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The Magical World of Disney Season 4 Episodes
Season 4 Episode Guide
26 Episodes 1957 - 1958
Episode 1
The Fourth Anniversary Show
Wed, Sep 11, 195760 mins
The first half of this episode, in which Walt celebrates four years on TV, is about how Sergei Prokofieff's composition "Peter and the Wolf", which he played for Walt, convinced him to make a cartoon short based on this piece. After that, the second half involves the real celebration, in which the Mouseketeers from "The Mickey Mouse Club" question Walt on his plans for future shows and convinces the startled studio chief to give a special preview. One of the projects planned is a never made live-action film called "Rainbow Road to Oz".
Episode 2
Four Fabulous Characters
Wed, Sep 18, 195760 mins
This is a look at four stories about Americans who became folk heroes: Casey Jones, a railroad engineer who is borderline fanatical on punctuality; Henry Coy and Grace Martin, a couple from two feuding families; Mighty Casey of the Mudville Nine; and Johnny Appleseed.
Episode 3
Adventure in Wildwood Heart
Wed, Sep 25, 195760 mins
Winston Hibler explains how Perri, Disney's first and only True-Life Fantasy, was filmed. The film crew was so entranced in Utah, that it became known as Wildwood Heart. It took almost three years to film the adventures of the squirrels.
Episode 4
The Saga of Andy Burnett: Andy's Initiation
Wed, Oct 2, 195760 mins
A six-part series, we begin with his initiation. Andy leaves the farm, at his grandmother's urging, and meets some mountain men.
Episode 5
The Saga of Andy Burnett: Andy's First Chore
Wed, Oct 9, 195760 mins
In part two, Sen. Benton needs a letter delivered to Santa Fe, and Andy was asked to deliver it.
Episode 6
The Saga of Andy Burnett: Andy's Love Affair
Wed, Oct 16, 195760 mins
Andy meets a señorita in Taos.
Episode 7
Duck for Hire
Wed, Oct 23, 195760 mins
Donald decides that he's had enough of show business and so decides to quit his job at Disney and leave, never to return. He goes to the Ajax Employment Agency looking for a job. But things don't go as planned.
Episode 8
Adventures in Fantasy
Wed, Nov 6, 195760 mins
Walt takes a look at animating inanimate objects for cartoons.
Episode 9
To the South Pole for Science
Wed, Nov 13, 195760 mins
The last to commemorate Operation Deepfreeze, five naval bases have been established. Also shown are the many obstacles and challenges which faced the explorers, among them a huge ice shelf and a network of treacherous crevasses.
Episode 10
The Best Doggoned Dog in the World
Wed, Nov 20, 195752 mins
Disney has just wrapped up production on a movie inspired by Fred Gipson's novel, "Old Yeller". Dorothy McGuire, one of the stars in that film, tells the audience a few key stories about the movie. Then the second half of the show is a TV airing of the 1955 theatrical featurette, "Arizona Sheepdog".
Episode 11
How to Relax
Wed, Nov 27, 195760 mins
Goofy reveals about mankind's eternal desire to relax. Ever since prehistoric times, when the caveman discovered his thumb, he unfortunately discovered work, too, which robbed him of his ability to relax. So Goofy attempts to demonstrate numerous methods for ensuring sufficient time for leisure.
Episode 12
Mars and Beyond
Wed, Dec 4, 195753 mins
The episode begins with an introduction of Walt Disney and his robot friend Garco, who provide a brief overview of this episode, which starts with a look at mankind seeking to understand his world, first noticing patterns in the stars. He develops beliefs regarding the celestial bodies. Theories from scientists and philosophers are discussed. Ptolemy's inaccurate but formerly-accepted theories are discussed, as are those of Copernicus. Life on other planets is considered, soon focusing on Mars. Ideas from science-fiction authors H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs are brought to life with colorful animation. Pulp science fiction comics of the time are parodied. Then the program adopts a serious tone as it profiles each of the planets in the solar system, from the perspective of what would happen to man on them. The claim is that whereas most of the planets are either too cold or too hot for life as we know it, life on Mars could almost be normal, something that is of importance for the future. Dr. E.C. Slipher then discusses Mars and the possibility that life already exists there. More animation speculates what the conditions on Mars might be like. This section is filled with striking, inventive and decidedly atypical Disney animation. The show wraps up with what a trip to Mars would entail for a space crew and its vessels. Contributor/spacecraft designer Ernst Stuhlinger presents his design and details regarding a unique umbrella-shaped MarsShip: the top portion is a revolving outer quarters ring providing artificial gravity for the crew of 20, under "parasol" coolant tubes. At the other end is a sodium-potassium reactor to provide power to the midsection electric/ion drive. Attached upright is a chemically-fueled winged tail-lander. The mission shown involves six MarsShips, ultimately reaching 100,000 MPH, taking a 400-day spiral course to Mars where they would spend 412 days on the surface before returning.
