Opening disclaimer: Objectively about this saga (because this isn't just any story) will be nearly impossible. A friend from church made a Mickey Mouse Foreign Legion plush for me. If people ask why I remain a dedicated Mickey Mouse fan in an era where the company only seems interested in keeping him active as a theme park spokesmouse, a preschool show host, and a merchandising icon, I point to serials like these.
Poke around the internet and the typical complaints about Mickey emerge in a predictable pattern. "He is too squeaky-clean." "He has no edge." "He isn't funny." etc etc. In fairness, some of those notes have legitimacy. The last Mickey shorts in the 1950s were fallow. They were pleasant diversions but nothing more. Mickey isn't certainly the funniest character in the Disney stable but he has chops. They simply aren't easily exploitable as Donald or Goofy.
"Foreign Legion" portrayals a Mickey that is far from home, lacking allies, in a situation where the villains can remove him under the guise of legality, yet he retains his plucky spirit and can-do-attitude. This Mouse isn't staid or unwilling to embark on adventure. He bravely takes the case and prevails with his steadfast spirit and a bit of luck. 90 years later and the tale continues to inspire. That, Mouseketeers, is immortality.
Mickey Mouse Joins the Foreign Legion
Lesson Learned: If someone follows you across the world, they work for the Secret Service
The narrative opens with Mickey and Minnie heading to Captain Churchmouse's house. The plot point originated at the end of the last serial, "Oscar the Ostrich" and Gottfredson wastes no time in continuing the arc. They arrive at the house and discover the abode overrun with weeds and unkempt. A neighbor informs them that the Churchmouses (Churchmice?) are away on a journey.
Mickey naturally assumes that Goofy and Horace - those cads - played a prank on him. A reasonable conclusion but instead two hooded figures ambush Mickey and steal him away. They take Mickey to the boss (you know he is the boss because his hood is gray) and the leader demands to know the blueprints for Captain Doberman's new airplane.
Mickey refuses to answer the claim and the hooded figures unveil a machine gun! Naturally, Mickey is too clever and smirks that they won't shoot him because dead men tell no tales (and they don't make good Pirates of the Caribbean movies either).
What follows is the wonderful juxtaposition between drama and humor that only funny animal comics can bring us. They tie Mickey to a table and sprinkle chickenfeed on his chest. A hen is released and pecks all the food. The ploy fails. What happens next is massive acceleration as they send Mickey to the gallows!
Anyhow, Mickey refuses to squeak and apparently plunges to his death without complaint. What a downer to end the strip on.
Well, of course, he didn't die. Captain Doberman is waiting for Mickey and congratulates him on passing the test. They need Mickey for a secret mission and absolute secrecy was needed. Major Beagle (who is an actual dog and not a duck) reveals the mission. Trigger Hawkes (great name) is the suspect behind the stolen gun plans.
Mickey argues that he is no detective (heroes don't lie, Mickey) but Major Beagle appeals to his sense of patriotism. With the exposition completed, Mickey heads out on the case. While waiting to call Minnie about developments, the phone booth door opens and, in a stroke of luck, Hawkes walks out.
Mickey tails him down the docks where Hawkes is meeting with his informant. Our hero ducks into a crate of cabbage and listens in. Before he can hear the important details, some sailors scare off the conspirators and throw the carte into the storage hold. The impact knocks Mickey out and the ship sets sail.
Mickey awakens and attempts to flee the ship on a lifeboat. Unfortunately, he is caught and thrown in the brig before being set to work cleaning the deck. He attempts to send a telegram to Major Beagle but stowaways aren't allowed that privilege. Lost at what to do, his luck once again kicks in. Mickey, in a fit of anger, knocks aside his bucket and spills water on Trigger Hawkes!
Realizing that Hawkes is headed to Africa, Mickey finds his room and profusely thanks the traitor for not reporting him to the captain. Hawkes brushes it off and heads out. Mickey fiddles with the lock and slips in. While snooping, Hawkes suddenly returns and catches him in the act. Mickey immediately plays the naive waif and begs for a chance to prove his worth. Hawkes agrees and gives Mickey a package to slip past customs.
As the ship docks in Africa, Mickey attempts to head ashore only to discover that stowaways aren't given that privilege either. Next comes a tactic which hasn't aged well. He dons some paint for a native disguise. The local cops caught him sliding on the rope and mistakenly assumes he is trying to board the ship. They tell him to stay on land which works for Mickey's purposes.
He opens the box to discover, not the gun plans, but a string of diamonds. He asks a legionnaire who happens to be Trigger in disguise. Hawkes takes back the package and tells Mickey to return to the ship. Mickey then enlists in the Foreign Legion. Meanwhile in Mouseton, Doberman informs Minnie where Mickey in a cute, little domestic scene.
Now the action starts heating up, as we receive back-to-back strips where a character discovers a major and unexpected surprise. First, Hawkes relaxes on the train thinking he is entirely safe and asks a fellow soldier for a match. The soldier spins around to reveal Mickey saying, "Nope! Sorry! I don't smoke!"
Secondly, Mickey receives instructions to report to Major Beau Chest. He announces, "Private Mickey Mouse reporting, sir!" The major spins around and declares, "Well, I'll be a cockeyed camel!" That's right, Mouseketeers, it is Pegleg Pete!
Pete, being no dummy, quickly asserts his line-of-command over Mickey and delivers a number of threats to the Mouse. He calls in Hawkes and reads him the riot act for letting Mickey follow him into the Legion. In a nice use of irony, both Mickey and Pete think they have the advantage.
The next series of strips see Pete physically, verbally, and commandally abuse Mickey to the breaking point. Mickey is knocked around, forced to dig and then fill in a massive trench, perform sentry duty, and shoot endless rounds of ammo. There is a method to Pete's cruelty. His hands will be legally clean if Mickey should die.
