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It's hard to decide whether $crooge McDuck's youthful sweetheart Glittering Goldie O'Gilt is his enemy or his ally. As a creation of Carl Barks, $crooge met Goldie in 1899 while prospecting for gold in the Klondike. Goldie was a young and pretty dance-hall girl who caught his eye and then swindled him out of his gold. $crooge forced her to work his mine for a month, after which she reformed, and even gave money she earned later to an orphanage. However, she never did repay $crooge for all she (and Dangerous Dan?) stole. Later, $crooge, Donald and the Nephews returned to the Yukon and find opportunity to collect on Goldie's billion dollar debt to him. Once, when he stood ready to marry the gold-digging Millionaira Vanderbucks (apparently a twisted "DuckTales" version of Romano Scarpa's comic book vixen Brigitta MacBridge in "Til Nephews Do Us Part"), upon request of Webby and the Nephews, Goldie showed up at the altar, rifle in hand, nearly killing $crooge for his infidelity to their unconsummated love. A detailed account of Scrooge and Goldie's original meeting and heartbreaking separation is presented in Don Rosa's tales "King of the Klondike" from "Uncle $crooge" #292, and more importantly, "Hearts of the Yukon" from "Walt Disney Giant" #1 (Sep. 1995). $crooge, Donald and the Nephews encounter Goldie in a more modern context in "Uncle $crooge: Back to the Klondike" from "Four Color" #456 (Mar. 1956); "Uncle $crooge" #59 and "Uncle $crooge Adventures" #5. Apparently Goldie is $crooge's one-and-only true love, and always will be. One might assume that Goldie eventually married or had a child at some point, and a resultant granddaughter named Dickie Duck who appears in many Romano Scarpa Italian duck stories (though some authorities claim she is actually her niece). In the classic Italian comic tale "Topolino" #577 in "Arriva Paperetta YE-YE" ("Dickie Duck Arrives!") Goldie and Dickie came to Duckburg where Scrooge and Goldie had a reunion of sorts. As Scarpa relates the tale, Goldie has become quite poor and is now living in a Convalescent Home for the elderly where she is Dickie's legal guardian. While in Duckburg she relates to Scrooge the sad tale of her abhorrent living conditions and the wicked Director of the home. She explains that she is no longer capable of caring for young Dickie and asks him to help her. Scrooge agrees and places Dickie in a Boarding Scool (probably in Duckburg), and Dickie is generally accepted as part of the Duck Family in future tales which include her (but never again with Goldie). Scrooge is also enraged about the Director of the home where Goldie lives and is forced to labor. Scrooge proceeds to purchase the building and provides for the continued maintenance of the home. Scrooge also fires the home's director and appoints Goldie as the new Director. More recently Don Rosa has continued the tale of Scrooge and Goldie's unrequited love affair, especially in the tale called "A Little Something Special" (The Adventurous Scrooge McDuck #2 ). However, Rosa's portrayal of Goldie is that of a much more vivacious woman, still quite capable of caring for herself. Will Scrooge ever swallow his pride and finally admit to Goldie that he really does love her? Will they ever marry? Only time (and Don Rosa) will tell. |
Glittering Goldie 