The Poor Peafowl

The Poor Peafowl is a 1952 animated short starring Douglas Duck.

Plot
An elderly named Sparky recognizes Douglas as an elderly man picking up litter and feeling painfully tired. Sparky recalls the day they first met. Sparky was looking for a job on the newspaper until Douglas picks it off on the ground. Sparky then realizes than he could do it too. Sparky then kindly has Douglas take a break and do all the work for him. Douglas is pleased at this and began their partnership. They stay in a small cottage where Sparky also did sewing buttons. As Douglas sleeps, he gets stung which causes him to put a cork on his stinger.

Their business began at an amusement park where Douglas sells balloons for 10 cents only to get more money whenever Sparky pops balloons to children after buying them. Their business didn't last long when Spike popped balloons from a dancing balloon woman. They got another job for tattooing sailors, which made Donald find a better job for Spike. They ran a really big business where Sparky mends fabric and clothing and portraits. Exhausted from working, Spike begged Donald for a vacation in the country. Douglas happily agreed by bringing the country to him. Spike is happy as he flies around the greenhouse and to his surprise finds a bee girl.

Sparky blushes and gets kissed which causes him to ruin the business by designing hearts all over the clothing, undo sewn flower petals, and write "I love a bee girl" and "I love you dearly". As Douglas sees this to his shock, he sadly protests "I'm ruined!" He then sees Spike playing the Hawaiian classic "Farewell to Be" to his new girlfriend. Angered by this, Douglas intends to kill the bee girl. Sparky gets locked out from Douglas as he tries to find her. Spike believed "the thing that brought us together was about to come between us" by stinging Douglas (from outside above the greenhouse where he broke out from being kissed) ending his partnership with Donald and beginning a new relationship with his girlfriend.

Back from the beginning, Sparky says he and his girlfriend (now wife) has been happy all those years ago. Douglas, as an old man, sees Sparky and protests he's been looking all over for him. As Sparky refuses, he changes his mind when his wife yells and throws stuff at him for his laziness. Sparky runs off and decides to reconcile his partnership with Douglas.

Voice Characterization

 * Don Barclay as Douglas Duck

Production

 * Director: James Howard
 * Story: Nick Germanetti, Bob Beck
 * Animation: Virgil Jones, Bill Charles, Bob Johnson, Martin Ansolabehere
 * Effects Animation: Bernard Germanetti
 * Layout: Yoram Patterson
 * Background: Yoram Garling
 * Music: Oliver Williams
 * Ink and Paint: Warren Johnson (uncredited)
 * Orchestrations: James Dietrich (uncredited)
 * Camera: Sid Glenar, Gene Moore (all uncredited)
 * Film Editor: Douglas Holiday (uncredited)
 * Sound Effects: C.O. Stevens (uncredited)

Home video releases
DVD
 * Michael Shires Treasures: The Chronological Douglas, Volume Four