Hawkes, tired of the delay, suggests shooting Mickey but Pete disdains of the idea saying they will get caught. Instead, he requests a volunteer for a dangerous mission, asking "What are yuh? Men or mice?" Hawks jabs Mickey with a bayonet and his vocalization of pain is taken as a yes.
Pete orders Mickey to walk 200 miles in the desert on a spying mission. Mickey heads out and Pete and Trigger drunkenly sing about their enemy's impending demise. As a reader who isn't fond of the recent Italian trend of making Mickey and Pete frenemies, sagas like these reinforce why the idea doesn't jive. There is too much bitter history.
Mickey's water quickly depletes and the situation looks hopeless. The Colonel calls in Pete and asks why a private was sent on a forlorn hope. He orders Pete to bring Mickey back or be shot. Well, Pete isn't down for his death and gallops off to save his archenemy.
He finds a passed out Mickey and we receive a great comedy scene where Pete pleads for Mickey to live. Mickey, half-awake, enjoys hearing the pleas and then steals the horse, leaving Pete to walk 40 miles. Of course, Mickey heads back and allows Pete to ride together until the ten mile mark where he bucks Pete off. There is your edgy Mickey!
The Colonel hears both sides of the story - as Pete stares at a sheepish Mickey, who knows he poked the bear - and reprimands Mickey publicly while agreeing Pete received what he deserved. Interestingly, a continuity error pops up with the Colonel addressing Pete as a segreant when he was previously introduced as a major.
Mickey heads to Pete's room looking for the blueprints and finds them underneath the mattress. He is ready to grab them when Pete and Hawkes walk in. Pete lays out his plan. He received orders to lead three scouting parties into the desert. Once there, he and Trigger will desert and join up with Sheik Yussuf Aiper and lead 1,000 men to wipe out the scouting party.
Mickey immediately reports the information to the Colonel. The Colonel says they can't arrest them on mere suspicion (iffy logic) but Mickey has a plan for a more dramatic ending. Pete's party heads out on the expedition while Mickey, disguised as a salesman, travels to see Yussuf Aiper.
He meets up with the sheik and sells some guns and ammo (Mickey Mouse, Arms Dealer) to the Scourge of the Desert. He brags about all the plundering and loot he will do with the new guns. (VILLAIN SONG TIME) Then, he pulls a Darth Vader (or does Vader pull an Yussuf Aiper?) by altering the deal and taking back the money he paid! This is why Disney doesn't offer refunds.
Mickey gallops to the Legion's scouting camp and reports to duty. Pete and Hawkes are thrilled and head out leaving Corporal Hank in charge. Well, if you called Hank, you are only good for singing country music. Mickey issues some orders and Hank says he was left in charge. Mickey pulls out some papers from the Colonel and turns out he is now Lieutenant Mouse! Mickey unveils his plan of keen strategy. Hank has his doubts but follows through.
The men are spaced out fifty yards apart, as Aiper, Pete, Trigger, and the cavalry charged into the camp. Aiper is enraged to discover zero Legionnaires. Mickey jumps up and demands their surrender. Well, villains hate that maneuver and Aiper orders his men to shoot Mickey.
The guns misfire (there is a pill for that) and Aiper decides to ride him down. Mickey commands his men to fire and Aiper immediately invokes the Geneva Convention while saying he will never surrender. Mickey says too bad and prepares for the fire order when Aiper gives up the ghost.
The entire tribe is processed and unsurprisingly Pete is nowhere to be found. Corporal Hank, a brave soul but not too bright, admits he saw the fiend slip away. Mickey asks why he didn't shoot him? Hank replied that he was following orders to not shoot until commanded.
Everyone is angry about Pete's clever deflection but Hawkes reveals that he didn't trust Pete and swiped the blueprints. He yields the document to Mickey in a sportsmanlike gesture. Mickey tells the Colonel that Pete escaped. The Colonel isn't worried, saying they will offer a big reward for his capture. Aiper sneers that his tribe will take care of the big palooka. (Silly Colonel and Aiper, don't they realize reoccurring villains can't be killed?)
The Colonel offers Mickey to name his reward. Mickey, of course, asks for a vacation house on the French Rivera and the right to build EuroDisney. Just kidding, he requests his honorable discharge from the Legion and the right to salute the swellest officer the Legion ever had.
Captain Doberman greets Mickey at the docks as Hawkes is handed over to the authorities. Major Beagle closes the case and hands Mickey two checks.
What follows is a delightful vignette that touches perfectly on why Mickey and Minnie work as a couple. Mickey, in another salesman disguise, heads to her house. He tries to push some merchandise on her but she angrily refuses. Mickey pulls off the gag and reveals himself to her. He jokes about leaving again as he has two job offers on the table and admits they are hard to turn. What does Minnie have to keep him on the home front? Turns out, pie does the trick.
"Joins the Foreign Legion" succeeds because Mickey is such a strong character. Most stories pair the Mouse with a sidekick, who often swipes the spotlight, or handles the comedic material. Here, Mickey carries the brunt of the action and comedy and the villains' stabs.
Francesco Stajano and Leonardo Gori wrote a brilliant foreword for the story in the Floyd Gottfredson Library. Their final paragraph perfectly captures why the narrative resonates. In its entirely:
"Overall, "Foreign Legion" is an uplifting story, with Gottfredson and his team at their graphical apogee. Mickey rises from lowliest private soldier to decorated war hero, proving any man can be great in the face of adversity if he trusts his potential and his beliefs."
Two ears up!
On the docket? A Scooby Doo caper!
