagle's job is to find and return him safely.

Goofy goes duck-hunting.

Donald Duck arrives at Brownstone National Park. The park's ranger, J. Audubon Woodlore, asks the bears to participate with the tourists but...no stealing! Humphrey decides to pair with Donald particularly because of the roast ham he has. When Donald doesn't reward the bear with his food, Humphrey tries a variety of means to get the ham finally getting Donald's attention by lying down on the road pretending that Donald ran over him. After Donald pays up with food, he sees through the scheme and struggles with Humphrey. After the ranger makes Donald and Humphrey clean up the resulting mess, he too notices the ham and makes off with it but is scolded for it by Donald and Humphrey.

Even with his long white beard and aching back, an aging Donald still has to make ends meet by lancing trash in the park. When he happens upon his old partner, an elderly honey bee named Spike, it conjures up memories of the good ol' days.

At the race track, various spectators (all Goofy lookalikes) are playing the ponies. A posh rich Goofy bets on the equally posh Snapshot III while another more common looking Goofy bets on the bedraggled Old Moe. When the race begins, Snapshot and the rider are so overconfident they wait a few minutes after the race has begun to start running. When they finally do get going, Snapshot is not above stooping to dirty tricks such as tripping and biting the other horses. Sadly, Snapshot's vanity is what costs him winning the race (he stops to pose for the photo finish) and Old Moe is declared the winner.