Episode 13
The Horse of the West
Wed, Dec 11, 195760 mins
The story of The Bay Lady, a quarter horse born on Rex Allen's ranch. The Bay Lady is the favorite filly of Elena Vasquez until the young horse is accidentally shipped from the ranch to be sold at an auction.
Episode 14
Faraway Places: High, Hot, and Wet: Siam
Wed, Jan 1, 195860 mins
The Knapps are in the Peruvian Andes, filming an ancient Incan temple; and in the Fiji Islands in the Southwest Pacific, recording their customs and traditions. The second part is their Oscar-nominated "People and Places" production Siam.
Episode 15
Saludos Amigos
Wed, Jan 8, 195860 mins
Saludos Amigos (1942) edited for television presentation. Disney animators tour South America and present four animated shorts inspired by their trip.
Episode 16
Donald's Weekend
Wed, Jan 15, 195860 mins
Walt invites the audience to spend a weekend with Donald Duck.
Episode 17
The Littlest Outlaw: Part 1
Wed, Jan 22, 195860 mins
The Littlest Outlaw (1955) re-edited into a two-part television presentation. The manager of a Yorkshire coal mine decides to replace the pit ponies with machinery and have the ponies destroyed.
Episode 18
The Littlest Outlaw: Part 2
Wed, Jan 29, 195860 mins
The Littlest Outlaw (1955) re-edited into a two-part television presentation. Three youngsters, Dave, Tommy, and Alice, get together and daringly kidnap the ponies from the mine. The kids get caught and the ponies seem doomed.
Episode 19
The Saga of Andy Burnett: The Land of Enemies
Wed, Feb 26, 195860 mins
Andy and his friends continue their trip to Taos into Indian territory, where they are attacked. But Andy kills a white buffalo, making him almost a god to the Indians, and he learns sign language in order to communicate with them.
Episode 20
The Saga of Andy Burnett: White Man's Medicine
Wed, Mar 5, 195860 mins
Captured by Indians, Andy has to use his wiles to keep his life and those of his companions.
Episode 21
The Saga of Andy Burnett: The Big Council
Wed, Mar 12, 195860 mins
In this final chapter, Andy and the mountain men are held captive by the Indians, and only because Andy saves the chief's son's life are they able to escape. Eventually the Indians and the mountain men smoke the peace pipe.
Episode 22
Magic and Music
Wed, Mar 19, 195845 mins
The Slave in the Magic Mirror returns to host this look at one of his favorite subjects: the magic of music.
Episode 23
An Adventure in the Magic Kingdom
Wed, Apr 9, 195860 mins
Tinker Bell takes the audience on a whirlwind tour of Disneyland.
Episode 24
Four Tales on a Mouse
Wed, Apr 16, 195860 mins
Walt Disney takes us inside Mickey Mouse's photo album and explores the various relationships Mickey has had, including his friends Donald Duck and Goofy, his faithful dog Pluto and his girlfriend Minnie.
Episode 25
An Adventure in Art
Wed, Apr 30, 195860 mins
This is Walt Disney's tribute to the artists in his employ. Inspired by Robert Henri's The Art Spirit, four of Disney's artists created their interpretations of the same tree, an old oak that once stood on Barham Boulevard in Burbank.
Episode 26
Magic Highway U.S.A.
Wed, May 14, 195860 mins
The theme of this is the significance of the American highway, featuring the history of motoring, which explains that to drive the first cars was quite an adventure in itself, due to awful roads (which back then were not much more than rutted wagon paths) and the scarcity of fuel supplies and spare parts, not to mention the lack of useful maps and signposts, resulting in short drives turning into day-long affairs.
