Almanac: Donald Duck

(CBS News) And now a page from our "Sunday Morning" Almanac . . . June 9th, 1934, 79 years ago today, the day a beloved cartoon character first took wing.

For that was the day Walt Disney released "The Wise Little Hen," with a cast that included a lazy duck by the name of Donald.

Before long, Donald was starring in his own cartoons, with a bill -- and a temper -- that got shorter over time.

His explosive tirades became his trademark, along with his distinctive diction, voiced for half a century by Clarence Nash.

Despite the bluster, Donald did exhibit some commendable qualities, among them his devotion to the ever-patient Daisy . . . and the attentiveness to his three mischievous nephews: Huey, Dewey and Louie.

Donald has had his imitators over the years, including Elton John, who at a 1980 concert at New York's Central Park impersonated Donald right down to the occasional quack.

Four years later, in 1984, Donald's 50th birthday was celebrated at Disney theme parks and on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, where Donald left his webbed footprints, with an adoring Daisy looking on.

That same year, Clarence Nash was honored by President Reagan for his volunteer work, giving Nash an opening to recall the time he (and Donald) encountered a chronically complaining boy at a children's hospital:

Nash: "And what did you say to the boy, Donald?"
Donald Duck: "Shut up!"

Clarence Nash died less than a year later, in early 1985, at the age of 80. But his character lives on.

With all due respect to a certain real estate tycoon, for millions of cartoon fans, THIS will always be The Donald.