An august attendant ushered me in through the door on which the above legend was emblazoned in gold leaf.
Here, then, was that thrilling moment, the culmination of weeks of hoping and planning, when I was at last to interview the famous screen star, Mickey Mouse !
The opening door revealed him at the far end of a large room, reclining in a swivel chair behind an enormous glass-topped desk. The office exuded swank — deep, plushy rugs, heavy carved furniture, expensive-looking tapestries, exquisite floor-lamps. All was enveloped in a gentle half-light that seeped in through drawn curtains.
Miss Bloggs, the secretary who had granted me the ap- pointment, met me at the door and presented me to my host. Some such greeting as a cheery slap on the back and a "Hi, Mickey !" had been in my mind. Instead, thoroughly awed, I took his paw almost reverently and mumbled, "Good morning, Mr. Mouse."
"Do sit down," he said indolently. "Do you prefer Russian cigarettes or Egyptian ? Gold-tipped or straw ?" He twirled a whisker elegantly, and I thought I detected more than a trace of the Oxford accent in his speech.
We lit our cigarettes, and then Mickey Mouse, without waiting for questions, began to talk rapidly and more than a bit pompously.
"I am deeply attached to my Art. To me it is the most important thing in life. I do not merely act my roles — I live them. My favorite poets are Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde. My favorite novel is 'A Tail of Two Cities.' My life's ambition is to play Hamlet. I am profoundly thrilled by the Essence of the Cosmic All, and yearn deeply to know the Inner Meaning of Life."
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